The stakes have never been higher. Until the past 8 years, I always considered myself an independent, but as the right has moved farther and farther away from the middle, I find myself preaching daily against the excesses of right-wing extremism.
This year, it seems that the choice comes down to choosing between supporting the Democratic party no-holds barred OR live through the next two years watching birthers, truthers and tenthers hold endless hearings and conduct endless investigations in the hope of slinging enough mud that some of it will stick.
Each day between now and election day, this diary will be devoted to drawing a clear distinction between radical choices offered by the right and reasoned approaches to governing (where they exist) of the more progressives candidates who are attempting to hold the line against a heavily media-promoted Republican stampede.
What are the stakes in this election and why should YOU help get out the vote (GOTV) between now and November 2?
Simply put, this is the agenda of the extreme right-wing slate:
- De-fund health care.
- Privatize social Security
- Repeal Consumer Protection Agency
- Tax the middle class more to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy
- Deregulate banks who caused Republican depression of 2008
- Eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac affordable home-ownership
Each of these issues could fill several days of diary entries but are only listed here as a backdrop for the importance of the GOTV effort that each of you should be involved in. Remember, GOTV doesn't happen if you wait for someone else to do it.
The races that we, you and I, (not the proverbially they) need to be focused on are:
AZ-Gov
This is one of the most important races this year. If you live in Arizona and are not working to help Attorney General Terry Goddard defeat Jan Brewer, you might be inviting neo-nazis to patrol your communities. I know that sounds hard to believe, but Jan Brewer seems to be unwilling to denounce the recent activities of neo-Nazi J.T. Ready and his "citizen patrols" of the border
FL-Sen
This is another important one. Kendrick Meek is in a 3 way race with Charlie Crist and Mark Rubio. The best thing that Charlie Crist could do for Florida is drop out of the race. Meek is the stronger candidate against Rubio who is the Teaparty darling in Florida. The polls are showing Meek much weaker than his strong grand-game suggests, just as they did during the primary when the media was ready to write Meek off in favor of billionaire Jeff Greene. Meek proved the MSM wrong in the primary and can prove them wrong again if Crist steps aside.
MI-08
What on earth is going on in Michigan's District 8?via Crooks and Liars Quite simply, Michigan has one of the highest unemployment rates in the US and the good folks there now have the opportunity to elect a candidate who will put them back to work - Lance Enderle.
This is an extraordinary year and your efforts to get out the vote will play a pivotal role in the direction America takes in the coming years. We have the ability to repair the damage done to the economy and our physical and social infrastructure by 8 years of Bush rule, but the threat of moving backwards towards a much darker time are real. If you are not involved in GOTV, what are you waiting for? If you and 50,000 other progressive voters (1000 per state) will just take 2 or 3 other voters to the polls with you who may not have otherwise voted, you can have a significant impact. Opportunities abound to help if you are willing. If you know you SHOULD be doing something, but don't know where to start, email me. This is worth repeating - GOTV won't happen if you wait for someone else to do it.
nNomad_