Jackson Free Press

Things just got serious. We have less than a week until the election, and I hope everyone understands how close this race is. Further, I hope you fully embrace the importance of your and everyone else’s vote on Nov. 6.

It’s no secret that I won’t be voting for Mitt Romney. I outlined those reasons clearly in a previous column. I will be voting for the incumbent, but unfortunately, not because Obama has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the better candidate but because the other candidate has shown himself to be the worse of two evils.

I’ve heard a lot of information thrown at me over the past year. I’ve seen lots of facts, lots of figures, lots of mistruths and lots of outright lies from both sides. Quite frankly, it troubles me that a sitting president chose to tell me why I shouldn’t vote for the other guy instead of impressing upon me reasons I should give him a second term. It bothers me that I only have two choices every four years. And it worries me that after three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate, neither side outlined a substantive plan as to what they would do the next four years—at least not to my satisfaction.

Mitt Romney was a weak candidate from the start. Republicans did everything short of giving the guy the wrong directions to Tampa. It was an “anybody but this guy” philosophy from the outset. Even Herman Cain of the Georgia Tea Party grabbed a brief stop at the top of the polls. They knew Romney was a rich, ambitious flip-flopper who had been basically running for president for eight years. But, alas, he was the best the GOP had to offer.

Contrast that with what many have described as the “Obama campaign machine” and the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and there was no way that this race would be close ... on paper. Even with the economy still anemic, even with gas prices rising, Republicans were still putting their feet squarely in their mouths making bonehead comments about race, abortion and rape. One would think they were doing everything possible to lose by one of the largest margins in history.

But then, with his foot firmly pressing down on Romney’s neck, Obama gave one of the most lethargic debate showings of modern time. A performance that, in my opinion, will be the reason he loses if he is defeated. Suddenly, the challenger was back in business and he began closing in.

And now here we are: just a few days out from the election, and I honestly don’t know who will win. I’m not impressed with Obama but much more afraid of a candidate that insults foreign countries on their turf, doesn’t care about 47 percent of us and appears to want the position to pad his resume.

What was a sure thing has become a toss up. So if you want four more years of President Obama instead of Romney, please make sure you cast a ballot on Nov. 6.

It’s just that serious.

And that’s the truth … shonuff.