VOTE!!!!!!!
...if you feel like it.
The truth is, if you haven't voted yet and you don't intend to and you need some dumbass blog to "remind" you to exercise your franchise, then you're probably better off just staying home.
Seriously. A 100% turnout rate is a fine goal, if you have a well-informed populace. But we all know better than that, don't we? Tell me, what virtue is there in urging people to vote who lack the motivation to urge themselves to the polls? What are the chances that these people will cast their ballot in a thoughtful and informed fashion?
That's what pisses me off about these periodic "Rock the Vote" or "Vote or Die" campaigns. It's not exactly like MTV or Madonna or P. Diddy are actually spending the four years preceding an election trying to, you know, inform young people about current events, or urge them to read a goddamn newspaper. No. Instead they spend four years tacitly encouraging America's youth to sit on their collective ass and huff solvents and watch "MTV's Beach House" or "The Grind" or whatever the hell excuse MTV has for not showing actual videos these days. Then, every four years, just like clockwork, they try to convince Beavis and Butt-head that it's imperative for their future to go out and cast a vote in absolute ignorance.
Sorry, but I'm not buying it.
If you want to vote? Great. Go vote. That's what makes democracy work.
But if you're uninformed or (for whatever reason) not inclined to do it? Then please, do us all a favor. Stay home. You have an absolute right as an American to be politically ignorant and apathetic. But with that freedom comes responsibility -- to stay home.
Comments
how is that video killed the radio star, but then MTV killed the music video?
Oh for the good old days of that cartoony man on the man with the MTV flag, and Martha Quinn, and watching MTV all night bcs we were too wired to sleep.
Posted by: fred | November 8, 2005 04:22 PM
Totally in agreement, Barry.
Posted by: mal | November 8, 2005 08:44 PM
Good news...The democrats are winning the governor seats both in VA and NJ. It was about time. Hopefully in 2006 they will take back the congress and senate from this corrupt republican party.
Posted by: Blue Wind | November 8, 2005 09:29 PM
Right on cue.
Posted by: CRB | November 8, 2005 09:40 PM
Patience you must have, Blue Wind. Destroy you, your anger will...the power of the dork side is stroooong in you.
Posted by: apotheosis | November 8, 2005 09:58 PM
What do you mean "it was about time"? Virginia's had a Democrat as governor for four years, Blue.
And we're damn proud of it, too. None of this "Red state" crap. Kilgore lost because he thought that just saying that Kaine was a liberal was going to instantly make him unpopular.
Well, the Old Dominion doesn't take kindly to partisan hacks. I myself voted for Kilgore, not because i liked him, but because I didn't like Kaine's proposed economic policy. But you know what? I'm not disappointed. I like Kaine, I just disagree with him. And I hope that he does well by us.
As for Kilgore--though I voted for him, as I said, he deserved to lose. Hopefully both democrats and republicans will learn something from his defeat.
Oh, and Blue? One more thing. Your party loyalty is showing. If you're going to judge a candidate by his political stripe rather than by his character, then you're exactly the kind of person that Kilgore was hoping would get him elected. you just happen to fall on the "Blue State" side of the partisan hackery divide.
Posted by: Adam | November 8, 2005 10:00 PM
What do you mean "it was about time"? Virginia's had a Democrat as governor for four years, Blue.
So has NJ.
Posted by: CRB | November 9, 2005 02:02 PM
I guess "it's about time" that they didn't lose what they already had?
Posted by: Adam | November 9, 2005 06:41 PM
If you can not see that the GOP is falling apart because of massive corruption and an incompetent president you have a problem. Is amazing that some of you still support this guy (Bush) and the corrupt republican party.
Posted by: Blue Wind | November 9, 2005 09:11 PM
Funny how just a year ago they won ground that had belonged to the Democrats in an election with the highest voter turnout in US history.
Now that they've mostly held onto the governorships where they were incumbants, as well as picked up a stray mayor here or there, in an election year that averaged less than 50% voter turnout rates on the whole, you're declairing the defeat of the Republican party?
What the heck are you basing this theory on?
Oh wait. I'm sorry. If I don't immediately see that you are right and do something as irrational as ask for evidence, then I must "have a problem". I'll try not to bother you again, your lordship.
Posted by: Adam | November 9, 2005 09:28 PM