Call me cynical, but over the years, I’ve learned to distrust all politicians.  For me, voting is often choosing between the lesser of two evils.  I live in a state with some of the most RIDICULOUS politicians on the planet. White and Black.  Republican and Democrat.  They all make me crazy.

Each time I touch that screen, I hope and pray that the person I’ve chosen won’t screw things up worse than the one before him.  Not voting is not an option for me. I would never disgrace the memories of the ancestors who fought so hard for me to have that right. 

With that being said, I do vote Democrat, Independent, and Green quite often.  (No, I am not a straight ticket puncher.  Never have been, never will be.) 

I’ve always paid attention to politics (got a bachelors in Government and International Studies- yo!).  I know all about party politics from a text book point of view.  And while 2008 was one of the most interesting years in politics for me as an adult, it left me frustrated, to say the least.  

I started asking folks what they understood about the two Parties and here’s what I got:

Democrats want to increase taxes so that they can spend more on people who don’t have the gumption to do for themselves, and are so worried about preserving the people’s “rights” that we’ll get bombed to bits first chance some whackadoos get,  if the population doesn’t decline from all those mid-term abortions first.

Republicans want to keep us safe from the terrorists by any means necessary, reduce taxes and government spending, and make lots of money.   Every man for himself. Oh yeah, and the Bible should be taken literally- marriage is between Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.  

An oversimplification?  Yes.  But ask any random person you respect what they believe about their party or the opposition, and I bet you’ll get similar answers.

So what’s my point?

I’ve decided to gain more insight into the Republican platform on the national, state, and local levels.  And I mean more than reading the blogs of the opposition and listening to Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and the like.  

Michael Steele being announced as the newly elected leader of the RNC feels like pandering to me.  Same as when Sarah Palin was announced as McCain’s running mate. I’m not saying these folks aren’t qualified for their roles, but the timing is VERY suspect.  We’ve got a black president- now the RNC has a black chairperson.  The Democrats had a woman as a REAL contender for the presidency, so the Republicans had to get a woman for the VP slot.  Weren’t those same folks out there working for their party long before the 2008 elections and the aftermath? Why now?  Because they lost.  I’d bet money that Steele would still be doing his thing in Maryland and some white male would be chairing the RNC as we speak if McCain was the president.  I’m just saying.  This strategy isn’t about improving life for the citizens of this country, it’s about power, and who has it.  Plain and simple.

Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that the Republican party needs to be inclusive.  But getting some folks as party front runners because of melanin or genitalia is not going to cut it. This needs to happen through policy.  A person of color at the helm, or a woman touted as the future of the party doesn’t show me that you are interested in what is being experienced by folks who are not in the majority.  And for the record, all those folks in the majority voting Republican might really want to take a look at how party policy affects them as well.  I’m just saying.  Have the policies of the last 8 years positively impacted your life?  Is your check bigger? (If it’s not bigger, it must be because you are a slack ass and not putting in enough hours.) How’s the health insurance?  Is your child receiving the best education for your money?  Do you really feel safe from terrorism?  

I’m welcoming open discussion.  Seek first to understand, then be understood, and all that jazz.  I mean it.  

I’m looking for REAL information, not propaganda.  If you are willing to engage in a genuine dialogue, hit me up.   You can email me:  diva@divafictionbytes.com or comment on my posts, ’cause I will be reporting back on what I find.

And for all you Republicans going, what about the Dems?  They aren’t getting off that easy either.  It’s all about accountability baby!  You better leave things better than you found them, or you’ll have hell to pay. (And throwing good money after bad is not a solution.)  Yeah- I got my eye on the Dems too, especially now.  

A special thank you to my high school buddy George Fulbright.  He and I had a wonderful Facebook conversation about politics and McCain the day after the election, and I have been thinking about it ever since.  It actually prompted me to write this post, and dig deeper.  Thanks for that George.  That’s what real dialogue does- opens you up.  

So there will be no fighting over here- just educating.  If you can hang with that, fire up that keyboard and let the learning begin.