The only opinion that matters: My presidential endorsement; better late than never

With the excitement (and for many, I am sure, disappointment) of Election Tuesday now behind us, I have decided to announce publicly whom I will endorse for President of the United States. Before I reveal who I am backing, it is important to look at what my endorsement means. First, let's examine the question: what does any endorsement mean2?

Over the past few months, newspapers, TV shows, and even our very own Crusader have been flooded with people telling us whom they are voting for and why we should vote for them as well3. Celebrities, athletes, professors, "nonbiased" news reporters: everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants to be heard. So who is right? Who can you turn to if you are not really sure of which candidate you want to vote for? More importantly, who can you blame if you make the wrong choice? Maybe if we all choose someone whom we admire and then see whom they have endorsed, our decision will become easier.

A recent issue of Time Magazine4 contained an article about the type of voters in the US. It went on to explain that many American voters choose whom to vote for simply because they agree with a candidate's view on one issue. This means that some Americans would choose the next president of the United States based his position on, say, abortion, and not on whether or not they believe that he is actually qualified to run the country. Many other voters, it said, voted solely because of the candidate's party5. If they were a registered Republican, they would vote for McCain. If they were a registered Democrat, they would vote for Obama. If they were a registered Libertarian, their vote had no affect on the outcome of the election.

What is the problem with voting for someone because you are a member of their party, because they agree with you on what you deem to be an important issue, or because Natasha Bedingfield endorsed them and "Unwritten" is totally one of my… your favorite songs of all time6? The problem is that you are letting other people make your decision for you. You are not choosing for yourself. If you vote with your party solely because it is your party, then you are voting for whom your party thinks is best and not taking into account whether or not you truly agree. Does your party really know what is best for you and your life7? If you choose whom to vote for based on one issue, no matter how important it is to you, you are not voting for whom you think will do the best job for our country, but for who speaks to the one ideal that you hold to be important. Should that one issue really determine who runs America for four years8? If you vote based on the endorsement of a celebrity or athlete, or because a professor or even your brother says to, then you are saying that their opinion holds more validity than yours and that you are incapable of knowing what is best for you. Can anyone else truly know what is best for you9?

No, there is only one person's endorsement that you need and that person is you. Do not vote for a candidate because anyone else urges you to. Do not vote for him because he is a Republican or Democrat or because he is white or black. Do not vote for him because he has a mildly attractive running mate10. If you want to vote, if you want your vote to actually mean something, then do your homework, learn what the candidates truly stand for, and decide which you think will do the best job with America. It may seem tough but you need to decide where you stand, what your world view is, and then you need to find the candidate who most closely embodies that view. Voting is all about personal choice. It is about your opinion. When it comes to voting your opinion truly is The Only Opinion That Matters11. But if you want to vote, then be responsible and make sure you are educated on all of the issues. Decide how you view the economy, the war, and life in general.

Politicians today like to talk about "change" and "progress," and it sounds really nice. But how can we change or progress if we do not know what we are progressing toward? You need to decide which candidate's idea of change matches yours. Who is going to change the things that you think need to be changed, and who is going to help this country progress towards something that you deem good? Most of all, who is going to actually be able to achieve the goals that he has set for himself, and who is just saying what he needs to say to get elected? Also, which candidate gives you the best opportunity to say "I told you so!" to everyone who was wrong? The fact of the matter is that your vote is important. It is important because at very least it shows that you have an opinion and know what is best for you.

So who do I endorse in last Tuesday's election12? I endorse the one person who I know I wholeheartily agree with. I endorse a man who possesses great intelligence, leadership, experience, and, most importantly, a worldview that I honestly believe in. I endorse myself. I know that when it comes down to it, I am capable of deciding who I want to vote for because I know what I believe in. Nothing anyone else says matters.

1This article was written on November 2nd, two days before the elections. 2Nothing. 3If you take the title of my column as seriously as I do, then you know that my opinion is the only one that matters, and you have ignored all of the nonsense surrounding this election. 4Yes, I read Time. No big deal. 5You better believe that John McCain knows how to party. He parties hard. 6Even if we differ in our political views, I think one thing that we can all agree on is that "Unwritten" is terrific. 7Not if it's anything like the party on Boyden that had the band kids from Leigh at it. Who invited them? 8Not if it's anything like one issue of the Crusader before I started writing for it. 9I can. 10Joe Biden, you stud. 11TM. 12John McCain?