The V in Invisible Republic’s logo represents the Roman numeral V (in turn symbolic of the Fifth Republic, a whimsical manifestation of the Invisible Republic), victory and accountabiity, as glorified by the movie V for Vendetta. V also stands for VOTING, for there can be no meaningful reform without it.
Because there can be no meaningful reform without it. In other words, if no one voted, things would be as hopeless as most Americans seem to think they are already.
To put it in perspective, let’s consider some alternatives to voting. Let’s see, there’s writing letters to your elected representaitves, good old-fashioned grassroots activism, online activism, strikes, protests, anarchy and violent revolutions. The armed forces could even help out with mutinies and a strategic coup.
In fact, most, if not all, of the above strategies have accomplished great things. Violent revolutions gave birth to the United States and a democratic France. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez first came to political power through a coup, and the sometimes violent protests of the 1960’s and 70’s helped give us civil rights and an environmental movement.
However, while strikes, protests and rebellions may sometimes be effective at toppling rotten governments, they’re extremely ineffecient strategies for managing governments over the long haul. One or a few sensational incidents may capture the public’s imagination and lead to fundamental changes in government. But it’s unrealistic to expect thousands of rabble rousers to rally every time a corrupt politician screws taxpayers.
Extreme tactics can also be dangerous. For example, violent tactics are more likely to install violent people in government.
Activism, including traditional grassroots activism and online activism, can be a very effective tool and is also much less volatile than more violent strategies. But even if you ring a thousand doorbells a day and persuade a million people to embrace your message, what’s next? If the government decides to ignore you and your one million followers, you’re out of luck, unless you can persuade them to launch a major strike, protest or revolution. In other words, you have to somehow translate your doorbelling into action at the government level, and the most convenient and efficient interface between the people and their government is voting.
The Internet is a powerful tool/weapon, but it is already manipulated by corporate interests to a far greater degree than most people realize. Even many liberal anti-Bush websites are actually working for the dark side. Even if you use the Internet to enlighten millions of people, you face the same ultimate obstacle as traditional grassroots activists — what next?
Some anarchists argue that government itself should be abolished. No matter how tempting it sounds, that’s just plain stupid, for obvious reasons.
U.S. citizens, in particular, have an obligation to vote, and that obligation is global. Think about it: Theoretically, the United States is still a democracy. That means the government’s actions (and inaction) theoretically represent the people’s will.
Of course, George W. Bush may not have really been following the people’s will when he launched his famously illegal, immoral and stupid invasion of Iraq. But people in other nations aren’t blind. They know that millions of Americans didn’t even bother to vote. Some further know that liberals didn’t give Bush much competition with candidates like Al Gore and John Kerry.
Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that the vast majority of U.S. citizens are culpable for Bush’s insane war against terrorism, even those who say they don’t support Bush. You know what they say — talk is cheap. To put it in perspective, it may not be fair to say the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks deserved to die, but one could argue that they died for our sins.
All intelligent U.S. citizens who are politically astute know our election campaigns have become grossly corrupted. That can be very discouraging, dissudaing many people from voting in a vicious, self-feeding cycle which, in turn, discourages good candidates from running for office. As a previous candidate for public office myself, I can tell you that voter apathy is as depressing as it is disgusting.
Apathy is one of the reasons elections have become so derelict. That’s why you should always vote, even in minor, “off-year” elections, even if there are no good candidates on the ballot.
If people don’t vote — or if they vote stupid — they hand another victory to corrupt politicians and the corporations they represent. If you complain about a corrupt politician, and people find out you never even voted in the election that swept him to power, you’re likely to be ignored or jeered, and deservedly so.
If, on the other hand, the general public gets behind a good candidate(s) and votes for that candidate, but the bad guys still win, then their cheating becomes more obvious. It is then easier to claim that you’re government is illegitimate. That may sound inane, but it’s actually a powerful idea. People are less likely to respect corrupt governments to begin with. If they embrace the idea that their government is illegitimate to boot, they are even more likely to question their government. If that government is ever reformed or overthrown, people who understand it was illegitimate will be less reluctant to hold members of that government (and its corporate pimps) accountable.
It has been said that Americans will cross an ocean to fight a war, but they won’t cross the street to vote. This is especially ironic considering the way conservatives, especially, exploit veterans in politics. They often deride a perceived lack of patriotism in others as an insult to those who fought and died for democracy.
Well what could be a bigger slap in the face for a crippled veteran than someone who doesn’t even vote — or someone who votes for a moron like George W. Bush? How can we expect vuture members of the armed forces to heroically defend us if they question whether there’s anything left worth defending?
Even if you don’t care about yourself, your neighbors or your colleagues, you should at least vote for the sake of the children who are going to inherit our mess. If you don’t even care about the food your community’s children are forced to eat in public schools, then you aren’t fit to preach politics to others, from a liberal or conservative perspective. Screw you.
People offer many reasons for not voting. However, the most common reasons that I’ve heard seem to focus on personal obstacles and the general dereliction of candidates and politics in general.
The personal obstacles can be extraordinarily harrowing: “I’m just too stressed!” “I don’t have time!” “The issues are just too confusing!”
