Disregard those who tell us what we think

It's a funny thing about elections in this country, especially primaries. Whether you accept some of the conspiracy theories or not, it's really rather interesting to observe the way things happen.

Take either the Hillary phenomenon or Ron Paul for instance. I wouldn't vote for her. I prefer Dennis Kucinich, but my vote is far from my point.

The media, and some of the folks in the Democratic machine would have you believe you like Hillary more than almost everybody except Barack. They'll show you polls that corroborate this view.

They'll explain to you the percentages of people who are determining who the best choices are in both parties. And they'll convince you that is the most important aspect, never mind what you think about where the candidates stand on issues, what their history shows or who they're tied to financially.

A lot of women's organizations will tell you that if you can't vote for Hillary, it's because you're not enlightened enough to vote for a woman.. It is, of course, inconceivable that you might not vote for her because of her stance on issues, her political history or who she's tied to financially.

Ron Paul, on the other hand, is portrayed in the media as an independent. He's someone who represents a clear voice for change. Ignore the fact that he's little more than a populist.

Forget that his statements are too broad and his ideas about privatization don't hold water in the light of study after study. Never mind the fact that the profit motive doesn't produce results for anyone but the stockholders. He's tough and stands up to his party.

In either case, it's fairly amazing to watch as we're told by various groups about who we like and why we like them. We're told these are your only options. It's explained to us that if we want to "win," forget that silly notion about wanting to be governed by a worthwhile representative of the people, the Constitution and the ideals used to found this country.

Maybe I'm a little or a lot crazy, but I have this idea elections are supposed to be about selecting the best candidate for the whole country, about trying to elect people who will move us forward, and maybe even about creating a country in line with the ideals of our founding fathers.

Edward J. Herdrich

Elgin