Ode to the Undecided

Uh-oh. Claire’s about to politic again.

I’m going to warn you, if you are dead-set with your current candidate, you won’t get my ode. You will probably also be angry that I am not so enthralled with your choice as you are. You will be thinking of the reasons why you are righter than me and why I am am too stupid for not already thinking the same way as you. That’s fine. Really, it is. I have already been made to feel 6 centimeters tall for voicing that I’m not counting out any candidate at this point. Well, except one. But that’s between me and The Big Guy.

I, like many other Americans who are on Facebook right now, have an opinion to share. And when someone doesn’t agree with me, especially die hards, they are not afraid to try and make me feel like a blithering idiot for not being 100% sold yet… I, who am keeping an open mind until the end, am too stupid to see what’s going on.

But, in a way, I almost envy the die-hards. I almost envy the fact that they trust so wholeheartedly in their choice (and likely their party) that they will follow their candidate til the ends of the earth, Wikileaks and sexual harassment accusations be damned. Props to you all. You are not as torn as I am and you are not doing as much research as me because your mind is already made up.

(DISCLAIMER: I am not saying one is worse than the other, because both are pretty ridiculous considering our President is supposed to be the highest valued position in America. Please don’t take this blog as an opportunity to tell me why you’re right, I’m capable of researching on my own. But thanks.)

Anyway, if you are like me, and undecided, you probably fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Republicans who hate Trump, but deplore (ha ha) Hillary.
  2. Democrats who hate Hillary, but deplore (too much?) Trump.
  3. Independents who want to know who will be best for our country and can’t quite figure it out because all people are doing right now is trying to prove they aren’t the worst.
  4. Bernie supporters who are still super pee’ed off at the Democratic primary and the complete and utter disgust we hold for our Oligarchy. What? What’s that you say? We live in a Democracy? I’m confused. 

 

So, now what do we do?

Apparently, Bernie can be written in in the following states: Alabama, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. He can also be a write in for Indiana, Oregon, and Washington because he won the Democratic Primary in those states. If you live in one of those states, which I do not, you can protest vote with the possibility of winning. Power to the people.

But I live in Maine.

So, now what do I do? I’m thinking I have one of the following options:

  1. Stay home and watch Friends on Netflix.
  2. Flip a coin, eeny meeny miny moe, or pull from a hat (which is how my kids were named).
  3. Show up to vote on November 28.
  4. Vote my actual conscious based on which candidate’s ideals are closest to my own even if it’s unpopular or a wasted vote (I think number 1-3 are more wasted, but what do I know, I’m undecided?).
  5. Write in Brady & Belichick

 

I’m fresh out of options. 

But I do know that whatever I choose, on November 9, I will wake up, and move on with my life. I will not be devastated because I’m not 100% sold on either of the probable winners of this election. That’s the reality.

I will also scroll through my Facebook friends and read their devastation, which will last a while. But it’s whatever. (I may even see less ‘friends’ on my list because people actually ‘unfriend’ people based on who they are or are not voting for. Which just further proves that the two party system creates such a divide that people separate ties with friends and family. This is worse than religion & race, in my opinion.)

I do know, though, that I will never forget this election. I will never forget the year that our country could not even turn up a viable candidate because of corruption & money. I will never forget how ridiculous the arguments became, how unworthy the flinging of crap was, and how unable people were able to lift their blinders and open up their minds. I will not forget how many fallacious arguments were utilized to belittle one person in a vain attempt to ‘be the better person’. I will not forget how little our voice matters in our democracy.  

I am undecided because I will make my choice the day before election day based on my beliefs & integrity before voting for a party or the lesser of two evils.

Vote wisely, America. (If you are reading this in any of the states I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, I will pay you to write in Bernie for the heck of it, see how that goes. Just kidding, I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.)

Be nice to one another because a “nation divided cannot stand”.

Claire Pelletier

About Claire Pelletier

I'm 30. Boy am I 30. I have three children: Shelby (almost 8), Harper (3), and Aidan (1). I work full time as an English teacher, full time as a mom, part time as a wife, part time as a cook at a Diner (this is actually a paid position), and a per diem house cleaner. Basically, I do it all. Oh and I like to write (revert back to my full time teaching position). This life is crazy, people are even crazier, and online blogging has given me a voice. Some may think it's a loud and obnoxious voice, but I kind of like it. I do my best to write about things that interest people, mainly about myself. Sometimes I verge into the political land, but that place scares me, so I mostly write about every day things that make me laugh, cry, or scream. Thanks for reading!