I am a total hypocrite. I'll be 26 this winter, and this year I'm voting for the first time. Follow me below the fold, as I sheepishly try and explain myself.
I am a total hypocrite. I'm 25 years old, and I've never voted. The kicker is that I've been interested in politics since before I was old enough to really understand what was going on. Oh yeah, and I got my B.A. in political science.
First, allow me to make excuses.
I live in Massachusetts.
The first clear political memory I have comes from the tender age of 13. It was a Saturday in December, and I had just taken the entrance exam for one of the private high schools in my area. When I got home late that morning I popped myself down on the couch, probably with the intent to play some video games. All summer, SNL had been lampooning the Clinton 'obstruction of justice' (blowjob) scandal. I was old enough to know what they said he had done with his intern, though not really sophisticated enough to understand the underlying obstruction allegations. In any event, although I didn't care so much, I was aware of the situation. And there before me, that chilly Saturday in December, I watched history unfold. For only the second time in our history, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the President. My interest was piqued, and led to me ultimately getting a B.A. in poli/sci, with a history minor.
Back to the excuses, though.
I live in Massachusetts. The first election I was eligible to vote in was 2004. I didn't. 2006 came and went, and still I remained inactive. I'm ashamed to say I didn't manage to register in 2008, either. I could make all kinds of excuses- like the fact that I moved almost a dozen times in that 4 year span, for instance. Or that my chosen candidates won all their races, anyways. Living in 'reliably blue' Massachusetts, I convinced myself that my vote was extraneous.
Then, in all their wisdom, Democrats nominated Martha Coakley. I failed to vote in the special election. And Scott Brown won.
Unacceptable. If the good people of the Commonwealth can't be relied upon to do my job for me, then damn it, I'll have to do it myself. Here's a guy who is a member of "The Greatest Deliberative Body in the World," and he campaigned (and won) on one simple message: I drive a truck. You must be kidding me. If you look up the phrase "Empty Suit", there should be a picture of Scott Brown next to it.
Anyways, I realize that he won by more than my one vote- I still blame myself. I could have voted for who I thought we should have nominated (Capuano), and I could have gotten out to vote for Coakley. But I let myself be lazy, and figured it wouldn't matter. As a member of an age group that is notoriously absent from the political process, I'm changing course. In the year of the supposed enthusiasm gap- here's one new, enthused, voter for Democrats.
I suspect that my slate of candidates would win my district anyways, as heavily urban as it is. No matter. This year, I'm making my choice known.