The Second-Best Option
This election I’m going to do something I haven’t done in thirty years: I’m going to vote for (gasp!) Democrats.
Democrats are no better at running things than Republicans. They are just as corrupt as Republicans. They are just as beholden to corporate interests as Republicans. They are just as evil as Republicans. Of course, I’ll also be voting for Republicans.
So why do it?
For the longest time, I’ve been voting for independent or third-party candidates with no success. The best thing I, as a responsible voter can do, is vote for candidates who put people ahead of corporate interests. Unfortunately, too many people do not. They vote for a candidate who at least has some chance of winning. They put their principles aside in favor of being on a winning team. After all, who wants to “waste� their vote on someone who can’t possibly win?
This year I’m going to adopt a second-best strategy: I’m voting to throw the bastards out!
In the fourth Congressional district, we have a Libertarian in the race. I have voted proudly for Libertarians before—even though I disagree strongly with their stand on health care—with zero success, but not this time. I have met the Libertarian and I think he would be terrific in Washington, but alas, not enough people agree with me. The Libertarian will not get enough votes to unseat the incumbent, but the Democrat might. I will vote for the man who has the best chance of getting Wally Herger out of there.
An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that a mere sixteen percent of Americans thought Congress was doing a good job. Perhaps the lowest percentage ever in the history of polling. It’s funny about people and their attitudes. Congress may be reviled by the electorate but people just love their own congressperson. This will be evidenced when most of the incumbents are reelected. We don’t reward our children for bad behavior, yet every election we reward these bozos by returning them to office.
Fascinating.
I’m hearing a lot about how Nancy Pelosi will be third in line for the presidency should the Democrats gain a majority next month. Not if the voters in her district adopt the policy of cleaning house. Imagine it! 435 brand new representatives! Of course the majority would be held by Democrats, but only the obtuse would see it as a vindication of that party’s principles. A clean sweep would send the strong signal that we’re tired of their games.
For United States Senator, there’s a plethora of choice, but it really comes down to just two. Do I vote for the incumbent—who has been in bed with the late Ken Lay, of Enron fame? Do I reward her bad behavior? Do I just say, “That’s alright Diane, I forgive you for the rolling blackouts. I forgive you for helping give the shaft to millions of Californians. Here’s my vote.� NOT!
And yet the minor candidates have no chance of getting her out, so I will hold my nose and vote for the Republican. I have to take that chance.
As far as the governor is concerned, he showed his strong alliance to Chinese interests when he vetoed legislation that would have legalized hemp. Arnold showed he is the puppet of the health-care industry when he vetoed universal health care for Californians.
Is Arnold a better man for California than Phil Angelides? Probably. Am I going to reward his bad behavior? No!
In a perfect world, we would have a much fairer system of electing people to represent us. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with the so-called two-party system. The second-best thing we can do is use that system to rid us of the miscreants. Perhaps by doing so, we can make real progress towards representative democracy.
Comments
Everyone of my friends and family and those I have been listening too on the radio talk shows seems to believe that if the GOP doesn't do well this election it is all because of Iraq.
If our conversations stray to other things like the economy or the border or even reforming the IRS, then we quickly come right back on Iraq. Everything else pales by comparison to this war. I think it's like that all over the US right now, people are focused on Iraq and they are mad and it's going to be expressed at the polls.
I'll speak to you now just like we've been talking in private: We were off to a good start in Iraq, but the situation over there does not tolerate tactical mistakes very well and it's ever changing. This should be real obvious by now.
Mounting mistakes of both large and small scale have created a soldier's nightmare. I could write a book on all that we've done wrong and how upset it's mad our guys over there and it really disturbs me. If some out of the loop putz like me could have seen these mistakes coming, why couldn't these professionals in high places have seen it? Examples to follow:
Commanders failed to properly train US soldiers for civil management and troops are still going in ill prepared for the mission. This is a military problem, not Bush's fault.
Commanders failed to stop the massive influx of terrorists, munitions and IED's. This is a military problem, not Bush's fault.
Commands at the direction of Bush established an Iraqi militia, not an army. This posed a host of problems, not the least of which is retention...they can walk off the job at will. So when the going gets tough, even in training..."I quit" is heard way too often. This is Bush's fault and the military advisers fault. Our rank and file soldiers are appalled by this policy.
Bush failed to utilize Iraq's best military and civilian leaders because they were Bathists linked to Saddam. Missed opportunity and this led to factional fighting by those deposed of power and trying to regain it.
Most of the Sunni's were linked to Saddam in some way and that was the litmus test that left us starting over from scratch. Not good and it's cost us.
Because corruption was near endemic in Iraq, most of our choices led to putting criminals in charge of money and power...we've lost hundreds of millions in reconstruction money and it's cost lives.
We turned over the oil fields without oversight...same results..massive corruption and theft. This was foreseeable by grunts in the field, but not by our leaders??? Stupid, stupid, stupid and nothing has changed. We're still turning a blind eye to corrupt Iraqi officials. It's disgusting.
Bush failed to anticipate too many events that should have been predictable. His advisors totally misunderstood the level of corruption and the lack of motivation for change in Iraq. They totally misunderstood the cultural differences between Sunni, Shia and Kurds that have Iraqi's at each others throats in this vacuum left by Saddam's regime.
