Stealing my vote (or so I think)
More than two weeks ago I reregistered to vote here in San Diego as I had moved just across the street from my former residence. It was around 4pm on a weekday and the only table I saw actively recruiting people to vote was "Students for Obama."
In order to vote on election day and register avoiding an argument, I decided to put "decline to state," under the option of political party. So I registered Republican earlier to have a say in who I preferred in the Republican party. Huckabee? After reading that scathing article on the man several months ago in the National Review, he lost my vote. Romney? Maybe. Rudy? Maybe. McCain? I liked him. I forget who I voted for but it was either Romney or McCain.
What was peculiar about the Students for Barack Obama booth was that there was a white haired man with a tall hat aggressively recruiting voters. The rest of the tablers were well...students. This guy was fresh from the good old 1960's and 1970's and to him CHANGE was in the air. I analyzed his body language. He was tall--maybe 6'1. And he said politely that it did not matter if I was a Democrat. But then he kept on trying to make small talk while I filled out the tedious registration form.
I politely said I did not know who I was going to vote for and I thought both candidates had their strengths and weaknesses. What good would it do me to argue with someone who clearly already had made up their mind and I had made up mine? He was perhaps 61 and I am 19 going on 20. He misses the good old Carter era with flowers in the air and I am concerned with the economy and have been raised on Reaganomics and the very heart of the American people: success comes from hard work, not handouts. The Obama utopia seems wonderful. Obama's ideas all seem hopeful, and well...messianic. I was a realist not a flowerist and this older babyboomer gentleman was the opposite. He was an idealist.
He refused to give me physical or mental space while I registered. He winced at me, and scrutinized me trying to figure out which candidate would be getting my ink on November the 4th. [Ed. note: please correct me if I have the wrong date!]
He said that I should get a cute little slip in the mail reaffirming that I, Maia, have the right to vote. He said it should come within the next week ....or so. It has been 3 weeks!
On my way off, he said something alarming. "So now you can vote for McCain!"
I smiled politely and said I had to go. After I tuned him out with his little diatribe on why Obama was the One and that Bush was like Hitler and our country was going to hell with any more Bush-like people in the office, I obliged him for 24 more seconds and said I really had to go and thanked him for his honest opinion. I am the least confrontational person. But I was also appalled. When he was prosletyzing on why Obama was the holy saviour and it was good for me and my brethren to be Saved [see Moxie.nu the Mox has very good points] I felt my boundaries had been violated.
OK. Yes it was clearly "Students for Barack Obama." But at the time I just wanted to register, and be on my way back home or to class. I thought that as fellow Americans they would respect my right to vote. But now, I'm starting to doubt it. My voting slip has not been delivered. And usually when you do anything in the civil process from registering to actually voting the canvassers and poll workers are supposed to give you space. Am I right or am I wrong?
I'm a bit worried. When I go to the local library to vote this November should I get some headphones and pepper spray to keep the workers from going into my booth and shouting in my ear to vote for Obama? Is the new idea of help, holding my hand, and gently like a good Presidential figure, nudging it to the left...to "get my vote to count?"
After reading up on Obama's social policies and foreign policy goals, I am a bit concerned. As a Jew, Israel will "no longer be the darling of the media." [see Drudge Report for updates] As a firm believer in free markets, wealth will be redistributed. Instead of firmer standing against totalitarian dictatorships across the world, Obama wants to be on speaking friendly terms with the likes of Cuba, Venezuela etc. Like history proves in Carter's era, talking and negotiations and appeasement is not the best diplomatic road to trod down upon.
But then again on election day if Obama wins the election. The American people have spoken. I will respect that choice and time will tell if Obama will be the best President yet. But for me personally, I at least want my vote to count. Without diatribes. And without worry.
In order to vote on election day and register avoiding an argument, I decided to put "decline to state," under the option of political party. So I registered Republican earlier to have a say in who I preferred in the Republican party. Huckabee? After reading that scathing article on the man several months ago in the National Review, he lost my vote. Romney? Maybe. Rudy? Maybe. McCain? I liked him. I forget who I voted for but it was either Romney or McCain.
What was peculiar about the Students for Barack Obama booth was that there was a white haired man with a tall hat aggressively recruiting voters. The rest of the tablers were well...students. This guy was fresh from the good old 1960's and 1970's and to him CHANGE was in the air. I analyzed his body language. He was tall--maybe 6'1. And he said politely that it did not matter if I was a Democrat. But then he kept on trying to make small talk while I filled out the tedious registration form.
