The Sistine Chapel. You want to elect a pope, put on a red beanie and vote here. For the US midterm elections, go to your district polling place tomorrow.It's time for this blog to make its endorsements. True, very few people read this blog and those that do are clever enough to make up their own minds without getting my opinion, but since blogs are supposed to be the new journalism or something, I am providing endorsements, though they have come too late to be put on anyone's brochure. Oh well.
S & C endorses:
1. Voting. The system is messed up and both parties are full of corrupt morons who seem incapable of doing anything except insult our intelligence, but the less people vote the more they know they can get away with it. Not voting is not an effective protest: are you not voting because the system is not working or because you're catching up on the "American Idol" programs on your TiVO? Vote, and if you really can't stand the Republicans and Democrats, vote for some strange small party you've never heard of or hand in a blank ballot or write in Mickey Mouse. Just let them know you care enough to show up at the polls and that you're paying attention.
2. Vote Democratic in House and Senate races. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised at this. We have been under the rule of one party for far too long, and the scandals and incompetence that have been the result abroad (Iraq) and at home (Katrina) are the natural consequence of unaccountability. This congress has refused to question the administration on just about anything and in the new military appropriations bill, they have even closed the office of the Auditor in Iraq. It doesn't matter if your congressman is one of the moderate, sane ones, or an honest Christian man. There has been no oversight and that has to change. Yes, I could complain about the Democrats, too, but this is urgent and they're the only alternative right now.
3. Vote intelligently in other races. Yes, I want you to vote for Democratic governors and for Lamont if you're in Connecticut and progressive dog-catchers, etc., but I will only insist you vote Democratic for the US Congress. After that, just vote intelligently. Don't listen to the ads. Go to the candidate's websites and see how they really stand on the issues. Who endorses them? Google them and read up on them in reasonably authoritative media. Do not reward these bastards for lying to you about their opponents.
Enough punditry. I will be glad when this is over and the ads stop and I can concentrate on eleventh-century Leon and the now 3-0 Utah Jazz.
UPDATE: The Jazz are now 4-0 and Carlos Boozer has been named player of the week for the Western Conference. The eleventh century is still where it should be, between the tenth and twelfth centuries. All these things are good signs (knock on wood). Have you voted yet?
20 comments:
That's more or less the way I operate in the voting both. I'm a big fan of divided government (seems sensible after six years of a rubber stamp Congress) and regardless of party think Speaker Pelosi is a pretty cool prospect. There are a few Republicans I could imagine voting for even for Congress, but not in the era of George W. Bush and no oversight or checks and balances.
Dear S & C,
I'm disappointed your endorsements for the 2006 Midterms.
1) Mickey Mouse - Couldn't you come up with a better write-in candidate than the flagship Capitalist icon of Walt Disney? Walt Disney was a right-wing nutjob who secretly dressed up in women's clothes, which, I guess, would make him a perfect Republican candidate in 2006. Even after his death, the corporation he founded continues his anti-progressive legacy by using sweatshops to produce its endless unnecessary and tasteless products, which are always for lame and tasteless movies. Why not just tell us to write-in Hitler, jeez?
2)Progressive dog-catchers - Here, I have to contradict myself somewhat. Why should I vote for a "progressive" dog-catcher? Shouldn't the best dog-catcher to vote for be the one who is best at catching dogs? As far as I know, dog-catchers aren't responsible for public policy. therefore, voting for some effete, knee-jerk liberal elitist to catch dogs seems counter-productive in terms of bettering society. Are you anti-American or something?
3) You're not going to tell me who to vote for in the local Long Island elections? What kind of endorsements are you handing out here? I DON'T KNOW WHO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE! I don't know what they stand for. How am I supposed to make an educated decision. At least now that I've waited too long to figure out what's going on? I think a blogger should be THE source for last-minute information on who a lazy but well-meaning person like myself should vote for. If YOU don't tell me who to vote, who will? If you blogging is ever going to move beyond an opportunity to spit out endless lists of movies the blogger has seen and become a truly important part of American Media, you've got to tell us who to vote for in the smaller races as well.
Sincerely,
Billy "Tex" Glennstein
Long Island, NY
Oh, one final thing: I'm confused at to how I'm supposed to vote for the Utah Jazz. I don't live in Utah. Are they running for some kind of national office? If I vote for the Utah Jazz, does that mean I have to become Mormon or carry a handgun with me at all times? Are they part of the Green Party or something? Does that make you a Communist or cause you to grow hair on your palms or something?
Chris,
I agree that balance is always good, though I have to admit I would feel more confortable with Democratic control of congress & the presidency than with Republican control of the same -- my memory of the Democratic congress was that they were much more diverse and less willing to be nothing more than a rubber stamp for the white house (say, under Carter) than the Republicans are.
Tex,
1. You got me on the Mickey Mouse question. People should write in the name of their favorite poet or celebrity chef.
2. Vote for a progressive dog catcher. Republican dog catchers often spend their time getting stuck going after cats that they claim are in league with the dogs, then not even catching the cats but rather just getting all scratched up, and then becoming involved in strange bestiality scandals. The dogs are never even pursued.
3. Where is Long Island?
The Utah Jazz and the eleventh century are not to be voted for, but just enjoyed in all their elegant beauty.
I vote for Arminius, the guy sure knew how to have fun. :)
I admit, I only skim those election posts because I can't vote anyway. And in Germany I no longer do, because all parties and politicians are corrupt assholes, pardon the word.
Verification word: lozbot. Is that a voting machine? :)
Gabriele,
My favorite sentence from Ronald Syme's "The Roman Revolution": "A rhinocerous was solemnly displayed in the voting booth of the Roman people."
Y'all guys vote early and often, baby. Early and often.
I've voted always democrat, so no worries there. Nice photo of the Sistine Chapel.
Gabriele, don't give up hope of votong here ... if Arnold ends up as president some day, he may make an exception for you :-)
Liam,
I heartily endorse your endorsements, especially the first one.
The single biggest threat to democracy is, in my less than humble opinion, apathy. And judging from our voting habits, my generation is the most apathetic.
I've heard that we "young people" don't vote because we are disaffected, and discouraged by the whole process. But such disaffection, such disgust, should manifest itself in change, be it revolution or reform, not in a wholesale failure to participate.
When we fail to participate in the process, we get the government we deserve, and forfeit the right to complain about it.
Gabriele,
What I've said obviously doesn't apply to you, since you cannot legally vote. That said, you also, I think, have an obligation to participate via, if nothing else, your voice and your powers of persuasion. Stay informed, and do all that the law will allow you to do until such time as the law allows you to fully participate.
I don't think I can bring myself to vote for the Jazz, but my candidate -- the lowly Knickerbockers -- are 1-3 and in freefall...
See what you started:
Nacogdoches County [TX] Elections Administrator Debra Gaston had predicted counting write-in candidates would slow the process. At about 10 p.m.Tuesday, Gaston reported having technical difficulties. "[T]here were some who voted for undeclared candidates, like Mickey Mouse."
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Berkeley County [SC] election officials were still counting paper ballots late Tuesday from Goose Creek 2, the precinct that had trouble with the electronic voting machines. There are 4,000 registered voters in the precinct and Wanda Farley, the director of county elections, said she did not know how many ballots they were counting. They expected to be counting them until at least 3 a.m. today.
Write-in candidates, including Rozier and Mickey Mouse, got about 100 votes. A breakdown of the write-ins was not available."
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Nancy Boren, executive director of the Muscogee County Office of Elections and Registrations [GA]: "We get Mickey Mouse, we get Donald Duck. . . . We get a lot of votes for Anyone Else."
Spelling isn't necessarily important. As long as elections officials can determine the voter's intent, the vote will count.
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Yolo County [CA] Clerk-Recorder Freddie Oakley: “Don’t write in silly candidates,” she said. “It slows us down on election night, and it means your vote isn’t counted that night. We don’t count up the votes for Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck.”
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PAWTUCKET [RI]- "Who's behind it remains unknown but a write-in movement has surfaced. . . . Voters always have the write-in option by filling in any name of their choosing, which many use as an opportunity to register a protest vote, with Mickey Mouse a perennial favorite."
Hmmm... Donald Duck. I should have suggested that. He's much cooler than Micky Mouse.
...waiting on "Old Dominion." But with Santorum and Rummy gone, I'm a bit happier.
oh yeah: Go Jazz!
finally, my write-in on my Absentee ballott was "Kenneth Patchen." (no, i didn't really do this...)
Sigh - Arnold won again :-(
Sorry about that one, Crystal.
I still think Gary Coleman should have won in the last election.
In New York, Democrats swept the statewide offices -- including the comptroller, who is under investigation for misuse of funds. We're really sick of the GOP up here.
Some democrats did win here, like Jerry Brown for attorney general ... I once was on an airplane with him :-)
Liam, have you seen the book God’s War: A New History of the Crusades? There's a post on it at the Busybody that's interesting.
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