[politics] Best voting experience I've ever had
Today's voting experience was not what I expected.
I was expecting this vote to be miserable. I felt disenfranchised, bullied out of my own party for daring to question the Will And Wisdom Of The Elder Boyz, and I still do. But I made it work for me. There was something intensely liberating about not being tied to the party anymore. I'd made my own list, tallied it against various organisations' endorsements, and found a certain kinship with the League of Pissed-Off Voters.
I voted against the endorsements in one or two local issues (yes, I know the entire green-minded universe locally endorsed Prop H, and I applaud the basic idea, but the last line is "issue bonds without voter approval" made that one a no). I voted for the high-speed rail initiative. I was allowed a ranked three-choice vote for my local supervisor, and only picked one: Eric Mar. Yay! A genuine, you know, PROGRESSIVE!
Then I got to the bigger votes. I voted for Cindy Sheehan - mentally dedicating Richard Thompson's "Oh Missy, How You Let Me Down" to Nancy Pelosi. I left the presidential vote for last.
Long deep breath, pick up the pen - and wrote in Dennis Kucinich.
It felt right. I had no one on the ballot who represented me or my interests. The Democrats had made it impossible for me to vote for their guy and keep my self-respect. Both parties have screwed me, or tried to: the Republicans stole my election and my country in the last two elections, and the Democrats stole my vote and tried to steal my self-respect in this one.
Byebye, as a concept, finally felt, well, final. I have divorced the Democratic Party for abusive behavior, and will choose my own future dance partners based on whether or not they earn my dance time.
Best. Voting. Experience. EVER.
I was expecting this vote to be miserable. I felt disenfranchised, bullied out of my own party for daring to question the Will And Wisdom Of The Elder Boyz, and I still do. But I made it work for me. There was something intensely liberating about not being tied to the party anymore. I'd made my own list, tallied it against various organisations' endorsements, and found a certain kinship with the League of Pissed-Off Voters.
I voted against the endorsements in one or two local issues (yes, I know the entire green-minded universe locally endorsed Prop H, and I applaud the basic idea, but the last line is "issue bonds without voter approval" made that one a no). I voted for the high-speed rail initiative. I was allowed a ranked three-choice vote for my local supervisor, and only picked one: Eric Mar. Yay! A genuine, you know, PROGRESSIVE!
Then I got to the bigger votes. I voted for Cindy Sheehan - mentally dedicating Richard Thompson's "Oh Missy, How You Let Me Down" to Nancy Pelosi. I left the presidential vote for last.
Long deep breath, pick up the pen - and wrote in Dennis Kucinich.
It felt right. I had no one on the ballot who represented me or my interests. The Democrats had made it impossible for me to vote for their guy and keep my self-respect. Both parties have screwed me, or tried to: the Republicans stole my election and my country in the last two elections, and the Democrats stole my vote and tried to steal my self-respect in this one.
Byebye, as a concept, finally felt, well, final. I have divorced the Democratic Party for abusive behavior, and will choose my own future dance partners based on whether or not they earn my dance time.
Best. Voting. Experience. EVER.
posted by DebGrabien at
6:40 PM
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