Political Opinions

I rarely comment on politics.  Both US and international politics are extremely intricate and complicated issues and I have neither the time nor the inclination to put enough effort into gathering all the facts and researching as I feel is necessary to form a cohesive opinion.

I vote, of course.  And I do so based on research.  I look into candidates’ stances and voting behavior on a small group of issues that I care about and that I feel represent a general barometer to a candidate’s overall political tendencies.  Those issues include mainly Reproductive Rights, Animal Rights, Health, Education Spending, and International Policy.  I also like to look at a politician’s advisors to see a nice array of backgrounds and opinions.  I won’t name anyone in particular but there was a recent high up government official who I COULD NOT STAND.  He depended on Yes Man advisors who represented the most narrow-minded viewpoints I can imagine.  And there was all that lying and underhanded bastard crap.  But that’s neither here nor there.  Suffice to say, when it comes to politics I research before I vote, but I don’t believe I’m knowledgeable enough to be a commentator.

But I’m getting fed up.  There are a couple of blogs I read/Twitter feeds I follow of people who are lovely, normally rational people until they start spouting political malarkey.  You want to throw your political opinions in my face?  Fine,  but you damn well better research them first.  I have HAD IT with people who just regurgitate all the asinine propaganda they are fed by vapid spinmeisters like Rush Limbaugh and Neal Boortz (who called the victims of Katrina “human debris”).  Yes, I point out right wingers.  I’m sure there are left wing spin meisters, too.  But the right wingers piss me off more because they tend to advocate violence and are unapologetic when they are proven completely wrong or caught in a lie.  And, obviously because I’m pro Sex Ed, Pro-Choice, Pro Animal Rights, and Pro Education.

But, hey watch this:  I’m going to own up to the fact that I’m biased.  I am biased.  I’m a woman who grew up poor and I’m a vegetarian.  So I fall pretty soundly on the left side of things.  I’m biased.  I am not sitting here trying to convert you or making broad, sweeping comments blaming all our current problems on one person.  Lest we forget the way economics works, no single person brings down the economy.  But if one person could . . .

Then there are those people I really don’t understand like my friend’s wife, Ms Backward (though I’m sure she’d prefer I call her MRS Backward).  She’s a WOMAN of COLOR.  She’s not Christian.  They are far from wealthy.  And the other day she said, “Oh, I would vote for anyone else before I’d vote for a democrat.”  W.T.F!?  You know it’s called the “religious right” for a reason, don’t you?  And I KNOW you use birth control.  And you claim to be in favor of sex ed and education.  I don’t get it.  And I’ll bet you ten to one that if I asked her to explain it, all I’d get is skewed propaganda in response.

I don’t always vote party lines.  I research.  I can’t say “I’ll never vote for a republican” and by saying you’ll vote for anyone but a democrat, you’re just outing yourself as an apathetic, extremist, uneducated voter.

But that’s just my opinion . . .

So go ahead and spout your political opinions all over the place, but know this:  If you don’t actually research what you’re saying, and especially if you’re just spewing propaganda fed to you by Fox News, I'm just going to think you're an idiot - and weak willed one at that.

And, for the most part, I’ll refrain from comment because, unless I’m researching an election, I openly admit that my favorite source for political news is: