General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEmail to Common Dreams
[email protected]
Skip voting?
Or vote for some idiot who isn't running to win? Are you kidding? Too many on the left have been executing this brilliant strategy for the last 40 years. If that works so well, where is our functioning participatory democracy working for the 99%? I'm all for supporting left parties instead of Democrats, but only if they take winning seriously.
In Seattle last year, many Democrats supported the Socialist Alternative candidate for the Seattle City Council, but only because she was a serious candidate. She won narrowly due to the efforts of 400-500 volunteers phoning and doorbelling for her. But if you think this means that people should stop voting for Democrats, get back to me when Socialist Alternative wins seats on the city councils of Federal Way, Renton, Kent. Auburn, Spokane, etc.
In reality, only Demorats can run serious candidates all up and down the ballot. Left third parties can win in urban centers, small towns with big universities, and rural areas populated by a lot of refugees from Woodstock Nation--and nowhere else.
Back here in the real world, we are now in a hellhole run by the 1% because conservative whackjobs took over the Republicans working from the precinct level upward. On the left, idiots of tender conscience have refused to to the same to the Democrats. Democrats at least make an effort to talk to their neighbors.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)woman who would talk circles around your 'argument'.
Did you even read the article? Or are you responding to the headline alone?
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)they run opinion pieces from a variety of sources; the one you're apparently complaining about shows the author is someone called Carmen Velasquez. Further use of Google indicates that she has a LinkedIn profile which presumably contains contact details. And her ambivalence to voting comes from the lack of action on immigration reform, specifically, which is an important issue for the Latino community. As you are evidently not part of that community, perhaps you shouldn't be telling them where their priorities ought to be; just a thought.
eridani
(51,907 posts)However, the real reason so many Latinos are sitting out this election in WA State is that they are not registered to vote. A really good young Latino candidate in the 4th CD has mobilized the state party to put some effort into registration--unfortunately we have a Top Two primary and no Democrat made the general election ballot. At least Yakima might get a Latino city council member after one or two more election cycles.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)And if you haven't read the article then you really have no business criticising it.
eridani
(51,907 posts)--gains them more political power?
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)of white liberals telling members of minority groups "hey, I know this stuff is important to you, but these things I'm concerned about really matter more; let's get those out of the way first and then we can talk about this civil rights/immigration reform/marriage equality thing, okay?", and I can understand why they're getting tired of it.
eridani
(51,907 posts)This white liberal has put plenty of money into supporting the WA State voter outreach program for native speakers of Spanish, Vietnames, Cambodian and several east African languages. That's all I can do, not speaking any of them well myself. Politcians will take more notice when they figure out that enough Latino voters are registerd to be a threat to reelection if they ignore their issues.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)again, you should actually inform yourself of what you're talking about before trying to discuss something. Here, from the article you didn't read:
http://is.gd/YbeTmB
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)But people who are too apathetic or disenchanted with the system to vote are not a threat to reelection?
eridani
(51,907 posts)--and focus their efforts on existing likely voters. Estakio Beltran's efforts in WA-04 are going to take awhile to pay off.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)That doesn't completely coincide with I've been reading on DU through goodly number of election cycles now.
eridani
(51,907 posts)Most efforts are focused on known likely supporters sho vote, but inconsistently.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)They are being inconsistent voters.
The kind of voters who evidently lose elections for candidates.
eridani
(51,907 posts)mfcorey1
(11,001 posts)MisterP
(23,730 posts)I know you know that, but I also know you feel stampeded because the election's around the corner--don't worry, everyone's brains will come back online in a few weeks again