Who Did I Vote For?

I remember the first time I realized that politics is just a bunch of bullshit. The year was 2014, and President Obama made an appearance in my hometown at the Baseball Hall of Fame. At the time, I didn’t know why the president of the United States was in our small town. I just knew him as the guy who, two years prior, didn’t make my dad’s birthday a national holiday. I liked Obama and still do, but I will forever hold it against him that he didn’t make January 14th a national holiday. Instead, he sent back a signed letter, which was a pretty cool thing to bring to show and tell in the second grade. I guess this might be the time to forgive him. During his time in Cooperstown, I remember seeing on the news that he was talking about minimum wage while in the Hall of Fame. I ran down the street saying, “Who cares about minimum wage?!” A girl who was a few grades older than me told me that it's a very serious topic that affects a lot of people’s lives. I was upset that she was smarter than me and understood what was going on. I don’t like things I don’t understand. So, from this moment on, I decided to hate politics. Since then, we have gone through two election cycles, and tomorrow will be the third. I’ve never voted before; I wasn’t old enough for the last two. The only time I “voted” was when our school did an internal election to see who the students would vote for if we could vote. I don’t vote for losers. I’m 2-for-2 in the school elections, and I’m hoping to continue my streak. Right before my class, which I’m in currently, I dropped my absentee ballot in the mailbox outside my dorm. I’ve officially voted! To be completely honest, I don’t like either option. I think a lot of people feel the same way. I found it hard to make a decision when it was picking the best of two bad apples. I had two people put it into words I could understand. The first person is one of my best friends, Charlie. Over the summer, I really liked RFK. He was (and still is) a bit crazy, but he felt like an honest guy. He seemed like he wasn’t scared to address problems within. When I told Charlie that I’d vote for RFK over Joe Biden, he said it was a waste of a vote. He put it into words I’d understand. He turned the issue into a golf problem, and it clicked. I don’t want to misquote him, but it explained why I had to choose between two bad apples in a way I hadn’t thought of before. The next person was a random member at the country club I worked at. He was an older gentleman, and I don’t really know why he sat next to me during my lunch break. I didn’t know him at all. We talked for my whole 30-minute break. The topics really jumped all over the place, but they were mainly about my relationship with my father. He asked me at the very end of our conversation if I was old enough to vote and who I was leaning towards voting for. Whenever someone asks me this, I try to figure out who the person is voting for, guess who it is, and then respond with my guess. This guy had Trump all over his face. I would’ve put money on it. So, to try and please him and get out of the conversation, I responded, “I think I’m going to vote for Donald Trump, sir.” I’m not joking when I say this gentleman looked like I shit on his foot. I’m usually right when I guess, so I was pissed too. I just dug myself into a deeper conversation, and I was already late to get back to work. Looking back at it, I’m very thankful for this conversation. He asked me a few questions, which I’d still answer the same way today. I don’t think Biden was fit to run the country for another four years. The last questions he asked me really made it easy for me to pick who I was voting for. “How would you feel if your dad cheated on your mom while she was pregnant with you? How would you feel if your dad said it was okay to grab a woman by her pussy with no repercussions? How would you feel if your dad had an affair with a porn star and embarrassed your mother on national television?” My hero is and always will be my dad. If he did any of these things, I don’t think there would be a way to defend him. The gentleman’s questions explained to me why I just can’t vote for Donald Trump over Joe Biden just because of the aging issue. It became an issue of character, and Donald Trump has none of it. When President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris, things changed, but my vote didn’t. I knew who I was voting for already. I really disagree with some things Kamala says. I really disagree with what Trump says. I still feel like I am picking between two bad apples, but I’m not voting for a bad apple with no character or honor. The whole abortion thing is a big one for me too. I don’t think the government should get to decide what anyone does with their body. I also hate religion. I’m not voting for someone who wants to take that right away from women. Whether it is state or country wide, I don’t care. It shouldn’t be banned anywhere. I don’t like identifying as anything. I never have and probably never will be a part of a political party. I’m registered as an independent voter. However you feel, please vote. I gave the people who told me to vote a lot of shit because I am lazy. I do believe it is a very important part of being an American. I don’t care who you vote for, and I’m not going to judge you. I have so many friends voting for Trump, and I still love them. I just won’t be voting the same way, and that's okay! Happy Monday, everyone! Vote!