And because of this, the expected democratic nominee, Scott McAdams, won the race, but not in the landscape predicted by the party. Frankly, McAdams probably didn't have a chance against Murkowski. But with crazy-town Miller pulling in and setting up shop, with all the bells and whistles and national financial backing, the seat for Alaska's next US Senator just got real freakin' interesting.
So...here we are. Sitting in the Last Frontier. Not voting. Playing the same political games we laugh at the Lower 48 for.
Poe's closing paragraph is right on:
"Only 28 percent of registered voters bothered to show up to vote in the August 24th primary elections, 72 percent did not -- you know who you are. Yep, life is busy and sometimes showing up on a specific Tuesday to vote is a hard thing, but in Alaska we can both vote early and absentee. When we don't show up we allow, in the case of the senate race less than 10 percent of the voters to decide our state's future, our futures, and most importantly, Alaska's next generation's future.
Shame on us."
While the voters (or non-voters) are the subject of Poe's article, I find it hard not to look at the candidates of all the races. Perhaps "voting" should be a stronger campaign message.
I know what political strategists and advisors are saying: "Why waste my candidates time talking about voting, when he or she could be talking about themselves?"
Well, perhaps that's the problem. Candidates are only talking about themselves. They are not talking about the people of this country who hold their nomination. They are not empowering the public to take control of their voice and vote for the betterment of the local and national community. And, to be fair, the voters are letting them.
The message should be about bringing people back to the idea that we can work within the system that we have. Look, our political process is f'd up. There are so many things wrong about the way we operate our country, it has turned off the American population. They don't understand, they don't think legislation will effect them, they don't believe they can make any sort of difference with one vote.
Maybe the two party system worked for the country that we were when it was created. But like every individual, business, corporation, and relationship, it must change with the times, grow and adapt for the betterment of the great good. Today, the party line is nothing but a way to divide people based on wedge issues. And voters who only vote on party lines are lazy and committed to keeping wedge issues as a manipulation of public emotion.
"I'm a democrat because I believe in free choice. What would your daughter do?"
"I'm a republican because I believe in the right to bear arms. If a D gets into this seat, he will take this right away."
Good Lord! Our 10% of voters sound like children on a playground.
Our nation is lazy. We are fat and lazy. We sit in our big houses with big mortgages, toys in the driveway, watching television, while our children play video games and eat Cheetos. We spend our money on plastic food, and plastic surgery, and after we eat our third or fourth meal of the day, we snuggle into our cozy California King sized beds, and drift off to a plastic dreamworld.
And when we have enough gumption to talk politics, we surround ourselves with people who think like us, and act like us. We talk about how we could do it better, or how we see the solution so clearly. We debate the "other side." We are always talking about "the other side."
I'm personally confused about who the "others" are. Blue Dogs, Tea Party, Libertarians, Democrats, Republicans, Centrists, Far Left, Far Far Right...
Aren't we all Alaskan? Aren't we all American? Aren't we all human?
In order to regain order of this country, we need to see past party politics. Abortion was passed in 1973. Does anyone else think this argument keeps America in 1973? I'm living in 2010, where we believe in each other to make decisions based on our own personal belief systems, because we live in a free country, where we send our own children to die for this freedom.
One vote does make a difference. Are we going to inspire people to vote by the party line? Or can we find it somewhere inside ourselves to elevate the conversation past the political Hollywoodicking to something that ignites a little flame of patriotism? Voting is patriotic. Voting strictly on a party line is not.
We will see more people voting in the November 4 race, and because we are victims of an outdated two-party system, each of us will have to choose between voting R or D. Will you be voting on wedge issues of the party, or will you be voting for someone who can work with the rest of the country, while moving the state toward a sustainable future? Are you voting because you want to see "your side" win, or are you voting because you want someone who can work within the system we have to get what we need. Alaska is a misunderstood state, with much to prove. It is not easy to represent Alaska in Washington. Our representatives need all the sane national support we can get. That means finding the commonalities and beginning there.
All the things we are slating to improve and correct for our country today- the big ones- health care, jobs, education, financial reform- need to be prioritized by the people we elect. And we need to elect people who can understand how to work within the political structure we have today. Sometimes this means we elect scholars with knowledge of strategy and debate. Sometimes this means electing someone who has seen what the true consequences are when Washington makes decisions based on party lines.
We've already lost Poe as an elected political official. And we've already lost one particular Joe Miller endorsing governor to fame and fortune. It's okay to make mistakes if we learn from them. Alaska deserves better.
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