Will it matter?
That diary is just one example of a number of diaries I have seen lately, either postulating that a Democratic victory is of no consequence, or that we should, amazingly at this point, consider third party options.
And then there are those diaries that speculate on the civil war within the party between progressives and moderates and libertarians and liberals and conservatives and dogs and cats.
And then, finally, there are the fraudsters, who instantly recommend any diary that hints at possible or potential voting irregularities, no matter the basis in truth.
Now, I understand that we are a week from an election and as such everyone is working hard and on edge. And our paranoia and anxiety are high.
But people.
Shut up.
At this point, only we can beat ourselves. If we don't work hard or vote because we are convinced even our victory doesn't matter in changing America, then we lose.
Self fulfilling prophecy.
If we don't work hard for Democrats or vote Democratic because we harbor delusional romantic fantasies about the rise of competitive third parties in a two party winner take all system of government, then we lose.
Self fulfilling prohecy.
And if we don't work hard and vote because we are convinced the Republicans are going to steal it anyway, then we lose.
Let me tell you something.
First you fraudsters. Let me break some news to you....there has always been and there will always be election fraud in some form. No matter how clean you make elections, there is always going to be something. Why? Because in the end, elections are run by humans. And some humans are not the best people, and have ill intent. A family friend of mine once told me a story about her mother. Back in the 1960's, her mother was an election worker in Chester, Pennsylvania. And after the polls closed, the election workers would go to the back of those old mechanical voting machines and add to the Republican vote.
Will the Republicans cheat in some way in 2006? Sure. They are Republicans and hence are evil.
Does that mean we should give up? No. Our objective is to ratchet up our vote totals so high that it is impossible for them to steal it.
Second, you third party dreamers. Wake up. There is only one way we are going to change this country, and that is by working together right now as Democrats. Yeah, I know, that sounds like when Bart Simpson said "Christmas is the time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ." But it is the reality. Our system of elections is winner take all, first past the post. Whoever wins the plurarity, wins. And controls all. There is no proportional representation. Should there be? Maybe. But when faced with political reality of two parties, one being center left, one being right wing, it makes no sense to form a third left party. It does not take a genius to figure out that the right wing party will win every single election when competing against a center left and a left party.
If you want to change our election system, it makes more sense to get into power first and work to get your ideas of reform (like proportional representation or what not) heard by the majority you help elect, rather than voting for a third party that has zero chance of winning and a 100% chance of electing a party that is 100% opposed to everything you stand for.
Does it suck that you cannot vote for a party whose platform and candidates agree with every single opinion you have? Sure. But we are all grownups here. Not children. We realize that we don't always get what we want exactly when we want it. And instead we compromise on a candidate and a political party that represents the overwhelming majority of our positions.
Finally, the who-cares-what-does-it-matter people. Why are you here then? Why haven't you escaped into a coma of Dancing with the Stars and American Idol and NASCAR? You care. You know it matters. You would not have sought out Daily Kos and would not have taken the trouble to register and post a diary if you knew it did matter. It matters. Your vote matters. Democrats winning control of the House and Senate matters. It will stop the bleeding. The bleeding of our country. The bleeding of our Constitution. The bleeding of our troops. It will begin the repair work that is desparately needed. Will everything change overnight? No. But we have to start somewhere.
Vote Democratic. Because you have no choice. Seriously, if you love America, you have no choice.