Cry me a river. Those aren’t excuses; they’re cop outs.
Others claim, increasingly with some justification, that there are no good candidates. Many people simply dismiss politics in general as “hopeless.”
Even if these charges are literally true, what kind of message does that send to our children? What message does it send to people in other nations? What about nations where people risk their lives to vote?
The simple truth is that Americans have evolved into a nation of lazy, selfish assholes. When they complain about stress, time restraints or lousy candidates, most are really saying, “I don’t give a damn.” But they don’t want to admit they’re lazy, selfish assholes, so they lie.
As a former candidate for public office with four campaigns under my belt, I speak from experience. Trust me, U.S. voters are a lost cause. Yes, corrupt politicians are a problem, but the biggest problem in American politics today is the general public.
Beating my head against corrupt politicians, corporate thugs and the world’s most apathetic, spineless voters, I, of all people, shoud have given up long ago.
But I still vote, and I expect to run for office again, too. Why? Besides all the practical and philosophical reasons I’ve already listed, it’s a personal thing. It’s a matter of personal honor, and it’s also my way of reminding my enemies that I’m not going away. I will continue to vote, run for office and otherwise make waves.
Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to simply vote. The election process has unfortunately become horribly corrupt, and the corporate powers that have subverted are not dummies. They have endless reserves of money and vast databases filled with information about every U.S. citizen. They control our jobs and can monitor our computers and conversations. They’ve planted spies among our co-workers and neighbors. They’re playing for keeps, while most of us are scarcely even playing.
In spite of everything, it isn’t hopeless. But voter education has never been more important. And before you start complaining about stress or a lack of time, look on the bright side: You don’t have to march through forests and fields, as the Minutemen did. You don’t have to ride a horse to the nearest polling station. Nor need you dodge bullets and car bombs, in contrast to citizens of Iraq, Haiti and other nations protected by the United States.
This is the 21st century; you can research candidates on the Internet and communicate with them via e-mail or telephone. If you’re too stressed out to do something as simple as that, then do the world a favor and put a bullet in your head.
If you haven’t yet given up on democracy, the environment and the hope that Pat Robertson will someday fall over dead, then here are some voting tips that will hopefully empower you to make a difference.
If you don’t want to spend your life wallowing with the sheeple, follow this simple advice: Make politics, including voting, a part of your lifestyle. No, I’m not talking about spending three hours a day studying government after ringing doorbells every evening.
Take it slow and easy. If you already follow the news, then start paying closer attention. Start taking notes. Join some political forums and discuss current events. Download articles from the Internet and dissect them, searching for propaganda. Start a political website as a hobby; researching and writing articles can be extremely educational.
Knowledge is important, but it’s useless without independent thinking skills. I’m talking about logic and reasoning skills, skills that were virtually lacking in the teachers I worked with for sixteen years. And the Seattle School District isn’t alone.
There’s abundant evidence to indicate that the corporations that have taken over America’s public schools are not only deliberately dumbing down students but eroding their thinking skills as well. These bastards are playing for keep.
Too many people treat politics like a spectator sport. They wait for the media to bring them news about the candidates, followed by public forums and debates featuring the candidates themselves.
Reality Check: When I ran for public office, I wasn’t even invited to most forums. The media scarcely mentioned me, and they never had any intention of endorsing anyone who wasn’t corrupt.
Nor is the Internet much better; it has been infiltrated by corporations to a far greater degree than most people realize.
So get off your butt and get involved. Instead of waiting for the candidates to come to you, go searching for them as early in the campaign process as possible. In most states, the Secretary of State keeps records on people who have filed as candidates for public office on the state level. County governments typically keep records on local candidates.
Apply some reasonable standards to candidates. Any one-issue candidates with a poor track record and a website that came into being only after they decided to run for office can be dismissed outright. Please consider adopting my candidates/activists standards.
Don’t pay too much attention to media election coverage, especially endorsements.
Beware of voting for the lesser of evils.
Beware of rhetoric and superficialities.
Don’t confuse politics with religion, following whatever cult you were born into or following your new neighbors in lockstep. LIberals like to boast that they’re smarter than conservatives on average. That might be true in an academic sense, but when it comes to common sense — especially regarding politics — there’s very little difference.
Do some independent research, then choose your own path.
Find something bigger than yourself to believe in and rally behind it.
One of the ironies of modern politics is that the voters criticize candidates for not telling them where they stand on the issues, yet they are quick to dump candidates if they take the wrong stand on one particular issue, no matter how minor.
Harold Hochstatter is a bigot, an anti-environmentalist and a religious wacko. He might have made a useful contribution to politics if he hadn’t been so hung up on gay bashing. So when he ran for Washington State Governor, I eagerly voted for him. Why?
I was invited to contribute some questions for a candidates forum at West Seattle High School. The forum was attended by just two gubernatorial candidates, both Republicans.
The candidates were asked one of my questions: “Would you support an audit of the Seattle School District?”
As I predicted, John Carlson tap danced around the issue and never did offer a real answer. But Hochstatter nailed it. His response was both intelligent and forceful. He acknowledged that the public didn’t give a damn about school reform, but he then rallied and said he would support an audit, and that anyone found guilty of malfeasance or misfeasance would be held accountable.
