Politics of Winning
Who do you believe in when America failed you?
“Who are you voting for?”
The age old, somewhat mystifying question that seems to provoke anger or compassion, depending on the answer. Years ago, I would say I was a plain spoken and an unequivocal Democrat. In 2020, I, like many others across the swathes of America, answered and helped defeat a certain evil, i.e. Trump. Before this, I campaigned for Bernie Sanders in 2016, and voted to elect Obama the second time in 2012. I said I was excited to turn eighteen so I could vote. Even as far back as grade school I was getting in fights for calling George “Dubbyah” Bush a chimpanzee. So to say I have staunchly supported the Dems before would be an accurate characterization.
When I moved to where I am now, which is red and rural in a very blue state, there had been a shift in my thinking and America’s. When LBGTQ+ issues were prominent, I didn’t take either stance, but noted how easy it was to inject admiration and respect for the movement that had been at a standstill for more than twenty years. But even with both legislatures in majority, not one Dem thought it would be a good idea to codify that right in the Constitution.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, there was a quick flash of anger from Dems about how this was because of Trump’s packing the courts, and how awful it was. But Roe was case law for thirty years, and not once did the legislature attempt to codify it. They had the presidencies of: Carter, Clinton (1st year), and Obama to do it.
Among some of the promises I expected from Biden to fulfill were: an end to the federal death penalty; prison reform; and to take a serious look at how justice and crime are perpetrated in the U.S. The death penalty issue is a swinging pendulum, and Biden has walked back his stance on removing it altogether. Limited work was done on the prison reform, and for the most part, it was just good thoughts and feelings.
So, these things bothered me. The Dems themselves started to bother me. It became this weird - let’s try anything and see what the American public might buy - type of motif. The worst part? The Dems do it under a progressive movement. It makes anyone else who also wants progress but opposes their methods is labeled “racist”, “misogynist” and other epithets. In my daily life, I roll my eyes at the “wokeness” antagatism from the right yet I fear the wokeness doctrine for its own possible capability, imprisoning more people than freeing them.
In the UK, which I can’t travel to because of my felony now, there are new laws to try to enforce this. No matter how unworkable, and frankly, “thought police” like this is, it marks a change in the rhetoric. Somewhat like an “overcorrection” where the abused and downtrodden become imbued by political power, and show why absolute power corrupts absolutely. The future of the U.S. is brown. I acknowledge this, and welcome it.1 This is true even if you don’t believe in “race mixing.” Its statistics.
But…
…power in anyone’s hands can be authoritarian in nature.
When you make others do something they feel like they are forced to do, whether directly or indirectly, you ferment dissent. The backlash between those being forced and those doing the forcing was inevitable. I have never understood the argument so that those who identify as a different gender can magically do the other sexes sport. If that’s the case, and we want equality, we should have everyone compete together without a distinction between male or female, sis or whatever. No distinction if we want equality! Unfortunately, people balk at this idea and want to be categorized. Shocker.
Camp None
So I’m not a fan of Dems much anymore, and i’m not in Trump camp because of that whole Trade War fiasco last time, which probably led to the downturn economically in 2020 which still plagues us today.
No, for once in my life, I may not vote.
My reasons are many, but not for the typical “I hate everyone” point of view.
I have lost faith in America.
The disillusionment of the American dream-type cake I baked for myself was iced with my subsequent arrest in front of my kids, and then slammed back into my face upon my convictions. Quite simply, America and I aren’t on good speaking terms.
I used to hold myself up as someone the American dream believed in. I should have been incarcerated a long time ago, but instead I was given higher education and a positive attitude. Gee Whiz. Somehow, someway, I made it through and got myself out of the darkness more than a few times. Not too bad.
But then, that exceptionalism and pride gave way to realizing that I was simply another number within the neatly ordered excel worksheet cells I was already a part of. I tried so hard to be better and the best prosecutor I could be, but I fell flat and realized that my prior work meant nothing. This was a kick in the face from a place that stressed hard work and trying to do your best as fundamental identities of the American conciencence.
I think America likely gave up on me. If the place I was born and believed in so much in years past gave up on me, why do I need to try to make it better? When it’s given up on 19 million Americans who are also felons? When you start looking at U.S. politics from this angle, you slip out of the vector of “public thought” and start questioning the legitimacy of that public thought. You find your way to Substack.
Listen, no matter who you vote for, you are going to still be stuck with:
Supporting Israel’s genocide of Gaza;
A government that still supports publically removing people from the populace, nearly at will, i.e. the death penalty;
Unelected Federal actors that make all monetary decisions for the U.S. Government, i.e. the Fed;
You have to go to vote after work, when it should be a federal holiday;
Legislators and parties that promise a lot to win votes, but do little, almost systematically, to effect that change.
Did I miss anything?
Thanks for reading!
- H.C.
White dudes have been around for a while, and I think we could do better