Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Friday, April 29, 2016

Stop, I Want Off

I'm fast approaching the time in this 2016 election cycle that for the sake of my mental health I will need to emotionally check out. It's easy for me to become obsessive over politics. I love it, find it very exciting, and addictive.


I'm very close to the time I will shut down my information sources. I love the Internet and have information coming in from many sources. I never watch TV so that won't be a problem. I seldom read the newspaper but will cease to do so until after November. I began today closing out some of my sources and will continue until most are eliminated. I'll hang on to a few but a very few. I have no need to watch poll numbers.

I know how I'm going to vote. Why put myself through the anxiety of such a crazy election? I have no need to watch hair pulling and mud slinging. I gave that up in grade school. Living through an election cycle is like living through a sand storm in Texas. No matter how tight you seal things up the sand still manages to get inside. There's no way I can completely remove political news from my life but I can certainly make it more manageable and less stressful.

Of course this all changes if a good scandal unfolds. I always do my part in supporting scandals so I'll be front and center if such a thing should occur.

Today I will mail in my vote for the Oregon primary. After that I can't think of a single thing I can do that would change this election. Come November I'll be one of the first to mail in my ballot.

I do not take lightly the privilege of voting and I hope every American will vote. After the election I will ask "Did you vote?" of any person who tries to discuss politics with me. If they did not vote I have nothing to say.  Only those who voted get the privilege of complaining.

16 comments:

  1. The 24/7 news cycle can be anxiety producing for sure. Especially if you have passionate beliefs about how things should be. (I do!)

    When I stumble across a news story that I know will bother me, sometimes I choose to not read/watch. But other times it's like a train wreck, that you can't help but watch!

    I am amazed by the folks who say that they are having a hard time deciding between Bernie and Trump! I still cannot figure this one out. The two of them are as different as can be. I'm a Hillary fan myself. I'll be glad when the election is over.

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    1. My political views are very simple. I'm Democrat/Liberal all the way. No need to say I'm an Independent because I'm not. Have not one cell or drop of Republican/Conservative blood in my body. My vote will be the same no matter what so why bother with all the chaos. Just vote and be done with it. What happens will happen whether or not I watch the news.

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  2. I busted out laughing when I read that T-shirt. I'll bet they'll sell a lot of them.

    I'm a political junkie, too. And from time to time I'll check out but something always pulls me back in. I also consider it my duty to debate politics on a large political site where I go since I can't get out to volunteer in a more hands-on way.

    I, too, am confused by those who can't decide between Bernie and Trump. They have NOTHING in common---not what they want to achieve as president, not their personalities, not their temperaments and not their understanding of how government works. And more importantly their world views are polar opposite. I'm truly worried about our country where so many people can't see that.

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    1. I'm greatly concerned by the number of people in this country who do not know enough about government to know the difference between Bernie and Trump. They seem to think of this election as a reality show. I'd love to know the political site you visit. Doubt I'd be brave enough to jump in but would certainly enjoy seeing it.

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  3. I checked out a while back. Like you I know who I am voting for and no yelling will change my mind. Sure will be glad when November rolls around. I haven't missed an election in 55 years.

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    1. I think this election is going to be especially ugly. I don't need all that negative. I've worked hard this election to learn more about the Republican party, thinking if I could understand their tenets I could better understand what's going on with their party but not so. Still, I'm just not going to expose myself to that much negative talk. It pulls me down.

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  4. I cast my first vote (you had to be 21 back in the olden days!) for JFK, I basically dont pay any attention till after the conventions.
    I agree with your last sentence--In so many words, if you dont vote.... you dont get to bitch. Besides...disagreeing isnt against any law I'm aware of.

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    1. I am 74 and I honestly don't remember who I voted for first. I fear a lot of the ugly we're hearing is from nonvoters. Oh wait, perhaps that's good. Conservatives have worked hard raising this crop of radical rights and now it's time to reap the harvest. Sad.

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  5. I still read some of the editorials from the New York times. I find them informative and well written. I watch mainstream TV news and listen to radio news and a bit of talk radio. that's plenty. I have a good idea of libertarian and liberal/progressive points of view, but the Republicans are so confused themselves that it is impossible to understand them.
    Not knowing whether to vote for Bernie or Trump? Seriously? But then I realize that these are the revolutionaries. They just want to throw out what we have, with no idea of how to replace it. I call this ignorance.

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    1. I don't think Republicans have learned a thing by this experience. Makes me wonder how long we can go on in this country with only one functioning party and the other in total obstruction mode.

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  6. The thing I always think of is not so much the candidates, but the real story here of the American voter and just who are some of these people! I never realized the amount of racism, religious fanaticism and pure ignorance there is. It's astounding! I feel like this is a poison that's even seeping into Europe. Where has it all gone wrong? Education perhaps, but I think more reality TV, social media and right wing talk radio. The hatred is amazing there and look at the comments on some internet sites. I know republicans in my neighborhood (I'm in the south) and everyone of them are "good Christians " and some are racists and all are judgemental.

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    1. Absolutely. I've tried to blame this on the lack of education but Ted Cruz is very educated! No doubt but that 20 years of conservative hate talk shows and cable news have done a lot of damage then add social media and you've got a real mess. Having a black president, and one with the Kenya connections caused the radical right wingers to go nuts. Not since the 60s have I seen so much open racism.

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  7. I'm thinking more education or lack thereof of the public. It makes them so vulnerable to crazy ideas and beliefs

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    1. We need to educate people in the art of critical thinking. We have an awful lot of herd mentality in society today.

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  8. That t-shirt perfectly expresses my current political beliefs.

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    1. This is the first election in my life that I had serious problems with every candidate, left and right. All of us are going to have to vote for someone we don't feel good about. I hate it.

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