Bush and his advisors greatly over estimated the level of gratitude and how far this would carry us once the major fighting stopped. We've devolved into an army of occupation and the majority of Iraqi's want us out now. This was foreseeable and this was inevitable and why we didn't put this into our plans is stunning to me.
Commanders in Iraq created inconsistent methods of building good will. Some were open and friendly and established rapport only to see it fade with the next replacement C/O who shut off all civilian contact to prevent casualties. Totally inconsistent policies led to confusion and that's never good.
The ever more restrictive and more timid rules of engagement destroyed Iraqi trust and US soldiers moral. Who could not understand that this plays to the terrorist hands and this ever growing underground resistance movement in Iraq?
The resistance exists only because the Iraqi people allow them to exist, you know that don't you! They allow the bad guys to exist and fight us, not because people love fighting, but because getting us out is their primary focus.
Insurgents are tolerated by too many Iraqis now. But, they are for most part not insurgents, they are just citizens resisting the army of occupation,..us and I hate us being an army of occupation. It was not supposed to be like this!
We failed to see all this coming? Well, I saw it before we ever invaded and it worried me, but I was always assured we would be welcomed with open arms and all was going to be just fine. Hey, 3 years later its not fine and we've Vietnamized this war. Thats another blunder and another broken promise to the people. And the whole way the libs have been right there doing their worst to make sure we couldn't win and their influence has contributed greatly to the failed PC policies and the war failure in general.
We are failing to admit this painful truth. And at this late date we still have no plan to correct anything ..."we're staying the course", but who could not wonder if it's the wrong course?
I think most voters see all this. We can't blame it all on the libs, the GOP and Bush share the blame. This is why voters are frustrated and they have turned hateful towards Bush and Republicans. This is absolutely terrible and it need not have happened with just the slightest of changes and "course corrections" and living up to our ideals. The lack of vision, initiative and response to the voters is killing this administration and the party.
Commanders either elected not to or were not allowed to, use the new Iraqi military to secure border check points and the main roads of smuggling. We didn't have enough forces to do it all and for political reasons, commanders chose not to ask for more manpower. Now we may never have enough, we would have to have a million troops in there now to control what has gotten so messed up and that still doesn't generate honesty and ability among the Iraqi government that survives only as long as we're there to protect them. They're seen as a puppet regime and they won't last once we're gone.
Soldiers in Iraq believe Bush lacked the will to force Iran to stop sending weapons into Iraq. Those deadly munitions still flows into Iraq by the tons to blast GI's every day. We've had 3 years to fix this one and we still haven't and our soldiers are frustrated. As voters, we have a right (and a duty) to ask hard questions and demand better.
We failed to establish a timeline when things must happen for Iraqi's to stand on their own and for us to back out quickly...without that timeline, suspicion grows, Iraqi's believe we're not leaving....ever, unless we are forced out.
They have good reason to believe this too. We went into Germany and Japan in 1945 and we're still there...Iraqi's know this and they point to examples around the world where the US military is stationed and this only exacerbates what the majority are feeling about us, they are growing ever resentful of our presence. And this administration didn't see any of this coming?
The GOP and Bush have yielded to politicize their war strategy as they bent over backwards to placate the liberal opposition.
They have also been quite sensitive and responsive to the media needs, but oddly unresponsive and seemingly ignorant of the changing dynamics inside Iraq and the criticisms coming from the soldiers who have to deal with political correct rules that have little or no use in a combat situation.
The military managers have shown little imagination in that they failed to anticipate the tactics of our enemies time after time. This results unnecessary casualties and our military being more re-active than pro-active. We have established a perception that we are always one step behind the enemy. History says, being slow to react to threats is not been a strategy to win.
History also has clearly shown the people of America that Bush and his advisors greatly over estimated the gratitude of the Iraqi people to be liberated. They also underestimated the negativity that an occupation force draws from an occupied society.
Far too often in our rush to fix everything in Iraq, we trusted the wrong people. We've inadvertently allowed hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction and security money to be stolen by corrupt officials. It appears we're afraid to admit this because it makes too many important people in our government look stupid. Denial is not a winning strategy either. It does not build confidence here or in Iraq and it will not get better if we give everyone responsible for mistakes a pass, least this is what my friends and family think. There's just a bit more:.
The GOP is supposed to be the party of accountability and responsibility. We think they are not living up to their to their ideals. This is why this election is in serious trouble.
Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice and our Generals have made too many mistakes and failed to act on too many other occasions, while bringing us giant boondoggles like this Homeland Security bureaucracy. What is worse is the democrats. If we don't like the way things are going now if fear it will be even worse when they take over.
What are we supposed to do with this situation? ANYBODY KNOW???
Thank you so very much for writing!
I wish the Republican leadership read my blog. They might get a whiff of what real Americans are thinking.
As to what we can do in this situation . . .
The best thing would be to change the way our representatives are elected. As long as it stays the same-as long as we lack true democracy--this country is in peril.
Unfortunately we can't change the rules in time for this election. However, we can do the second-best thing. We can send a clear message to our own congressman: "You're killing our children, you have to go."
Posted by: SadDad | October 24, 2006 10:51 AM