“Branded, scorned as the one who ran. What do you do when you’re branded, and you know you’re a man?” – lyric written by Alan Alch for the television series “Branded”

Tea Party.  Democrats and Republicans.  Witchcraft.  Negative campaign commercials.

Tell me if you heard these terms before, outside of witchcraft.

I’m a moderate.  A centrist.  An independent.  Whatever the appropriate term is.  It doesn’t matter what political party I belong too.  I don’t have a home or a place to go to. Nor do I want one.  I’m the one who is “branded” for standing for my own beliefs and opinions.

I’m the cad that that both parties scorn and hate.  Democrats call me a Republican if I don’t agree with everything they believe in.  Republicans would rather kick me out of the party if I don’t toe the party line.  I’m the guy that is who can listen to both sides and not act like an ass.  And yet, I get pelted with vitriol verbiage and get treated like a scab.

It’s all about perceptions.

I think both parties are a mirror image of themselves…when it comes to spinning their pitches and talking junk.  For as much as voters complained about the negative campaigning, the voters (you and me) are at fault for letting it happen every time. Rather than rising above it, we feed off of the seething, falsehoods, and mirages.

Things are so screwed up, that guys like former governor Bob Ray isn’t being given a note of appreciation for standing up against Bob VanderPlaats and his Don Quixote-like crusade to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices over Varnum v. Brien.

And Bob Ray’s a moderate Republican.  But many hard-core Democrats will continue to demonize him as a Tea Party Republican…when they know he isn’t. It’s all for show for unscrupulous campaigners and third party groups looking to gain an edge in November.

Perceptions are a funny thing.  Every political newcomer runs as a “Washington outsider” trying to oust the “insider.” What the hell does those terms mean?  Would you rather have someone who knows the channels and network with others to deliver on the goods that we need here at home or have someone who is too busy trying to change the D.C. culture all by themselves, when you know it’s next to impossible to change it.

It’s all about working the system to leverage the best interest of the constituents.  Just like finding a job. The “outsider” and “insider” terms are the most useless terms in the political world.

There are some things I agree with and disagree with in respects to both parties.  But that doesn’t mean I’m going to side with either one of them.  I never voted for a straight ticket since I turned 18.  I vote for the person, in my viewpoint, that can get the job done.  So, I don’t need some hard-core liberal or conservative lecturing me about how and who I’m voting for.  I sure as hell don’t preach to you about who to vote for.  I can vote for Boswell and for Grassley, and sleep easy at night. Problem?

It’s not going to hurt my feelings if they win or lose.  You hope that whoever is elected or re-elected can represent you, tell you their reason for voting for or against a bill, and do what is in the best interest of the country, not just directly for you and me.

That’s all we want out of this, don’t we?  Well, until we seriously get around to ending the fear-mongering, tomfoolery, and stupidity, and start acting like smart people and not lemmings following the pied piper around.