I try not to get too involved in political arguments or rants in my posts as I believe my political persuasion is personal and not something that necessarily relates to my blog (it’s arguably relevant, but not necessary). However, each day I am writing about how I have connected to the earth in a healthy way, and one of the things I did for the day was personal and political, and surprisingly uplifting and encouraging. This was the day that EarthFit got political.
Washington Democrats held their presidential caucus to see who we as a community would support for the Democratic primary. I have never attended a caucus, or even voted in a primary. Hell, I didn’t even vote in the last general election (that wasn’t entirely my fault, though, I got was sent to a conference out of state at the last minute without the opportunity to receive an absentee ballot…but I didn’t raise a stink over the fact that I couldn’t vote, either).
So why the sudden interest in politics? It definitely isn’t the attitude of the Island. I mean, I’m sure the locals are passionate about their choice of candidates, but they’re too polite to ask the strangers their political persuasion, or discuss it in public. That attitude changed completely at the caucus, though. The folks I spoke with were adamant about who they were backing and why. And I didn’t feel shy about sharing with them my opinions on the matter, either.
I’m incredibly invested in this election for several reasons. The main one is this particular election is starting to scare the living shit out of me. That in and of itself was enough to launch me off my ass and into some semblance of action. Maybe not totally involve myself by volunteering for the campaign, but definitely to learn more about the candidates and become more informed on the issues, especially the ones important to me.
My single issue that is the nearest and dearest to me is and always will be the environment. It’s another reason I’m so invested in this election. I became unapologetically disappointed in our President in 2010 after the Deep Horizon oil spill. Here was an opportunity to really drive the pursuit of clean energy and alternative fuel. To push for electric cars and solar power and decrease our dependence on oil. But our President caved to the pressures of big oil companies and had the mess “cleaned up” and the companies fined a nominal fee, and then they were free to carry on with business as usual. We are now looking at a candidate who wants to decrease our dependency on oil, and put Big Oil in their place. We have a potential candidate who wants to pursue clean energy not just for the environment and future generations to come, but to create better and more jobs that will stimulate the economy as well. So, I want to support someone who is speaking on behalf of the issues most important to me.
I am not happy with the path the government has taken this country. I’m not shy about this attitude, either. I would LOVE to move to England, or Ireland, or even Iceland. Canada, New Zealand, and Australia have all been considered as well. But that’s sad. I should have pride in the country of my birth. I should be proud to be an American. And for the first time, I see a candidate that could give me hope for America, that we could potentially turn America around and go down a better path. I see someone who spreads ideals of community, of peace, and of empowerment. I see someone who wants to look out for each and every person in this country, whether they be white, black, or Native American, woman or man, student or career professional, current military personnel or veterans. I see a candidate who can bring our country together and fight the fights worth fighting, on climate change, on poverty, and to fight for equality, health, and a better future for each and every one of us. While most of these aren’t my top issues, they are all important to me. And so seeing the hope of a candidate that can take us down this beautiful path to a brighter future, I want to be involved and invested.
I was pleased to see that a large majority of my immediate neighbors (including my landlord) agreed with me, at least in seeing the potential in a certain candidate. While I typically don’t like getting political too often in public, I’m glad I took the opportunity to get a little more involved and invested in the process. I will continue to learn more about the potential of our country and I hope towards the end of the year that we as a nation see the importance of joining together for a brighter and better world.