Column:
Don’t be defined by your party
Published Feb. 26, 2008
Like many seniors, I’m attempting to plan my future. I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do after May, but I don’t even know what I’m doing tonight. I envy those who have it all planned out, like former Phoenix Suns star Charles Barkley. I watched his interview with Wolf Blitzer on YouTube.com (watching CNN makes me nauseated) and I listened to Sir Charles declare his candidacy for the governor of Alabama in 2014. To recap, Charles is not from Alabama; he’s from Arizona — I know, they both start with A. It’s a little confusing for me, too. He bought a house in ‘bama last year with the sole intention of living there for seven years so that he could follow in the footsteps of great celebernors like Ahnold and Jesse Ventura.
Am I the only one who finds this a bit over ambitious? In a time where primaries started mid-way through President George Bush’s second term, Barkley is taking it a step further and starting seven years before an election. Who plans seven years in advance? I was 15 seven years ago, and I was planning my high school schedule, not what I was going to do after college.
But this announcement wasn’t even the most memorable part of this 2-minute interview. Perhaps the greatest and most over-generalized statement was when he called all Republicans “fake Christians.” He clumped all Republicans together to say that as Christians, they should not judge, and in Charles’ eyes, that’s all the party does.
The statement that bothers me more than his “fake Christian” statement was when he said, “I’m going to vote democratic, no matter what.” As if that’s the solution to all things bad.
OK great, he’s honest. That’s awesome for him. But personally, I think this is one of the most ignorant things a person can say. And this isn’t just limited to the hoop-star-turned-politician. We’re living in a culture where people are defined by their political party, not by their individual ideology.
When you vote, you vote in a partisan primary or a partisan caucus. We have seen candidates, most noticeably Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., cater more toward the Republican mainstream rather than say, moderate voters. His voting record screams moderate. His campaign manager screams “GOP ‘till I die.” This has alienated many Republicans who don’t believe he is a true conservative, and it has turned off moderates who feel as though he is too conservative.
Then, you still have the ongoing debates between Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. They have very different stances, as we saw most recently at the University of Texas debates on Thursday. So saying it doesn’t matter who wins that nomination, that they have your vote, can be very frustrating because they stand for different things.
I’m not dumb; I know this isn’t the first election where this happens and I know that the United States has had a two-party system for some time now. Even Facebook.com places your political preference just below your hometown. Is it really that important?
Throughout the interview, Blitzer wanted to make sure Barkley knew the impact of what he was saying; he did, and he made no apologies. While I don’t think Barkley would make the best governor, I do give him props for not censoring himself to gain more votes — next decade.