I really enjoy writing. I don't get around to doing it near enough. Although I have posted many political comments on Facebook and have enjoyed the lively discussions that followed, I have yet to post a blog on the upcoming election. Here it is the first and the last.
I had an interesting conversation with a friend yesterday. I made the comment that I hoped for a change in the leadership of our country following the election next week. His response surprised me, he hoped that we kept the same leader as we have. Roy is probably in his late 50s or early 60s. He is a hard worker, his main income comes from cutting and selling firewood. I had assumed that he was a conservative. As I probed to see how in the world he could want Obama to be reelected it was evident that he had been listening to one of the biggest lies that the liberals are spewing, "Romney wants to get rid of Social Security!" he said. I tired to convince him that wasn't the case but don't think that I succeeded. Roy is what I would call a low information voter. Samuel Popkin, a political science professor at UC-San Diego coined this term in 1991.
In my opinion most low information voters are also single issue voters. You find them on both sides of the political fence. Issues of importance to single issue Democratic voters include entitlement programs, unions, pro-abortion, anti-gun, and immigration. Republican voters may put emphasis on pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro-Constitution, anti-Obamacare and anti-illegal immigration.
One issue common to both sides is race. I can hear my liberal friends squealing now, ranting and raving that race is a single issue that belongs solely in the Republican camp. Another lie the Democrats are allowed to spout without any challenge. I read an article last week and all of the blacks that were interviewed said that the main reason they were voting for Obama was because of the color of his skin. What followed floored me, they said that they were not racists for voting for a candidate based solely on his skin color. If that is not racism what is? What would I be called if I said I was voting for Romney simply because he was white? Words much stronger than racist would be used I can assure you. In the last issue of Time there was a poll conducted in Ohio, the state many believe will decide the outcome of the presidential election. Obama had an 80% point lead over Romney amongst minority voters while Romney only held a 6% point lead over the President amongst white voters. Where do think the racist finger points in that poll?
Single issue voters are dangerous to the electoral process. When I look at the number of "Roys" in this country whose only information is what comes out of the political ads they catch on television it doesn't bode well for our future. I don't think that Ohio will determine the election, I propose that it may well be those whose fervor for their pet peeve will elect the next president of the United States. For our country's sake I hope that the gunners, lifers, and the "stay-the-h*** out my lifers" prevail.
