this is proably going to piss some people off...

[cali]

A lot of people have been promoting voter registration lately, and I've sort of wanted to speak up about it for a while. A lot of people are putting emphasis on the upcoming election, talking about how crucial it is and how necessary it is that people register and vote and make their voices heard. I suppose I have a slightly different veiwpoint here but the fact that I haven't said anything has been bothering me. So. Here goes.

Voting isn't the answer.

And I'm not saying this because I think Kerry isn't the answer. I am saying it because I think the system is too fucked for an election or a change of face to make better. The United States is not even a direct democracy. Everyone keeps talking about the power of the vote when the reality is that individual votes don't count. The electoral college elects the president, not us. Our votes? They're a lot more like an opinion poll than anything else. We vote for our state electors who, in turn, cast votes for the president and vice president. It is traditional for the electors to follow the will of the people, but it isn't required by law that they do so. The entire system was designed by the founding fathers as a safeguard against the people's inability to make the right decision. It was designed specifically to remove democratic power from the hands of the people and put it into the hands of smarter, educated men who could be counted on to make the right decision.

So what? One might say. The electoral college has always bowed to convention and voted with the people in the past. But honestly? Without any check to their power I think it's a pretty dangerous precedent to still have the electoral college alive and kicking today.

I also think the party system and the importance of money on elections is dangerous. John Kerry has proven himself just as willing as Bush when it comes to allowing himself to be bought by corporations. He's spoken out against soft money, but apparently had no problems taking it before the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act passed. All of you should check out Open Secrets in particular their Presidential Election data to see the exact state of both Bush and Kerry's campaign finances. You should also read this article by Bill Mesler about the corporate financing of this election.

What this stuff boils down to, for me, is that Kerry is absolutely no better than Bush when it comes down to the things that count. Neither man is willing to make any significant changes to the status quo. And for some of you guys that might be okay, but for me it's not. Neither one will stand up to their corporate backers and admit that capitalism is destroying the planet and the lives of every poverty stricken person on it. Neither will recognize that change starts at home when it comes to nuclear disarmament and proliferation. Neither is going to address the serious problem of the prison-industrial complex, and neither Bush nor Kerry is willing to put people before profits when it comes to civil rights over property rights. And since I don't have a couple hundred thousand dollars to give either of those guys, my opinions won't ever be heard.

I think that if Kerry wins this election a lot of "liberals" are going to breath a sigh of relief that a democrat is back in office and take a few steps back from paying attention to politics for the next four years. This attitude is a problem. I've done my part to serve my country, now I can step back and let the people I voted for do their jobs.

Casting a vote takes 15 minutes. But what about the next 3 years 364 days and 23 hours?

Comments

[saffronlie.livejournal.com]

Wow, I didn't know the role of the electoral college in the US system. Is there any possibility of reform, ever, do you think?

[theantimodel.livejournal.com]

It's pretty unlikely, the electoral college has been around since the constitution was written and there've been a few attempts to abolish it that have been unsuccessful. One of the big problems is that not very many people know about the electoral college. High school history classes tend to gloss over the many ways our government s fucking us over.

[konishi-zen.livejournal.com]

I have read your views on it and to some point, it's true that in America, you guys are pretty much fucked six ways till Sunday.

But...have you also considered that just sitting there bitching about what crooks the people running are isn't exactly a better option?

Yeah, the US voting system (Which pretty much is as anachronistic as you can get with a voting system) blows goats and it's all run by rich coporations and the like.

But...change takes time and the more people stop being so apathetic about their own freaking country, the more the change can be processed at a much faster rate.

I'm not saying your point isn't valid, but Apathy isn't the right answer. Also, if you feel so strongly about the buggers running your nation, maybe you can start up a movement rather than bitching.

I don't believe in the democratic voting system either, but I vote every single time I get. I grew up in a military dictatorship, where voting didn't count for jack-all. I don't see it as my patriotic duty or such nonsense. I see it as a small action towards some change and...four years of bitching rights.

Plus, if the US is just as horrible, come up to Canada or go to Australia. They actually care about the voting process.

[theantimodel.livejournal.com]

Dude, if I was feeling apathetic I'd never have written this post. My point is that voting isn't the answer, but I never said that people should just sit back and do nothing. What I did say was that it's dangerous to think that casting a vote is the only thing people can do to make a difference. I think voting is probably the last thing a person should do if they're trying to enact change. Voting is a passive action, it's the least involved a person can be in politics while still feeling like they're making a difference.

