A no vote for president does not negate my vote on Election Day

Call me cynical, but I just cannot bring myself to terms and vote for the incumbent, President Barack Obama or the challenger, Gov. Willard ‘Mitt’ Romney.

In years past, I have been no different than many who walk into a polling place on Election Day not being fully enthralled with the candidates whose names appear on the ballot.

However, like many, I have voted for people just to say that I have voted, using the notion of the lesser evil. It has finally dawned on me that it is foolhardy to vote for someone whom you are not 100% comfortable and committed to.

That is where I am at this year and will be from this point forward. On the one hand, you have two candidates who have been campaigning since what seems like forever and neither one of them have distinguished themselves to be someone that I can stand behind and feel good about voting for. In my humble opinion, people want to talk about the governor being out of touch with the common man, but the same can be said about the president. I challenge anyone to define ‘common man’ and say that these two men are people you can see yourself hanging out with and shooting the breeze.

Throughout this campaign season, I made it clear that I would not be casting a vote for the incumbent based on feeling that his promises from four years ago did not come close to fruition. Again, another example of a politician blowing hot air and loving to hear himself talk; definitely all bark and absolutely no bite.

As far as the governor, he had me up until about six weeks or so ago. His constant changing of positions makes him come across as expediently saying whatever sounds good based on the question that is asked and whom the response is directed at. It is because of his just saying things that he thinks people want to hear based on convenience that has become a problem for me.

So in the end, I have made the decision to sit out the contest for president. That by no means should be an indictment that I will not be voting at all. I made made it clear that I will, but there are those who want to equate my not voting for the office of president as me negating my right to vote. One has nothing to do with the other. I  am taking a stance based on my own convictions and am just tired of being sold a bill of goods by politicians who spew nothing more than what I deem to be true bs.

What this 2012 campaign season has turned out to be is nothing more than ‘gotcha’ moments and two people who have yet to define for me what they plan on doing for this nation over the next four years if they are elected to the office of president.

The supporters of both candidates are no better than the candidates themselves.  Unfortunately, both candidates act as if they are afraid to move beyond party partisanship and emphatically state what they would do for this country. Therefore, their collective lack of vision gives me no faith in a President Obama or potential President Romney.

No one is challenging these men to tell us what will be different with them at the helm. Sadly, four years ago, the electorate let candidate Obama get away with never defining what ‘Hope’ and ‘Change’ was going to look like. To date, we still do not know, but we are supposed to give him another chance based on some notion that things are moving forward? I for one do not comprehend forward movement as being synonymous with stagnation and status-quo.

Governor Romney has had every opportunity to distinguish himself as the better candidate, but if staying on message was a team sport, he definitely would be the kid that would never come off the bench.

In the end, I just cannot bring myself to check the name off my ballot in support of President Obama or Governor Romney. For me, it is that simple and I will be more than comfortable leaving my polling place on Election Day knowing that I did not cast a vote for president. That comfort level however, in no way negates the fact that I took the time to participate in the civic duty that is the voting process. And that in and of itself is a stark difference from someone who made the decision to not vote at all.