Keep your ballot secret....please!

As the election draws nearer the media frenzy continues to grow to epic proportions. I’m an old guy so this is the 13^th presidential election that I remember clearly and I’ve never seen anything as embarrassing as this. I once sang God Bless America to the lunch crowd at an Australian vineyard…and it wasn’t a karaoke event… I know a little something about embarrassing.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s always been frenzied media activity leading up to presidential elections but, with the constant doomsday claxons and partisan clown horns added by social media, the pre-election insanity has reached a whole new level. This year’s political propaganda whirlwind has already become a category-five shit storm and its still growing.

It used to be that you had to attend a political rally, write a letter to the editor or at least read the newspaper to get involved in the political process. Most people discussed the election with friends and neighbors then voted their conscience in November. If they felt strongly enough about a candidate they might put up a yard sign or maybe a bumper sticker on their car.

These days it’s much easier to get involved; you can sit at home in your underwear and simply like and share your way to political activism; and people do. You can anonymously call total strangers morons, traitors and worse because they don’t like your candidate and people do.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. I can wear a man bun and Capri pants to a Taylor Swift concert but I won’t because I really shouldn’t…nobody should.

Just to be clear, I really don’t care which candidate you plan to vote for in the upcoming election. I voted absentee so I’ve already made my deal with the devil and I’m already losing sleep over it. You’ll get your chance in November and I encourage you to get out and vote for the New York millionaire of your choice….but please don’t tell me about it. We’ve been blasted with months of pre-election social media propaganda so the last thing I need to see is months of post-election political bullshit. Can I get an “Amen?”

I can honestly tell you that my voting choice was not influenced in any way by social media posts. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that nobody ever changed their mind or their vote based on a Facebook post, that’s not the part that bothers me. What bothers me is that social media has become a forum for insulting and even threatening anyone who disagrees with our politics. When did that become a thing? Did I miss another memo?

I really don’t think that either candidate is an evil criminal who’s running for president so they can crush your dreams along with truth, justice and the American way. Hillary is addicted to power and Trump is hooked on attention and they’re both willing to step over all of us to get their next fix. It’s a simple and sad as that no matter what you read on Facebook.

Oh, and please stop telling me to wake up. I’m fully awake and paying attention, I just might not see things the way you do. No amount of insulting Kermit the Frog or Willy Wonka memes are going to convince me that I’m too stupid to vote because I might vote different than you. While I recognize both Kermit and Mr. Wonka as political experts, neither of them know me well enough to judge my fitness to cast a valid vote.

I really don’t think most people would call their neighbors sheep or traitors to their face but keyboard courage seems to make them willing to for some reason. I’d like to think that they don’t really believe the gibberish they post but I’d also like to believe we are adult enough to understand that two patriots can disagree while still honoring and respecting one another.

Whoa…how did I end up defending the adult position? You know things have gotten out of hand when that I’m the voice of reason!

For more than half of my military career I served under presidents I didn’t vote for but I never questioned their constitutional authority to lead. Every four years both candidates tell you we’re doomed if we vote for the other guy and every four years they are wrong. In all of the elections I remember over the last four decades the losing candidate always calls, concedes and congratulates the winner …then life goes on.

This election may not be the most important election in history, but it’s might be the weirdest. It reminds me of a pay-per-view WrestleMania event without the usual class and integrity. Trump is right about one thing though; this election is definitely rigged. No matter who you vote for an elderly millionaire from New York is going to win…guaranteed.

People are still going to bitch about taxes no matter who wins, the conservative media will blame the Democrats and liberal media will blame the Republicans and they will both be right. Phony internet news sites will post headlines that claim to expose the other sides evil plans and somebody you know will like and share it, then we’ll start this crap all over again.

In the meantime remember that voting for either New York millionaire in November won’t make you an idiot; but calling someone else a traitor or a sheep because they voted for the other one, just might.

Next week I’ll be the irreverent smart-ass you’ve come to tolerate every week… I just had to get that off my chest.