The incumbent was Gary Locke, arguably the most corrupt Governor in Washington State history. The child of Chinese immigrants, he supposedly cared about minorities, gays and all the other people liberals supposedly care about.
In fact, Locke screwed virtually every citizen in the state, regardless of race, color or creed. Locke also presided over an environmental nightmare. Like George W. Bush, he did virtually nothing good. Hochstatter was at least honest about where he stood. He had at least some good ideas about education, and I felt he might stand up to corrupt corporations.
I’ve been a keen observer of Seattle and Washington State politics for about a decade, and I’ve never been aware of a truly outstanding candidate on the ballot, running for any office. So when a good candidate does come along, you want to give that individual all the support you can.
I’ve encountered a handful of candidates who appeared to be good people who were genuinely interested in fighting for reform. Though I couldn’t afford to contribute money, I did everything I could to help them get elected, primarily by publicizing their campaigns.
Not one of them got elected, primarily because I was one of a relative handful of voters who gave a damn. But you have to start somewhere.
Conventional wisdom (along with most media whores) suggests that candidates with the biggest “war chests” (i.e. the most money) are destined to win. Conversely, they often suggest that voting for candidates who have very little money is a wasted vote.
Well, screw conventional wisdom and screw media whores. What sense does it make to vote for someone simply because they have lots of money? If corporations supported candidates with weird skin diseases, should we then vote for candidates with weird skin diseases, since they’re destinted to win, anyway?
George W. Bush ran the most expensive political campaign in American history during his first or second bid for the White House. (I forget which; he probably took both first and second place with his combined assaults on democracy.) Yet I never voted for Bush. If Bush spent one TRILLION dollars on an election campaign, I still woudln’t vote for him. Why? Because I’m not stupid.
The same logic applies to local elections. If you vote for candidates who appear to be destined to win because they have lots of money, you’re only confirming your stupidity. If you want another corrupt asshole to get (s)elected, then just stay home and don’t vote at all. But if you’re going to go to the trouble of voting, at least cast a sensible vote.
Your vote will go a lot farther if you can persuade two other people to support the best candidate.
The Republican Party and the Vichy Democrats are both up to their necks in corruption. Aside from their useless rhetoric, there’s little to distinguish Seattle’s King County Democrats from Republicans.
Sadly, corporations have infiltrated other political parties, too. The Green Party of Seattle is as useless as John Kerry, and Washington State’s Libertarian Party appears to be a monumental joke.
But we can’t give up. If none of these parties can be reformed, then we’ll have to create a new party.
Name calling is a form of accountability. Call a spade a spade...or an asshole, in George W. Buish’s case. Get angry!
“We’ll remember in November” is a common refrain associated with Americans who have been screwed by the President, Congress or state or local representatives. It means, of course, that they’re going to vote the bums out of office during the general election in November (even if the election is two or three years away).
But this is a more accurate translation: “I’m a typical American moron who really doesn’t have a clue about politics and couldn’t muster the energy to contribute to the cause even if I did.”
What a frightening number of U.S citizens are too stupid to realize is that the fix is in long before November. Corporations begin recruiting and grooming candidates years in advance. Very few decent human beings even bother filing as candidates for public office.
Most good candidates who are in the running are handily defeated in the primary election, which many voters ignore. Come November, the choices are even more horrifying. Suddenly, people realize that the only alternative to George W. Bush is John Kerry, who also supported the war in Iraq.
The moral of the story is obvious: Get involved early in the game.
I like to tell people here in Seattle that we’ll never take back the White House if we can’t even reform the Seattle School Board. Of course, it’s almost pointless, because Seattle boasts the most apathetic and therefore stupid people on the planet.
But I continue hoping that things will change some day. And if some intelligent beings do drift into Seattle some day, I’m hoping they’ll help me explain the simple logic behind my advice.
First, we need strong and decent local governments to protect us from the White House and Congress. At the same time, we need local government to serve as a springboard for attacking bigger game. George W. Bush was (s)elected Governor of Texas with no prior government experience. But most normal people serve many years in a variety of public offices before they run for President of the United States.
Reformers and activists can also use positions in local government as bully pulpits and to help campaign for fellow reformers and activists. And don’t let anyone tell you a bully pulpit is worthless. Protected by the First Amendment, a person with a big mouth can move mountains.
For example, the media conveniently ignored me when I made corporal punishment for America’s chief traitor and war criminal (George W. Bush) a campaign issue. But what if I had been elected to the Seattle School Board? The media could not have ignored me then.
With so many people giving up on voting, or voting just plain stupid, many would be candidates voice a corollary to the question Why vote?: Why run for office?
It does appear pretty bleak. When I ran for public office, I had virtually no money, while my corporate-backed opponents had many thousands of dollars. They also got most of the media publicity (virtually all of the good publicity) and were invited to public forums I was never even informed of. They were quickly endorsed by just about every political organization and phony activist group within the voting area.
I found virtually no other good candidates to network with. Worst of all, the public didn’t seem to give a damn.
So why would I run for office knowing I had a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting elected?
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