Post Voting Dissonance

In business school my primary focus was marketing, in fact, the university messed up and despite being one strategic planning class short, they awarded me a Marketing Degree instead of the Business Management Degree that I had opted for when my new well paying job, marriage, and the schedule of classes for that final marketing class couldn't be reconciled. When I discovered it after requesting a transcript 10 years later, I was told that it was too old, which I guess meant that I was old, and that as far as the university was concerned, I had a B.S. in Marketing.

I tell you this mainly to have something to type about and also to get to the point of my blog which has its roots in the concept we learned as marketers called Post Purchase Dissonance. Simply put, have you ever bought something, typically a big ticket item, and then couldn't decide if you had done the right thing or not. Post Purchase Dissonance.

After voting early on Saturday, I feel the same way. For the first time in my voting life, I walked out of the polls feeling uneasy and uncertain about my decisions. Well except for the 3 guys I voted for in the county council at large race, but then that one isn't the one grabbing the headlines.

Anyway, as I've wrestled all weekend with my decision and after seeing the various political hacks standing on the street corners this morning with their "Honk if you support...." signs, I'm certain of a few of things.

First, I'm proud to be an American and proud to say I exercised my right to vote. It took me three and a half hours of waiting, but it was worth it. Too many people don't have the right to choose their leaders and far too many have died to ensure that I do for me not to exercise this right and privileged.

Second, no matter how this turns out, it was great to see the diversity of people who were gathered to vote. All ages, genders, races, positions and life stages were represented in the 400 odd folks who sat waiting patiently with me on Saturday morning. A lot of joking, small talk, and friendly conversation took place in that crowded hall way, we were all pilgrims on a very slow journey.

Last, as I saw the hacks on the corner this morning, my mind kept going back to a song and a thought that had been running through my mind since I dropped my ballot in the lock box.

'Cause I don't think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Stuck in the Middle with You by the Stealers Wheel