Personally, (and I hand't brought this up because this post isn't about how much of an activist I am) I do take action, I am involved with numerous causes and groups working to enact changes that i think need to happen. I've attended virtually every political rally in my location in the past three years. So I am involved and I am trying to make a difference. I'm just not going to vote for the lesser of two evils in a campaign where I think the entire system is wrong.

[konishi-zen.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean about it being a passive action, but to a lot of people, that is the only type of agency they do have to make some sort of difference where they are living.

Also, about activism. It's great, no denying it. But Change has to start somewhere, and maybe starting it in the system (ie voting) would let the other elements in.

[vuurvasthouden.livejournal.com]

What this stuff boils down to, for me, is that Kerry is absolutely no better than Bush when it comes down to the things that count.

I don't know about that one, only because I think diplomacy and foreign relations counts, and I think Kerry will work to rebuild whatever ties he can with our allies (instead of time and time again pissing them off like Bush does).

[theantimodel.livejournal.com]

I think if Kerry wins he will probably try to do that, yes, but the dude has also said that he would've gone to war with Iraq and he's supportive of Israel. He's also supportive of the WTO and NAFTA. So while our allies might prefer working with Kerry, he's still going to be screwing the third world just as much as Bush, which in my mind is just as bad.

[tabiji.livejournal.com]

This is not what you were looking for, but, wanna move to Canada with me? :))

<33

[magician-sakura.livejournal.com]

YAY! COme to Canada! Everyone should live in Canada and eat snow cones! Nevermind that they're overpriced tasteless things that aren't even good or bad for you!

[magician-sakura.livejournal.com]

Wow. I vaguely remember learning about the electoral college votes in American History class way back when. I didn't realized you could be so fucked over with it though.

And since I don't have a couple hundred thousand dollars to give either of those guys, my opinions won't ever be heard.
That's all it costs now? I thought it was more than that. I guess the rest is just under the table?

...and admit that capitalism is destroying the planet and the lives of every poverty stricken person on it.
Too true. But I don't think that any major politician with major financial backing is going to admit that any time soon. NOt while they want to remain in power in the Western world anyway.

[theantimodel.livejournal.com]

That's all it costs now? I thought it was more than that. I guess the rest is just under the table?

Yeah I think you're probably right :D

[msilverstar]

Couple of things.

The electoral college is part of the compromise that made the constitution possible (I did a paper on this in high school). It's a joke, but the worst part is the states' decisions (not required) to make their presidential contests winner-take-all. They seem to think it gives them more power and value. The only advantage I can see is that because California is solidly Democratic, we're avoiding most of the crap political campaigning.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. A BIG ONE. (sorry for shouting, if the Naderites and cynics had believed that in 2000, things would be different. A few votes in the right places can change things).

It doesn't matter what John Kerry says about the war in Iraq. If he or Al Gore were president, we wouldn't be in this war. When the Democrats were in charge, we didn't have a deep deficit from giving tax cuts to the rich (like me). We didn't keep money from family planning programs because they might mention abortion. We didn't try to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or allow roads in wilderness areas. Clinton led the effort to ratify the Kyoto Climate Change treaty. We really supported removal of nuclear weapons. Kids in public schools weren't tested to death to prove that private education is better. It goes on and on. It might be a mess of a system but subtle variations do matter.

As for limited capitalism and representative democracy, they're not perfect by any means but they seem better than all known alternatives. Humans are often stupid, greedy and bad at thinking long-term. The problem with Communism is that it is predicated on enlightened altruism, whereas Capitalism is predicated on enlightened selfishness. All the attempts to make Communist societies quickly degenerated into statist totalitarianism, often of the worst sort. That tells me that we need new theories, not old ones.

The countries that seem to be doing the most good and least harm to me are the ones that combine the two appropriately, like Sweden and the Netherlands. Easier to do with small rich countries though.

[jade-vamp.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I remember learning about the electoral college and that some states did winner-take-all and that some did a percentage split, but that they don't *have* to vote a certain way? Didn't know.

And then there's the whole fuckery of e-voting, too...

Though, even if voting matters fuck all in the end, I *am* impressed by the numbers of groups really trying to get the vote out (everybody and their freakin' MOTHER), as in, at least waking people up to the fact that there is something going on, making them *pay attention* and get started on the road to hopefully more meaningful participation. But then, maybe that's just the Bay Area getting all riled up.