This is my very first diary...so please forgive me if I do not follow proper protocol in some way. It is certainly not intended. I will be grateful for any advise, in this regard, if need be.
I have decided to diary this as I feel it is important enough to do so. My meeting with a voter from Ohio has night, left me concerned enough to still be thinking of it this morning.
I think most of us here, take for granted that most people are at least half as informed as we all. We feel most people must watch the news, at least once a day. Most people must read enough to be knowledgeable in some way. Most people must take some interest, in such a valued right as voting, and so even if they can not quote every poll, from every source....we should be able to assume that they must still value the system enough to be a somewhat informed voter. However, it is becoming more and more apparent and it is truly a travesty, that voters who hold our lives in their hand, take no more time to research the parties, the candidates or the issues, or with any more care than they would to find out the biography of the latest superstar or American Idol contestant.
Please follow me below, to see what happened to me last night when I met a true undecided voter from Ohio.
Last night, at a friend's gathering, my husband and I met the sister of our hostess, for the first time. She was visiting her sister,from Cincinnati, Ohio. Naturally, after we were introduced and I found out where she was from...I knew somehow I must eventually turn the conversation to politics. So, after we shared a bit of wine and she loosened up, I bought up the election.
It took no time at all to determine that I was speaking to a true low-information, undecided voter. She said she was registered and her husband too, but they had not voted, but were certain to do so. However, she said she still had no idea who she would vote for and she told me that her husband would probably vote for Romney. He was sitting nearby and then leaned over and said "I never said that. I don't know who I am voting for yet, either." He then said, "But I am not happy with the last 4 years."
She said, "They are all lying, so we have no clue who to vote for. We have just decided to go with our gut on election day, but nothing good has happened in 4 years. Mainly, it bothers us that they are all lying. Everyone is saying the other side is lying, so who can you trust?"
I asked her if she had been checking the fact checking sites. Someone else sitting beside us, piped in that the fact checking sites were all liars too and others nodded in agreement.
I told them, "That is not true. You just have to research the claims. Romney has been proven to be a liar on numerous occasions. The President has not." I was met with snickers and a couple of rolled eyes, but they left our talk and I was glad.
I then brought up that at least she can be confident that in regard to health care and especially women's healthcare, Obama is the only choice.
She said,"If you mean abortion, I'm Catholic. If you mean Obamacare, they are never going to pass it anyway."
(I was speechless)
But then spent several minutes telling her that yes it was already law and the SC upheld it. Naturally, I had help from others around us with this topic, and honestly, I tried to steer it to a quick close because this particular road became a bit heated.
She then said, "Well, it doesn't matter I have health insurance"
(of course you do....I felt like saying)
She did mention that they have disconnected their home phone due to all the calls and said her husband will run off any volunteer who happens to ring their doorbell.
She said, "He is union and so they have our name apparently, because we get a knock every other day."
(so he is union and they are still undecided. Again, I was speechless)
I told her, "You do know that Romney will attempt to disband the unions as much as he possibly can."
She said, "No, I don't believe that. They haven't done it in all of these years, and it won't be different this time."
I then told her all I knew about the GOP governors who are doing just that in every state that gave them that power in 2010. I then told her that if it had been up to Romney, he would have every city just go bankrupt.
She was bored with me, it seemed, because she replied, "Well, I just don't think that will happen."
We followed several other topics but I was so crushed that this is someone who literally holds our entire country's future in their hands and yet that power is so incredibly meaningless to her.
They were so woefully ignorant of the issues of the election, and especially at this late date, and yet they just sat there and almost boasted of their lack of regard to even take the time to find out the facts. Both her and her husband, should be every bit a proud progressive voter...union, middle class/working class, one a woman, one a minority....but yet because they don't even care enough to research, they might very well vote against their own interests and then be terribly shocked one day soon.... when they find the hard way, and what we already know to be true....that that one vote could make all the difference in the world to their lives.
1:08 PM PT: Thank you so much for all of the comments and recommends! I never expected even one...so I appreciate it tremendously.