There was definitely more to say than I addressed here, but there'll be time enough in the coming months for the rest, I'm sure.
The real site of grief today, for my US friends, is the election you *won't* get to have in November, thanks to your narrowed options for presidential candidate.
There are so many important economic, legal, and foreign-policy issues you should be seeing hashed out on the main stage.
But the 2024 election has already been stolen--from you.
https://onlysky.media/mclark/the-election-us-voters-wont-get-to-have/
@MLClark I don't think you're incorrect. I don't agree with everything but I'll go a step further to say the average voter, probably not reflected in the population here, just doesn't care that deeply about issues. We're the country that votes for the best looking kid for class president, to use an analogy. We have fallen victims to accepting the "lesser evil" without being able to articulate any complicated issue other than what personally affects our wallets as voters.
Thank you, SaltyVeruca.
There's a rhetorical move in articles like this; it serves to "call in" good-faith actors, rather than simply dwell on the bad.
Last year, while writing about how we were failing to take climate change seriously, someone wondered why I wasn't just writing an article telling everyone how stupid they were being.
Here, too, many think the US is getting exactly the election it deserves - and that kind of rhetoric is everywhere. So I went with the "call in".
"We certainly don't encourage voting from everyone."
The sheer amount of time spent on voter registration and fighting to make sure your names haven't been removed!
Canadians can show up at the polls day-of, and swear an oath if they don't have ID (something that helps the unhoused especially). Otherwise, we're added to the register when we file our taxes:
One of the benefits of writing about world politics is learning how many local battles have been artificially constructed.
@MLClark How much we deserve I don't know. We don't do much to change it. We elect incumbents repeatedly beyond their capabilities to represent. We accept status quo. It's not convenient to vote, not paid time to do it, and we have to beg people to register. At some point, we need to look at the root issues and change ourselves in order to change the system. I won't live to see it. It'll take time if it ever happens.
@MLClark I just depressed myself. Good article though.
It may take time, but the insights you've gained from your experiences - which you've kindly shared here, and no doubt share elsewhere in your life, too - still make a difference. We stay informed, and we share our information as best we can, in the hope that even if *we* can't act on it, someone else can and will.
🫂 Thanks so much for reading, and for sharing your insights here. I hope the rest of your afternoon is *much* more cheering now!
@MLClark ❤️ Keep writing.
And please keep sharing when you think I've missed something. ❤️ We all need a good, constructive nudge from time to time. Grateful to you for yours.
@MLClark And I think that's a great "outsider's" take which you're entitled to have since our country affects everyone at some point. Maybe we do get the election we deserve and maybe we don't. I think there's responsibility on both sides: the manipulators and the manipulated, but the fact remains many voters feel the system is broken beyond their personal control. We certainly don't encourage voting from everyone. Voters rightly feel the system is rigged.