Glosa: Political Pet Peeves

Epigraph: 
I have no desire to be President.
I would much rather do my humble best
as a supporter of... any other broad-gauged but peppy Liberal.
My only longing is to Serve.
-"It Can't Happen Here," by Sinclair Lewis

The man who lives in the oval office
is only a man— he is no more
immune to criticism than any other.
His authority is not supreme
solely because of his role, and
the governed should be free
to determine whether the
government represents them.
Bigotry does not represent us.
I have no desire to be President.

To vote is to exercise a right
given by the Constitution to
participate in a free system,
a democratic system. A fair system.
To vote is to exercise a privilege
granted to a select few who may
participate in a corrupt system,
a democratic system. A racist system.
To not vote is to be complicit in injustice—
I would much rather do my humble best.

I am acquainted with many left-wing individuals,
most of which are just and morally sound. But there is a vocal
population of the white middle-aged, middle class, middle
America that I know all too well. They lounge in glass houses
and throw stones at racist partisanship, while they brag
about their progressive ideals. A woman I know is like this—
her words are riddled with microaggressions and tales of her time
in Southern California with Hispanic people— and while she
decompresses after work, she criticizes Trump and says,
"as a supporter of any other broad-gauged but peppy liberal..."

Politicians are false and obnoxious.
The right is rife with people who think
that this can be fixed not with regulation,
but with men who berate women with "honesty," 
with policy that strives to dehumanize,
with endless streams of insufferable denial
of other ways of life. Then, believing that
politicians are false and obnoxious,
they endorse a candidate who is both.
My only longing is to serve.