Vote what you know, or don't
The editor encourages smart voting in the coming presidential election
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| Corbin Sullivan, a master's studetn in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University, is editor of EJ. |
When I was 18, I lived in the shadow of my own political ignorance. If I were asked what singularly important American event happened every four years, I wouldn’t have said anything about the Presidential election. My answer would likely have been the Olympics, or maybe an eclipse.
I was too young to vote in the ’96 election, but I probably wouldn’t have anyway. I was too busy wasting time, spending my parents’ disposable income and reading articles about how my generation had no sense of responsibility. I scoffed.
We didn’t have responsibility because we didn’t feel the need. The wars at the time were overseas, between other countries. The environment wasn’t perfect, but we had the impression that we were moving in the right direction. The air of thought, at least in my world, was that of euphoria. My worries didn’t extend past my fingertips, and I was allowed to be so ignorant.
Bill Clinton had just won his second election. The United States had everything to lose, but no one seemed to realize it. The economy, that glorious cruise ship of the late nineties, staved off and hid all the environmental and societal ills that appeared in less fortunate times. They were there, but somehow less obvious.
What we all suffered instead was the deluge of news about Presidential dalliances. Story after story played, fueled by partisan politics. If 9-11 had happened in 1997 Clinton would be swimming in praise about how well he raised his daughter. He would have had the golden ticket, the free pass that the media gave George W. Bush. There would still be a democrat in the White House.
It’s a bold statement, I know, but as the public was allowed to bathe in the glow of indifference, the media and government’s focus was drawn to the lives of our politicians rather than the policy they create. When there’s more news about a White House intern than the latest land use legislation, it’s easy for the people to stop listening.
It’s most decidedly different now. The United States is facing the possibility of the new version of the Cold War. It could be a war without end, not because of mutually assured destruction, but because of an almost invisible threat. And as we are encouraged to go on with our lives, we are also encouraged to worry, to fear that threat.
Terrorism is the single most pervasive news story of the past two years. But what scares me isn’t rooted in any one place, or in the ever more confusing web that’s come of the “War on Terror.” It’s that we aren’t paying enough attention to the other issues that affect us all. The environment, healthcare, jobs and the economy are too often given the back seat to the so-called security of the homeland.
I’m more responsible now. I follow the political news, the infighting, the primaries and caucuses. I know enough to see this as the calm before the coming storm, a battle royale between the Republicans and Democrats in the next election. Now I know I need to do more than just vote. I need to read stories like the ones in this magazine. I need to know what affects my world, and what Bush, or the Democratic nominee is going to do about it.
I have my opinions, and I will vote them. It was always my responsibility. But now I can go about it responsibly.
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