The more confident I become that Kerry will win the election, the more aware I become of the many ways a vote can count, from the mathematically obvious to the revolutionary.
I'm so optimistic that I want to highlight one potential effect that hasn't been discussed much, and yet another reason why every vote matters. We all know this election is a referendum on the current leadership. But that means we can do more than just beat these guys: we can take them down and change the political landscape for a long time to come.
A Kerry win discredits the Bush campaign. A big Kerry win weakens the Texas mafia and the neocons within their own party. The bigger the win for Kerry, the bigger the loss for hate-based politics. We can help sane Republicans take back their party again, perhaps even bring back reality-based politics--real debate about real issues and sincere efforts toward pragmatic cooperation.
Is that even remotely possible? Look at them. The Bush campaign is doing everything they can to rig or gum up the works. They are all over the map, trying to shore up multiple fronts. They're sweating. Rove isn't winning, he's hanging on, playing to survive, hoping to win or to lose respectably. Win or lose, real Republicans and real conservatives are angry and spoiling for a fight. We can help them. Take it from Karl: it's possible, and that's why every vote matters.
To sum up: What can a vote do?
- Win the electoral vote.
- Win the popular vote.
- Beat the cheat. (This has two parts: a) outvote the theft margin; and b) outvote the litigation margin.)
- Throw the Bush junta out of politics.
- Give Kerry a Mandate.
Did I miss anything?