Disillusioned

When I was younger and had a big ole political fire in my belly, I would go to Youth Vote rallies and do my best to be as involved as I could be in the political system. In 2004, I volunteered for John Kerry's campaign...admittedly, not because I was particularly enamored of him as a candidate, but because a) I was eager to get W out of office and b) the guy lived three blocks from me - proximity rules, you know?

And I would think about how people talk about getting into their thirties and forties and feeling politically disillusioned. I remember this being the reason behind low voter turnouts years back. And I couldn't imagine ever feeling that way.

And now, here I am, feeling so detached politically. I mean, I will still vote. It's too important not to. But I have to admit, there really isn't a candidate I'm all that jazzed about. The two major parties seem to be veering further away from center, and any third party candidates don't have a realistic shot at winning, so it's a little disheartening to consider casting a vote for them.

My main issues are as follows. The Democrats just aren't thinking rationally about the country's economic situation. They want to blame people like my family and former coworkers for the mess, and that's both irresponsible and unrealistic. They also don't have a clue about how to FIX the mess we're in.

Meanwhile, the GOP might have some better ideas economically, but their indulgence in their party's wingnuts is legitimately frightening. People who are so afraid of homosexuality in the abstract that they would disallow loving families from EXISTING? Terrifying.

So, what do I do? Who do I vote for? Well, for now, the civil rights issues win out for me because my conscience insists upon it. But the economic future scares the shit out of me.