After being told this morning at breakfast that Bush and the Republicans were now going to start World War III starting with Iraq, by someone I don’t know, I was mad. My wonderful response? “Well, then, did you vote?” Answer: No.
So then shut up. You just had your best chance to make your “Don’t Attack Iraq” thing actually mean something, but you were too goddamned lazy to vote. If you really cared, you’d’ve pushed for the Democrats instead of just putting up your stupid posters. I voted, and I had to absentee. If I can do it, you can. Until 2004, I don’t care what you think, because you refused to put your money where your mouth was. You had a chance to vote, you blew it.
I agree. I voted. I got sort of weirded out by a friend saying that “there was nothing on the ballot that they cared about” so they didn’t vote… just can’t wrap my brain around that one.
I haven’t always voted in midterm elections. I know that is bad, but I was young. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking by it.
Agreed, if you are eligible to vote but choose not to you shouldn’t even be allowed one little peep. Nothing is worse than participants in an armchair democracy.
Asterion, like LunaSea, I can’t vote since I am a resident alien. Because I can’t vote I “suffer” from taxation without representation. Also, I think that the case for going to war with Iraq is very flimsy, and should be avoided until some real proof is offered.
Are you going to tell me to shut up, or am I not allowed an opinion?
Hrrm, all the Republican canidates on my ballot were lying sacks of shit who found every police report on their opponents and their families and ran with it. Both political parties are ignoring the softmoney ban. The Democratic canidates were fuckwads. Lets not go into the tin-foil-hat independent canidate.
I can vote for the lairs who don’t hold ANY of the values I believe humans should have. Or I could vote for the fuckwads who are so short sited they make that idiot woman at the grocery store seem like a Einstein.
If America could generate more than 3 intellegent, ACTUALLY socially and moralisticly responsible canidates a generation I MIGHT get around to voting. But the short sighted, pathetic fuckwads that populate both parties disgust me.
Not living in the US so I have no real say of course but…
I was under the impression that both the Reps and the Dems were not making an issue of the Iraq crisis (at least compared to other issues) since they are both overwhelmingly backing the President’s stance.
Since it’s only a tiny minority of ‘leftists’ and ‘isolationists’ who are opposed in the Houses, except in their races, the Iraq question wouldn’t come up up much.
That’s the impression I got from our media anyway.
I fully agree that those who don’t vote when they have the chance should STFU.
I disagree with this sentiment. There are any number of reasons people do not vote. Some are apathetic and lazy. Some are unable to for legal reasons, still some others have schedules that don’t permit voting.
And there are also those who make a conscious decision not to vote. Some deliberately withdraw from the process as a form of protest. You might not agree with that stand, but it does not mean they should not be allowed a peep.
In my Senate race, John Warner didn’t have a Democratic challenger. He took 84% of the vote. Can you honestly say that a person who doesn’t like Warner was derelict as a citizen by not voting? You might think they should do a write-in or vote for one of the independents as I did, but the fact remains that everybody knew Warner was going to win. He barely campaigned at all.
I agree that people should vote in many circumstances. But I just don’t agree that failure to vote strips a person of the right to debate and complain.
Wow, I must not have been watching the news, because I missed the part where they repealed the First Amendment. :rolleyes:
That’s the beautiful thing about my country – I can refuse to vote, because I’m totally cynical and disenchanted about the process (even at my relatively young age of 24), and still bitch about how fucked up the country is the next day.
You don’t like it? Then shove some red hot pokers in your ears.
I voted-- AND bought something at the school’s bake sale afterwards (leaving the change too). I felt so damn virtuous it was great.
Of course, most of my candidates lost (but the two bonds I really wanted to see pass did-- Yea Schools and Parks Bonds!!) but I still voted- so 2 more years of unhindered bitching and moaning for me.
Everyone should vote. My husband (a Vietnam war vet) didn’t until very recently. I agree that not voting is a valid form of protest, but not very productive. Some wise person said that not exercising your right to vote is like living in a country where you CAN’T vote. I believe this to be true.
How on earth can someone’s schedule not permit voting.
Are there really people so busy that they can’t take 2 minutes to call or even email the voting board and request an absentee ballot and then 20 to fill it out? The 90 days before elections are so full that they can’t squeeze in those 22 minutes anywhere?
Yeah.
Right.
I buy that.
:rolleyes:
Our voting experience took about 5 minutes. Besides, you can leave work to vote without any repercussions! Lame excuse! I much prefer the “silent protest” approach to the “no time” approach.
I didn’t vote, and I have every right to complain. Why? Because those people that voted are responsible for who got into office. OTOH, I had no hand in electing anyone. Thus, I can complain as loudly as I wish about the morons you voted in. Nyah, nyah.
I almost wasn’t able to vote. I had planned on voting in the morning but had to get to work early. I then worked late and barely made it to the polling place. Do you buy that?
And you know what? I’m sure others had scheduling problems. Or there are others that could juggle things and have time to vote but choose not to when the race is non-competitive. Maybe a single parent doesn’t want to pay extra childcare or take off time for work when the outcome is pre-determined. People make different cost/benefit analyses than you. It doesn’t mean they forfeit their right to comment on government.
