SMH:
When I walk into the voting booth tomorrow, I’m going to do something somewhat unusual for me … and vote for a Republican. I hope maybe you’ll do the same.
It’s not like I have a streak of conservatism suddenly flowing through my veins. And I’m not even going to tell you which Republican I’ll be voting for, because that’s not actually the point of the exercise.
The point is to deny the Democratic Party in Philadelphia yet another straight-ticket vote of support.
There is a lot wrong with politics and governance in Philadelphia — such a knotty knot, in fact, that I’ll freely confess that I probably don’t quite grasp all the factors at play. But one of those factors, surely, is how voting in the city has coalesced and then calcified around Democratic party favorites over the last 50 years or so — a process that sometimes seems (to me) to have isolated politicians from actual voters and cemented their relationships with special interests, instead.
Joel Mathis. the author of this column, is a good friend of mine. He got me a short-lived column at the Philadelphia Weekly, and is as bonafide a liberal Democrat as anyone else in the tent. Furthermore, as a Philadelphia resident these past 15 years, I truly understand his frustration with the Democrats in this city. Believe me, I get it. It’s no surprise to me that yesterday, at the Tom Wolf rally headlined by Obama, our mayor was treated to a sustained round of booing. He’s a shitty mayor. Philadelphia’s congressional delegation is made up of a special interest puppet and a special interest puppet who’s under federal investigation for corruption. Don’t get me started on the charlatans and frauds that run the city as if each ward was a personal fiefdom.
But if I imagine that my house is on fire and the Fire Department has failed to put it out , the last thing I’m going to do is call for the firebug who started it to man even one single hose.
Look, I understand the desperate desire (and need) for change in our calcified, broken politics in Philadelphia (and for that matter, nationally). But that change isn’t going to happen by electing any members of a party that has gone certifiably insane. If Mathis is truly interested in sparking a change, he should be looking at the Green Party, the Working Families Party (which is trying to establish a foothold in Pennsylvania), or for that matter even the Libertarians, whose candidate, a felon/comedian with no money but a good message took more than 5% of the vote against a machine candidate who barely campaigned. (Full disclosure: I helped out that Libertarian in his campaign).
But supporting a Republican because the Democrats let you down or didn’t get enough done? Might as well light your own house on fire.
Maybe Mathis will come here and further explain his actions. Does he often write about what a mess Philly is politically? Does he write about how the rich are trying to destroy Philadelphia schools? I know his name, but I have no idea what he writes about.
Mathis is generally on the side of good. I think he’s legitimately frustrated by what’s going on in PA, and searching for alternatives.
My ex’s father and I used to talk about how the next decade or so’s elections were going to go like this: “the Democrats didn’t solve the problems? Throw ’em out, maybe the GOP will”. “The GOP didn’t solve the problems? Throw ’em out, maybe the Democrats will.” “The Democrats didn’t solve the problems? Throw ’em out, maybe the GOP will.”.
So far, we’ve been been pretty accurate.
My ex’s father and I used to talk about how the next decade or so’s elections were going to go like this: “the Democrats didn’t solve the problems? Throw ’em out, maybe the GOP will”. “The GOP didn’t solve the problems? Throw ’em out, maybe the Democrats will.” “The Democrats didn’t solve the problems? Throw ’em out, maybe the GOP will.”.
Supposedly millennials prefer the GOP this election. If they are, I think this kind of thinking explains it.
if so, that’s because millenials are young and inexperienced with the GOP’s brand of lying and evil.
Or they are the product of NCLB educating to the test and charter school young and inexperienced teachers. There was reason why in the late sixties Reagan began touting education reform — a return to the three Rs — all those public school students attending public colleges and universities were exhibiting too much of an ability to think. Plus, like labeling ketchup a vegetable for school lunch, fifty kids in a classroom drilled on nothing but the three Rs is cheap.
It has been my experience that voting in a GOP member exasperates the problems not helps solve them. Anyone ever thought of starting a grassroots campaign in support of better Democratic Progressive candidates? I know it is harder to do the work then voting for a GOP member already on the ballet. But, if so many are dissatisfied with the current Democratic candidates that is the real method of change. But it does require actually working for that change and change NEVER comes without hard work.
Sure — was the hype of leftie blogs about a dozen years ago. “More and better Democrats.” It lasts for about six weeks after a good election year for Republicans. Otherwise, any repulsive candidate with a D after his/her name will do because the Republicans are evil and Nader is double evil (because he and not the SCOTUS shut down the FL recount and installed GWB, and he and not Jeb! and his thugs purged the voter rolls, stopped minorities from getting to the polls, filled out and turned in absentee ballots secured at “rest homes,” stopped in almost all counties the required automatically mandatory recount, etc., and he and not West Palm Beach voters punched the hole for Buchanan instead of Gore. (And Nader and not Gore chose the loathsome Lieberman for VP — a choice that may have cost him WV and/or NH and therefore, the election.)
Nice rant did you have fun? Feel better? I am always amazed at how well some can rant about things that did not turn out the way they wanted to justify doing nothing more then complain.
Please note I said it takes work. It is no different then starting a business. Those that make it keep going those that don’t love to complain as to why they gave up while flipping the burgers.
In politics there is no such thing as an absolute.
Sure, we had the whole Chicago Suburbs organized, then the Cook County Democratic Machine destroyed us with paid petition takers and threats to donors. They ran former Republicans for Township committeemen and obliterated the existing rebellious committeeemen. You can’t beat (Chicago) city hall.
I’ve fantasized about a Republican sweep of Illinois wiping out the corrupt structure of Madigan-Cullerton-Berrios. Maybe the pain would be worth it.
not in the mood for this foolishness
Problem is in most places voting green or kib or whatever sends no message to anyone because if the instituonal laws benefitting the parties. So no matter how hard you work unless one of the majors collapses nothing can change.
Shorter Joel Mathis:
We have to burn the fucking city and state down to the ground in order to save it.