Do Something
Voter suppression. Push-polling. Repetition of outright lies. Smear campaigns. Sleight of hand.
These are the disgusting tactics currently employed by the party in power to maintain that power. I can see two scenarios.
1. Republicans can feel the power slipping from their grasp and, backed into a corner, they are reacting in desperation.
2. Republicans, emboldened by the success of the Atwater/Rove school of campaign tactics over the past 20 years, are piling on, counting on the utter stupidity and apathy of the majority of Americans.
What’s happening is probably a mixture of both but it feels to me like we’re in a fight for the very soul of America. The McCain campaign is attempting to appeal to the very basest side of our natures while the Obama campaign is counting on our better selves.
Today at HuffPo, the big headline is “While Rome Burns.” I think that says it all. The story goes that Emperor Nero played his fiddle in the tower while the city burned below him. True or not, it’s a strong parable about ignoring your problems because you are too distracted, or entertained, to care.
We’ve been doing it for years: Fighting about abortion and gay marriage and flag burning, while corporations loot our economy, while we wreck our planet, while teachers struggle valiantly to educate students in a society that has all but forgotten why we so desperately need to be educated.
I’m terrified that we’re in the last great battle and that November 4th is the last chance we’ve got to put out the fires before all we have left is ash. I’m not giving up. I’m fighting to save my country, and if you think that’s overly dramatic, take another look around.
If we lose on November 4th, I’ll be truly devastated. But I’ll also believe that we deserve what we get.
So, please. I’m begging each and every one of you. Give money at barackobama.com. Contact the campaign and get out and canvass or make phone calls to undecided voters. Register as many like-minded people as you can before the voter registration deadline passes in your state. Talk to every single person that you come into contact with about why it is so important to vote for Barack Obama. If you’re already doing these things, do more. November 5th is too late to wish you would have invested more time and money. You can’t change the way Obama is running his campaign, so bitch later.
Just do something.
Wow, Orlando. You've outdone yourself with this post. Thank you so much for writing it.
September 11, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent post & marching orders O!
September 11, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hear, hear!
September 11, 2008 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Bitch later" is the two wisest words yet written on this site.
September 11, 2008 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Punctuation is so important. It's a vast improvement over "Bitch, later!"
September 11, 2008 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Grammar and subject-verb agreement are just icing on the cake.
September 12, 2008 5:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Damn! That's what I call being quick with a comma.
September 12, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just signed up to do voter registration next week. Thanks for the pep talk!
September 11, 2008 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Our kids are starting to think we've gone over the deep end, as the word Fascism is creeping into our conversation at home... Not a word I EVER thought I'd need to use, but the writing is on the wall...disdain for intellectuals, a hobbled press, "homeland security"...it's gettin' scary guys.
Orlando, you are right on when you say America's soul is on the line...
September 11, 2008 6:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Volunteering every weekend (and weekday, for that matter) that I can, doing whatever I can.
Here's the link for Vote For Change and the videos that educate you how to use it for phone banking and canvassing. Make a difference!
September 11, 2008 6:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right on, Orlando. It's amazing how many phone calls you can make at the local phone bank in a few hours, or from home through barackobama.com. Canvassing for voter registration and little talks can be tougher but rewarding physically, mentally and in building your own sense of community and connection with others.
Most of all, you're right O. We can't change how Obama campaigns. We can change the world — IF we all work hard enough.
September 11, 2008 7:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Orlando, you expressed my thoughts exactly. I also think this country is on the threshold of losing its soul. It's a mess. This has motivated me like nothing else ever has.
Canvassing takes on a motivational life of its own. It really makes you feel like what you're doing will make a difference. Voters who buy into the lies of the McPalin campaign are a little flummoxed at how nice the Obama people are. One woman who was on the fence about Obama because of the choice issue was working in her yard and called after us, "you're doing a good thing by volunteering."
Last night working on my call list I recruited another volunteer. That's three in the last week and a half between phone calls and canvassing. Doesn't seem like much, but if these three recruit three more ... you get the idea.
We'll make a difference in this election. And, regardless of the outcome, we'll have no regrets because we did everything we could.
Now let's get busy.
September 11, 2008 7:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Two women I work with, both intelligent; one black, one white both say they will vote for McCain. They are just "afraid" Obama can't handle it. I have tried to talk to them about how profoundly they have already been affected by the last 8 years and how an Obama administration would give them support that they both need. They simply don't believe that he won't raise their taxes, and they believe he will give breaks to undeserving lazy people.
I am so disappointed in both of them I can hardly look them in the eye any more. I personally think this is what they hear on Sunday mornings and they can't challenge what they hear on Sunday mornings.
I don't know what to say to them. Any ideas?
September 11, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmm. That's a tough one.
Here's a comparison of their tax plans by a seemingly nonpartisan Web site:
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2008/06/comparison-of-t.html
In terms of Obama not being able to "handle it", maybe you could point out that he's been handling it for almost two years on the campaign trail. John McCain and Sarah Palin can't even handle a press conference. Obama went on O'Reilly.
But, if they aren't willing to look a little bit past the talking heads-style "reporting", I don't know what to tell you.
September 11, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sunday morning in church, CV? That's what McCain got when he picked Palin. Sunday morning news shows? Invite them to breakfast.
September 11, 2008 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
CVille, some people aren't persuadable. We can't lose any sleep over them. There are plenty of other people who are sitting on the fence right now though. You'll find them -- or they'll find you.
Snopes has a good correction for the false e-mail on taxes that was sent out recently. Very understandable.
