The only opinion that matters: My presidential endorsement; better late than never
Matt Clemente
Issue date: 11/7/08 Section: Opinions
With the excitement (and for many, I am sure, disappointment) of Election Tuesday now behind us, I have decided to announce publicly whom I will endorse for President of the United States. Before I reveal who I am backing, it is important to look at what my endorsement means. First, let's examine the question: what does any endorsement mean2?
Over the past few months, newspapers, TV shows, and even our very own Crusader have been flooded with people telling us whom they are voting for and why we should vote for them as well3. Celebrities, athletes, professors, "nonbiased" news reporters: everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants to be heard. So who is right? Who can you turn to if you are not really sure of which candidate you want to vote for? More importantly, who can you blame if you make the wrong choice? Maybe if we all choose someone whom we admire and then see whom they have endorsed, our decision will become easier.
A recent issue of Time Magazine4 contained an article about the type of voters in the US. It went on to explain that many American voters choose whom to vote for simply because they agree with a candidate's view on one issue. This means that some Americans would choose the next president of the United States based his position on, say, abortion, and not on whether or not they believe that he is actually qualified to run the country. Many other voters, it said, voted solely because of the candidate's party5. If they were a registered Republican, they would vote for McCain. If they were a registered Democrat, they would vote for Obama. If they were a registered Libertarian, their vote had no affect on the outcome of the election.
What is the problem with voting for someone because you are a member of their party, because they agree with you on what you deem to be an important issue, or because Natasha Bedingfield endorsed them and "Unwritten" is totally one of my… your favorite songs of all time6? The problem is that you are letting other people make your decision for you. You are not choosing for yourself. If you vote with your party solely because it is your party, then you are voting for whom your party thinks is best and not taking into account whether or not you truly agree. Does your party really know what is best for you and your life7? If you choose whom to vote for based on one issue, no matter how important it is to you, you are not voting for whom you think will do the best job for our country, but for who speaks to the one ideal that you hold to be important. Should that one issue really determine who runs America for four years8? If you vote based on the endorsement of a celebrity or athlete, or because a professor or even your brother says to, then you are saying that their opinion holds more validity than yours and that you are incapable of knowing what is best for you. Can anyone else truly know what is best for you9?
Over the past few months, newspapers, TV shows, and even our very own Crusader have been flooded with people telling us whom they are voting for and why we should vote for them as well3. Celebrities, athletes, professors, "nonbiased" news reporters: everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants to be heard. So who is right? Who can you turn to if you are not really sure of which candidate you want to vote for? More importantly, who can you blame if you make the wrong choice? Maybe if we all choose someone whom we admire and then see whom they have endorsed, our decision will become easier.
A recent issue of Time Magazine4 contained an article about the type of voters in the US. It went on to explain that many American voters choose whom to vote for simply because they agree with a candidate's view on one issue. This means that some Americans would choose the next president of the United States based his position on, say, abortion, and not on whether or not they believe that he is actually qualified to run the country. Many other voters, it said, voted solely because of the candidate's party5. If they were a registered Republican, they would vote for McCain. If they were a registered Democrat, they would vote for Obama. If they were a registered Libertarian, their vote had no affect on the outcome of the election.
What is the problem with voting for someone because you are a member of their party, because they agree with you on what you deem to be an important issue, or because Natasha Bedingfield endorsed them and "Unwritten" is totally one of my… your favorite songs of all time6? The problem is that you are letting other people make your decision for you. You are not choosing for yourself. If you vote with your party solely because it is your party, then you are voting for whom your party thinks is best and not taking into account whether or not you truly agree. Does your party really know what is best for you and your life7? If you choose whom to vote for based on one issue, no matter how important it is to you, you are not voting for whom you think will do the best job for our country, but for who speaks to the one ideal that you hold to be important. Should that one issue really determine who runs America for four years8? If you vote based on the endorsement of a celebrity or athlete, or because a professor or even your brother says to, then you are saying that their opinion holds more validity than yours and that you are incapable of knowing what is best for you. Can anyone else truly know what is best for you9?
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