When we introduced the "I Vote For Democrats" series back in January, one of the first posts was entitled "Why I Vote For Democrats: To Win Elections".
Well, there is another reason to vote for Democrats: to be heard.
President Barack Obama reminds us of that (and the importance of every single vote) in this campaign ad released this past week:
Apologies to those who still suffer from Stolen Election 2000 PTSD ... but this is a BHD.
"Five hundred and thirty seven."
"The number of votes that changed the course of American history."
[Newscast: "Florida is too close to call"]
"The difference between what was...And what could have been..."
"So this year, if you're thinking that your vote doesn't count.That it won't matter. Well, back then, there were probably at least 537 people, who felt the same way."
"Make your voice heard. Vote."
In red and purple states where there is little doubt about the outcome of the presidential contest or the U.S. Senate races, there might be a tendency to think that your vote does not matter. Besides the obvious need to vote to elect Democratic candidates to school boards, city and county government, state legislatures, and congressional districts, there is another reason your vote matters:
To make your voice heard
Every time you stand up and are counted, even if you are voted down or shouted down, you win. Because those who vote you down and shout you down have heard your voice and while they may defeat you electorally, they can't ignore you. Yours is one more vote that will need to be overcome for the next election and the election after that ... until maybe ... just maybe ... there are enough of you standing up and being counted that you start winning elections.
The Republicans did not all wake up one morning and say "Let's all get together and start hating poor people and people of color and women and gay people and unions and teachers and the middle class and Big Bird". They started small ("Let's hate women and people of color") and kept building their "coalition" until they became the loudest voice heard in some states and they won elections.
But they weren't the only voices.
What about these folks?
From Wikipedia: The States We Did Not Win in 2008 - And the Voices We Heard
State |
Electoral Votes |
Obama |
% D |
McCain |
% R |
Alabama |
9 |
813,479 |
38.74 |
1,266,546 |
60.32 |
Alaska |
3 |
123,594 |
37.89 |
193,841 |
59.42 |
Arizona |
10 |
1,034,707 |
45.12 |
1,230,111 |
53.64 |
Arkansas |
6 |
422,310 |
38.86 |
638,017 |
58.72 |
Georgia |
15 |
1,844,123 |
46.99 |
2,048,759 |
52.2 |
Idaho |
4 |
236,440 |
36.1 |
403,012 |
61.53 |
Kansas |
6 |
514,765 |
41.65 |
699,655 |
56.61 |
Kentucky |
8 |
751,985 |
41.17 |
1,048,462 |
57.4 |
Louisiana |
9 |
782,989 |
39.93 |
1,148,275 |
58.56 |
Mississippi |
6 |
554,662 |
43 |
724,597 |
56.18 |
Missouri |
11 |
1,441,911 |
49.29 |
1,445,814 |
49.43 |
Montana |
3 |
231,667 |
47.25 |
242,763 |
49.52 |
Nebraska |
2* |
333,319 |
41.6 |
452,979 |
56.53 |
NE 1st Dist. |
1 |
121,468 |
44.34 |
148,179 |
54.09 |
NE 3rd Dist. |
1 |
73,099 |
29.63 |
169,361 |
68.64 |
North Dakota |
3 |
141,278 |
44.62 |
168,601 |
53.25 |
Oklahoma |
7 |
502,496 |
34.35 |
960,165 |
65.65 |
South Carolina |
8 |
862,449 |
44.9 |
1,034,896 |
53.87 |
South Dakota |
3 |
170,924 |
44.75 |
203,054 |
53.16 |
Tennessee |
11 |
1,087,437 |
41.83 |
1,479,178 |
56.9 |
Texas |
34 |
3,528,633 |
43.68 |
4,479,328 |
55.45 |
Utah |
5 |
327,670 |
34.41 |
596,030 |
62.58 |
West Virginia |
5 |
303,857 |
42.59 |
397,466 |
55.71 |
Wyoming |
3 |
82,868 |
32.54 |
164,958 |
64.78 |
U.S. Total |
171 |
16,288,130 |
|
21,344,047 |
|
The 16,288,130 people who voted for Barack Obama in these states (43% of the vote total there) but whose votes did not result in a single electoral vote: they were heard. The 1,441,911 people in Missouri who came only 3,903 votes shy of having their votes turn into 11 electoral votes: they were heard.
We only lose when we give up: when we stop speaking up ... and when we stop voting.
