A View Of "Are We Done Yet?"

All hail the Queen - arguably the funniest comic strip being published today. Click the picture for more.

This election has exhausted me. I've reached my fill of negative campaign ads, pre-packaged sound bites, debates designed to deliver pre-packaged sound bites instead of true interactive dialogue, stories about potential voter fraud, and endless poll numbers that seem to exist only to promote the next poll.

It seems to me that the current electoral process is designed to do one thing effectively, and that's promote bickering and gridlock. This cartoon lays it out perfectly:

And this strip is a close runner-up for that funniest strip title. Click on the picture for more.

And don't even get me started on the campaign ads. I thought we had some over the top ads on the air here in Michigan, but this intentionally tacky one from Kansas is simply out of control:

Click on this link for a list of the 10 worst ads of the 2008 political season.

It's nonsense like that ad that makes me complete cynic when it comes to government, elected officials and the whole electoral process. I vote, but I always feel like I'm picking between the lesser of two evils rather than a candidate I truly believe in. Tomorrow is no exception. I've already told you who gets my vote for president, but it's not without some trepidation. I'm still miffed with Obama for ignoring Michigan during the primary. (If you're all about change, then why not help revamp the primary process? I'm just saying....) And I was totally turned off by McCain turning his back on the state - and his fellow constituents here in the state - last month. (Even more interesting was that he did it without telling his VP pick, Sarah Palin. How will they work together in the Oval Office if she isn't even kept up to date on campaign strategy decisions?) It makes me wonder what, if any, assistance either one will give my state in the new administration - especially after it's become clear that there won't be any government aid coming for GM and Chrysler any time soon.

Despite my cynicism, I'm still going to go. No amount of mud flung, no endless number of facts distorted, no seemingly random poll numbers, or restrictions on what can be worn at my polling place (and probably yours, so don't wear your Obama hookup until after you vote) can keep me away from the voting booth. Our process is flawed here in the US of A, but it's ours and we have to take part. I'm a cynic, but I'm not cynical enough to not vote. Too many people gave too much for this acerbic African American woman to have the right to go into a polling place and have my voice heard - bitching before I vote and moaning about the choices made after I and the rest of my fellow citizens cast our ballots each election cycle.

To give myself a bit of a boost, I'm going to watch this video as I'm getting ready tomorrow morning. These kids from the Ron Clark Academy are amazing. Check out this clip, then check out the school's website. Their energy and enthusiasm about voting and taking part in the electoral process can energize even the most disenchanted undecided voter.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow. Cynic or true believer, it's your responsibility to take part in the process. And there's nothing lower that a person who doesn't vote, but bitches about the outcome of the election. Not even the person who came up with that Slattery ad.

More later, after I come home from the polls. For the record, if anyone asks why I voted, I'm telling them Joe made me do it.