2012 will come down to a handful of votes in key races swayed by voter suppression and voter depression. To win, progressives must overcome both. This will require courage in calling out the acts of our opponents and in changing our own patterns of advocacy in order to succeed.
Voter suppression is catalogued by many voting rights groups such as Rock the Vote, the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute and the Brennan Center for Justice election codes to limit the voting rights of students and movers, reduce early voting days, and restrict voter registration and "get-out-the-vote" mobilization efforts that all told could restrict voting rights of 5 million Americans in 2012 and disability rights advocates.
When it comes to voter depression, the challenges are external and internal to the progressive movement.
External forces will simply blame everything on President Obama, cleaning that change has not come or come fast enough because of him. In classic projection the Republican party of no that blocked more robust stimulus, healthcare reform, and Wall Street Reform will blame the cleaning crew not the wrecking crew.
They also engage in the not so subtle dog whistles that seek to "other" the President and progressive Democrats. For months we have heard Republicans complain about Mitt Romney and say conservative dollars will be spent on Congressional races instead of the presidential. Karl Rove and company will swoop in and pollute the airwaves with ugly dog whistles about LBGT Americans ("San Francisco"), African Americans ("food stamp president"), Latinos ("illegals") and Jews ("Alinsky").
Internal forces include the purists who see their role as attacking elected officials rather than supporting them. My inbox is full of pledges and petitions from groups seeking political reform but precious few actually lift up elected officials who need to cast the tough votes for reform. Over and over they will say "tell Congress" or "tell the president," but very rarely will they say "praise Congress" or "thank the president" for taking action. Talk about depression! To read their notes is to think there is no hope for change -- when I know that there is.
What is to be done?
Simply put, If you are going to amend our tax code in the face of Republican threats to impeach the president as Grover Norquist http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/impeach-obama--20120126 just threatened or pushing for Citizens United Reform, it takes votes from legislators to do so. Expecting people to take tough votes for reform without a whiff of public support is ludicrous.
What is to be done? Occupy the vote. Cure voter suppression with a commitment to participate in the civic sacrament of voting and to protect others' rights to do so. Cure voter depression by calling out the "othering" and smears from opponents and by pushing and praising progressive politicians. We know the problem and we know the cure -- now we must summon the courage to act and the courage to change.
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Consider the Bob Dornan V Loretta Sanchez election. That election was decided by a razor thin margin. Dornan challenged the election and was required to hire private investigators to probe voting records. Instances of prima facia fraud, such as the 24 absentee ballots voted out a 2Br home in Santa Ana were brought to the registrar of voters and the secretary of state in CA. The challenge and the investigation was dropped with no contact, swept under the rug.
Subsequent to the Sanchez 923 vote margin election victory, an INS investigation revealed that 4,023 non-citizens (the polite term for you know whom) voted in that election.
The Hermandad Nacional Mexicana conducted a voter registration drive that registered large numbers of absentee voters. Nativo Lopez the director of Hermandad Nacional Mexicana, plead guilty to voter fraud and paid a $600,000 fine in 2008.
It is the clearest case of voter fraud courtesy of motor voter laws in Ca that has rigged an election.
http://totalbuzz.ocregister.com/2011/06/22/activist-nativo-lopez-pleads-guilty-to-voter-fraud/55539/
http://soundpolitics.com/archives/003321.html
Again why is it that we should tolerate and encourage voter fraud, because an individual is too lazy to get an ID that 99.99% of the citizens have in their purse or back pocket on a daily basis.
2. 99.9% of the US public have IDs. They use them to drive, to do banking, to write a check at a store, to get on a plane, to rent an apartment, to get foodstamps, to get welfare, to get Social Security checks, etc etc etc. The reality is that the ACLU and others that press lawsuits against voter ID have a hard time finding an affected plaintiff. There is no reason to accept any level of voter fraud based on the fact that an American Indian that is 70 yrs old that lives on a reservation and never had a birth certificate and has never voted in his/her life, and decides on election day that he/she wants to vote for the first time in their life. If voting is so important, then maybe one should make the effort to get a free ID.
Meanwhile anti ID to vote advocates say there is no fraud. Strange how the same folks believe that Gore won the election, that Republicans rig electronic voting machines and DNC hires attorneys to look for fraud during elections. Which is it? No fraud? or Rampant fraud?
You receive the voter's pamplet weeks ahead and your ballot, clearly marked with your name on the outside, shortly thereafter. Starting about a week before the election there are locations all over town at libraries as well as drive up at the actual Elections Office.
Since every ballot has to be inside the envelope sent to you it is very hard to fraud as well as NO MACHINES. Someone in your own house could take your ballot but if that is happening you have bigger problems than your ballot.
If you want the energy of going to the polls you can always go to the Elections Office the night of the election to drop off your ballot. Additionally, people have parties in homes and local bars and cafes to watch the returns.
No more worries about sick kids, or having to work, or standing in line, or having the flu! Why is this not getting more attention? Every state that has it LOVES it.
I much Prefer trying to remain Prosperous, than attempting to Change our Government via the voting process. We the People are rapidly becoming the servants of our big intrusive Governments
Grover Norquist is a lobbyist that made others sign a non binding pledge. Our Current President created OBAMA CARE behind closed doors with acts of bribery, that got several people fired already. HE swore Publicly this is NOT A TAX, and will save money. He than Immediately went behind closed doors before a Judge via his representative swearing under oath it's a tax under the Commerce Clause.
Creating Laws that mandate everybody must vote just beings more uneducated voters clueless of what to vote for. I was profoundly stunned just this month hundreds of young College voters were clueless who FDR, Biden, or speaker Boehner were, etc. I was profoundly stunned the overwhelming majority were clueless how many zeros in a trillion dollars, and or our current GDP.
Sadly that same group 52% claimed Jon Stewart Daily Show was their News Program.
Then when a legislator doesn't follow the promises made to the people who voted for him, you tell him you can vote him out and he'll believe it.
It's called making them accountable. They're public servants. They should at least be held to the same standards as public school teachers. Right?
failed ideology.
This guy is like the Hunt Brothers trying to corner the silver market years ago...
Huh? We are letting him & the all to easily led GOP set America's tax policy???
What is wrong with this picture?
I believe the Vast Majority of Americans realize We need to take care of ourselves, Why does Gasoline no longer apply to the Consumer price index. Your a profound Liberal and gifted Scholar in your own right, How many people, especially Senior's, SERIOUSLY do you know that doesn't use their car to go Grocery Shopping and or Medical Care?
NO Offense, but ever Since we've been playing this Class Warfare Montage, I've never met so many uncivilized Americans demanding their RIGHTS and yet clueless to those simple words Thank You. We needed Police Protection to hand out 8 truckloads of free food and presents this past Christmas. Need I say More?
Voting rights mean Nothing when elected officials demand their consciences overrides their constituencies... Why Bother?
No more. Time to go to the polls and vote. It is a disgrace the low voter turnout in this country. We no longer value or respect the right to vote. We take it for granted and are too lazy to do our jobs as citizens. And in doing so, we insult all those that have fought for the right to vote we aren't even exercising.
If you don't like the divisive and partisan aspects, the way to fight them is TO VOTE. But ignore the rhetoric and make your own decisions. Read the voters pamphlet. Do your homework.
The feel good, everything to everyone protect me from reality or anything vaguely unpleasant and blame everyone but me philosophy drove many people away from the party the way the evangelical christian and greed is good mentality destroyed the republican party .