I have been a McCain follower and supporter since before I could even vote; through the last 3 elections and the last 8 years I have followed his career and felt that one day he would make a wonderful president. I remember when I was 16 and first learned about voting, and political parties and my parents shared with me their views and how they were neither Democrats, nor Republicans, but Independents and that Independents didn't have to follow party views but got to choose what they did and didn't agree with. I remember thinking that I wanted to be an Independent because I too wanted to have a choice. I remember my dad telling me about the Senator from Arizona and how he was an Independent too who tried to bring the parties together on issues rather than divide them. I had thought at the tender age of 16 that that was a very honorable thing. I became more and more intrigued with Senator John McCain, the more I learned; his family history in the Navy, his imprisonment and gruesome torture while a POW in Vietnam, his inability to run or lift his arms above his head due to the injuries he endured as a POW, his marriage to Cindy, their children and all his work in the Senate. I admired him to say the very least and could not wait to see him run again in 2004 against Bush for the Republican nomination.
Unfortunately everyones favorite maverick, was too much of a "risk" for the GOP to back. Risk? Why because he picks and chooses what to believe on which issues like EVERY free American should? I was infuriated. Not only had the GOP passed McCain over in 2000 for that dimwit Bush, but now they were doing it AGAIN in 2004 for the SAME DIMWIT! WTF? I thought surely they were all brainless or on drugs. And sure enough, Bush screwed up our country (military, international relations and economy) so bad that the American people became LITERALLY afraid to vote for a Republican in 2008. I can proudly say that I did not vote for Bush in 2000, and I did not vote for Bush in 2004. I did not get to voice my opinion about this moron on a ballot in 2000. However, in 2004 I chose to stage my own coup against the traditional aspects of being forced to choose between only 2 candidates who I had no part in choosing to be the representations of the Democratic and Republican parties. Instead of being forced to choose the lesser of two evils (lets be honest, Kerry versus Bush--NOT really a choice at all) I wrote in John McCain's name in the "other" section. Some may say I wasted my vote, but I disagree. I exercised my right as an American to HAVE A CHOICE.
When the 2008 election rolled around and the GOP could no longer overlook my favorite maverick for the idiot Bush again, I was convinced that McCain could no longer be harmed by Bush. I was ecstatic when the GOP picked up McCain as their nominee and was sure that his non-partisan views, independence and experienced qualifications would lead him directly to the Oval Office. Alas, I would not fully understand just how extensive the damage Bush had done to the Republican party and the American people was until about 8:30 pm on November 4th, before the entire West coast of the country had even had a chance to count their ballots. McCain's opponent won by an overwhelming majority in the Electoral College (one of the most ass backwards aspects of our election process), a "landslide" for which I blame George W. Bush and the abusive, draining and dishonest relationship we have been forced to have with him for the last 8 years.
I can close my eyes and revisit yesterday; less than 36 hours ago I got the privilege of walking in to a voting facility, obtaining a ballot and looking down at something I had been waiting to see for for 3 elections--John McCain's name PRINTED on the ballot. I stared at it for a few minutes almost in disbelief, taking in the moment, and then I proudly filled in the bubble next to his name, said a little prayer and dropped it in the black box. But the man who had peaked my interest in politics would never make it to the final prize. The 44th president of the United States of America was declared before my vote was even counted--my vote did not even count. And so my apathy begins...
