Political Gripe

I don't talk about my political beliefs here to avoid stepping on toes, but I just have to get some things off my chest.....

Let me start by saying that I'm one of the "undecided white women" that the pollsters keep talking about on the news. I tend to make my decision just a few days before the actual election, so I definitely will not be telling you who I'm voting for or trying to convince you to vote for that person because I have no idea at this point.

So, here goes:

The electoral college should be abolished. It's simply not fair to those of us who live in either very conservative or very liberal states. Case in point: if I were to vote for Obama, my vote would not matter. More people vote Republican than Democrat in my state (seriously, my state is so red that the political map makers ought to draw flames around the borders) and since whoever gets the most popular votes gets all of the electoral votes, then my vote truly does not count. For five years I preached the importance of voting to my students using the "every vote counts" line knowing that it's not true for all Americans when it comes to presidential races. BUT, I still vote every year and I take my kids with me when possible just to ingrain the importance of it into their memories.

Despite my gripes with the electoral college, I am kinda glad that we're not being bombarded with political ads, mailers and phone calls. I feel sorry for the poor people in the swing states who will be spending the next month throwing out half of their mail and screening their phone calls.

Also, I don't understand why people can't separate their feelings about a candidate and their feelings about a candidate's beliefs. I really admire both Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. Both of them are excellent role models for today's girls, proving that you can be both a mother and a leader. I don't necessarily agree with their positions on all of the issues, but I still admire them for their strength and courage.

And what is up with the media? They seem to focus on the outward appearance of the female candidates more than the issues. Palin (and Clinton during the primaries) gives speeches day after day, focusing on the issues, all while having idiots in the media focusing on and making fun of her clothes, hair and accent. I don't hear the media criticizing Joe Biden's (icky looking) hairdo or John McCain's (boring and blah) suits. Just another example of the double standards that exist in our country.

Anyway, I just had to vent a bit. And now I feel much better.

Do you have any political gripes?