Steve Perman on the November Election
Rep. Steve Perman, a sitting member of the Florida House, and a West Boca chiropractor with his practice in Mission Bay Plaza, offers his take on the November election. We thank Dr. Perman for offering his insights.
I believe that the greatest deterrents to putting the best people in office to govern and legislate are three things: Ignorance, Apathy and Cynicism: not knowing, not caring and no longer believing that things can improve. This year, the presidential race has divided the country more than ever before. And, in addition to differing ideologies between the two parties, it also revolves around which side can spend more money to use every 
possible media outlet to boost their appeal to their respective bases and denigrate the opponent. Now that the third and final presidential debate has aired, the jockeying for the last sliver of the electorate, the elusive “undecided” voter, carries us down the home stretch to November 6th.
possible media outlet to boost their appeal to their respective bases and denigrate the opponent. Now that the third and final presidential debate has aired, the jockeying for the last sliver of the electorate, the elusive “undecided” voter, carries us down the home stretch to November 6th. We are told, accurately I believe, that the final result will be decided in the so-called “swing” or “battleground” states, with particular attention to those with the largest number of electoral votes, Ohio and Florida. It is worth noting that the differences between these two states are rather stark. At the risk of oversimplification, Ohio is generally characterized as a “blue-collar”, industrial, land-locked, Midwestern state, while our own Sunshine State is coastal, right-of-center except for a few geographic clusters (notably Palm Beach and Broward counties), focused on tourism and agriculture as our main economic drivers and has the largest concentration of seniors/retirees of all fifty states.
Going back to my original points that open this article, I am concerned that too many voters will take the barrage of one-sided ads and the skewed points-of-view of Fox News on the Right and MSNBC on the Left as their sole sources of information. All of these are flawed to a greater or lesser extent and I expect that too few voters will look beyond them as they form their opinions and choices. I think that passions are running very high in this election so that while the voters may be less apathetic, the progressives are scrambling to “get out the vote” and at the same time many states with strong conservative legislative majorities, such as Florida, have made unabashed efforts to make voting more difficult for likely Democratic voters (under the dubious guise of reducing voter fraud—which experts agree is almost non-existent). This will still have impact even though a number of states, notably Pennsylvania, have had their State Supreme Courts overturn or reverse all or part of these restrictive new voting laws.
And finally, the issue of cynicism. This looms large, as I have heard so many potential voters express that with regard to our economy, the hole is so deep, that neither candidate has a feasible strategy to lift us, as a nation, up and out of the morass in a timely fashion. So, still craving a better tomorrow, as many of us, thankfully, still do, we ultimately make our choice based on the “right-or-wrong track” evaluation of our two candidates. The arresting and apparent reversal, though gradual, of the downward spiral of our economy since the devastating economic crash that immediately preceded the last Presidential election is the economic rationale for Obama’s re-election (we are creating millions of jobs as opposed to losing them and the stock market has more than doubled), while putting a “businessman” in charge is the battle cry for Romney’s camp. Secondary to the economy, but still of great critical importance to our nation’s future, are the issues of health care, women’s rights, foreign policy, including the “powder keg” that is the Middle East, and who will be choosing the next to Justices on our Supreme Court. In all these areas, I find enough differences between the candidates that American voters, for the most part, are dramatically, and it seems, pretty evenly divided and no one will be surprised if the outcome on Election Night will be one of the closest ever, perhaps even rivaling the Bush-Gore race of 2000. And, whoever prevails with still have to contend with a harshly partisan (read: dysfunctional) U.S. Congress. As the old curse goes: may you live in interesting times. Stay tuned–its going to be a real nail-biter.
Rep. Steve Perman, D.C.
currently serving FL House 78