People in Wisconsin did not give up when the governor wanted to destroy our state. We protested and our Democratic senators left the state and we GOTVed. We got our state senate back via recall elections to create a firewall to the worst that our Republican governor could do.
And what we did here was noisy enough to wake people up all over our country and energize the citizens veto of SB5 in Ohio and encourage the 99% movement. Any state is just one "Wisconsin Awakening" away from doing that same thing anywhere in our country.
What will it take to win Texas, where 3,528,633 people raised their voices in 2008? What will it take to win Tennessee, where 1,087,437 raised their voices in 2008? Arizona, 1,034,707 voices? Georgia, 1,844,123 voices? Look at those numbers! Hear their shouts!!
What will be the hot button that gets pushed in these states? Maybe the shifting demographics; maybe the Latino mayor of San Antonio stating his case and energizing his people and all people of color and people of good will in Texas; maybe a majority of voters in Arizona and Georgia finally refusing to support bigotry and hatred of their fellow citizens?
No vote is wasted, and no voice is unheard as long as we, progressive Democrats, are there to hear and help fulfill the promise of, not blue states or red states, but the United States. We will listen and we will encourage the grassroots activists who want to make things better in their states because it makes things better in all of our states when we do that.
And, remember: every single vote cast for President Obama in a red state is a vote against the Republican agenda and a reminder to everyone that you are there and YOU ARE NOT GOING AWAY.
To have my voice heard ... all of our voices heard ... and to say NO to the Republican agenda ... another reason I Vote For Democrats and why you should too.
Yes We Will - Together Moving Forward
Jump on our bandwagon and follow I Vote For Democrats by clicking the orange ♥ at the top of this diary. Or better yet, write a diary about why YOU vote for Democrats and help us remind people of what is at stake.
A few more my reasons:
Why I Vote For Democrats: Arts and Humanities
Why I Vote For Democrats: Joe Biden
Why I Vote For Democrats: Foreign Policy
Why I Vote For Democrats: Ted Kennedy
Why I Vote For Democrats: Uplifting Words
Why I Vote For Democrats: Social Security
Why I Vote For Democrats: "This most basic right"
Why I Vote For Democrats: The Medicare Bill of 1965
Why I Vote For Democrats: DREAMs of Our Children
Why I Vote For Democrats: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Why I Vote For Democrats: LGBT Rights
Why I Vote For Democrats: Nancy Pelosi
Why I Vote For Democrats: Gardens
Why I Vote For Democrats: "The bright sunshine of human rights"
Why I Vote For Democrats: Connections
Why I Vote For Democrats: National Service Programs
Why I Vote For Democrats: Respecting Our Wounded Veterans
Why I Vote For Democrats: Grant Park
Why I Vote For Democrats: Caring for others
Why I Vote For Democrats: Women's Issues
Why I Vote For Democrats: Higher Education
Why I Vote For Democrats: Science Education
Why I Vote For Democrats: The Budget
Why I Vote For Democrats: To Win Elections
Why I Vote For Democrats: President Barack Obama
Why I Vote For Democrats: The Supreme Court (Fair Elections)
Why I Vote For Democrats: The 113th Congress
And from the rest of the IVFD team:
kirbybruno
I Vote For Democrats
90 Reasons!! - I Vote For Democrats
Infographic-O-Rama : I Vote For Democrats
The Most Dangerous Dems GOTV! - I Vote For Democrats
Why I Vote for Democrats:52-47
Why I Vote For Democrats: One Image
Why I Vote for Democrats: the Lincoln connection
Why I Vote For Democrats, the Council on Women and Girls
I Vote For Democrats: Jobs and Arrested Development
The 2 biggest reasons why I vote for Democrats.
Our Guest Bloggers (thank you, everyone!!)
Aji:
I Vote for Democrats: When Democrats Vote, Indians Win
Mets102:
Why I Vote for Democrats: Jewish Values are Democratic Values
Why I Vote for Democrats: I'm 28.
citisven:
I vote for Democrats - because my heart beats Green
blue jersey mom:
I vote for Democrats because I care about my kids' future
jlms qkw:
I Vote for Democrats Because My State's Republican Legislature is Crazy
("and please don't tell me to move")
KelleyRN2:
Nurse Kelley Sez: Why I vote for Democrats
JaxDem:
Why I Vote For Democrats: Supporting Our Military: Dignity & Respect
Why I Vote For Democrats: Democrats ♥ Our National Parks
I love OCD:
A Vision For Our Future