My post #1000, one week before the last "most important" election in our nation's history

[corkhead]

I have been lurking about in DU for about 2 ½ years. I think I had seen something in Maru or Bartcop that led me to the Top 10 Conservative idiots page. In fact, I originally had a link in my favorites that went directly to it, and week to week, I would find the new list by changing the number within the link, not realizing that it resided within the treasure trove I would soon discover.

I am ambivalent about my experiences at DU. On one hand, I have a great one stop shop for late breaking news, excellent opinion pieces to read, a dose of humor plugged in now and then, and the camaraderie of my fellow DUers. However, I have also developed an enormous time burning addiction, I've learned enough facts I can spout off to annoy nearly all of my friends and relatives, and I live with the disillusionment of possibly knowing too much about this crazy world we all live in. Such is life, being a "survivor" of the 2004 election. Here I am 2 years later, and despite the request of many a freeper, I still have not been able to "get over it". 2.5 years and a thousand posts later, I have concluded that my quality of life has not improved by my seeing more of what is going on "behind the curtain". Frankly it's depressing.

But, I was taught never to start a sentence with but. But, it is only 7 days before what may be the last “most important” election of our lifetimes. I say this because regardless of the result, the world will forever change on Nov. 8th. When we wake up Wednesday morning, will we be hearing "Happy Days Are Here Again" or "Everybody Knows"? Will our democracy in it's current form live to fight another day, or will we have a Diebold induced Velvet Revolution or perhaps a bigger, badder version of Oaxaca?

I think next Tuesday is our last best hope. If it doesn't turn out the way we all expect, I will be greatly disappointed and maybe even more disillusioned, but I will not be looking for a new homestead in the Manitoba wilderness. If things don’t turn out the way we all expect, there is not going to be a safe place anywhere on the planet. We will need to fight them here, so we don’t have to fight them there, wherever "there" is, and as Dog as my witness, I will be HERE to do it.

Regardless of the results next Tuesday, I won't be leaving DU or the Democratic party. Instead, I will continue to work to take back OUR party from the self serving corporatists who have infiltrated it. I will do that by supporting the next Ned Lamont in a future primary. No matter the result, I will be fighting even harder for election reform. Even though my senator up for reelection, Debbie Stabenow, disappointed me greatly by supporting the bankruptcy and torture bills, nothing would be accomplished by my staying home Tuesday. She already knows she has my vote… this time.

I am sick of the triangulation of our "representatives" and I am tired of "holding my nose" in the voting booth. It is obvious that another party stinks more than ours. Let the Republic party continue to be the coalition of the greedy, the bigoted, and the stupid. We as Democrats will have plenty of work to do deodorizing our own party. That is our only choice in what is currently a firmly entrenched 1 ½ party system.

Anyway, we have 7 days for each of us to do all we can to prevent a Wednesday morning 97,000 member pity party if things go badly. I am not sure I am mentally prepared to go through that again. That fear alone provides me with enough motivation to do all I can to educate the uninformed on why this election is so important, that in spite of all appearances, there is really a difference between the two parties, and that we all need to get our asses in the voting booth on Tuesday morning.

Thank you DU, (I think :-) ) and GO FORTH!

[Toots]

1. I wish I could write like you

You put into words all my thoughts except I have been here since the 2000 coup and have had my depression reinforced for almost seven years instead of only two and a half but other than that I agree totally.

[DaveJ]

3. Congrats...

:toast:

I was hoping to make it to 1000 by election day but among all the excellent writers and political experts here it's often been difficult for me to think of much to say.

I recommend that nobody gets discouraged if we find that the 'empire' has taken control, that is, if the election results are counter to the poll data after Nov 7., we should robustly live to fight another day and take comfort in what we know is the virtuosity of the positions we hold.

Thanks for pointing out that there is a difference between the two parties. Conceptually there is less of a difference, but the Republican party has been corrupted not only by the masters of corporations but by their own flagrant immoral idea of what life entails.

Again, there is never a reason to get discouraged as long as one feels comfort in themselves.

[jarab]

2. "Thank You!", corkhead, and "Congratulations!" ....

It might not be the end of the world should expectations be dashed next week, but the DU climate might be defeatist.
We seriously need to make some demonstrable in-roads - and the least acceptable would be the House, by any margin,, imo.
Again, congrats!
...O...

[omega minimo]

4. Brilliant

:toast:

"one week before the last "most important" election in our nation's history"

Last time (2004) WAS Next Time but immediately after we were all told to look toward the next "Next Time" (even on DU).

"Regardless of the results next Tuesday, I won't be leaving DU or the Democratic party. Instead, I will continue to work to take back OUR party from the self serving corporatists who have infiltrated it."

"Let the Republic party continue to be the coalition of the greedy, the bigoted, and the stupid. We as Democrats will have plenty of work to do deodorizing our own party. That is our only choice in what is currently a firmly entrenched 1 ½ party system."

"Regardless of the results next Tuesday" that will be the most important (for the future) work. If that work had been done earlier, the last few "Next Times" would likely have had different results.

Your sigline suggests another way to do that work, although it is highly underrated for some reason:

"Save our democracy. Boycott all corporate broadcast news, press, and their advertisers"

We can also "take back OUR party" -- and our nation -- "from the self serving corporatists who have infiltrated it" by boycotting (as much as possible) corporate products and businesses. Why don't we take our consumer power seriously? Too inconvenient? Too many see it as "All or Nothing"?

Thanks for a great post :yourock:

[corkhead]

5. Thanks, Sometimes I forget that

change will have to happen from within. The deck is too stacked against an independent 3rd party. I just wish I knew how to get people off their American Idol hypnotized asses and get engaged into what is being done to them.

[omega minimo]

6. Today Thom Hartmann was talking about self-identified Liberals

including JFK and George Washington. He mentioned a speech by someone in the Liberal Party. When did the U.S. have a Liberal Party?!

"I just wish I knew how to get people off their American Idol hypnotized asses and get engaged into what is being done to them."

One challenge it seems is that too many of us think everyone ELSE is the stupid asshole................................ and maybe most people do like to be led, but how can there be so many of us who think we're not like that? :shrug:

And there again, if you could take some of those hypnotized asses and get them to use their purchase power, maybe they would snap out of it. Make it real.

This is one of the best OPs ever on DU. I'm surprised it's languishing.....

:kick:

[bigtree]

7. kick

:toast:

[PCIntern]

8. K/R and:

I know EXACTLY how you feel about seeing your well-crafted posts vanish...

[Hulsey13]

9. Last best hope?

Sadly, I agree with you that we are looking at an important election, to be decided by those who are more excited about voting for Dancing with the Stars. Sigh.

I refuse to think about next week as anything other than a victory moment for those of us who have sat idly by while our rights vanish, our respect from the world erodes, and our sheer collective mind withers. Nope, this next week will be a turning point. I have to believe that.

[corkhead]

10. I think this election will be a turning point regardless of the outcome

We win or we fight. I am not going to take another stolen election lying down.

[omega minimo]

11. .