I’m trying hard to listen to the undecided voice
To the people who are still unsure which way they’ll make their choice
But it’s hard, when I’ve decided, to believe that others can’t,
If their mental capabilities outrun a potted plant*
“Would you like grilled cheese, or dog shit?” See, with choices such as these,
Can you really trust the voter who will ask “What sort of cheese?”
*I heard someone paraphrase Molly Ivins, and claim that anyone who can’t choose between Obama and Romney ought to consider watering themselves twice a day. Made me miss her, so I had to include this line.
NPR’s All Things Considered had a piece this evening on the Undecided Voter. Once we have decided, it is very difficult to see why others have not. But of course, once we have decided, everything changes. We give different weights to messages about our candidate and the evil bastard running against him or her. We actively look for confirming evidence, and actively avoid disconfirming. Mind you, there might be good reason for that–any candidate who keeps changing positions this late in the game, should that person happen to say something you agree with, might best be ignored anyway. We’ve had years to watch their feet; their last-minute words should not be able to change our thinking about which direction they have been heading.
We vote by mail, and our ballots just arrived. If I get them sent in tomorrow, may I be excused from hearing anything about the election for the next three weeks?
A lot of the “Undecided” are probably people who wish for a last line on the ballot that reads “May you BOTH be dipped in lukewarm sewage and hung out to dry!” Yes, there are actually more than two parties, but in this country (they do it differently in Europe), those have never been relevant.
Postal votes are very wise. Especially with all the Rep voter purges and application dumps you can never be sure if you show up on the day if your name will even be on the rolls (if you’re a Dem).
As the old saying goes, even a broken clock is right twice a day. With all the stuff spouting from Romney’s mouth, he’s bound to say something we recognize once in a while. But he has no credibility left among thinking people. And of course, Obama nailed that in his “Romnesia” talk on Friday – the best moment of the campaign, IMO.
Choosing between Obama and Romney is like choosing between a slippery slope going on for miles (Obama), and a slippery slope leading to a cliff edge (Romney). Both will end up in the same place – at the bottom – but one will get you there faster and with greater damage.
It’s another reason I’m glad I’m not an American.
I actually find a lot of disconfirming evidence which weighs against my choice, but it is still nowhere near as heavy as the evidence against the other option. The vast majority of the evidence weighs against this entire system and/or the inhabitants thereof, but there are few options to vote against that.