In 2010 I did something I have not done in over 30 years of voting straight Democratic ticket - I did not vote for my Democratic Congressman to have a second term. The reason is very simple - he voted AGAINST Obamacare.
I voted for him the first time around against a complete Bushite and was thrilled when he won my District.
BUT, when he stood against Obamacare, I said to myself, this guy does not represent me and I frankly don't care that he votes Democratic 95% of the time. When it came to something extremely important to me, he was my foe. I even understood that he was one of the guys given a "go-ahead" by the Dems in charge to vote against the ACA if it would help him in his usually red district (mine).
This is the lesson I am trying to make here -
Apparently, to some Democrats of a higher pay grade, his vote on a life altering issue to me was a poker chip. Sure, vote against it if it will help you hold your district and no harm no foul. Except to me, there was harm and there was foul. Why would I vote for a Democrat who voted AGAINST one of the most important progressive legislative initiatives of the last fifty years? I would expect it of a Republican, like my former Congresswoman, but I for one did not expect it of my DEMOCRATIC congressman.
So, I made the hardest decision of my life. I did not vote for him. In fact, I actually wrote in "public option" as my write-in candidate. I knew it was foolish. I knew it was a "wasted" vote. But I wanted that Congressman to know that somewhere someone wrote that in and I wanted him to know that he lost my vote because of his perfidy on healthcare.
So what happened? A Republican was elected to Congress in my district. I completely believe that in a Red District that had actually voted blue, that when given the choice again, most people will vote for an actual Republican as opposed to a fake Republican. That happened to be the fate of a lot of Blue Dogs in 2010. Their Democratic voters stayed home or wrote stupid things in the write-in slot like me.
So now I have had my Republican Congressman for 2 years and now I have another opportunity to vote. This time around I have a Democratic candidate who seems to understand that he is a Democrat. He has actually said he will vote FOR the ACA. He stands a viable chance of winning the election. If I had not voted out the Dem guy who voted against the ACA the first time around, I would not have even the opportunity of voting for someone who will try to keep it in place this time around.
What is my point?
The actions of your politicians should count. You will only get better if you are willing to lose one round to vote them out in order to get better the next time around. I am happy that I withheld my vote last time and I am happy that I have a BETTER Democrat to vote for this time around.
BUT, in this election, I would vote for every single Democrat for every office no matter how crappy and how Blue Dog and how DINO and how Republican Lite they are.
And then I would kick out their asses the next time around.