Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Life of a Political Junkie

Now what am I going to do?  For two weeks I've been totally consumed by the goings on at the political conventions. What happens now?

First thing is to put away the TV remote control. Won't be needing that until November. Then it's on to editing the Twitter feeds I follow. Some I will delete, and will no doubt add some along the way. I like Twitter because I get links to all sorts of interesting things to read. I've yet to tweet anything myself, not my thing.

This is now the time to be very careful what you sign up for because you may get more than you want. From one online political contribution months ago I've been flooded with requests. I now delete all of them. Some get pretty ugly about the fourth time they email and I haven't responded. That just makes me more determined not to respond.

I'm fired up and ready to blast off emails to elected officials about what I view was a very risky thing to do. Endorsing Donald Trump is going to stick to these characters in Congress long after they wish they'd never heard of him. However, the elected officials from my state are all Democrats so yelling at them about Donald Trump is not appropriate. Somehow I don't think lawmakers in Texas are going to be interested in what I think. Oh well, so much for that idea.

This is the time when you get a lot of 'bedwetting' in election cycles. If you're a poll watcher the next 100 days are going to be miserable for you.  At the very least find a few polls you trust and stick with them. Right or wrong you will be getting consistent information.

Just today I read an article about the fallacy of following the percent of Americans who think the country is moving in the wrong direction. When I look at those numbers I assume that's the percentage of Americans unhappy with the current administration. Not so.  If I had to answer that question I too would say I thought the country was moving in the wrong direction because of the Republican gridlock in Congress, the resurgence of racism, gun deaths,  and too much anger and hate rhetoric.  That has nothing to do with how I feel about the current administration.

A better thing to look at is the President's approval ratings. If they're on the rise, chances are greater the election will be won by that party. Not a sure bet but something to think about.

My life in Texas was miserable because I'm such a political animal.  I left Texas just ahead of the Republican posse that was out to get me.  It is very hard for me to keep my mouth shut and Texas is not a good place for me to live given that fact.

I absolutely love living in Oregon where I don't grind my teeth, growl, and snarl about everything political. It's wonderful living where I don't offend somebody every time I open my mouth.

I can't seem to find a passion that's not offensive to others. Religion didn't work. Genealogy made people roll their eyes and cross to the other side of the street when they say me coming. Politics is an even more offensive passion. What's a person to do?

I think I must have been born passionate about politics. I don't remember wanting to be passionate about it. It's not in my family background. I've tried many times to find a new interest that turns me on like politics but so far that hasn't happened.

Being a political junkie is not an easy life to live.

16 comments:

  1. The next time you get a political e-mail don't just delete it. Look down at the bottom for an unsubscribe link. They work well for me.

    This is the first year that I can remember when it wasn't fun to be a political junkie but it's probably the most important one in my life to carry on the fight. We just can't let Donald be the one to appoint Supreme Court Justices, among other things like starting a nuclear war.

    I have a twitter account but I can't seem to catch the bug make me fall in love with it. I should give it a try again.

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    1. I'll suggest a few names for you to follow on Twitter and you'll find others to follow. My favorite is Matthew Dowd (I) with Bush Whitehouse until he decided Chaney was taking things in the wrong direction & he resigned. Now an analyst on ABC. I follow the Obama campaign team because I figure they're the best for campaign tactics, David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Dan Pfeiffer, and Jon Favreau. I like Ross Douthat (R) of NYT. Since Donald J. Trump is so active on Twitter you need to follow him. I love Donna Brazile (D) Interium Director of DNC, and seen on CNN and ABC. I think Stuart Rothenberg may be a Republican but I like him. Van Jones is liberal and on CNN. I enjoy Ana Navarro (R) because she's funny. That's enough to get you started.

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    2. Thanks for the suggestions. I follow some of them on Facebook but I do refuse to follow Trump and help drive his numbers up. LOL

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  2. My best friend and I never talk politics. We have some differing views, but for the most part, she is uninterested. Can you imagine? At least she's uninterested in discussing it. I'm sure it's for the best. We have a lot of other things in common and a long history together.

    Virginia was a red state for a long time, but due to a shift in demographics in Northern Virginia, we went blue in 2008. We get a lot of attention from both parties during presidential elections. Hillary is leading in VA at the moment. Let's hope it stays that way. The polls drive me crazy and so does all the chatter, but I can't tune it out completely. It's a love/hate relationship.

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    1. There are many times I wish I wasn't interested in politics. Yes we need Hillary to win Virginia.

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  3. Political junkies can get obsessed with the situation. I was like that at one time. I'm not so avid anymore.

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    1. It is very easy for me to become obsessed with politics. That's one of several reasons I don't watch TV.

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  4. Hi! New to your blog! I was never passionate about politics until Donald Trump kept winning, and his whole campaign is SO infuriating to me, that even though I'm not a Hilary fan, I MUST support her. But never in my almost 65 years have I seen such venom between people than over this election.

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    1. Welcome Kailani, I hope you'll visit again. I'm a Democrat but not happy Hillary is the nominee. I don't particularly dislike Hillary, I just felt it was time for the Clinton's to release the stage. There was never a question about me voicing for her but I just wasn't excited about it. Now I feel a real urgency if for no other reason than to keep Trump out of the Whitehouse.

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  5. I have enough to follow up on with the links on Facebook. I'll avoid Twitter.
    I like politics because it is intellectually stimulating. As an educator, I had plenty of intellectual challenges, but now in retirement, following politics keeps my brain active. Besides, this stuff is important! I don't follow polls, but Tom does. He has several reliable ones that he checks in with. I dislike "predicting". I am more into what is real in the here and now.
    Right now I'm backing off a bit, taking a little vacation after the conventions. I have other things to do - gardening, exercising, cooking dinner every evening, reading, and watching non-intellectual TV. It's summer after all!

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    1. We all have tools we're comfortable using. I've never bonded with Facebook. It's a struggle for me to use it. I find Twitter is easier for me to use for my purposes. I won't watch TV, that's more than I can stand, but I will watch the race in other ways. I said Obama's last race was the last one I'd obsess over but then along came Donald Trump.

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  6. I'm not a Facebook person - I guess my blog takes care of that urge - but I've also never gotten into Twitter. You intrigue me now - it does seem a tidy way to get a quick take on what the world is up to and thinking. Guess I'll have to learn how.
    And like Kailani, I've never been a great follower of politics, but in this year's battle between the dark side and the side of reason, how could you not?

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    1. Twitter is much easier for me than Facebook. I've always struggled with Facebook. Links from Twitter to articles keeps me from shopping or subscribing to publications where I might only read that one article. Jean R says she refuses to follow Trump on Twitter & drive up his numbers. I have no shame, I like to see for myself what he's posting. I follow friend and foe alike.

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  7. I pay no attention to the polls for they favor who ever is taking them. Good luck to you for the next 100 days. For me, I hope to zone out till I climb into the voting booth where I finally have a say. I'm with her.

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    1. We only vote by mail in Oregon so I'll be voting much earlier but have to wait until voting day to see the results. This race is I hope a one time oddity. It's like Trump is running a campaign separate of the Republicans and the Republicans have no candidate. Very strange.

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  8. Maybe you are an activist at heart more than a political junkie. Maybe you need a cause to fight - like children or animals or old people - that more people can relate to? Just a thought.

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