Wohooo~ The Texas primaries actually matter!

Texas primaries don't normally count. This year we may very well determine who our next president will become. I've lived in Texas for more than 20 years, it's nice to feel a part of the election this time. And, wow, what an election.

Clinton or Obama?

Mixed feelings abound in my heart about both candidates. Clinton. Even the name brings back memories of "the good old days". We were at peace, our economy was booming and the future looked bright. Okay, well, there were some moral issues but lots of great presidents had them. Oh, wait, we're not talking about Bill are we? Hilary is the first viable woman candidate this country has ever seen. I love that idea. She is not the "motherly" type, but that's not what we need is it? We need someone tough enough to stand for what they believe yet capable of compromising to get things done. Ms Clinton has not really had that kind of reputation, but in this campaign she has done a good job convincing the public she is a "kinder gentler" version of herself. Mainly, I want someone tough enough to stand up to the credit card industry and change the legal loan sharking that is eroding our economy from the bottom up.

Obama. Okay, I'm like everyone else it has taken me the entire campaign to be able to say his name. I absolutely love the idea of a mixed race person in office, and he is a charming, handsome "Kennedy-ish" kind of man, with a "Jackie-O" type of wife. They could return us to Camolot. The image they present, and the knocking down of racial barriers he represents, are so appealing. But does this man have the experience, the world-stage knowledge to restore America's role as leaders of the free world? I hope so since it looks to me like he just might win, but I am not entirely certain. His position on the credit card rates is that it would hurt poor people to not be able to receive loans they can't possibly pay back. The short sightedness of that position scares me. What if he is that short sighted on other issues?

Change is here

Change is clearly in the works. Whoever we choose, the next 4 to 8 years will be a shift from our past, thankfully. I am grateful that we have the power of these two amazing candidates to choose from, frankly, I will be ecstatic to see either of them in office. My dismay at the blunders of our current administration has built from year to year. Of course, there are no guarantee's that Obama or Ms Clinton will do any better, but I can't imagine they could do any worse.

Rescuer's, perpetrators and victims

When we look to our president to rescue us from the disasters of the last presidency's mistakes, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. But it is what we tend to do. Our instincts are to look for someone to rescue us. We feel a victim of the last President's failures and we want desperately for someone to swoop down and change everything. We want our troops home; we want peace in Iraq; we want our economy restored; we want our housing market improved; we want national health care. Can one administration do all this for us? That is our fantasy and if they don't live up to what we expect of them they, too will fall from grace as far as our current administration (perhaps). We will see the new president as the "perpetrator" and ourselves, once more, as the victim of their choices.

Taking ownership

Of course our ability to elect our own leader every four years gives us some ownership of our government, which is what makes our country strong. Each of us owning some sense of responsibility whether we vote or not, keeps us from being inextricably stuck in the Victim role. That changes everything doesn't it?

GET OUT AND VOTE

Whatever we do, when we go out to the polls and vote tomorrow (in Texas) we are asserting our ownership of our government and the process of freedom. If we fail to do that in our national and local elections, we are putting ourselves in the Victim role. By not taking ownership of our part in our lives and in our wold, we are choosing to remain stuck and powerless. Personally, that's something I can't tolerate for myself any more.

What about you?

Are you going to vote tomorrow? Are you going to be a part of this historical election? Are the election results going to matter to you? Sometimes our lives are so out of control personally that what is happening in the world makes little impact on us. Let me know where you are at and if the election results in Texas matter to you or not. I'd love to hear about it. Comment below.