People not voting is a problem. A young person asked me today why people don't vote, in light of everything that is America today, and I had a million answers but not any one very good one. I think it just doesn't seem very important to most people. I can tell you that I have observed all my life that Republicans do everything they can to suppress the vote, and Democrats try to get everyone to vote, and that's one of the reasons I'm a Democrat.
To me, voting is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do. And I am annoying about it, but either everyone I know is a registered voter, or ...maybe some of them are lying to me so I'll shut up about it. The last thing you want to tell me is that you don't vote on purpose.
We were discussing some of the more colorful Republican politicians, and I mentioned that the midterm elections are coming up, and that most of these crazy dudes will be getting re-elected; in fact, the Republicans will likely take the Senate. All of this over the backdrop of climate crisis. And my friend was astonished. "HOW IN THE WORLD," he asked, "do they get re-elected?"
Well, there's the right-wing media noise machine extravaganza, there's the Koch brothers, there's generalized amplified indoctrinated FEAR. There's Big Money behind it all. It's a lot to deal with. But I have faith in the people. I believe that people are generally good. I think if we could shut off the noise machine and turn off the money spigot, that people could change the way they think. I think if everybody voted, we'd have a lot more liberal elected officials.
Voting is important not only for the sake of all the people who died so we could do it, but also for our own state of being. Keeping up with current affairs is interesting and fun, if frustrating also, and I think more people would do it, but look! Kardashian baby! (I don't know anything about popular culture so I stole that from someone else. Sorry.)
I live in a college town, and people are serious about football here. Their knowledge of the game, its players and strategies and history, is deep and profound. They have special clothing and jewelry and especially equipment for entertaining. It's a big party. But in football, unlike politics, whoever wins the game does not get to determine if I have access to health care; that is, if I live or die.
Election Day should be a holiday. We should have oyster roasts and barbecues and get together with friends and family. Vote first, and then drink your beer or what have you, and watch the returns on Comedy Central with your nearest and dearest. If there is one day of the year that everyone needs to have off from work, it's Election Day. There's probably some reason for this that I am just too ignorant to know.
I'll tell you one thing I do know, and that is explaining politics to young people in a red state is more difficult that it may look. But it's super fun!
