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Our political system at the moment seems to be one that leaves few private citizens feeling that they are being fully represented by whomever from whatever party is being elected. Nearly half of eligible voters have opted out by not even casting a ballot each presidential election. The remaining eligible half has split on almost equal numbers with hardened support leaving somewhere around 6 or 7 percent of indifferently undecided voters to decide our fates. Our country’s low voter turnout is one of the reasons the far edges of our politically active citizens, both conservative and liberal, have come to have a greater influence. Their influence is amplified even more during the primary seasons and off-year or non-presidential elections when the turnout is sometimes not even a third of what we will see this year.
As far as I can tell, our current divided government is doomed to continue the gridlock our brothers and sisters in the tea party long for. And for this reason, I want to take this opportunity to encourage them to cast their ballots for President Obama. It should be pointed out that when one political party controls both the legislative and executive branches, money flows like water out of Washington D.C. Remember what happened under Messrs. Bush and Cheney? It was the start of the current trend of our national deficit growing at an exponential rate.
The tea party’s continued support for a truly, politically cynical presidential candidate, who is, shall we say, truth challenged and their enthusiasm for his running mate who has barely held a job outside of government service points to their possible belief that the ends justify the means in their cause of shrinking the size and influence of our federal government. If that is so, and you are going to be holding your nose when you vote for president this year, it can be argued that the re-election of President Barack Obama would bring Washington, D.C., to a virtual standstill. Not only will you and your compatriots be guaranteed little, if any, growth on the federal level, his re-election will provide y’all with much needed entertainment as your favorite political pundits can continue to nitpick, whine, and make stuff up about Mr. Obama for four more years just as the hard left talking heads did for the last president who happened to be Republican.
Ernest Bowman, Kokomo
Opinion
October 28, 2012
Tea party should vote for Obama
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