I keep hearing "I am in a BLUE STATE!!!! My VOTE does not matter."

[sheshe2]

I will vote for who I please or sit it out.

Well I am in a Blue State too. Massachusetts.

Dayum, it worked so well for us here. Let's take a stroll back, Mitt Romney Governor. Now we have Charlie Baker. Please do not forget that the late great Teddy Kennedys seat went to Scott Brown. I am so embarrassed for my State.

So stop saying your vote doesn't matter because it does.

Stop giving away our voice.

This is Democratic Underground. Skinner posted our TOS statement. It should be read.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251767012

[PowerToThePeople]

1. I agree.

Everyone I cast a vote for will be a Democrat. But I may not cast votes for third way, right wing DINOs.

Sorry, I do not care to eat shit sandwiches any longer.

[sheshe2]

3. Your reply speaks volumes.

Whatever.

[Electric Monk]

11. From a classic South Park episode...

[Skidmore]

37. Well you may very well put yourself in the position of

having lots of shit sandwiches in the future with that attitude. And I'm not talking about just the election at the top of the ticket. How

[still_one]

2. While voting definitely matters, not voting is a form of voting also. It is NOT a passive action.

What amazes me is why some seem feel so compelled to announce that they will not support the Democratic nominee in the general election, if it is not the candidate of their choosing.

The supposed need to bring that up is beyond me. Folks should support the candidate they want in the primaries, argue the issues, and do whatever their conscience dictates. Isn't it that simple?

[Beartracks]

5. Agreed. Not Voting =/= Passive Action.

Everyone, get your ass to the voting booth for your Primary (if you have one) -- how else will you determine WHICH Democratic candidate becomes the GE nominee?

AND get your ass to the voting booth for the General Election -- even if you don't vote for the Dem candidate (that'll show 'em!), how else are you going to vote for the down-ticket Dems and progressives who need your help to get to Washingon and join Bernie and Liz, et al, or to vote for your local Dems for State, Mayor, school boards, and dog-catchers? Grassroots means grassroots; you gotta build your political revolution from the ground up.

========================

[still_one]

14. I like your donkey animation

[Beartracks]

32. Can't take credit. It comes from DU's smilies.

You have to click the "..." button to see it.



=============

[still_one]

33. thanks

[flamingdem]

4. Around major elections this site serves a major purpose

That's when I discovered it and others will over the next year.

I'm very happy with the support for Bernie here and think he's a great candidate. In fact I think he's such a great guy that he'll support Hillary and throw his votes to her rather that court a protest vote.

I wish DUers would show the same respect!

[Downwinder]

6. Red states used to be Blue states. It matters.

[Live and Learn]

7. 'Stop giving away our voice.' And yet some here are trying to silence ours! nt

[sheshe2]

13. Think about what you just said.

Bernie supporters are the majority here. That is a fact!!!! We are damn well not silencing you.

Take a step back and think who are being silenced here. Women PoC LGBT BLM!!!!! Hide after hide, ridicule and disdain. No, it is our voice that is being silenced. I watch every day anti Democratic posts soar to the top of the page.

Yes, I am a Hillary supporter, yet I damn well will vote for Bernie or O'Malley if they win the general. I will VOTE!

[bigtree]

18. +1000

[FSogol]

20. +1 n/t

[mcar]

23. Well said!

[JaneyVee]

26. Bingo.

[JonLeibowitz]

8. Well, it is my vote after all

Thus I will indeed vote for who I please. Who that is is very much my business and not that of anyone else's on this board.

Obviously downticket races are important; staying at home and letting the GOP steal the house & senate isn't an option.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. I've voted 3rd Party several times.

And, not one of those times did my vote effect the outcome. I live in a Blue state, but if I had voted in a red state, swing state, or any other color, my vote still wouldn't have had an effect on the outcome.

Hence, I'll continue to vote for my preference keeping in mind that it's mine to use as I see fit.

[ffr]

10. I must have a thicker skin and be more mean spirited when I vote

I go through extraordinary effort to find out every candidates political affiliation, down to NP wards. Most candidates have leanings towards one party or the other that can be Googled. Just put in their name with the word Republican, then with the word Democrat. No Republican ever gets my vote, b/c I know what Republis do once elected; they screw the voters.

I can vote for anyone who supports Democrats or is an Independent. I also love Hillary and I love Bernie. They're both good people who would represent us well. And it infuriates me when I see voter disconnect or apathy. Those people either don't vote or vote based on what they see and hear, but not from what they know about the candidates.

GET INVOLVED PEOPLE! Voting takes thought. Put some effort behind it. Elect Democrats (that means Independent Bernie too if that's who you want to vote for) and watch the world turn into a better place.

NO
MORE
REPUBLIS!

