On reading Markos's "Intensity Gap" article, I was appalled at the number of comments from folks here who said they were not going to vote in November. I left a bit of advice for those who were seriously contemplating such a dereliction of duty, and left it at that.
Unfortunately, I was still a bit shaken. Now, I know I'm a new contributor here, and if I've missed out on some kind of inside joke, bear with me.
I might still have left it alone, but here's what Nate Silver tweeted last night:
I don't think people fully comprehend how scary the generic ballot numbers are for Democrats.
Now, Nate doesn't really like to scare the shit out of people, so he followed it up with this:
Caveat: the generic ballot shouldn't be the only indicator you look at. In the process now of figuring out EXACTLY how important it is.
That made me feel a little bit better, but not much. Ever since Nate announced that he'd be releasing his House projections some time soon - possibly on the 26th - I have been shaking uncontrollably and wishing I had some Extra Strength Xanax in my medicine chest. Putting this bluntly, I'm afraid he's going to tell us we are going to lose the House.
The vast majority of the Great Unwashed would contemplate such a development with a "Yeah, OK. I don't follow politics much." Those of us who are better informed ought to be reaching for the Xanax, or maybe even the cyanide. We cannot afford to lose the House, and America cannot afford it, either.
You will remember from high school Civics that spending bills originate in the House. You will also remember from Econ 101 that counter-cyclical spending is how you get out of recessions, no matter what the self-serving miscreants in the New Classical school want to tell us. Republican House = No Stimulus Spending = Double Dip = 15% Unemployment = More blaming Obama = President Romney.
And that's the best we could expect from a Republican House. For the worst, add that to the Bloody Tuesday of 1994 and its aftermath. There will be witch hunts. Perhaps another total shutdown of the Federal Government, at a time when the American people really, really need their Federal Government.
Shaking yet? Just a little bit? Well, that was my intent, but I would also remind you that we still have 10 weeks to work with, and there are still some things we might do to head off the slaughter. However, that begins with a commitment to get your ass out and vote, no matter how pissed off you are at our current leadership in Washington. The alternative is unthinkable.
And oh, yeah, you can go on over to OFA and pledge to vote if you want to (they will hit you up for more money, of course). I'll just take your word for it.