Also with respect to taxes, if McCain and Palin take us to war with Russia, we won't have to worry about taxes ever again.
Matthew Dowd had two good lines this morning on NPR laying out the McPalin illogical message:
andSeptember 11, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Citing facts won't flip a persons frame. In your conversation don't focus on changing a persons beliefs. Meet people where they are at, not where you think they should be.(figuratively speaking)
Come armed with tangible facts such as the actual policy plans, and use them only if nessesary, do not push it on them.
First get to their core issues, by normal conversation about the price of milk, whatever gets it going.
From those issues, agitate around those issues, get em good and riled up. THIS SHALL NOT STAND!
now you can get into a plan of action, show how this can be changed, inspire hope.
Now you call the question on em. If you want this, than you must need to do this. Make it clear (in their own frame) that there is only one correct choice.
If they are hesitant, go back to issues, and you may need to inoculate them (that would be done with the aforementioned policy papers) agitate, inspire plan, call the question.
Fear-Anger-Hope
Lather-Rinse-Repeat
So this is a really stripped down,poorly articulated and poorly spelled answer. Hope it helps ya Cville
September 12, 2008 3:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Spouting facts won't help in a situation like this (though it should be all that matters), tell them a personal reason why you support Obama, tell them you understand their concerns, but then show why you feel he can "handle it" and feel free to cite examples when he has.
But the personal story is really the best thing you can do when talking to friends.
September 12, 2008 7:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Very good point that gets forgotten - if you can personalize why you are voting for Obama.
Personalizing does NOT mean stating you support a woman's right to choose, but it COULD mean saying something like "we'd like to move into a bigger house but Republicans have been so careless with the economy and government spending, and now we're stuck here, so I'm leaning towards Obama"
People in the MSM, people like Olbermann and Josh Marshall, are in news and reporting and hear-yourself-talk business, and they do it well, but they are NOT in the business of influencing voters.
Troopergate? Give me a fucking break. No one is going to make up their mind who to vote for based on that.
People can scream bitch holler and canvass til they're blue in the face but ultimately this is Obama vs McCain, and Obama needs to seal the deal, prove that he's the man, and that's why we bitch, because he's being a puss
September 12, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
IRAQ, IRAQ, IRAQ. Throw some ECONOMY IN THE TOILET stuff in there.
September 12, 2008 9:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
These are not intelligent people. You will not be able to convert them, you will simply drive them further into a defensive posture.
My advice is simply to despise them as the determinedly ignorant, self-deceiving, self-defeating people that they are.
September 12, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
That was an awesome post!! So much of it is what I have been thinking, but not able to put in words. Would it be OK to use some of these thoughts in a letter of the editor of our local newspaper?
September 11, 2008 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely! Thanks for asking.
September 11, 2008 9:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes indeed!!!
September 11, 2008 11:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
The ever prescient Al Giordano's take on this very subject...it's about us!
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/the-post-convention-roadmap-real-knock-out-punch
Sitting in front of computer playing armchair quarterback may be fun but it doesn't win elections. Get thee to a swing state...make phone calls...register voters.
We are the war room we've been waiting for!
September 11, 2008 11:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right on Brothers and Sisters! Obama cannot win without us. We are his infantry and we've got to take this thing to the streets if we're gonna win it.I've registered over a dozen co-workers just by asking if they're gonna vote, and then having a form handy ( I got a bunch from the CA. dmv ) I don't even ask who they're voting for, but most have told me they're for Obama. Anyone who expresses fears/frustrations about a McCain win I encourage to donate/phonebank,etc. Also very important, I make them promise they'll bring at least two people with them to the polls on Nov 4. Many haven't voted in years or at all, and are just in need of a little push to shake off their fears/apathy. Too many of our Fellow Americans have forgotten that democracy is not a spectator sport. I've also signed up to go to Vegas in October to pound the pavement for Obama. Sweat and Shoe Leather, Chess,not Checkers. Now, let's kick some neoCon ass!!!!!!!
September 12, 2008 3:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's another approach: personal campaign ads.
September 12, 2008 5:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
An even better idea is posting the right damn link.
September 12, 2008 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good post. Fight the good fight. I have been giving money to the campaign and to MoveOn.org and hoping that will lead to more ads and large-audience speeches ... I think they really help to get the message out to any of those willing to listen.
September 12, 2008 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you for this post.
I know I sound like a broken record, but I think one of the biggest things we can do (at the moment) is FORGET PALIN.
While we're attacking Palin, we're NOT talking about the things that were kicking McCain's ass 2 weeks ago. Iraq, Economy, Bush's failures (and McCain's support of them,) McCain's vote for torture, Katrina, etc...
Palin is Culture War personified. To talk about her is to make this election about the GOP's best issues: God, guns, abortion, gay marriage. That's the battle they want to fight, and its the battle they've gotten us to fight since she's come around.
Enough. Leave her behind and shut em' down with the big guns.
September 12, 2008 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely! We have to forget Palin and focus on McCain. The insanity of a McCain presidency is staggering. I am sure most of you have seen this, but please send to everyone in your address book. It is that hard hitting and important.
Do you want "other" wars?
September 12, 2008 10:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Read this. Voters Don't Vote On the Issues or How Obama Can Win!
September 12, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll be having some folks -- hometown people and Chicagoans -- at my place to canvass the heck out of my neighborhood this weekend.
Like the people said, don't just sit there and bitch, DO SOMETHING!!!
September 12, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Take heart! Barack has people who feel like we do all over the country, Mc Cain doesn't.
Palin? who's Palin? Ponud Mac!
September 12, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please know I meant pound.
September 12, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink