How To Appreciate Politics

Well, last night was the last presidential debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama that was hosted by Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida (shout out to my hometown!). I spent most of the night curled up watching the debate and my computer simultaneously, because it's almost more amusing to watch my Twitter and Facebook feed than it is to watch the actual debate. However, despite the outspoken nature against both candidates on social media sites, it serves as a constant reminder about how truly lucky we are as Americans.

Some of you are probably saying, "No! So-and-so is a complete idiot! How can voting for him or listening to him make us lucky?" For those of you who raise that question, I remind you that in many other countries throughout our world, making outspoken remarks on social media about the leader of our country could land you in prison. Not in America, though.

(I hope Billy & Kyle, if they read this, thoroughly enjoy this next part.)

For those of you who enjoy a good cinematic experience, I highly recommend checking out a movie called The American President starring Michael Douglas, Annette Benning, Martin Sheen, and Michael J. Fox among others. One of my favorite lines throughout the entire movie is this:


A. J. MacInerney: The President doesn't answer to you, Lewis!
Lewis Rothschild: Oh, yes he does A.J. I'm a citizen, this is my President. And in this country it is not only permissible to question our leaders it's our responsibility!

This moment in the movie summarizes our rights as citizens of the United States of America to ask questions, to have doubts, and to question the judgement of our leaders. As Lewis says, it is not only permissible to question our leaders it's our responsibility. I agree wholeheartedly. One of the rights that we have as Americans is to question the decisions of our elected officials. It was Americans who put them into their positions, and it's Americans who choose to keep them there or not. Like it or not, come November 6 Americans will make a choice. We will never have a time where 100% of Americans agree on the vision of our leader, but like it or not, they don't just represent the percentage of people who elected them. They represent the United States of America. Every man, woman, and child has one president, whether he received their vote or not.

So instead of being "sick of politics" or "ready for the election to be over" be proud of the fact that we are able to live in a society where we have the ability to cast our vote and let our voices be heard. Respect what people have to say because it is their right, just as it is yours to speak up and disagree with them.

I leave you with this:

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". - President Andrew Shepherd, The American President