what is undecided?

I guess it's been quite some time since the inception of the blog. I thought I would be so much better at this, but I forgot to consciously make time for it. I must apologize to myself.

I've spent the last couple weeks, as the election draws near, thinking about what it means to be 'undecided.'As recently as Friday I commented at a meeting that I no longer believe any person could be undecided in the election. How could somebody not know where they stand on the economy, taxes, health care, energy? The entire pop culture and even all facets of mainstream media are engulfed in election topics. Even if you ignore that, just watch a commercial here in Ohio- campaign propaganda is everywhere. I simply could not understand how individuals could not have a belief one way or another.

I set out to grind the pavement this past weekend to find out more about my fellow Ohioans. Turns out, I met a lot of individuals who considered themselves 'undecided'. There were those that said they felt that way who actually were leaning one way or another and just wanted to chew the fat, but there were several genuine undecideds as well. Their uncertainty stemmed from a similar reason- ultimately, they all said in some form that they did not want to vote for either candidate. They felt like they had NO option instead of two options. Of course we all know the perils of our two-party system, but I couldn't help but realize my own frustration at this important juncture in time. Although I have strong opinions about the policies and stances put forth by both campaigns, I am struck that I don't feel like I have a choice about what will happen after inauguration day. Are the 'undecideds' just steps ahead of how I may feel 4 months from now? Will I feel like I don't have any choices when Jan 11th arrives? What political action will have to exercise at that point? When the health care bill I am so passionate about doesn't pass in both houses- then what?