Rambling Ruminations

Today...11.4.08...

Why did you vote for who you voted for? Really! Email me at joel.dischinger@gmail.com and let me know. Can I get any participation here? I want to listen.

Why you ask do I inquire now? Because I didn't need my mind changed. Thanks for thinking I should have asked sooner so you could try and change my mind though!

I was chatting with an elderly woman doing some Christmas shopping this morning because later this week is supposed to get colder and might snow just a bit. I asked her if she voted and she said she already had. I said, "good for you, how long did it take?" She said she was in and out in just a short time. I asked who she voted for in a tactful way and she sure let me know. "Obama!" I then inquired, "I'm just wondering, what's the primary reason why?" She said-paraphrasing-that it was because of the war and that thousands of people had died because G.W. Bush led us to war for no reason. Carol returned with the shopping cart my guest needed and she was on her way. It was a fun little interaction with her though.

Yes, we went to war. The stench of complaint wasn't so bad just after it started. Honest question now. Did Bush solely make the decision to go? Honestly, I don't know but I don't think so-meaning he had to have some support from both sides. Right?

Now that we're there, have been there and probably should still be there can we leave at the drop of a dime? Are you kidding me? No. Discipline, finishing something you start pops into my head and fighting for our own freedom and not getting blasted out of our biggest and most world known city.

Should we eventually leave? Yeah! Should there be a timetable set on leaving? Yeah! But should we leave in the next year? The next three years? I think however long it takes to make Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan fully operational on their own, whether that takes one or three or five. Do you not agree? Leave now and you leave a country floundering. I say finish the job and get your people home! Does that make me Dem or Rep? I don't care-I think someone in this world has to step up and be completely and unashamedly bi-partisan or even tri-partisan to do what is right. I haven't heard the specs of Obama's or McCain's plans for the war(s) but that's my own inherent dislike of any political process because most of it is seething liars.

Back to the leaving part. On my plan to leave. 3 more years. Plan hard, train hard, act intelligently and give them control. Gradually leave over one year. Get out, give it to them to control. After you're table passes or fails you either declare victory or you give up-let it go.

It's like picking your battles with your teenager. Do you lecture him/her everyday on marijuana, crack, girls/boys, sex, drinking, soft drugs, hard drugs? No, you pick your battles. Didn't you do that Mom and Dad? You win on having your child not do drugs and having sex but you let his/her anger slide or you don't completely go ballistic on them when they tried some cigs. That's my piece on that. Make a plan, get gone. Sometimes you'll have to stick hard to staying and sometimes you've made an improvement and hope they can maintain and move forward rather than bomb the snot out of the sand.

Is it fair that we leave a job unfinished there? Would we want to leave something unfinished here? Do we want to only do 350 million of the 700 million bailout? I think many people would call that moronic. Then...why not finish the job elsewhere?!

Seriously, I've had enough war but it is something that must be finished before coming home. If we leave early does the world think America surrendered? Answer that. I don't know, just throwing it out there.

Then I asked another woman how the weather was and if she had voted or not. She had as well. I chatted with her a bit longer about who knows what, that's not what I remember. Before she went I said have a great day and enjoy the weather! She replied as I remember something to the effect of "oh I will. Did you vote? (No, not yet, I've been here all day.) Oh, you better vote for the right one!"

Are you kidding me? What bull-garbage. Saying it very slyly and looking over her shoulder. Well you fine middle aged woman, who is the right candidate? Why don't you claim who you're voting for? That's all I ask. I don't care who you vote for just don't be ashamed. Claim it. Don't yell "vote Obama" or "vote McCain" in a dark room. Please, know who you're voting for and claim it! Claim it!

So that woman annoyed me. Who is the right candidate? At least claim it you wuss. It's like she was trying to influence me without claiming who she was voting for.

Maybe that's some good advice for myself. Could I have done some more research on who I voted for? Sure, but when you're bombarded by bull-garbage ads and news stories that only slander the other candidate, never give point counter point explaining something, they only go after their own skewed/slanted/skilted ad that only benefits themselves.

Will a candidate ever win who says I was wrong here but this is why I'm right on this issue versus this candidate? Will any election ever be fair? Why are attack ads "declared" "helpful" or deemed that they work?

I'm going to make up a PR Company and make up a massive hugely popular study that says that attack ads don't work and maybe we can get into some real progress with advancing America. Something where a pregnant child or race stays way way way way way clear or the sight lines. There is no line of respectability in politics which is why I referred to them as seething liars or something like that.

Anyway, I was googling for somemore insight last night and found Vote Help which helped me decide.

In any case I hope it either goes very very well or horribly wrong so that whoever it is is proven wrong and that life goes on no matter what happens or who takes over. Reminder, 4 years it'll be a new Pres anyhow. I can't see the winner getting two terms. That'll be cool to see the next one. (Am I already looking forward to the next one? Maybe. Maybe I can vote for Tim Pawlenty write in someone else)

Also, one more point. Who's to say something different or just as challenging wouldn't have happened in 2004? What if it was John Kerry who couldn't decide correctly on a 50-50 shot on going to war? What if he didn't and your mom got bombed on US soil? What would have happened then? How would that impact now? Let's just say it's not easy, never will be easy to be the President of the United States of America. Cut him some slack, support what he's doing because with the pace of today's society he will be gone in the blink of an eye. Also, the Pres is not the only one making decisions and though he gets all the blame he should not take all the blame. It's spread to congressmen and senators from all 50 states.

I voted McCain and Palin. I'm claiming it, though I was never trying to sway your vote.

Duh, it's already over.

Nor did it make any diff in this liberal state of MN. Why the hellllllll is MN blue? Crazyness! as my brother in law would say. I can't claim to know why people here are so Dem. They're so nice and that niceness seemingly conveys itself into a more moral, conservative track. Guess not.