Just gave my Republican niece a (rhetorical) kick in the ass for a self-pitying FB update

[markpkessinger]

Last edited Wed Nov 7, 2012, 05:25 PM - Edit history (1)

So, I log onto Facebook this morning, and see the status update from a niece of mine who lives in Maryland concerning the outcome of the election:

Disappointed but not surprised......clearly our votes do NOT make a difference when you live in a state with 75+% Democrats......God help us through another four.....

Here was my response:

I don't know of any state that has an exactly equal number of members of each party. And Democrats who live in predominantly red states like, say, Texas (and yes, believe it or not there are some), feel the same sense of disappointment whenever a Republican is elected. And it really doesn't much matter if the split is 75/25 or 55/45, the result is usually the same. Remember, too, you aren't just voting for a President, but you also vote for the other elected positions on the ballot -- senators, representatives, judges, etc. -- and on those races your vote still matters a great deal.

Also, even though it hasn't been the case in the last few elections, people do sometimes vote across party lines. Maryland is historically predominantly Democratic. But take a look at this link to Electoral Maps from 1972-2008 (http://electoralmap.net/PastElections/past_elections.php?year=1988 ), and you'll find that Maryland has frequently voted for Republican presidential candidates. Actually, if those maps demonstrate anything, it is that it is far more likely that predominantly Democratic states can be convinced to vote for Republican Presidents than it is for predominantly Republican states to vote Democratic. So, take heart.

i really wanted to conclude with, "So stop whining and feeling sorry for yourself!" But I thought better of it . . .

[leftyohiolib]

1. why?! ...how's this - buck up little camper you'll again have the chance to

take away my social security
turn my mother's medicare into useless vouchers
deny people in love the right to marry
deny stem cell research so cancer patients can go Merrily into their painfully demise
deny said cancer victims a chance a lessening pain thru medical marijuana
force rape victims to bare the child of her attacker
deny immigrants the right to try to better their lives
destroy the economy
let bankers take our 401k's and recklessly gamble with them
take our housing
ship our jobs overseas
turn wages into slave wages
hand over our disposable cash to the one percent

how bout that that should cheer up the little
she may be your niece but she's voting to turn this america into a 3rd world country
. if she's demoralized - good - hopefully the niece who wants to turn america into a plutocracy wont vote next time

[HopeHoops]

2. That was a good slap across the face. I actually voted for one Republican.

Pat Vance (state Senator) has been one of the most brilliant and effective members the chamber has ever had. She ran unopposed (nobody would bother), but I voted for her anyway. The only choice I left blank was Glenn Grell - he's an asswipe, also unopposed. Other than that, I went all Democratic.

Yes, Maryland (my birth state) is historically Democratic. Your niece needs a little time to grow up and smell the black-eyed susans. Speaking of which, some of mine are still blooming (Harrisburg, PA area). It's my tie-in to Lord Baltimore. I've got other flowers that tie into Lord Calvert. I'm still a Maryland boy.