Fear and loathing in wherever

So it's election time again and that means everybody's getting fired up for voting for whichever figurehead they think will fulfill their priorities. I consider myself a relatively politically aware person - someone who reads about political issues and controversies more than once every four years. But of course it's election season and that means it's time to be bombarded with politically-related crap from every single direction. (Editor's note - yes, I am trying to get a job/internship working on a website covering the election)

What really bothers me is this - when I try to have a leveled conversation about the two candidates I usually get a reaction like this - "HOW CAN YOU NOT VOTE FOR (insert candidate's name here) ARE YOU CRAZY!??!?! DO YOU NOT REALIZE WHAT IS AT STAKE?!?!?!"

Yes, the president is somewhat important. Yes the country has begun to hit the shits as of late. Yes the last president wasn't that great. My question is, is the presidential election really the most important thing going on right now? In my opinion, not at all. The economy is probably the most important issue right now, followed closely by numerous social developments of which the president has little to no impact. Additionally, I don't think you can blame Bush, Clinton, Older Bush, or any other president for the current state of the economy. Presidents did not force banks to issue bad loans or make people accrue incredible amounts of debt.

Thus, I really can't stand when people I barely ever talk to inform me of how important it is that I vote. Of course I'm glad that I live in a country that perpetuates my right to vote. I find that channeling that sentiment solely into the presidential race is unbelievably idiotic. How about a video of celebrities telling me to vote in my city/state elections? These legislators usually have a far more dramatic impact on my day of life/quality of living than the president. Does the president help get your trash picked up? Nope, that's a city/district rep. Why not release irritating ads decrying how important these elections are?

I have innumerable theories as to why this is - none of them are important. My main point is that while the presidency may be an important, relevant position, it's no more important than state and local elections. Thus releasing idiotic videos about voting in the presidential elections is, to me, just plain ignorant. It's focusing energy on an election that most people are already aware of while disregarding elections that have a greater impact on daily life.

That being said, I'll probably vote for Obama ... mostly to avoid Palin.