The enthusiasm gap be damned. I'm a Democrat and I'm mad as hell and I'm going to vote!
I am sick and tired of nay sayers stopping or weakening legislation even when they agree with many of the policies. And it will only get worse if Republicans take control of Congress. And I'm sick of Republicans blaming the recession on Democratic attempts to stabilize the economy, when it is the Republicans and Bush that got the United States into this mess. And those same Republicans, who gnashed their teeth about the stimulus and voted against it's passage, then turn around and promote themselves at ribbon cuttings for projects paid for by the funds. I'm mad as hell, and I'm going to vote.
I'm sick of Wall Street and Republicans claiming that Social Security is going broke and reform is imminently needed, when they really just want to raid the piggy bank to pad their stock portfolios with the contributions of the middle class. Social Security is perhaps the 1 program that provides the most liberty and freedom to the elderly of any in our nation's history, and Republicans want to gamble that money on the stock market. I'm mad as hell and I'm going to vote against their deceptive effort to kill Social Security.
And I'm sick of people crying about "bailouts":
- Most of the TARP funds are being repaid, and they helped calm the market when our economy was on the edge of the cliff
- Without the stimulus bill funds, we would not have seen even the modest recovery we are experiencing and unemployment would have been significantly higher, possibly creating an uncontrollable downward spiral
- The takeover of the American automobile companies was one of the bravest political decisions President Obama has made, and also prevented an employment collapse that would have made ghost towns throughout the mid-west & south.
Time and again, Democrats have taken the bullets for us with these votes. How can any Democrat who considers themselves a citizen even possibly consider not voting? Insanity. I'm going to vote for Democrats, enthusiastically and without hesitation.
I'm sick of people calling it "ObamaCare" and acting like it's a bad thing. Yes, it is far from perfect, lacking common sense reforms like the public option. But it has profoundly changed the reality of health insurance for millions of people for the better already. People need to stop believing the one-liners and "ObamaCare" catch-phrase, and study the law and understand it at least minimally before they make up their opinions. And if there is something you don't like in the law? Maybe the tax on "cadillac health plans"? Let's get it fixed. There's still time. The Republican alternative? Do nothing and let health care costs continue to spiral out of control while millions of Americans go without insurance.
Citizenship is hard. It requires deliberation, thinking and studying. Americans need to get over their addiction to the easy answer. If you're going to criticize, put in the hard work to offer constructive criticism instead of name calling... ObamaCare, Socialist, Communist, Totalitarian, blah blah blah. Name calling and fear mongering are a sign of weakness, and are the easy way out. Expressing your rage at the unknown is easy and cathartic, but public officials are elected to offer solutions too, not just feed the fear and anger. Republicans have nothing but the failed policies that got us into this mess, while inflaming the extreme views of a lunatic fringe on social issues. Citizens need to hold these Republican clowns accountable for their lack of patriotism, not send anymore to the Congress this year by not participating in the election.
And I'm sick of a media that lets Republicans off the hook for their counterproductive behavior. No, the Senate did not vote down Don't Ask Don't Tell. What happened was the Republicans used a parliamentary trick to prevent a 59% Senate majority from even bringing the DADT repeal bill to the floor of the Senate just to be debated! The Republicans are thumbing their noses at our Constitution and the will of an overwhelming majority by this behavior. Plain and simple it is Un-American. But you can't explain all of that in a 15 second mention on the TV news, so... "DADT repeal was voted down" is all we get. That's so much easier to say isn't it? Meanwhile, real people continue to serve in secrecy or be hounded out of their calling to protect the nation they love.
And speaking of DADT, I'm sick of people who knock President Obama for the repeal not passing Congress and write him nasty letters, call him names and say they're not going to vote. The President said he was going to get it done this year, 2010. The year is not over. When 2011 comes, if it's not repealed, let's hold him accountable. I think the man deserves the chance to live up to his commitment before people start calling for his crucifixion.
And while we're on the Obama-as-Jesus metaphor, let's just get this out of the way now... I'm sick of people deceiving themselves into believing that President Obama is either a Muslim or not eligible to be president because they allege he wasn't born in Hawaii despite his birth certificate saying otherwise. Mr. Obama says that he is Christian, and frankly if that's what he says, beyond that it's his personal business. Public officials, either government or media, who allow these smears to stand unchallenged in any public forum are JUST AS COMPLICIT in the lies and rumors. Not only do these Republicans not deserve our votes, but we must vote against them, enthusiastically. And we must rally our friends and family members to do the same, or we are no better than those who are putting Obama on the cross and pounding in the nails. I'm going to vote. Are you?
Which is a natural lead in to... the Ground Zero Mosque and Koran burnings. Muslims are Americans too, and to insinuate otherwise attacks the very foundation of this nation's tradition of religious freedom. I won't stay home this November when Republicans operatives throughout the country have stoked and coddled hatred and fear of the many good and holy Islamic Americans. Who's faith is next? Wiccans? Atheists? Mormons? Catholics? Jews? We must vote against this un-American hatred of non-Christian faiths if we don't want to be the next ones they come for.
I'm sick of a partisan Supreme Court that eviscerates campaign finance & disclosure laws, essentially declaring corporations... institutions known to exhibit sociopathic behavior... the right of free speech. And there are going to be more nominees to the Supreme Court. Those nominees go through the U.S. Senate. And I want to elect a senator (thank you Patty Murray) that will approve sane-thinking justices.
Don't get me wrong... I'm not blindly supporting Mr. Obama and the Democrats. I'm sick of Democrats who compromise with the unconsolable Republicans. I'm sick of an administration that won't go after the Bush-era war criminals and torturers. I'm sick of an administration that lived up to it's promise to wind down the Iraq war but escalates the Afghanistan war. That pays only lip service to immigration reform, except when they throw the bone of the DREAM act out on a bill they knew wouldn't pass anyway. That prioritizes Wall Street's needs but misses the boat on unemployment completely. I know that despite these shortcomings and outright failures, the Obama administration is worlds better than where we've been. So I will keep up pressure on DADT and Immigration reform and the wars, and I will vote to keep the majorities that will help Obama get these things done.
In many ways, the 2010 election is MORE important than 2008. 2008 was easy. It was obvious who was to blame for the wars, the economy, the environmental neglect, the infrastructure, the deficit. And we had clear candidates and a choice for change. But in 2010, it's hard. The champion of change hasn't been able to change things fast enough for some, or changed them too fast for others. The culture of change did not permeate the halls of Congress, as politicians allowed gridlock to play the bad guy role, and members of both parties lacked leadership at times when the times called for bold action. But there were many positive steps, and 2010 is about continuing to climb out of the recession and back to prosperity. Republicans have committed to reverse course, and we must tell them no. We must keep moving this country forward. And the only way to do that is to vote.
UPDATE: almost forgot, I'm going to vote, and also give some $$$ to my favourite candidates. Won't you join me with $5 or $10?
UPDATE 2: thanks y'all for the tips & recs. Unfortunately I am having Dkos issues today and cannot reciprocate in the comments section. Every time I try to expand the comments when logged in, it refreshes the page and contracts them. Tried on 2 machines so far. Boooooo. Hisssssss.