Just What is Freedom?

For all of my adult life, I've been an avid follower of politics, and the longer I do the more frustrated I get at the tendency of certain groups to hijack and distort the meanings of key words, phrases and even whole paragraphs from our nation's founding documents.

At its core, freedom should be defined by the five basic rights guaranteed by the first amendment: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, as well as freedom of the press, assembly and petition to the government. All of these are deeply rooted in the philosophy of the Enlightenment, which stresses the rights of the individual and the primacy of one's conscience over the old dogmatic approaches of Europe which were rooted in religion. Contrary to popular belief, our nation was NOT founded on Christian or "Judeo-Christian" principles. Most of the founding fathers were either deists of nominal Christians.

As our country evolved, we matured in our understanding of freedom. At the time of the adoption of our Constitution, voting was limited to white property owning males. This accounted for a mere three percent of the population at the time. In 1865 the thirteenth amendment ended slavery, although it would be another 100 years before the freedom to vote could be not be denied on account of race. In 1920 women were grated suffrage, creating the first crack in the glass ceiling that lead to freedoms they enjoy today.

History contains many other examples. In recent times, however, cable n"news" journalists, conservative radio hosts and many groups belonging to the religious right have taken a very peculiar view towards freedom. Clothed in vague language, they claim that they are defending "time honored American traditions" and furthering the cause of freedom by opposing gay marriage, hate crime laws protecting minorities and basically any laws that take government out of the boardroom but have no qualms about inserting it in the bedroom.

And all the while they seldom miss an opportunity to utter the word "freedom" in their speeches and on their websites.

These groups are no longer composed of just Bible Belt fundamentalists. In recent years, a disturbing and highly intolerant right wing has emerged within the American Catholic Church. Some can rightly be called hate groups.

These groups arrogantly promote the rights of THEIR constituency at the expense of minorities. Just what is freedom?

Let's Talk About Sex (the gender gap, that is)

In the short time since Michigan's gubernatorial primaries, there has not been a great amount of time to "slice and dice" the electorate with regard to detailed polling data.

I certainly hope some of this research finds its way into the media soon, since there is a particular topic of voter behavior I'm especially interested in: the often talked about gender gap.

The gender gap was first discovered by demographers around 1980. In virtually every presidential election since then (and in a great many state races, with some variance from region to region) female voters have shown a consistent tendency to lean more Democratic and liberal in their voting than their male counterparts; after taking other relevant factors (race, income, etc.) into account. Traditionally, Michigan has been no exception.

Several theories have been advanced as the to the underlying cause of the gender gap. One suggest that as the economic vitality of America's suburbs became more ensconced, female voters could afford the luxury of turning their attention to concerns that directly impacted their identities as women: abortion rights, pay equity etc., all issues associated with Democrats. For a time after 9/11, some studies appeared to show movement back to Republicans, as concerns over homeland security became for paramount. "From soccer moms to security moms," became a popular phrase. This shift, however, appears to have been only temporary.

At this point, Michigan's tattered economy and high level of anxiety regarding the future seems to have worked in the Rick Snyder and the Republicans' favor.

But, beware! Aside from it being early in the campaign season, hidden surprises can fly up from under the radar at any time and upset the apple cart. Let's not forget about the Tea Party, the gender gap, and any other potential surprises.

Why Don't Young People Vote?

According to figures from the Michigan Secretary of State, statewide turnout in the August 3 primary election was 22.9% or approximately 1.7 million of registered voters. While Terry Lynn Land commented on her website that she expects substantially greater numbers in the November general election, the primary figures sound an all too familiar chord: Michigan voter participation is terrible.

Although the SOS doesn't break down the numbers demographically, it's no secret that young people ages 18 - 25 represent the the most apathetic group of voters. This is especially ironic considering that the young people of the sixties and early seventies were the strongest proponents of the twenty sixth amendment (1972), which mandated that states' minimum voting age be no higher than eighteen.

So why the dismal turnout? Political scientist Eric Plutzer at Pennsylvania State University theorizes that our more transient society has introduced changes into our social fabric that work against regular voting.

"Most young citizens aged eighteen to thirty fall into the unregistered group." Using data from several dozen nationwide voting surveys, Plutzer has tried to figure out why some young adults mature into habitual voters, others become periodic voters, and some never develop the voting habit at all.

"Young Americans may relocate for college, their first job, or their first mature love interest," Plutzer notes. "When young people move into an apartment, they make sure they have electricity, phone and internet service, and cable. Registering to vote isn't at the top of their to-do list.

So what is the answer? perhaps a radical change in how our elections are administered; such as holding them on a Sunday, or perhaps over several days in oder to be more accomodating to today's hectic lifestyles. Another possibility is to harness new technologies (including voting via the internet, with proper security precautions) which may enable the eighteenth century idea of democracy to be executed in out twnty first century world.

The Sound of Indecision

Today I took an extended Sunday drive with my wife up to where a lot of metro Detroiters go when they want to get a taste of the country and remain with a half day's journey home--Michigan's thumb.

We drove up M-29 from Selfridge Air National Guard base through Algonac, Marine City, St.Clair and Marysville before passing through Port Huron and onto Lexington and Port Sanilac before turing around to head home.

It was a beautiful drive, and along the way I had the chance to chat with a few people about how they felt about the governor's race and their feeling about the state of the state in general.

While visiting the annual summer art fair in Lexington, I met two kinds of people: those who identified as Republicans or Democrats (whose preferences would presumably be obvious) and a much greater number who’s seemed ambivalent, indecisive or even apathetic.

This part struck me as strange. You'd think in a state suffering from perpetual recession including an eye-popping level of unemployment the locals would be burning a path to the polls.

Not so. In last Tuesday's primary, only about twenty three percent of registered Michigan voters got their butts to their local precinct. Experience suggests the turnout will be higher in the November general election, but still--just what's going on?

I'll be exploring that question in my next several posts.

Vote Early and Vote Often

These memorable words are attributed to the late Mayor Richard Daley and are often misconstrued as an encouragement to commit election fraud. While the legendary mayor's ethics in many areas were often questionable, in this instance he intent was to encourage his audience to vote in every election, not more than once on a given election day.

Properly understood, Daley's message is valid today more than ever. Tomorrow Michigan voters will be given the opportunity to express their views on several crucial issues, the candidates to represent both parties in the congressional and state legislative races this fall, numerous judgeships plus the occasional ballot proposals, many of which impact local mileages.

The Secretary of State's office estimates that only 20 % of registered voters will cast a ballot. Twenty percent! In a state immersed in such misfortune as the Great Lake State, this figure is especially appalling. In a time when virtually every Michigan household is affected in some way by our state's economic woes, exercising our voice is one of the few remaining weapons left in our collective arsenal.

So by all means, vote early AND often. Let's hold our leaders accountable.
For them, the will of the voters can be a very inconvenient truth.