How To Not Be A Whiny Little B This Election Season

Happy Super Tuesday, everyone! As of tonight, it’s very likely we’ll pretty much know who the Democratic nominee is and my prediction is that it rhymes with Sernie Banders. The South Carolina primary threw a bit of a wrench in to some things, so maybe it’ll be Joe Biden. Maybe it’ll be Mike Bloomberg.. No matter what, it’s sure to be interesting.

I try to stay away from talking about politics on here because it’s terribly divisive. I did “come out” as a conservative a while back mainly because I was a little sick of all of the myths that surround us. We’re actually pretty cool people a lot of the time. Some people give us a bad name and, of course, they’re the ones who make the news. Sigh. Anyway, feel free to give it a read. Or stop following me. Anyway, I digress.

This election season is already a bit of a sh*t show, amIright? I’ve watched several of the democratic debates and have just cringed at how mean they can be to one another. It’s no longer a ladies/gentlemen event; they go straight for the jugular. This was, of course, true as well in 2016.

After watching yet another debate (I get why there are so many, but I don’t at the same time), I felt compelled to re-read one of my favorite books on this topic, a book that I’ve mentioned several times here.

Yes, Senator Sasse is a Republican and that might make you roll your eyes at the idea of reading his work. Hear me out. He didn’t vote for Trump and sounds like the friendliest dude you’d ever want to hang out with. He’s a God-fearing Christian with a strong foundation and, trust me when I say, this book is SO worth the read. I heard him speak at a conference last summer and have been a loyal follower ever since.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some little takeaways from the book that will help you (and me!) NOT be a whiny little b this election season.

Intentionally watch both “sides” of the news

When I was a journalism major, it was STRESSED to us that any reporting we were to do was to be fair and balanced. No matter what, we were told, you need to find someone to interview on both sides of an argument. Those days are over. News is unapologetically partisan, with MSN (and arguably CNN) being on the Left and Fox News being on the Right. However, I will say that it’s worth watching both. Some commentators are inflammatory (Ingram, Maddow) and not at all helpful, but some are!

I try to watch a bit of CNN and a bit of Fox News every day when I’m getting ready in the morning. It’s always interesting to hear how each side is reporting the same story and form my own opinions on it.

Ben Sasse calls the partisanship of the news, “politainment” and, we all can see, it’s causing major issues with interpersonal relationships and “tribalism.” The point of the news is not to reinforce what you already think, it’s to inform you and perhaps challenge your thoughts a bit.

Understand that we all want what’s best.

Despite what anyone on the campaign trail says, I sincerely believe in the good in people and hope you do too. In Them, Sasse talks about a time when he realized that his little summer camp buddy was a Sooners fan, whom he was raised to hate. He realized that he was, in fact, a pretty cool kid too, even if they differed in their football allegiances. I think we’ve lost our sense of common humanity, and I see it all the time through STUPID political Facebook banters (thanks, Boomers.. whom I gladly share my humanity with) that we’re all so inclined to hate the “other” and villainize those with whom we disagree. I might not agree with Bernie Sanders, but I do sincerely believe he thinks his platform is what is best for our country. He wants what I do, even if his method of getting there would be vastly different from mine.

Volunteer for a Campaign

There are few things more exciting than volunteering for a presidential campaign. Whether it be chatting with strangers on the phone while chowing down on cold pizza or jumping in the car with like-minded folks to go door-to-door, you’re going to have a blast. Plus, you feel like you’re doing something for your candidate rather than sitting back and posting statuses about him. I would have said him/her, but let’s be real here…

Get involved at the state level.

So many people laser focus on federal politics that they forget that they have a state that makes huge decisions for them too. I volunteered for several years for the Maryland Catholic Conference and loved it. They got involved in life issues, immigration issues, school choice, etc. It was very empowering because, being a smaller situation, I was able to really be involved and feel like my voice was being heard. Any time I would email my state representatives, they would personally email me back. It was quite cool.

Vote.

This might sound obvious, but, my gosh, you have ZERO RIGHT to complain about politics if you do not vote. Zero. Zip. Zilch. It does make a difference, so make your voice heard. One of the beautiful things about democracy is that your vote matters just as much as the guy in federal housing or the multi-millionaire down the street. Vote. I mean it.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Do you live next door to a lonely widower? Invite him over for dinner some time. Does your local library need volunteer readers on just the afternoon you’re off early? The sounds fun! What about the humane society? Maybe they need some help with animal adoptions, laundry or dog walks. No matter what it is, you should get involved in something to feel like you’re making a difference. Nothing is accomplished by complaining and even if it’s a small thing, get to work to make the world a better place. At the end of the day, that, more than what’s happening on Capitol Hill, is what is going to make the world a better place.