Get out the Vote

Getting out the Vote

I heard a timely story on NPR this afternoon about the effectiveness of canvassing, the last-minute get-out-the-vote effort, and I agree.  Our precinct boss narrowed down our list of voters, which are quite a few on each block, to not only democrats only but dems who may vote or are likely to vote.  There’s no need to remind the regular voters; they’re reliable.  But the irregulars, the people who don’t always vote, studies have shown and Rep. Jim McDermott confirms that good old-fashioned, face-to-face conversations and gentle reminders to vote and vote early make a difference.  Having a list that is so micro-targeted and finely tailored to voters makes it easy to knock on neighbors’ doors and ask the personal question, “Have you voted yet?”  It’s a gratifying experience to meet so many people who have voted and/or who appreciate the reminder to vote and the information and sample ballots we share with them.  Gone are the days when you knock on a door and somebody yells at you. 

I don’t tend to look for signs, but I don’t ignore them either.  Today while walking I came upon a really beautiful maple tree with brilliant-colored leaves and I stopped to take in its beauty and colors, appreciating the tree and my good fortune to be out on my errand, and a solitary leaf floated down and landed right on my clipboard, and I had to laugh out loud at that.  That was a lovely gift and a nice sign.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=163823777&m=163823770

Jill Stein for President

Really….?

What is the deal with Jill Stein?  I’ll wager that two years ago you hadn’t heard of her.  She’s a physician who has been unsuccessful in her effort to win an election in her home state of Massachusetts, but she promises the moon and she’s everybody’s darling.  Good for her that she cares about the environment (so do I, by the way), but it’s easy to promise the moon when you don’t have to deliver on those promises.  Easy to tell people what they want to hear and maybe even believe it, and she’s done that well. 

Here’s what I know about her:  Not a lot except she's skilled at self-promotion.  She comes from privilege and has had a very nice life.  Good for her.  But if she can’t win an election by those who know her best, what’s the draw?  What does she know about governing or politicking?   I’m sure she’s intelligent and caring, but qualified to be president? 

I think her candidacy is more about you, the voter, than her qualifications or vision.  She's everybody's safe, noncontroversial choice. You don't even have to explain why you support her. Just say “Jill Stein for President,” or “I support the Green Party” and everybody nods approvingly in a self-satisfied way.  She’s your excuse to escape not voting because you’re angry that Obama hasn’t delivered everything you expected.  You can throw your vote away but still say you voted without compromising your principles.  And if Romney were to win, it’s on you and your principles, and god help us.

Noam Chomsky endorses her, and while I respect him as much as I respect anybody alive today, I’m taking issue with him on this one, respectfully.

I will add that if Dr. Stein stays involved in politics after not winning instead of pouting and dropping out ala Ralph Nader, I'll have more respect for her.  And, folks, you don't prepare a third-party candidate six months before an election.  That should start this year on November 7.

ETA:  In the clip below, she could not be any more annoying.  She's a bit whiny and self-serving and quite the attention-grabber.  She would have been a distraction in the debates.  Roseanne Barr would have been a more substantial participant.  This woman isn't it.  I see through her.

                                                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9NPvFL-u5c

"The Choice" on Frontline

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice-2012/ 

I hope everybody watches this ^^ Frontline, if only for the first 30 mins or so on the candidates' early years.  Very interesting and contrasting.  2009 was a tough year, not only for the president (and it was ugly) but for me on personal and financial levels, one of the most difficult in my life, and I’m glad it’s long gone.  Frontline reminds me how crazy and ugly politics was back then which added to my anxiety.  EVERYbody was angry at Obama -- his supporters, who thought they had had fallen in love with him and were realizing who he really was, were disappointed.  They felt jilted.  And his critics and detractors grew harsher and uglier still.  Meanwhile, despite my early negative opinion of him, the more I watched him and got to know him, the more I respected him and saw in him traits that resonated with me; obviously, not that I consider myself nearly as smart or ambitious as he, but I recognize him his tendency toward solitude, his inability to glad hand and backslap, his prickliness, his drive to be authentic.  He is who he is and who he presents himself as and that’s rare in both politics and life.  In hindsight, we were lucky he was so naïve to believe in his ideas and to run for office and to try to make healthcare his legacy, probably lucky he had no idea of the opposition he would face.

Before this Frontline, I was 80% on board with Obama.  After watching it, I'm at about 90%. 

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is a human wind sock.  A self-entitled shape-shifter who honestly cannot tell you what he believes. He will probably admit, if only to himself, that he sees himself as a knight in shining armor riding in to save the day.  I call that a narcissistic messianic complex, but he'd call it the Great White Hope.