Back OpEd News | |||||||
Original Content at https://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_john_mof_061027_why_everyone_should_.htm (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). |
October 28, 2006
Why should independents vote for Democrats this election?
By John Moffett
The Republicans have gone ultra-negative on their ads this election for one simple reason. They know that negative ads turn off voters and keep them from turning out at the polls. The only hope that the Republicans have this time is a massive suppression of voter turnout.
::::::::
Why Should Everyone Vote Democratic This Election? For Democrats the choice is easy. Lying us into a war, over 2800 dead, thousands maimed, a $500 billion debacle in Iraq spiraling rapidly toward civil war, a $9 trillion national debt, massive tax cuts for corporations, illegal spying on US citizens, torturing of prisoners, suspension of habeas corpus, secret trials without representation, dismantling FEMA, trashing international treaties, government-sponsored propaganda, and corruption as far as the eye can see in the Republican Congress. Why should independents vote for Democrats this election? Simple: divided government. Independents know full well that when one party controls the entire government that things go very poorly for the country. A divided government worked well under Bill Clinton with a Democrat in the White House and the Republican Congress. Things were actually accomplished, and the deficit was turned into a surplus. We were actually paying down the national debt for the first time in a long time. Why should Republicans vote for Democrats this election? I could go on about how the size of the federal government has never been larger, how the debt has never been larger, and how Republicans should be just as concerned about corruption in Congress as everyone else. But I will give Republicans an even better reason to turn the House and Senate over to Democrats. You will have somebody to scream and yell at again. Remember how much you loved cursing out Bill Clinton when he was president? Don't you miss having Democrats in some position of power so you can blame them for everything that goes wrong? Think about it, if Democrats take over the House and Senate you will have a field day insulting them, denigrating them, and blaming them for all of the country's problems. Plus, they might prevent Bush from wasting more lives and money while running up an even larger national debt. The Republicans have gone ultra-negative on their ads this election for one simple reason. They know that negative ads turn off voters and keep them from turning out at the polls. The only hope that the Republicans have this time is a massive suppression of voter turnout. People like Ken Blackwell in Ohio have already purged the voter rolls of many eligible Democrats, and Republicans are working hard to demoralize Democrats in order to keep them from voting. They will even float rumors that nobody's vote counts anymore so there's no point in voting. Despite their attempts to dampen voting, Democrats need to turn out in huge numbers this year in order to swamp their efforts to suppress our vote. They may be able to shift a percentage point or two, but if Democrats win in landslides, no amount of vote tampering will save the day for the Republicans. So even if the lines are long, hang in there and vote! And just in case, bring identification with you in the event that Republicans challenge you at the polls.John R. Moffett PhD is a research neuroscientist in the Washington, DC area. Dr. Moffett's main area of research focuses on the brain metabolite N-acetylaspartate, and an associated genetic disorder known as Canavan disease.