A Rant About Politics

Do you bleed blue or red? If you have every lived more than a few months in Utah you know what I am talking about. The rivalry between Utes and Cougars is infamous. Just drive down any suburban street and you will find fans displaying their pride on flags, license plates, and even air conditioning covers. Rare is the Sunday that some man (and sometimes woman) is not talking about his team winning the other team in Sunday school or priesthood sessions. As I was thinking about this election season, I began to make a comparison to the political parties and the fans of these two universities.

“I’m so ready for this election to be over”. I’ve heard that phrase a dozen times in the last week. But frankly, I’m not ready for this season to be over. I love the election season. No, I don’t love listening to the candidates feud over pigs lips. Nor do I love listening to them repeat themselves like a broken record. But, I love the introspection that the political season affords myself and our nation. You see, I’m not a Ute nor a Cougar. I’m not a Republican nor a Democrat. I’m an independent.

Utes and Courgars. Democrats and Republicans. What is feeding the need of society to feel that we need a rival? Is it that every good needs an evil? I don’t believe that either party or university can be categorized as good or evil (although some fanatics out there may strongly disagree with me). Or, do many of us simply need to feel like we belong? We need to feel that we fit in. I, however, refuse to be classified into a tidy box. I’m a little more complex than that. Maybe that’s why when given the choice of universities I picked neither of the rivals. Some people would believe me to be a conservative, and that I am. Some may believe me to be a liberal, and that I am. It may seem that I am thereby flippant. But, that I am not. I do believe strongly on many issues. It just happens that those issues may reside in both popular parties, as well as some of the less popular parties. So, how can I classify myself as belonging to any one of them? Should I just pick the party that I have the most in common with? Or do I pick the party that is closest to the one topic that I feel most strongly about?

I understand that there will never be a candidate that fits my beliefs exactly. However this political season I picked the candidate that in my heart of hearts is best fit to lift this nation. I hope that others join me in thinking about which candidate will be best, not because of which political party he may belong to, but what he can provide for this nation. I also hope that despite our classifications, as a nation we can sit down side by side like those in Sunday school class and appreciate each other’s differences. We may intentionally rile each other about our differences, but we should ultimately accept them as the fabric of this nation. And God willing, I will always be an independent.

(Except for on Halloween!)