Q&A with Former Democrat Who No Longer Votes
I met Brenda, a 50-something former Democrat at last week's Juneteenth festival in San Francisco. Corruption is clearly turning people who were once politically active into non-voters. Because of Brenda's belief that Jesus Christ will return and solve all of our problems, there is nothing activists or politicans can do to convince her to vote again. I met several Republicans on my road trip who said they don't care about the state of the environment, education, healthcare, etc... because they too believe Jesus Christ will soon return. The difference is, they tend to vote.
Do you vote?
No. I no longer believe in the system. My government is God's government. If you look at history, you'll see that things are getting worse. They're not getting better. I don't care how many people vote. Nothing is changing. I used to vote. I used to campaign. I used to put flyers on doors. I used to register people to vote. After I saw all the corruption and lies, I said no more.
Do you think you can make a difference at the local level? San Francisco has the highest minimum wage in the country because the voters passed the proposition. Does that matter?
But that's not my concern. I'm gonna keep going back to what I said before. When Jesus Christ comes back and changes everything, people will not be sick, they will not be homeless, they will not have to worry about medical benefits. Everything will be perfect.
Politician make promises, but they really can't keep them because of the simple fact that they are beholden to lobbyists and people who have contributed to their campaign.
I believe in a new system and that system is Jehovah's system because he is the only person that can change the hunger, the crime and the disappointments.
And when is that going to happen?
Only God knows.
When you were voting, were you a Democrat or a Republican?
I was a Democrat.
Why?
Because I felt that that party looked out for the common person: someone who is struggling and working hard. But everything is so totally corrupt. It doesn't matter who's in office. It's just not for me anymore.
Will you ever vote again?
There is no way I'm ever voting again. My trust is in a higher power.
Do you still keep up with issues?
No. I hardly ever watch television news because it saddens and depresses me, but I know what's going on because I hear people talk about different issues.
What would you tell Democrats who say, 'We need you. Our country is a mess and we need you back.'
I would tell them that they need to start studying their bible. We need them to focus on spiritual issues. Once that's taken care of, things will be better. This time is gonna go by so quickly. I'm in my 50s and I'm working on myself and my spiritual needs and I feel so much better.
posted by storiesinamerica @ 12:40 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
This woman is screwed. But yeah, keep it up.
Rose, thank you for doing these interviews. Unbelieveable to me that people can think like this -
It's one thing to hear about people like this; it's another thing entirely to read their words. And this woman was a Democrat? And she lives in San Francisco? Amazing.
I'm not sure why this woman has raised everyone's ire so much. She's in her 50's and seems to be putting a much greater emphasis on spiritual matters she finds much more meaningful to her than wallowing in the mud of current political debate.
Sure, it's kinda weird that she has decided to erase "worldly" concerns out of her consciousness to the extent she has, but I don't find it foolish. Her world view seems not unlike what the Amish people believe and practice. Weird? I suppose that's one way of looking at it, but not everyone's cut out to be politically motivated. I'm gonna cut her some slack.
As a devout Christian who is politically active, I think that this interview shines a light on an area where the progressives have dropped the ball--linking spirituality to political reform. Nothing in Christian doctrine suggests that people sit on their hands and wait for God to make things better (St. Paul writes extensively about avoiding this). I would argue that it is difficult to heed Jusus' teachings without being active and outspoken on the environment, health care, living wages, ending/avoiding war and a host of other issues. Historically, when progressives have had their greatest successes (sufferage, civil rights, The New Deal) they have done so by working with the church. Our political leaders have to do a better job of establishing this link.
I think anonymous is onto something. I'm not sure to what extent Christians are obligated to involve themselves in the political arena, (Jesus had more to say about giving and sacrifice on a personal/individual level than endorsing political movements), but Christians have a long history of being very active in charitable activities. (In fact, the more religious Red States have much higher rates of charitable giving and volunteerism than Blue States.) So yes, it is odd that progressives have been so dismissive, if not outright disdainful, of Christians and the good work they do. I dunno, perhaps Progressives just can't look past the abortion issue...
timmy, you do remember when Catholic priests told congregants that Kerry voters are not Catholics? Have you heard of "Justice Sunday?" Political events in churches? Please. The reason why liberals can't deal with religion is because the GOP has hijacked it. God told Bush to bomb the shit out of Iraq, after all.
We're at war. People are dying. Americans can't afford healthcare. And the GOP rallies their "Christian" base by introducing a gay marriage ban?
Jesus would be proud.
Politicians from both parties take part in the exploitation of religion. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton don't exactly shy away from bringing Jesus into political debates, not to mention Howard Dean's clumsey attempts at sucking up to Christians. Personally, it doesn't bother me a whole lot, I don't see why Christians, or any other religious group for that matter, should be excluded from the Public Square. After all, we're all Americans.
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