On occasion, it's better for everyone if you forget
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I've had a lot to say about the election, but for various reasons not said most of it. This may have been a relief to some of you, but I'm going to take a moment briefly to say my peace in the last minute.
If you are one of those who are deliberately planning not to vote, fine. It's actually a choice I respect. Someone convinced me a while back that there are cogent reasons for checking out. But if you're going to vote, vote Obama. And if you're going to abstain out of anger at Obama, vote Obama.
Yes, even if you think he stole the primaries. Even if you think that he used false accusations of racism to destroy the primaries. Even if you think that his supporters make use of misogyny. Even if you hate Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid's guts (and there's lots of reason to do so). Even if you think that the RBC thing was messed up and an enormous case of pants-on-fire cheating. Even if you think he is the Manchurian Candidate, or at least an empty suit. Even if you think his backers negated your primary vote. Even if you detest the pernicious influence of Kos. Even if you really, really want to field dress the horse he rode in on. Even if you think he's no progressive or lefty or what have you (he isn't).
Why? Because it's turned out that meta matters. The American public is by and large in favour of a social-democratic policy consensus. But that doesn't necessarily effect how things go at the ballot box. How things go at the ballot box is related to all kinds of meta issues. And the meta that matters now is that, regardless of the truth of the matter, it is widely held that Obama is winning on a populist platform. That perception is the 0.0001% margin you get out of the elections, even if it is very likely that you'll get nothing else.
Because it's unlikely you'll get anything else. Except perception. Perception is how the game is played. And it is a game, no matter that it involves people's lives, and no matter whether you like it or not. Chances are, the world is going to be worse after the election than before no matter who wins, but that's not the point. Building perceptions is. Meta.
(And the little things. The 100 people who may better survive a (D) administration's management over an (R)'s matter too.)
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Comments
That's Terrible Advice
The whole "if you're not going to vote for Obama, sit this one out." Sorry, but I'm voting, and it won't be for either major party candidate. I don't care how you talk around it, but that advice should be offensive to anyone that gives any lick about our remaining democracy.
Great, another "get over it" and on Election Day, no less? Yeah, you probably should have saved this one for self-consumption, because I'm not sure whose mind you thought you'd change with that, here of all places. Sorry, I couldn't let this one go uncalled.
Not anyone
In fact, what I'm saying is that, if all that's making you sit this one out is that you dislike Obama, then yes, you should get over it.
Anyway, you're right to say that I'm probably not changing minds at this stage of the game. Still, I can try. In any case, I do think that it's necessary to lay out the terms head-on. It's not *just* get over it, it's that the thing I'm telling you to get over was never really that important in the first place. And didn't have much to do with a democracy you didn't have.
Question
Why should it matter to you why someone has decided to sit out? If I were you, I'd be making my best case as to why I think you should vote for Obama. Instead, you take a post to immaturely and irresponsibly tell those who don't like Obama to not bother practicing their right to vote because you don't happen to like the reason they want to vote. Do you not see how that's offensive? This isn't just inane, it's offensive.
Please, don't ever ask someone not to vote, and especially for the reason you gave or implied. Go somewhere else if you want to discourage folks from voting. Really, things are bad enough as it is for many of us to then have someone come in an ask us to disenfranchize ourselves for your own pleasure.
You misunderstand
I'm telling people who dislike Obama that sitting it out is a bad choice---if you're sitting it out because you dislike Obama. Maybe you missed an edit I thought I made really quickly after posting? You should instead vote for Obama.
However, it does matter why you choose to vote. I am saying that I do respect nonvoters in principle, because there are good reasons not to vote, and in fact defensible reasons to check out entirely. However, you should be a nonvoter for good reasons, not bad ones. Bad reasons include dislike of how Obama got here.
Thanks for the Clarification, Mandos
Add another vote for Cynthia McKinney, then. I'm more than happy to be helping to get her to that 5% her party needs for the future.
I'm sitting it out....
like I announced I would six months ago.
