The midterm elections are not that far off. I've determined that there are circumstances that are beyond my control and I'm not going to waste my time worrying about them. There are people who, no matter what kind of leadership comes from the President, are determined to be oppositional. Thanks to the extreme right wing media imitators of the likes of Rush Limbaugh, the principles that make a democracy work--things like negotiation, compromise, give and take, and independent thinking--have disappeared. They've been replaced by hatred, mindless loyalty, "alternative facts" which is just a nice way of saying outright lying, and unjustified disrespect for people who hold different opinions and beliefs.
But, those kinds of people, whom former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called "deplorables," are a definite minority of the population. Their minds can't be changed, and that's the "base." There are plenty of people in all of the conservative constituencies who do think for themselves most of the time, who are not driven by hatred or mindless loyalty, who are discerning when it comes to "alternative facts" and who see that democracy thrives on the give-and-take that is required for government to work. Enough of them were horrified by the actions and words of former President 45 to step back and help President Biden get 80 million votes and win the White House.
I'm convinced that there are enough of those kinds of people, who aren't on that hard right, to take the present circumstances into consideration before they cast their ballots in 2022, and realize that they can't put the Republicans back in charge. I like to say this is an election that can be won "on the margins." Eighty million people cast ballots for Joe Biden in 2020, many of them Republicans and conservative independents who were objective enough to be concerned about the incompetence and corruption they'd seen. January 6th just confirmed, for many of them, that they made the right choice.
The "politics of the day" are in our favor and I am committed to doing everything I am able to do to help as many Democrats win elections in 2022 as I can. First, I contribute regularly to the DNC and leave the contribution open to be used wherever they see the most need. Second, I will use this blog, which gets anywhere from 1,300 to 2,500 hits every month, to promote Democrats running for office and encouraging people to turn out and vote for Democratic candidates. Third, I already volunteer to make phone calls and help increase voter turnout in one of those "marginal" congressional districts across the state line. My district, area and state are so blue, you can see the glow in the sky at night.
So where can we capitalize and what are the issues that are lining things up for Democrats?
- President Biden's foreign policy has been absolutely outstanding. The intelligence provided about the attack on Ukraine was right on target, and broadcasting the exact information beforehand was a brilliant strategy that helped the US gain back all the trust that had been lost as a result of Trump's incompetence. The sanctions are waging an even more effective war against Russia than Ukraine is at the moment. And while the best news here would be that the Russians withdraw and leave Ukraine to develop into a prosperous European democracy, this is something that can be used to turn voters out on those margins.
- There is nothing more I can say about all of the gifts that January 6th keeps giving. Prosecution of the cases by the justice department in the courts has the potential to eliminate a lot of potential Republican candidates for office, too late to replace or do anything about. And having all of those crimes right back in front of the voters just in time for the election will be good for Democratic turnout.
- The economy is booming, unemployment is dwindling, the economy is booming, unemployment is dwindling. Yeah, there's inflation right now but we can see it starting to resolve as production ramps back up and things get back into place after the pandemic.
- The infrastructure bill is already starting to produce results. Even in conservative states, politicians are enjoying finding ways to spend that money. I've never understood conservative attitudes toward tax dollars, this is our money and spending it on us benefits everyone, including private business.
- The social issue harping about Critical Race Theory and all of the conspiracy theory garbage is base motivation for far right wing Republicans, but polling data shows that most of that agenda doesn't connect with about 70% of the electorate. So what does it take to get those 70% to the polls to vote against the politicians who push it?
Get Out the Vote Websites: https://www.turnoutpac.org - Progressive Turnout Project is the largest voter contact organization in the country, specifically dedicated to mobilizing the Democratic Party and defending democracy.
ReplyDeleteOur mission: rally Democrats to vote.
https://swingleft.org - Swing Left is building a lasting culture of grassroots participation in winning elections for the Left by making it as easy as possible for anyone to have maximum impact on the elections that determine the balance of power in our country.
When you sign up with Swing Left, you’ll receive updates about ways to take impactful action:
https://fairfight.com - We promote fair elections around the country, encourage voter participation in elections, and educate voters about elections and their voting rights. Fair Fight Action brings awareness to the public on election reform, advocates for election reform at all levels, and engages in other voter education programs and communications. (I believe this is the org Stacey Abrams advocates for.)
https://postcardstovoters.org - Postcards to Voters are friendly, handwritten reminders from volunteers to targeted voters giving Democrats a winning edge in close, key races coast to coast.
https://www.rockthevote.org - (nonpartisan) We are drawing on our decades of experience to deploy the most effective and impactful messages, tactics, and technology to uplift and empower the largest, most diverse generation in U.S. history. We do this while also pioneering innovative ways to make democratic participation more accessible and defending young people’s right to vote.