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A friend..."I'm not going to vote." Last edited Wed Aug 22, 2012, 04:12 PM USA/ET - Edit history (2) I met with a friend I hadn't seen since the beginning of the year. The last time we spoke, I asked if he was going to vote and he told me that he was planning on it because he couldn't handle another Republican president. He's my age, we're in our 20s, and he's a pretty liberal guy. I got him to vote in '08, his first real election, and was happy that he would be voting again four years later. Well today, we met up for some lunch and, since I hadn't seen him since February, I asked if he still planned to vote. "No. I'm not going to vote..." I rolled my eyes. Great. What changed his mind? He has to buy into the idea that there is no difference between Obama & Romney - right? Ugh...I was gonna have to explain to him those differences. But I was surprised by his answer when I asked why. "I'm not voting because there is no point...I read on the internet the Republicans are going to steal it anyway, so why bother?" It was a sobering remark. I tried to convince him, but he didn't seem to care. He was convinced the election was already decided from the liberal blogs he had read that indicated the Republicans were going to steal it. By the end of lunch, I asked him to reconsider, but he felt so defeatist that he made me defeatist. And that's when I realized - all this proactive talk about the Republicans stealing this election might be turning it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I see it here on DU every single day. Someone will post a positive poll and one of the first comments will be that it doesn't account for their stealing it. If the margin is close, it's close enough to steal. People are reading this and becoming more and more convinced this election is a lost cause because of it. Which is ironic, because the awareness is supposed to help - but I have a feeling it's not helping much. It's creating nervous and apathetic supporters who are skeptical of ever voting because they don't believe their vote will count...or matter. I asked him if anyone else he knew felt this way and he told me a lot of his friends do. It was so disturbing to hear - not voting because you've already conceded the Republicans are going to steal it anyway. But it makes sense. I see it every single day on DU. In a positive poll about Wisconsin posted today, the first post: Nobody should relax, particularly in Wisconsin. Between voter suppression and outright election fraud (electronic and otherwise) I suspect the Republicans will "win" Wisconsin.First post in a poll showing Obama up five-points in Virginia: They'll have to try and supress the vote there too...Those were just two examples. But I've seen a variation of these posts for months now - they're either going to steal it, are in the process of stealing it or very well could steal it. It's a scary thought, I know, and we all want to make sure it doesn't happen. But at the same time, we're also kind of setting a very negative narrative out there that could be impacting less-passionate voters who really do believe this election is going to be stolen. My friend's words scared me. I'm only in Utah, so, his vote won't matter a lick. But what if it's like this across the country? What if Democrats are reading the blog posts that the Republicans are stealing it and listen to Rachel Maddow talk daily on her show about how they're stealing it, and convince themselves there is no point in voting anyway because...the outcome has already been decided? You know, elections are always about narrative. You've got to want your voters committed and engaged to win. If they're dispirited, that's just as damning as being overconfident. If they're questioning the validity of the election, that's just as damning as accepting your candidate is going to win no matter what - if not more. If people here on DU, who are more tuned into national politics and have a better understanding of the fight, are suggesting Republicans are going to steal this one...what does that say for the non-educated Obama supporter? The person from Ohio who reads a post that the Republicans are going to steal their vote, so, they decide not to vote at all? That's all I hear daily now. Republicans are stealing Ohio...and Wisconsin...and Pennsylvania. While it might be right in the truest sense, it's also a very negative message to send out to voters. It's basically telling them they shouldn't vote because their vote will be stolen anyway. So they don't. And then we've got a problem. I tried convincing my friend this election still meant something...but he was told they were going to steal it and if they're going to steal it, why does it matter voting anyway? I told him they weren't going to steal it - but I'm afraid it fell on deaf ears. I hope, no I pray, more people don't share his views. But looking at DU, and all the negative posts here about the election, I'm guessing a great deal of voters share that view. I mean, how can't you when all you read, day in and day out, is that the Republicans are going to steal this election...that the polls don't matter because the Republicans are going to steal this election...that the margins don't matter because the Republicans are going to steal this election. Well that leads to not voting since votes don't matter because, gosh, the Republicans are going to steal this election. It's exhausting.
SunSeeker (1,542 posts) 33. So sad. And it is particularly a prevalent view among progressives--the very people we need voting!We need to really watch what we say in our posts (me too). Sometimes we carry on about all the voter suppression and voting machine shenanigans, but we forget to emphasize that these things only help Republicans when the election is very close. And if more people vote, it won't be close. If everyone turns out, Obama will win by double digits.
Drunken Irishman (21,720 posts) 2. Simply ask him where in the Constitution it says you need an ID to vote...
Yeah, we're gonna steal it, the DUmmies are gonna lose, they may as well just take a hit off the bong and wait for their soon to be discontinued welfare check.Sucks to be you, libs.
Remember, DUmmies, Democrats vote on Wednesday November 7 this year instead of Tuesday to help you all avoid ballot confusion that usually results because of the high illiteracy rate among you guys.
Oh great now you done it, the DUmmies will demand that they shut us down for that comment.
"I'm not voting because there is no point...I read on the internet the Republicans are going to steal it anyway, so why bother?"
It's exhausting.
I've read they are also supposed to wear a hankie on their heads, their underwear over their trousers, Wellies, and walk bow-legged as well as speak in an unnaturally low voice so poll workers will know they need special attention. I think that was posted up at the Soros-funded Voting Points Memo. So you know it is double plus accurate.
After reading Drunken Irishman's post and his post about voter ID (see below) I'm beginning to wonder if he's trying to make a run at DUmmie of the Year. If so, he's going to have to try harder in order to defeat nads.Drunken Irishman (21,720 posts) 2. Simply ask him where in the Constitution it says you need an ID to vote...
The Right To VoteThe Constitution contains many phrases, clauses, and amendments detailing ways people cannot be denied the right to vote. You cannot deny the right to vote because of race or gender. Citizens of Washington DC can vote for President; 18-year-olds can vote; you can vote even if you fail to pay a poll tax. The Constitution also requires that anyone who can vote for the "most numerous branch" of their state legislature can vote for House members and Senate members.Note that in all of this, though, the Constitution never explicitly ensures the right to vote, as it does the right to speech, for example. It does require that Representatives be chosen and Senators be elected by "the People," and who comprises "the People" has been expanded by the aforementioned amendments several times. Aside from these requirements, though, the qualifications for voters are left to the states. And as long as the qualifications do not conflict with anything in the Constitution, that right can be withheld. For example, in Texas, persons declared mentally incompetent and felons currently in prison or on probation are denied the right to vote. It is interesting to note that though the 26th Amendment requires that 18-year-olds must be able to vote, states can allow persons younger than 18 to vote, if they chose to.