I politely said I did not know who I was going to vote for and I thought both candidates had their strengths and weaknesses. What good would it do me to argue with someone who clearly already had made up their mind and I had made up mine? He was perhaps 61 and I am 19 going on 20. He misses the good old Carter era with flowers in the air and I am concerned with the economy and have been raised on Reaganomics and the very heart of the American people: success comes from hard work, not handouts. The Obama utopia seems wonderful. Obama's ideas all seem hopeful, and well...messianic. I was a realist not a flowerist and this older babyboomer gentleman was the opposite. He was an idealist.
He refused to give me physical or mental space while I registered. He winced at me, and scrutinized me trying to figure out which candidate would be getting my ink on November the 4th. [Ed. note: please correct me if I have the wrong date!]
He said that I should get a cute little slip in the mail reaffirming that I, Maia, have the right to vote. He said it should come within the next week ....or so. It has been 3 weeks!
On my way off, he said something alarming. "So now you can vote for McCain!"
I smiled politely and said I had to go. After I tuned him out with his little diatribe on why Obama was the One and that Bush was like Hitler and our country was going to hell with any more Bush-like people in the office, I obliged him for 24 more seconds and said I really had to go and thanked him for his honest opinion. I am the least confrontational person. But I was also appalled. When he was prosletyzing on why Obama was the holy saviour and it was good for me and my brethren to be Saved [see Moxie.nu the Mox has very good points] I felt my boundaries had been violated.
OK. Yes it was clearly "Students for Barack Obama." But at the time I just wanted to register, and be on my way back home or to class. I thought that as fellow Americans they would respect my right to vote. But now, I'm starting to doubt it. My voting slip has not been delivered. And usually when you do anything in the civil process from registering to actually voting the canvassers and poll workers are supposed to give you space. Am I right or am I wrong?
I'm a bit worried. When I go to the local library to vote this November should I get some headphones and pepper spray to keep the workers from going into my booth and shouting in my ear to vote for Obama? Is the new idea of help, holding my hand, and gently like a good Presidential figure, nudging it to the left...to "get my vote to count?"
After reading up on Obama's social policies and foreign policy goals, I am a bit concerned. As a Jew, Israel will "no longer be the darling of the media." [see Drudge Report for updates] As a firm believer in free markets, wealth will be redistributed. Instead of firmer standing against totalitarian dictatorships across the world, Obama wants to be on speaking friendly terms with the likes of Cuba, Venezuela etc. Like history proves in Carter's era, talking and negotiations and appeasement is not the best diplomatic road to trod down upon.
But then again on election day if Obama wins the election. The American people have spoken. I will respect that choice and time will tell if Obama will be the best President yet. But for me personally, I at least want my vote to count. Without diatribes. And without worry.
Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama
Posted by M Lazar @ 10/20/2008 12:18:00 PM
37 Comments:
Flowers in the air? Carter?
You are as ignorant as they come child.
You forgot which presidental candidate you voted for in the Republican primary??!!??
And you aren't sure when the election is??????
I appreciate the honesty, but this strikes a blow at your credibility.
My suggestion is to take a little bit of time and self-edit before posting.
Finally a young person who is not a zombie Obama idiot.
Excellent points M but watch out cause the Obama campaign has Jim Alger monitoring this blog and preparing lists of people to shut up once BO becomes da prez.
Flowers all but died during Nixon, babe. You're almost a decade off with your public ed history lesson.
This youngster need some hippie history lessons, a 61 year old was a flower child way before the Jimmy Carter days.
Jimmy Carter was president when very flammable polyster disco style clothes were in fashion.
So far you fail in cultural history.
Too long! This is better for a magazine than a blog.
I'm not scared. BO or no BO I think both sides in the media tend to get a tad hysterical. (:
I'm reading 'We' by Zamiatin (it inspired 1984 and Brave New World). If Mr. Alger is reading this, I send him my best regards.
You should call the Registrar of Voters just to make sure they got your form and everything is all set for the election.
The Obama koolaid drinkers scare me too. You're lucky they didn't call the Secret Service on you.
This piece was interesting, but about half way I became exhausted!
Mr.Lazar,
I have a few suggestions for you most importantly, register to vote TODAY. All voter registration cards must be postmarked by today.
Second, if you miss the deadline, and find you are not registered when you show up to vote, get a provisional ballot. You can vote if you were previously registered. Regardless of who you vote for, just be sure you vote.
Thirdly, I would respectfully suggest refraining from using Drudge as a soujavascript:void(0)
Publish Your Commentrce of information in making a decision. Try writing three things you deeply care about, and then go to FactCheck.org and read the TRUE positions of the candidates instead of the spun versions of each sides opponents.
