Editor's Note (Frances Langum): It's not clear whether Tengrain wrote this post before or after SCOTUS ruled 5-4 that Ohio and the other states can purge their voting rolls of "infrequent" voters. But this post is the message we need in response.
Time marches on, and Tuesday we have primary elections in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia. While there is not much we can do to stop the criminality of the smash-and-grab Fourth Reich grifters, we can —and must—vote. It’s our only Superpower as citizens.
I know it all seems hopeless, we are told the system is rigged against us, and even amongst some of the louder, leftier voices (is too a word!), we hear a near constant refrain that both parties are corrupt, that there’s no difference between them, yadda-yadda-yadda. All with the intention of suppressing your vote. The Republicans don’t want us to vote (and are spending a fortune to prevent it), and the Purity Patrol wants to teach the institutional powers a lesson by letting the Powers of Darkness win.
It’s just a lesson that is paid for by the most fragile amongst us.
Not voting is (to my mind, anyway) the greatest disservice you can do. It comes from a position of privilege. Susan Sarandon will never worry about when or if the next meal is coming, but for the homeless, the addicted, the oppressed, your participation can make a difference.
So do it for them, do it for the people who are holding 3 or more jobs to hold their heads above water.
And needless to say, a vote for a Republican, any Republican, is a a sign of character flaw. They’ve shown us who they are, and no matter how much you dislike the Dim, you have to realize that NOT supporting the Dim, it means you are in favor of the monstrous policies we see in play every day in the news. You might as well hand the gun to the next school shooter, or yank the kid from his/her parents to give to tender mercies of the ICE officers.
But what about Manchin, Heitkamp, McCaskill, you say? Well, with more Dims elected, their Blue Dog impact is watered down. With fewer Dims in the Senate, they play outsized roles. That said we need them to get a majority, and to hold them in check. It’s the math, stupid.
So suck it up, Buttercup, and vote. If you live in one of the 5 states voting tomorrow (Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia) take a friend and neighbor with you to the polls, make it easier for them to fulfill their civic duty. Keep your faith alive and give them some hope too.
You’re a hero and heroes don’t let the monsters win.