[McCamy Taylor]

12. Shades of Nader 2000.

[Cha]

15. I give you John Lewis on what it took for African Amerians to be able to vote.. no wonder

they're are our Democratic Base. Not those who stamp their little feet and make it about them.


Pretty Foot ?@PrettyFootWoman
Congressman John Lewis
4:27 PM - 31 Oct 2015 26 26 Retweets
21 21 favorites

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110724562


Obama walks as he holds hands with Amelia Boynton Robinson, who was beaten during 'Bloody Sunday' [AP]

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/03/fifty-years-selma-whiteness-reigns-supreme-150308085251186.html

Mahalo for your OP, she!

[sheshe2]

34. Perfect response Cha,

So many fought so hard for their right to vote. Others pffft. just throw it away.

Thanks Cha~

[Cha]

39. Thank you, she~ Too many don't appreciate their vote.. African Amerians do.

I love them. They're woven into the pattern of our Democratic Principles.

[betsuni]

16. K&R!

[davidpdx]

17. How about the disgusting job our party has done with gubernatorial races the last 5 years?

Out of 50 states we don't even have 20 Democrats as governors anymore. The last time we LED in the number of governors was 2009. At the beginning of next year my state will have had a Democrat for 29 years. So I ask you what the fuck is wrong with the party?

Our "voice" is but a cog in the wheel called Washington DC where money buys everything, most of all politicians from BOTH sides. If we don't get money out of politics, elections are going to not matter much anymore. How about starting to talk about that for a change instead you and your friends playing hall monitor?

[Art_from_Ark]

19. I'll tell you what's wrong in Arkansas

The Democratic Party apparatchiks are more than happy to keep liberal Democrats out of primaries. Until earlier this year, we had a decent Democratic governor, but he couldn't run again because of term limits. One of the people who was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor was a man who had previously served as lieutenant governor. But the party apparatchiks decided that they'd rather have Bill Clinton's former driver be the nominee. So they pushed out the former lieutenant governor in favor of Bill Clinton's former driver before there was even a primary and voila! we lost the governorship by a large margin.

[davidpdx]

21. That is ****ed up

And brings up yet another problem, favoritism and nepotism by one group or another within the party. We have got to start getting back some of these seats on the state level as there is a lot to lose. The wackjob Republican governors are trying to shutdown Planned Parenthood, cut essential services, etc. and it's only going to get worse if more Scott Walker types are elected.

[mcar]

22. K&R

[Capt. Obvious]

24. I live in Massachusetts

I remember Coakley being steamrolled to the nomination and then being the worst candidate ever.

People need to want to vote for a candidate to get them to the polls. Not many people wanted to vote for her. That's why people know who Scott Brown is.

[GOLGO 13]

25. True this. We had a (R)epuke gov in NY not too long ago.

Simply because he said he would push for the death penalty while the (D)emocrat said he would not. Once he got finished screwing up the state it was a landslide victory for the next (D) to regain control of the state.

Take nothing for granted.

[Renew Deal]

27. Every vote matters in the GEcbecause of the popular vote.

Technically you only need the electoral college, but he popular vote goes a long way towards legitimacy.

[gwheezie]

28. Yes, yes, yes

I will vote for democrats. It's not a wasted vote.

[OilemFirchen]

29. You've read my mind.

I've been mulling over starting a thread about this but anticipated unhinged, reactionary retorts. So I didn't bother.

Simply put, if you opt not to vote because you're in a "safe" state - or district - you're letting other people do your work for you. Were it not for them, it wouldn't be "safe".

It's ineffectual, selfish and lazy. And fraught with potential distaster should enough "others" adopt your corrosive attitude.

[CheshireDog]

31. It's like vaccines...

Tons of uneducated people worried about autism and vaccines don't vaccinate their child because, hey, mumps and measles aren't common. They think their child will be safe thanks to herd immunity...the other parents DO vaccinate their child, and they depend on them to protect their child.

It doesn't work when this mentality becomes common - then there is no herd immunity. Suddenly no one is protected and diseases spread like wildfire. The same is true with voting - even in a safe blue area, if multiple people think the district is safe and don't vote then suddenly that "herd vote" doesn't work anymore and the district isn't so safe.

So, vote. (and vaccinate!)

[Duckhunter935]

30. I live in a RED state

and my vote will not matter for the top of the ticket

[Fawke Em]

35. No one is saying they won't vote!

Others here are saying they will vote Independent or write in a vote instead of voting for another corporate Democrat, but will vote down ticket for other liberals and/or Dems.

Not sure what you're on about, but no one is NOT voting.

[cwydro]

36. Yes.

K and R.

I don't understand those posters at all.

[whatchamacallit]

38. Well I live in California

and that does afford me the latitude to vote my principles.

[MohRokTah]

40. They unskewed the polls before they believed in the polls. eom