There are no competitive downticket races where I live, so I'm just going to stay home, and say 'screw my civic duty -- its all a charade anyway.'
Let me understand this
Feel free to hate everything "democratic" party did in the last two years, and vote Obama because it's inevitable?
Yes and no, as usual
Yes, feel free to hate everything the party did.
Vote Obama not because it's inevitable, but that it's still important that he win, regardless if whether you feel he got to where he is because of some kind of foul play.
Why is it important that he win?
Arguments excluding Roe, Roe, Roe would be preferred.
Perception
Like I said in my last paragraph(s), perception is important. The perception that a populist candidate won is important, even if he really isn't a populist candidate. If Obama loses, the take-home message to much of the party won't be "let's run Hillary-or-someone-like-her next time." It'll be, "Let's run someone (even?) more Bush-like."
I was under the impression
that is was a strategy this year "Let's run someone more Bush-lite": thin resume, no significant legislative achievements or demonstrable leadership, somebody who you want to have a beer/PBR with. Next step would be to just run a Republican without changing R to D first.
If you think...
...that this was Bush-lite, and there's nowhere else to go, you've got something coming. Seriously.
Well, I am convinced
Cynthia McKinney it is!
Vote for Obama because the Village reports he's a populist?
Because that's the weakest argument I've heard yet.
Even worse, that will be the label they'll slap on stuff that, well, isn't. Like this.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
My point has always been...
...ever since I said that I preferred Hillary for "marginal" reasons, that the *positive* reasons to vote for one major candidate over the other are very weak, but that very tiny differences actually matter, when you don't yet have an obvious path to improvement through the existing electoral system.
If someone could outline a process by which they could make an improvement by not voting for Obama---one with a reasonable (ie, still small) probability of success, I wouldn't make this argument. I don't think that Hillary 2012 counts.
Telling people to forget is insulting, and the road to stupidity
"Get Over It" is the language of Republicans, because they don't have good answers.
No one has good answers
If you're talking about electoral politics, no one has as yet found the magic formula that makes the right candidate win in the right way and implement the right policies. If you're really lucky, you get two out of three.
I'll forget when Somerby forgets
And maybe not even then.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Forgetting is the prime enabler, it's what they count on
It's simplistic. It's always bad decisionmaking.
Important decisions are rarely so simplistic. They will, and should, be based on clearly grasping as much data as possible and prioritizing.
Then, as Daniel Gilbert says in "Stumbling On Happiness," find ways to feel good about your decision. Why not? You can't take it back. Happiness feels good.
Because I enjoy feeling good, this week I'll set aside my distress, WITHOUT FORGETTING, and celebrate our first African-American president, and feel the joy along with the AA community. I'll celebrate a Democratic sweep, and hope, as Hillary joked,
And then I'll do my best to make damn sure he and they know I DID NOT FORGET.
Sure, you can always remember later...
...but this won't satisfy a lot of people here.
Sorry
Not forgetting. Not forgiving. Not voting for that misogynist asshole. Actually, scratch that. I've already not voted for that misogynist asshole; no future tense about it.
If there are people stupid enough to think Obama's a populist, they're stupid enough to believe that a 50.000005% win is a landslide, anyway. I see no reason I should have to indulge their stupidity.
I kept the top of the ticket blank
I voted for the best option, I truly did. And I'm someone who voted for goddamn Kerry. I can do "get over it," but this went far and beyond petty or appalling behavior; this nomination sacrificed the Democratic platform, in terms of policy (e.g., UHC; Wall Street bailout) and principle (e.g., vote theft, rigging the nomination, misogyny, homophobia). You can't get over fundamental failures by choice in both. Especially when there's nothing substantial to hold the candidate together. With Kerry, I could at least see he was competent enough. I don't even have that with Obama. All I have is Him.
On non-Obama news: I just feel bad about my governor from my home state (WA). She's about to lose to Dino Rossi of all people. It's one thing not to like Gregoire, it's another thing to pick Rossi as the next governor. The man's an idiot and a right-wing hack.
I'm with lambert on this
and Somerby never forgets.