Voter drive

I try to limit myself to one political post per week because I know a lot of people are annoyed by incessant political rantings. What astonishes me is how many people proudly profess their willful ignorance: "Oh, I don't follow politics at all." "I probably won't vote." (and my personal favorite) "They're all the same."
Let me preface this political rant with a ranking of the importance of politics in my life. I like politics. I have a minor in it from my alma mater. I follow more than one political blog/website. I would judge myself to fall somewhere between Jon Stewart and the average Daily Show fan in my knowledge and interest in politics, probably leaning more toward the Stewart end of the spectrum.
I get that that amount of politics might be more than the average American cares to consume.  But to not care at all, or worse to have such a miniscule knowledge as to constitute only awareness without any actual facts or details, is dangerous to the political process, to our democracy, and to our future. Especially if you take your ignorance to the voting booth.
Now, if you are an arrogant asshat who would love to impose his religious views on all Americans and invent laws that prevent loving couples from marrying because of buttsex or prevent women from making any decisions regarding their lady parts, or you're a multi-millionaire who enjoys a 14% tax rate, then your vote for Mitt Romney is totally understandable. You're still an ass, but your decision makes sense.
The baffling buffoon is the voter who is sure that this third time around, trickle-down economics will definitely work and the social safety net that has been protecting America's poorest citizens is as bad a leech on the GDP as the corporate tax loopholes. This is the guy who has just enough knowledge to think he's a genius. He knows all about GE's tax breaks and how many billions we save if we stop putting fresh vegetables in the school lunches. He knows the buzz words like Solyndra and bailout. He cites Greece as a dangerous precedent without understanding that economy any better than ours. He has the balls to openly state that he's at odds with all the social issues that the GOP has publicly professed yet vows he will support them in November because this recovery is just too damn slow for him and he's sure that a guy who spent the eighties being a real-life Gordon Gekko is much more likely to help our nation through these tough times.
But the dangerous dipshit voter thinks, because he is completely ignorant of any of the facts, that both candidates are essentially the same, so --what the hell-- let's try the new guy. With the possibility of two Supreme Court nominees, one candidate could do significant damage in two years to the women's rights that 30 years of struggles have achieved. But this guy doesn't care. And usually it won't affect him because most of these voters are white men. The women who think this way are signing away their rights. Dangerously stupid.

In the end, we get the President we deserve. Unfortunately. And those of us who are aware of politics, policies, bills, votes, pundits, and facts, suffer for the ignorance of the rest.