I have felt more political pressure building in our little oasis lately, and feel the need to ramble about it. About a month ago, President Obama visited our neighborhood (actually the site of a certain employer to the south of us). Then, a few days ago Mitt Romney arrived for a visit at one of the big churches down the street from our house. We didn't get picked for the tickets to see Obama, but anyone could go to the daytime rally for Romney, so I went (with two kids in tow). It was loud and a little overwhelming for my little ones, so we didn't hear much of what the speakers said, but people were friendly and the atmosphere was charged with excitement. He presented a new tax plan and he shook lots of people's hands.
It sounded like a good plan when he was sharing it, and as I was a little distracted, I read more details later. After reading it and other writings, my thoughts are that he addresses many of the problems this country is encountering, but some of his proposals won't "fix" some of the underlying problems. None of the other candidates seem to have realistic proposals written to such an extent. He has the experience to turn things around and build a legitimate team to lead this country, but I feel like he has to pander so much to so many different special interests that he's not conveying himself as he possibly wishes he could.
This is how I feel sometimes if politics come up in conversations. I have several friends who are not the same religion as I am. Many of them consider themselves Evangelical Christian. I see many common interests in most areas of our lives. We are all trying to be better people, trying to raise good, happy kids, and trying to follow Christ. But we do NOT agree on Mitt Romney.
I also feel caught between close friends who are both very devout members of the same religion as me, but who feel so strongly about their PARTY that it is very uncomfortable if politics become a part of the conversation. It seems unrealistic that two people who have similar values could end up on opposite sides of every issue just because that's the party line.
My two oldest have been studying U.S. History and they had a recent performance about the first 28 Presidents (each classmate portrayed one President). Because they have learned more about the country's foundation and know the stories of the Presidents, they have been more interested in current politics. They have also seen that all of these men were not perfect; many had BIG flaws, but each had a role in the formation of the U.S. at that point in history.
I think it is noble of Mitt Romney to want to help out our country at this difficult time (even though he obviously has no financial incentive to do so), and I think he would do a great job. I hope that these crazy primaries will start to solidify his standing, but more than that, I hope that people still look at individuals and choose someone who can do the most good for the country as a whole, instead of focusing so much on party politics or religious bigotry or human imperfections. I just wish we could all get along. :)
