Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Enough With The Bullshit

I've had it with all this feel-good get-out-the-vote crap.

It seems that everywhere I turn I see another blog post or Facebook status update proclaiming: "It doesn't matter who you vote for! Just vote! It's your duty!"

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!

First, voting is not a duty. The right not to vote is just as sacred as the right to vote.

Second, if you haven't yet educated yourself about the relevant candidates and issues, then you should stay home. I don't care what you think and no one else should either.

Third, the results of this election matter and the results are determined by people's votes. So it does matter who you vote for.

And I want Barack Obama to win and Bob Barr to get as much support as possible. Thus, if you're not voting for one of those two people, I don't think you should vote. Instead, you should sit at home, watch Fox News, and keep your fucking illogical, ignorant, and/or idiotic opinions to yourself.

Please, everyone, stop with the inane nonpartisan drivel. Please. This is election day. In each contest to be decided today, one party will win and the other will lose. This is the most partisan day of the whole damned year. Period. Get over it.

For an even more vitriolic and profanity-filled experience, join me and most (if not all) of the rest of the Daily Iowan's editorial board at the Dublin Underground, 5 S. Dubuque, tonight. I'll be there around 7:30 pm.

2 comments:

Midnight Sprinter said...

Holy Shit! There's an election today?! I thought all of this blue v. red talk was just referring to the American Gladiators nation-wide tour.

CNN just reported that the Redskins lost, so the election should go to Obama. If it was this easy, why did we have to sit through 400 debates, millions of negative TV ads, and Joe the Plumber? At least the SNL skits were funny.

I concur with the General, come to the Dublin. You may be safer underground when all of the riots start.

Unknown said...

Maybe it's just semantics, but I would say that if you're not voting for the people I support, I think you should think about it until you see why I'm right and then vote; but if you're not going to do that, then don't vote. I think that's what you're saying anyway.

I can agree with the statement "voting is a duty" depending on the spirit in which it is offered. I think it is a more important "duty" to be informed about public policy, and voting as a duty can represent that. Of course, neither of these duties should be (or necessarily can be) enforced by law.

As an idealist, I want to say that the non-partisan get-out-the-vote effort is good because I think most people, if they feel that they have to vote, will also feel a responsibility to get informed before they go. As a realist, I recognize that most people are morons and it's a bad idea to tell morons that it doesn't matter who they vote for.

(By they way, I would also argue that more people should turn in mostly or entirely blank ballots rather than not voting at all.)