Lastly, ignore the twit at 12:53. :)
Jim
That should have said Ms Lazar, my apologies.
"Like history proves in Carter's era, talking and negotiations and appeasement is not the best diplomatic road to trod down upon."
You are a complete moron. What history? Where? What conflict was not settled by talking? Name one.
We talked to Libya and negotiated peace.
We talked to North Korea, they have now been removed from the list of terrorist nations.
We talked to the Soviet Union, and ended the cold war.
Talking is the ONLY way that works. Granted sometimes you must use force to compel speech, but when someone is willing to open up a dialog you don't shoot at them - and you don't take a country to war.
People as ill informed as you really shouldn't be voting.
Always nice to have blogging interns from San Diego on board! Welcome, M! Can u post something about the cafeteria food? We'd love to hear about that, too!
Does anybody know a good blog which is the "Home of Los Angeles Politics" ?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
3:01 An when we didn't talk and went to war instead we lost (Vietnam).
Sure 3:56, instead of getting into a reasonable discussion, reduce Mia to an object of your sexual fantasies because women really enjoy it when you dismiss them in favor of their anatomy.
Kiddies feel free to take Mr. Alger (or anyone) to task for his words or actions but no need to make up things about his personal life.
Maia, you may be off on some details about Carter's admin., like that it was Nixon before him who ended the Vietnam war and flower power era -- and Carter did NOT talk to the Soviets, instead banning our athletes from going to the Olympics in Moscow, the grain embargo to Russia (which profited other countries incl. our "allies") and he gave aid and active assistance to dictators of Romania, Yugoslavia (which fell apart soon after, and Romania's Coucescus were arrested and hanged by their repressed people), and others in Africa and around the world.
Plus under him, interest rates like to buy a house shot upto 17%, making balloon payments the norm, everything hinging on increasing housing prices. Luckily then instead of like now, housing prices did keep going up to save most people allowing them to refinance with higher equity. (Playing the same game in today;s economy where we are already heavily indebted as a country and no longer the most powerful -- something Carter inherited from NIxon, who also is the one who "opened up" China, ironically, while Carter a dumb Democrat had diplomacy little better than his gas station attendant brother. If you don't recall him leading around packs of Libyans, look it up. And Carter trying to hang tough with Iran bungled the hostage crisis and made the Ayatollah's power even stronger.
That one apparently CAN be blamed on Nixon's administration, since by trying to do the right thing and ousting a Shah who was condemned around the world for human rights violations, they ushered in a rightwing, feudalistic, vehemently anti- American regime they have now. (Remind you of Saddam Hussein and equally simplistically moralistic Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld, maybe?)
You ARE totally right about the flavor of that old, aging hippie hoping Obama is the "change" he's been waiting for since his student days. Those smug people give me the creeps, they're so full of certitude and "getting even" for decades of conservatives. You're right they're all about tax-and- spand, redistribute the wealth.
(On our own City Council, look at Rosendahl and Janice Hahn as prime examples - unless Janice initially went for Hillary for feminist reasons, I can't remember.
Hillary would have been fine, and it was her refusal to flip-flop and pander in her views like Obama, and to know like Bill, how to achieve compromise between parties between social programs and fiscally sound policies, that cost her the election. Like our own Villar, Obama's all about PC rhetoric and "minority empowerment" and "social justice" to give unfair treatment to the middle class.
(Look at all the prop taxes hitting struggling homeowners in LA now -- why I think Measure R as a sales tax for much-needed mass transit is the only one that makes sense.
Still, having said that, I'm NOT for Caruso, either -- read his remarks in the rightwing RED COUNTRY Republican rag, where the fool really believes that his faux Grove/ America shopping centers for his own profit are actually a valid substitute for genuine communities! Talk about sucking upto developers -- instead of even pretending to fix the ills of our city.)
Glad to see a student with the guts to admit Obama's not what these old lefties want to see, but an extremely articulate man with a lot of indentity confusion that feeds into all sorts of agendas.
Maia is hot!
I like a post that sticks to one subject, is full of juicy details, and has a mystery at the end: will she or won't she get to vote?
Right on, Donna and 304!
"Always nice to have blogging interns from San Diego on board! Welcome, M! Can u post something about the cafeteria food? We'd love to hear about that, too!
October 20, 2008 3:04 PM"
Maia is totally hot, and that is part of the deal here. She's totally adorable. But I don't care what happens at UCSD, or if she is Jewish, who her mother (Kathy Seipp) was.
Keep to the local or important national stuff cutie pie.
