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| Author: Posted: Nov. 17, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 3,846,819 |
Question of the Week: 14 - 11/6/2000 The Unresolved US Election Did YOU vote? Which candidate did you vote for? How do you feel about the political wrangling going on right now in Florida? Will/Should either candidate concede for the good of the country-or should either/both fight it out until we all scream for mercy? How do you think either candidate, if declared the winner, will be able to bring the country together given the inference that the election results now point to an America that is almost equally divided into one camp or the other? And the BIG question-What, if any, impact will the final results have on the Pagan communities? |
| Reponses: There are 263 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| I Am Proud To Say "i Voted!" I Am Equally Proud To... | Nov 13th. at 5:06:58 pm EST |
| Jenny Dowding (Sacramento, California US) | Age: 29 - Email |
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I am proud to say "I voted!" I am equally proud to say that I voted for Al Gore. I've been holding my breath through these recounts hoping that the results would swing for Gore, but more importantly, I want to know WHO WON. If George W. won, then so be it, I'm not going to riot in the streets. I just want to know that, after all votes were counted, the man who moves into the Whitehouse is the one that was chosen by the people. This hissy-fit being thrown by the Republican Party finally reached the point of ridiculousness when they threatend to call for recounts in states where the margin of votes was 5, 000 - 6, 000. Whoever becomes President knows that half the country didn't want them in office. At the very least, we need to be absolutely certain that the right man takes office. |
| Did I Vote? You Bet I Did. I Voted For The Socialist... | Nov 13th. at 5:04:20 pm EST |
| Adelandaya BirchGrove (DeKalb, Illinois US) | Age: 27 - Email |
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Did I vote? You bet I did. I voted for the Socialist candidate McReynolds because I believed he'd do the best job in office of any of those running. If I hadn't written him in, I would probably have voted for Nader. I make my choices based not upon "keeping bad people out of office, " which seems to be how most people made their decision this election year, but on voting for "good people who will do a good job in office." My conscience would never let me vote for the lesser of two evils...which by definition is still evil. I think that what the two candidates and their parties are doing right now is just great! It's showing the country that (a) we need to disband the Electoral College, which is ensuring that our votes don't count both within our states and nationally; (b) both parties are greedy vote grubbers who will do anything to win; (c) both parties don't really care about issues but about winning and making the other look bad, and thus may well (d) lead to the abolition of the College and the establishment of third parties as a viable alternative to the Big Two...who look more like One Party with Two Slightly Different Faces to me. Oh, the politician who wins won't do anything to bring the country together. They'll spout a lot of words about "working bipartisan" and "ensuring all perspectives are represented" -- especially if Gore wins because most Democrats pay at least a little attention to diversity -- but then they'll do whatever their parties and PACs tell them to. This will hopefully enrage even more of the country so we can have a real two party system...where the Greens or Socialists or Libertarians make a real second party alternative to the Republicrats and Dumbublicans. The final results will almost certainly be neutral to bad for Pagans in general. Bosh and Bore have no reason to like or respect our religious faith; Bosh already said it isn't a religion, and Bore chose Lieberman who is at least as conservative as Bosh on religion. However, we're organized, more and more of us are "out, " one of the new articles on WitchVox says we're at least 13-14 million strong, and we're WINNING lawsuits against those who think they can trash us with impunity. I, for one, won't be forced into a closet by the unConstitutional actions of our next President. And I urge my fellow Pagans to be as out, yet as networked with others of different faiths as possible. Remember, our faith won't be the only one on the chopping block. If Paganism isn't a real religion, what about Hinduism? It also has karma concepts, beliefs in diversity as acceptable, etc...and Buddhism also has Karma, no? Not to mention Unitarian Universalists and other liberal religionists in general. Americans United is mainly organized by Christians who want to keep our churches separate from state oppression. The ACLU has defended us often, yet I'd bet a majority of members aren't Pagan. If we stick together with sympathizers and stay "out" and ready to fight, we'll make it through anything. Never again the Burning Times. Never again the closet. There's no room for all my nice ritual tools in the closet anyhow! ;) |
| Yes, I Voted In This Election. I Cast My Vote For Al... | Nov 13th. at 3:46:17 pm EST |
| Rhiannon SummerMoon (Radcliff, Kentucky US) | Age: 48 |
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Yes, I voted in this election. I cast my vote for Al Gore, for no other reason than he seemed to be the lesser of two evils. I do not think that either candidate should concede; if there's been some tampering with the ballots, then we need to know it so we can prevent it from happening again. |
| I Voted. And Yes, I Cast My Vote For The Lesser Of... | Nov 13th. at 2:10:23 pm EST |
| Lasairchroidhe (The Flaming Heart) (Cedar Rapids, Iowa US) | Age: 35 |
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I voted. And yes, I cast my vote for the lesser of 2 evils. I think the stalemate needs to go on for a while yet to really let the message sink in - "Not enough of us liked either one of you enough to elect you. Most of us don't trust either of the 2 parties that think they're in charge enough to even BOTHER coming out to vote." What Brother Isaac says in his essay on supporting Pagan enterprises is absolutely correct. I'm not going to quote him here, because I want you to read it - but what applies here is this: If we want political change we have to work for it. If we want political security, we have to fight for it. And if we want our political voices to be heard, we have to PAY for it. We have to start putting our monies where our mouths are, and making financial sacrifices to ensure that we as a spiritual community can be a force for positive changes in this world. Did you volunteer your time or pledge your dollars to support the political candidates that were most likely to support the things you hold dear? Did that person get elected, or even make a dent? Do you support your local public radio station? Pagan artists are NOT getting airplay on commercial radio but they will get airplay on NPR and APR stations. Do you support local alternative/independent publications? They're the newspapers that are most likely to look to our viewpoints and take us seriously and portray us as SMART people instead of as curiosities. As a musician working outside the mainstream I see this all the time. If everybody who told me I was wonderful or that I'd changed their life or whatever else had bought one of my CDs, I'd not have to work for a living anymore. If everyone who gave me a standing ovation at the end of the night bought a CD on their way out the door, I'd be able to devote myself entirely to my work. And my work gets airplay all over the country, and it's got a strong Pagan message, so supporting me gets our message out there. The really wonderful thing about this is, if we start taking ourselves seriously and supporting the artists and the writers and the people that make our community thrive and grow, WE THRIVE AND GROW. To borrow a cliche from every public radio or TV fundraiser in the history of broadcasting, for the price of a cup of coffee a day we can make a HUGE difference in not just our own lives but in the life of our community, whether those dollars go to support political candidates, go to buy books or music from Pagan authors and musical artists, or go to support newsletters and websites maintained by our our brothers and sisters for our benefit. GIVE of yourself so that we may all grow. You want to change the world? It takes action, and it takes money. |
| Yes I Voted And I Voted For Democrats On The National Level... | Nov 13th. at 2:08:30 pm EST |
| michel a. burkhart (st. louis , Missouri US) | Age: 47 |
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yes i voted and i voted for democrats on the national level feeling that another bush in the white house would not be a good thing and i just have a hard time voting republican for anything, although i feel both parties have there own agenda's and they are not neccesarily mine, on the local level i voted for as many of the alternate party canidates as i could, the ones who's goals and objectives most closely matched, mine, mostly green party canidates..as much as i would have liked to voted for all alternate party canidates across the board i think what has happened in this election is that those 3rd party votes took away the decisive win we usually see.. iam torn between thinking if more of us had voted our concience instead of the "lesser evil" this might not have happened and the thought that maybe voting for the "lesser" when you know the alternative is the "greater" is the way to go.. i don't know the answer, but we have 4 years to puzzle it out before next time. |
| I Voted For Al Gore. I Think That This Turmoil Although Somewhat... | Nov 13th. at 1:27:19 pm EST |
| Jadestorm (Orlando, Florida US) | Age: 22 - Email |
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I voted for Al Gore. I think that this turmoil although somewhat painful right now is for the long term good of the country. It is imperative that we find the flaws in the way things are done so that they can be corrected. It has remained far too easy over the past several generations to ignore the uselessness of the electoral college, to toss out the votes of any americans who may have erroneously filled out a ballot or improperly punched a misleading ballot. I am furious in fact that some counties continue to use methods of this nature when there, as in Orlando, Florida machines that the voter inserts their ballot and if a response is not understood the machine immediately kicks it out so the voter has the opportunity to clarify and allow their vote, their voice to be counted. I think we all needed a harsh reminder about what the intent was when our founders designed a system that would allow the voice of te american people. Hopefully the only impact on Pagan communities will be that they are encouraged to get out and vote, partake in our political system. I believe that without a 2/3 majority Bush will be unable to push through any of his proposed agendas and we will have four years of useless administration. Alternatively, if Al Gore is declared the winner, some of his conservative bills may be approved but for the same reasons his hands will be bound in much the same way. |
| Frankly, The Whole Thing Seems A Lot Like A Circus... I Voted... | Nov 13th. at 1:12:08 pm EST |
| Sara (Old Town, Maine US) | Age: 23 - Email |
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Frankly, the whole thing seems a lot like a circus... i voted for Nader, and I stand by his ideals more than the other candidates. I do have some reservation about Bush just because of his right-wing Christian beliefs... I am concerned that my right to practice Witchcraft could possibly be in jeopardy, but I also know that it would take more than the President to achieve such a regulation. Blessed Be. |
| Many Voting Machines In Use Today Are The Same Model Designed In... | Nov 13th. at 1:06:35 pm EST |
| Rowan Fairgrove (SF Bay Area, California US) | Age: 47 |
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Many voting machines in use today are the same model designed in the 1890's. Yes, that date is correct! They stopped making them (or new parts for them) in the 1970's. The process of counting ballots is all on the backs of the counties - who quite reasonably pay for pothole repair or a new police car before they replace antiquated voting equipment. If nothing else, this election shows us that it is time to fix the system. And yes, I voted. Since Gore was unlikely to lose in California, I voted for Ralph Nader. Ralph & I don't agree on everything, but I felt that it was a statement worth making. The 10 Key Values of the Greens are the most reasonable platform I"ve found. |
| I Voted Green And Was A Little Taken Aback By The Accusations... | Nov 13th. at 1:00:05 pm EST |
| Blackthorne (San Francisco, California US) | Age: 35 - Email |
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I voted green and was a little taken aback by the accusations that I put Bush in the white house. We live in a great country that actually has more than one political party, and it's okay to vote for the other party's as long as it's with the express permission of your pagan peers.(insert sarcasm here.) I have been emailed several times about wasting my vote, or the dangers of voting green. This survey aside, I think that unless you volunteer the info (as i am doing) people should bugger off and mind thier own business. Many people who I did not offer to give my views on politics felt obliged to tell me what I should do. I thought this was rude, and I really hope that we don't see this again in future elections. Although many of us are all of a similar mind, I don't think that people should be given a hard time if they are pagan and vote republican. I don't agree with that particular party, but it's within a persons right to vote that way no matter how wrong they would be. But to harrass them...it's just plain bad form and should not be done by anyone. I don't feel that my vote was wasted, or that I caused anyone undue harm by voting the way I wanted to. I was simply doing what any american should be allowed to do. Vote the way they want. Try it sometime, it's a great feeling. |
| Let's See. Where To Start. I Did Vote, And I Voted Libertarian... | Nov 13th. at 12:56:50 pm EST |
| Richard Gant (Kentucky, Kentucky US) | Age: 28 - Email |
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Let's see. Where to start. I did vote, and I voted Libertarian. I felt that neither candidate from the two major parties was really qualified to be President. I still don't, but I've become resigned to the thought.As far as the "political wrangling going on right now in Florida", I'm enjoying it. Not only is it entertaining to watch in its own right, but (as a History major) it's also an opportunity to get daily reports on a historical event-in-the-making. (Sure, that may sound callous and/or shallow. Unfortunatly, I don't have enough information about what *really* happened to form an opinion about who, if anyone, is at fault.) Regardless, I don't think that either candidate will or should concede the election. A national election is, at least theoretically, about the will of the people of the nation. If one of the candidates concedes before learning who wins, that candidate is essentially saying that he doesn't care about the national will. In the long run, dragging out victory until there is a victor will be *better* for us as a nation.Regardless of who wins, I doubt that there will be a significant need to "bring the country together", as partisanship has always been a factor in national elections. The President is only rarely decided by a significant majority of the popular vote in any election. The only difference in this election is that the popular vote split more within states (instead of along states, as is typically the case). America is almost *always* divided into one political camp or another, and we've gotten along just fine anyway. My prediction is that, once a victor is declared, the excitement will fade and things will return to normal.Also, regardless of who wins, I find it unlikely that there will be any significant impact on the Pagan communities. Some of us will be upset over the winner and some won't, regardless. We're hardly a single demographic, after all. If Bush wins, it will not herald a new age of neo-Fascist anti-Pagan "burning times" (as some left-wing Pagans seem to rant about hysterically). If Gore wins, it will ot herald a new age of neo-Luddite "environmentalism at the cost of the economy and progress" (as some right-wing Pagans seem to believe). Life will continue. |
| Yes, I Voted. And For The First Time In My Life, I... | Nov 13th. at 12:42:48 pm EST |
| Ariadne Jarnsaxa (Norfolk, Virginia US) | Age: 33 - Email |
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Yes, I voted. And for the first time in my life, I voted non-Republican. And I will admit that my decision was based upon both candidates answers to "Wiccans in the military". I'm afraid that I couldn't endorse someone who didn't even recognize my religion as a religion. I've been a follower of the "old religion" as it was referred to in my family for 33 years now. I'm literally the first generation in centuries to be open about it and I have to guard that priviledge very carefully. For the first time in my life, I followed the presidential race closely and examined each and every answer to every question I could find. The Florida count only makes me wonder how many elections haven't been correct? How many years has this been going on for? And the impact on our Pagan community....it depends, one will at least give us a chance, the other will deny our existence which will set us back at least 100 years. All I know, is I'm not going back into the "broom closet" for anyone! |
| I Keep Hearing That This Election Proved That Every Vote Counts, But... | Nov 13th. at 12:14:39 pm EST |
| Candle Ogham (Tamai, Italy) | Age: 22 - Email |
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I keep hearing that this election proved that every vote counts, but I don't feel the same way. I also keep hearing that Bush was given Florida before the military overseas absentee ballots were counted. Being military overseas, I am troubled. They say that usually, the overseas absentee ballots are republican; well, I'm not and I want to be heard. I'm not a statistic. I can wait for the results, I would love to know now, but I want every voice to be heard. If Gore wins the popular vote, he should become president, the electoral college is a joke, and also very contradictory to what America stands for. It should be taken away, and judged un-democratic and unfair. I am a democrat, but I would be saying the same thing if Bush was in Gore's place. |
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