[Peace-discuss] Not voting

[Laurie at advancenet.net]

Well Stuart, I disagree with you and agree with Ricky; I guess that just
goes to prove that there a number of different perspectives and a number of
different justifications to select from to justify our actions and
inactions.  Optimism, like pessimism, is an article of faith.  If you are
not optimistic, it makes little sense to engage in exercises in futility- be
it referendum mattering or elections of federal, state, or local officials.
One could as easily argue that futile actions by powerless citizens also
give legitimacy to a system and its established rituals and procedures which
justifies the actions of the powers that be and allows them to continue as
much as not voting or participating in the process.  

Yes ridicule (such as writing-in Pogo or Mickey Mouse) does or can work to
some extent in undermining the legitimacy of the establishment; but it also
undermines the seriousness with which others (like the majority of the
population would take your gesture of ridicule.  But not obeying the
official established and sanctioned rituals like voting and being a vocal
refusenik while a symbolic act and not an effective one is very different
from apathy.  Apathy is when you refuse to go along but do it quietly and
for practical personal reasons and not public political ones.

Even apathy is or can be a rational reasonable response to an irrational or
impossible situation; in fact, it might be more rational and reasonable than
robotic participation in voting while knowing that it will make no real
difference.  But then we get back to if one presumes an optimistic or a
pessimistic working premise.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net [mailto:peace-discuss-
> bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Stuart Levy
> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 11:12 PM
> To: n.dahlheim at mchsi.com
> Cc: Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Not voting
> 
> On Mon, Jan 28, 2008 at 11:26:34PM +0000, n.dahlheim at mchsi.com wrote:
> > Once again, I really urge people not to vote.  The quality of
> political discourse and the fakery posing as a
> > genuine political campaign offends my sensibility and my
> intelligence.  I definitely do not plan on voting in
> > such a ridiculous American Idol campaign that displays none of the
> pretense of even appearing like a
> > genuine political contest.  We can say that we want the lesser of the
> evils presented us, but we will get
> > nowhere with that as the elite can control whomever wins anyway like
> a marionette.  Have a loud no vote
> > and speak against the process, not out of apathy but out of
> frustration and enlightened disgust!
> >      Nick
> 
> I really think that's foolish.
> 
> If you're trying to make a public statement of disgust with the system,
> vote for someone who won't win but should (like Kucinich).
> Or vote in other races but not the national ones.
> Or write in Pogo for President.
> 
> For heaven's sake, if you live in Champaign or Urbana, *do* vote
> on the referenda.  Urge Champaign to fund its township General
> Assistance
> to at least the miserly level set by state guidelines.  Say you want
> the
> Military Commissions Act repealed and Habeas Corpus restored.
> Say you want us out of Iraq and Iran.  Will saying those things make
> them happen?
> No.  But not saying them, being silent, gives consent.
> 
> Just staying away is indistinguishable from apathy.
> Apathy is what shows the System that it's winning.  Fight it.
> 
> Now -- if you are also speaking against the point of view that says,
> "by going to the polls and voting, I have properly exercised my
> democratic voice, and owe no further obligation to our society
> until the next election" -- if you are saying that too, I'd heartily
> agree with you.  Voting is not remotely sufficient.  But it is
> important.
> 
>    Stuart
> 
> > ----------------------  Original Message:  ---------------------
> > From:    Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
> > To:      peace discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
> > Subject: [Peace-discuss] the primaries before Iowa
> > Date:    Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:11:31 +0000
> >
> > > Somewhat along the lines of the article Mort just shared, the
> latest issue of Z
> > > has an article
> > > with some telling data on the "elite's hidden primary."  It's not
> even all that
> > > hidden, the
> > > sources being readily available (and it's not a new story, but
> updates are
> > > important for telling
> > > the story).
> > >
> > > For example, over 80 percent of all presidential campaign donations
> as of fall
> > > '07 went to six
> > > candidates: Clinton, Obama, Romney, Giuliani, McCain and Edwards
> (in that
> > > order).  Almost 70
> > > percent were over $1000 (meaning: not from you or me or probably
> anybody we
> > > know).  The author
> > > goes into great detail, and it's fascinating, breaking out groups
> of big donors.
> > > "Big Capital"
> > > (finance, real estate, insurance) favors Clinton, then Giuliani,
> Romney and
> > > Obama.  The big law
> > > firms favor Clinton, Edwards then Obama.  Etc.
> > >
> > > But it's not just donations.  Carl had earlier raised the grim
> point that the
> > > evil Zbigniew
> > > Brzezinski is working for Obama (apparently, as in one of the
> articles Mort
> > > shared, because he is
> > > supposed to have the best grasp of the "historical moment", a sort
> of
> > > Machiavellian term as I
> > > understand it, meaning he'll do the most to advance nasty US ruling
> class
> > > interests 'at this
> > > juncture' as Bush Sr used to say.
> > >
> > > But all six of these top money getters also have high-powered
> advisers from the
> > > notorious Council
> > > on Foreign Relations: McCain's list including Henry Kissinger,
> Lawrence
> > > Eagleburger, Alexander
> > > Haig, George Schultz and Colin Powell.  Clinton of course has Bill
> and Madeleine
> > > Albright, who've
> > > been sharing the stage with her, but also Richard Holbrooke (ugh!)
> and Bush Jr's
> > > "surge" plan
> > > co-author John M Keane.  Not that the one with the most CFR members
> necessarily
> > > wins, but the four
> > > with the most CFR help seem to be the front runners, and those
> without ... well,
> > > they're starting
> > > to drop out even before we in Ill. can pretend to vote for them.
> > >
> > > I think it's especially important for us here in Ill., and for us
> who know so
> > > many in the
> > > "professional" class that strongly supports Obama, to keep on
> Obama's tail.  But
> > > the jist of the
> > > article is more important, altho it's no shock to most of us, or (I
> think) to
> > > most people: the
> > > ruling class has narrowed the field so severely based on its
> interests and its
> > > estimations that
> > > whoever wins will suit them just fine.  (CFR is just one big way, a
> sort of
> > > "peer review" for the
> > > ruling class, and a fair amount of donations will naturally accrue
> to whoever
> > > donors believe is
> > > the likely choice - notice I don't say whose choice.)
> > >
> > > And the corollary, for us activist types or just anyone harbors a
> democratic
> > > hope, is the most
> > > important of all, tho the author has to cram it in quickly at the
> end,
> > > presumably for reasons of
> > > space: none of the "serious" (i.e. elite, and therefore non-
> snowball) candidates
> > > will do what the
> > > majority of people really need done unless we make them do it.  The
> author calls
> > > it "people's
> > > movements" and "direct struggle", which seems to just about cover
> it.
> > >
> > > Keep it up, folks, groups like AWARE are the closest thing we have
> to a real
> > > vote.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> _______________________________________________________________________
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