CommentsMY TURN-Yeah, remember 2010 Midterms? Remember the look on President Obama’s face when he realized that we lost so many seats?
In an age of immediate gratification, it became quite apparent that the Republicans were hell-bent on making sure they got out and voted while the Democrats and liberals decided to stay home. This was the first major step in empowering the GOP and allowing them to take over…well…everything.
The rest of us knew that there were consequences for not voting or being so damned picky because you didn’t like everything that the ultimate candidate stood for or fell prey to the conspiracy theories that the extreme left conjured up. As we watch the degradation of every single advancement that we have made being ripped apart and thrown to the wayside, I feel like smacking all of those that were too busy or too self-absorbed to bother to vote.
We can’t go back in the past, but we CAN face the fact that the Republicans count on the spoiled brat attitudes of liberals. You have to recognize that conservatives will fall all over themselves to vote for something as disgustingly evil as Trump, just because he has an “R” by his name. Liberals far outnumber conservatives, and yet here we sit, watching the country slide into what can only be described as a fascist regime. Yes, I used that word and for anyone that has studied history, you know that it is true.
The real underlying question is: Have you learned anything?
2018 Midterms are Crucial
According to aVox article, a recent poll reported that only 28 percent of young voters say they will certainly vote in the 2018 midterms
“Millennials are pretty reliable Democrats, but unreliable voters.”
I get it, life is incredibly busy. When you are trying to balance work, family and all of the challenges that come along with them, you have to triage. But all of the above is tenuously teetering on so many of the decisions that are made in the government. You can lose your job, have reduced funding for education, watch as taxes increase (and that usually comes in the way of getting rid of deductions), etc. It is a chipping away at everything that is important to you and those that you love — THAT is why voting is important.
In the same article Vox does give a slight element of hope:
“Of course, this is only one poll. There are other surveys with varied results; a recent poll conducted by the Associated Press and University of Chicago’s NORC found that 32 percent of young voters would certainly vote and 56 percent were likely to. Another poll by Cosmopolitan magazine and SurveyMonkey found that 48 percent of young voters were “absolutely certain” they’d vote in the midterms.”
This isn’t to say that the millennials are solely to blame for the slithering, oozing mess that we see in our government. Every single Democrat or liberal Independent that stayed at home or voted third party holds the responsibility for this mess.
For many of us that have devoted our entire lives to marching and fighting for the progress that we have seen, we are looking to the younger generations to take the baton. It doesn’t mean that we are giving up, it just means that we need the additional resources of those whose lives the changes will affect.
The Voxarticle continues to say:
But the takeaway is still serious: While Democratic voters are more enthusiastic to vote in the 2018 midterms than in past off-year election cycles — and recent polls show they’re more eager to get out to the polls than Republicans — young voter turnout could make the difference in 2018.
“Right now the ‘blue wave’ is being powered by suburban professional women, but to fully capitalize on 2018, Democrats need to energize young voters and voters of color,” Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report said.
Be Inspired by the Message and the Goal
Since the moment that the presidential election results were announced, liberals around the country have watched as Trump and his gaggle of Orcs have stripped away every positive that President Obama accomplished as well as what Democrats have accomplished throughout the years. From the destruction of environmental protections, the removal of beneficial healthcare and even his outright disdain for our allies and bromance praise of Putin, we and the world have stood aghast. It’s time to recognize that yes, Republicans will not only support someone as disgusting as Trump, but that they are also in the pockets of the Russians. They are spineless and refuse to put country first so it’s time for the rest of the country to be inspired by our own message of forward movement.
Stop trying to fall in love with a candidate because that is a recipe for losing. You need to dig deeper to see what the plans and goals are and cease the idiocy that every candidate has to be a superstar.
A Think article talks about how Democrats’ 2018 midterm hopes are strengthened by the decline of liberal ‘purity tests.’
Explaining why liberals’ newfound love of pragmatism over purity is bad news for Trump and the GOP, they state:
“How far the party has shifted in just a year. Around this time in 2017, my SiriusXM radio show hosted what felt like a nightly battle between Bernie Sanders supporters and Hillary Clinton fans fighting for the heart and soul of the Democratic [sic] party.”
They continue with:
“Flash forward to March 2018, and I’m now hearing some of those very same Bernie purists say that if the candidate has a “D” in front of their name, they will vote for them. Even more interesting: They seem to be sincere about this new strategy, not resentful.”
Be a Part of the Bigger Picture
Getting out and voting for a Democratic candidate means that you are looking at the bigger picture. No single candidate will ever meet the demands of everyone, but if you recognize that making change equates to getting the correct people in place, then as a constituent you will help to break the chains that the GOP have placed on the country and move things in a direction of progress. It doesn’t mean that you must give up your hopes and dreams, but it is the “adult” way of looking at the world.
You have already witnessed what happens when people are too busy, lazy or oblivious to vote. Never before in the history of our country have we been this close to the brink of total fallout and potential fascism. It is up to all the liberal voters, extreme left to centrist, to stand up to the horror that we are seeing.
For women, there is one additional recognition to make: many of our sisters of the past suffered horrible consequences in getting legislation passed to give women voting privileges. You do them a dishonor by not voting. They paid a heavy price so that you can walk to the polls. While it may be human nature to forget about past conditions, we must never forget that our freedoms came at a heavy cost.
As a member of a military family and one that has spent far too much time in military cemeteries than one should have to, I know the blood that has been shed trying to protect our country.
The survival of all is completely and totally dependent upon you right now. We will either see the country return to a level of world respect or fall into the abyss of a dictatorship. This may sound extreme, but if you have been paying attention, you will realize that we are closer to destruction than we have ever before seen.
Are you going to be part of the problem or participate as part of the answer? It’s your choice.
(S. Novi is a journalist that worked in the media and continues to seek out truth and integrity. A liberal and one that is suspicious of cults and empty promises.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams. Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.