Yes, I know. It's been an exceptionally long time since I have written a blog post. In spite of my best intentions to post regularly, or at all, life, once again, got in the way. Sorry about that. However, as the title of this post indicates, the business of electing a new President in the US has inspired my return to this blog, however brief it may be.
I'm not going to spout invective about who I think should win, I really don't care that much. We have enough of our own problems up here with Trudeau Jr as our Prime Minister, without me getting all shirty about the Americans' choice of leader.
What I find interesting about their electoral gong-show, is what it has done to voter turnout in the US. As many of my faithful local followers know, the turnout up here for elections in Fort St John is absolutely terrible. Not even 50% of eligible voters bother to go to the polls. But last night on CTV News, I see that in this election, the number of Latino Americans voting has increased 152% from the last election. And that's just Latinos in Florida. If the video is to be believed, it seems that Americans in general are heading to the polls in droves.
Yes, that's 152%. Holy. And at a polling station in Ohio, I think it was, they said 38,000 people turned out to vote in the early polls, yesterday. Where were all those people hiding four years ago?? I'll say one thing for this whole Clinton vs Trump deal, I'm impressed with the way it has galvanized Americans to action, and brought them out to vote. I haven't enjoyed all the sniping that has gone on between the presidential candidates - really, who cares about Hillary's email? If I was an American, I'd rather hear about what they are going to do for the economy, health care and job creation, not whether or not it was a crime to be hacked. Or whatever the true story is.
Yet, in spite of the absence of clarity regarding what each of the candidates stands for, I'm impressed with the way it has made Americans realize that they can make a difference by casting their vote. The outcome may not be the best for America, but at least they're casting off their apathy and getting out there, and voting.
Wonder what would happen in Canada if we actually did the same thing? Not be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, as our neighbours are doing, but actually care about what is going on politically. Enough to go out and vote. If we cared enough about the future of our nation to go out to the polls and exercise our right to say, "Hey, this is who I want to see lead my country. This is the guy (or gal) who can get the job done." Instead of staying home, not voting, and then spending the next four years bitching about the person who got elected.
If you don't vote, you can't complain. Clearly, there will be a lot of people south of the border tomorrow, who will be able to enjoy their right to complain, if the vote doesn't go their way. And it won't, because somebody has to lose.