Uh, oh, it took me too long to get the damn Blogger to sign me in, so now the post is removed that said Maia was hot.
Let me rephrase that: she is an average American young woman. No description, really.
Yes, Maia is a beautiful girl, but she also has some well-stated thoughts.
If her looks draw more attention to Mr. Higby's blog, Jim, that's too bad for someone like you who doesn't understand why KNBC has someone like Jennifer Bjorklund hosting its news, or any of the other gorgeous women in Los Angeles.
Leave Maia alone and just enjoy her terrific writing.
higby, why do you remove posts about maia being hot? you allowed, and have made, posts about haikoola being hot, so why are you deleting these?
if you are suddenly protecting maia about this if she complained, it goes with the territory.
she is definitely a hottie and your best new contributor! I like it that donna is commenting here now. Don't push people away by editing things.
The post that I removed that said Maia was hot also cast doubts on Mr. Alger's sexuality, doubts that consiering I've been in his home and have met his extremely good looking wife and family that I know not to be true. So feel free to compliment Maia all you want but no need to lie about Jim's sexuality.
higby, governor jim mcgreenvey of NJ was married to a stunning woman, and you can look up his public admission to being gay.
your point about married men necessarily being hetero has a million examples of exceptions.
are you fooled that easily? nevertheless, you should not be editing. calling someone gay could refer to one's politics, and if the person actually IS gay, like Bill Rosendahl, is it offensive language then? would you edit a post that said that rosendahl was hetero? where is the line that you draw?
Our youngest blogger needs a history lesson.
And on the subject of wealth distribution, we have the largest wealth distribution happening right now.... on Wall Street.
Wall Street Banks Pay $70 Billion in Pork Bonuses
http://www.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/wall-street-banks-pay-70-billion-pork-bonuses
"Though CEO's of major banks have had their bonuses cut due to the magnitude of bank failures and the ensuing taxpayer bailout, it now comes to light that 10% of the $700 billion given to financial institutions by the US Government will be used to top up lucrative year end pay and discretionary bonus deals, meant to reward workers for their productivity and contribution to the banks' success during the previous year"
And of course lets not forget luxury retreats by AIG executives.
http://consumerist.com/5064556/aig-executives-help-themselves-to-86000-hunting-trip
"The AP is reporting that AIG executives aren't done partying yet — they took an $86,000 hunting trip even as the company was requesting an additional $37.8 billion loan from the Federal Reserve."
Just you just say my wife was hot Michael?
LOL I'll be sure to let her know. (She pretends she doesn't know it)
That'll put a smile on her face. :)
For the record, Jim Alger's wife is hot as hell. She showed up with him at a Democratic party in this school-girl type skirt and boots. I couldn't believe he got a girl that good looking.
Yes I do appreciate your advice. I really did not have the time to edit it since I'm taking 20 units and have midterms and all that craziness that accompanies a college student. If my mother (Cathy Seipp, not Kathy. She is probably rolling over in her grave for that K!) were here she would chastise me, and have me fact-check and shorten the post a bit.
I am trying to be as relevant to LA and politics.
I am flattered by comments regarding my appearance but my profile picture is a wonderful edited picture taken by my friend C's camera and her artwork. If anyone ever needs a graphic designer or makeup artist, I will refer you to her!
Anyways must resume reading and studying.
if your school work is too beckoning to fact check, you should put a caution before every thing you put here.
you otherwise are misleading people.
I don't even know why I'm responding but Jim is not gay.
I know plenty of gay people and I've seen Jim's house.
He's not gay.
Indeed his wife is hotter beyond his means, perhaps I should make him my Yoda.
Maia your coolness is indeed beyond pale, your wit and wisdom is unprecedented for one twice your age.
I know what it's like when you're younger and folks don't take you seriously. I was not as smart as I thought I was when I was Maia's age and I SOOOO relished turning 30 cause I thought it gave me credibility, but I did have something to offer.
Maia has plenty to offer you guys really don't need to waste your time on proofreading because the net is not about perfect grammar as much as it's about getting the word out.
Now kids comment on the words, the ideas, the constructs.
By the way, if Alger is getting a blogging check from Obama - - - -
John/Sarah - where's the damn love?
Matt Blunt is the Republican Governor of MO and he will rock the vote for McCain.
We know Higby and Haikula aren't being paid to blog, who would pay the blogging burros to paste YouTube videos on this blog. Even Sarah palin is not that stupid.
"his wife is hotter beyond his means, perhaps I should make him my Yoda."
Higby, you are INSANE! LMAO
That had me laughing so hard.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home