Whom should I vote for? Did I miss the election?

I am beginning to worry about voting again; yes again.  I go through this issue every four years.  In my short life of 60 years, I have never had the pleasure of voting for someone in the presidential election who actually got in and whom I respected (hard combination).  Sound impossible? Does my vote even count?

According to the media; this election is all but decided and people in my age group, sex group, and state have already chosen according to the polls.  Should I even bother or have I already voted and forgotten to notice? (A senior moment?)

Being president is a big job and I tend to think maybe almost an impossible job for this country.  Isn’t it more about the friends, colleagues, and relationships that make a president?  Are they only valuable in hindsight?  Do we ever appreciate someone when they are in office?

We, as a society, have developed such a sense of mistrust and disrespect for those in power, no matter the job.  From the cop on the street to the unreachable man in office, we are full of criticism and misunderstandings to who they, those in power, are.  We say horrible things about them; accuse them of vicious intentions; and, in general, defile them in any way possible.

In truth, I am not sure why anyone in their right mind would run for office or hold a position of temporary power unless it’s an ego thing.  They know going into the fight that they are going to be massacred in the press, on the local corner, and spend billions of dollars for the potential of a short stint in the “chair of power.”

I am sure that Romney and Obama are good men with good intentions but do either of them know anything about what this government should be doing to keep America strong?   I want to vote for a good man (and hopefully some day a good woman). I want their hearts to be pure, not selfish, to be very bright; to be great readers; good listeners; to be someone who can make people believe in them, (I am speaking more of the Congress rather than the average citizen); to be an empowerer not a power seeker.  I want this superman to fight for what I believe in.

I believe that this country is great but like any gigantic microcosm flawed.  We are flawed because we care about causes and causes are not always decipherable; they’re mushy issues.  We are flawed because we believe different things as a collective group and all of our opinions seem to count and yet none of our opinions seem to count. We, as American people, are generous to a fault and yet are reluctant supporters at the same time. I love this country as it is, warts and all.  I believe in the American spirit and all of the same things that Superman believed in (isn’t that why Superman chose to live in America, because we’re the best; or because we had the most crime?)

I think it matters who becomes President of the United States but I am not sure which path Romney or Obama will choose once selected.  This voting season is much like my game of pool; poke and hope will be my motto.