Perhaps Truman was thinking of folks like me when he said, "If you can't convince them, confuse them" -- a bit of rhetoric that caused me to chuckle when analyzing both Republican and Democrat presidential campaigns.
As a gay Hispanic male who was a ward of the court as a child, would I receive a fair shake under a Romney administration?
I looked up from Truman's quote and said to myself, "Yes, I'm very confused. Good job guys," as the fifth e-mail from the Obama campaign came in, announcing that Romney's super PAC donors are flooding the market with ads, which falsely attack President Obama's stance on welfare.
How will Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney handle our social issues should he be elected in November? Some believe that Obama is running a rudderless ship, but they have no idea what's in store from a Romney White House.
This is not only about Romney and his bid to become our next president. This is about his countless supporters who believe that all Americans have the same ability to realize the American Dream at the other side of a minimum wage check.
A long time family friend who found out I was nearing graduation sneered: "At graduation, thank the American tax payer for your graduation. I had to work the hard way to put myself through school," suggesting that I somehow should have earned my way through school with both hands tied behind my back. She is a part of America that actually believes this is possible.
That is the type of mind that those who are voting for Romney possess. What about Americans like me?
I didn't ask to be raised in 40 foster homes and three group homes. I most certainly didn't ask for the years of mental and physical abuse I endured or the PTSD that followed. I do know without a helping hand I would not be an involved senior at a liberal arts college. In fact, most, if not all, people need a helping hand at some point in order to achieve their goals, despite what my family friend may think
My country has built prisons and mental hospitals to handle those with the problems of my caliber. Somehow I overcame. I'm confused; how can Romney represent one side of America and not all of our country, or at least try?
Romney hopes to cut government involvement in social issues while increasing the budget for our armed services. This means that many good Americas will not be given a chance to rise above their socioeconomic problems.
This is how Romney wants to get America back on track. When in doubt: cut social programs and make more missiles. It's not like we don't have enough already.
It's fair to enjoy the fruits of our labor but it is equally important to recognize that much of the wealth the rich have acquired in this country has come from the labor of those who suffered under slavery and today's modern slave trade.
Those with access to education, connections and wealth will do fine while being served, sustained and maintained by those who did not have the benefit of the good luck of the elite few. While Obama passed the Matthew Shepard hate crimes bill, Romney promises to push for a bill declaring marriage between a man and woman. Well, I'm sorry honey, I'm a gay American, and you aren't representing me.
Perhaps it's the connection to my past that keeps my thoughts so protectively rooted during this campaign: we need to focus on America's social issues at home before we spend our money on more war and destruction abroad.
Hopefully we remember all this when we are at the polls in November. There's no confusion with that.