No public option, no single payer, good, I'm voting republican.

[salinen]

Really. The fastest way toward a real revolution is to accelerate the theft and greed to a level where the suffering is acute. The congress is now officially the corporations representatives against the people. It's about time the blinders came off and we see the grotesqueness that is the American Political System.

[MrModerate]

Excuse me, but the suffering is already acute.

And still people (by which I mean Congresspeople) don't get it.

What's Plan C?

[salinen]

18. Our representatives

are as far away from representing us as they could possibly be. Plan C? Good question.

[sendero]

44. It's not acute enough..

.. for J6P to get a clue and tell his congressman "get the country this or you are going to be looking for another job when your term is up".

The reason we have a government of the corporations, for the corporations and by the corporations is because Americans have given up their role in politics and left it to the thieves.

The suffering will apparently have to get a lot more acute.

[HughMoran]

1. FOAD

[Clintonista2]

2. Thanks for elevating the debate.

[BlooInBloo]

5. "The debate" started off rock-bottom with the OP.

[HughMoran]

7. FOAD - AH?

Did I miss something?

[Selatius]

3. There is an apocryphal quote attributed to Lenin on this very tactic.

He was reputed to have said, "The worse, the better." It plays upon the notion that the worse the suffering gets, the more the people are willing to rebel against the rulers who perpetuate the situation. Then, the goal would be to co-opt the anger and lead a vanguard movement to topple the existing order and replace it with the people's order.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. "Nach Hitler, uns." Was the German Communist's hope. "After Hitler, us."

Lenin was right, the KPD wrong.

[readmoreoften]

29. Who "reputed" that he said this? Lenin never engaged in the sort of politics where

you support a monster to make things worse in order to feed a theoretical uprising. In fact, quite the opposite. He worked with the Mensheviki until they became thoroughly corrupt capitalists who worked with former monarchists after February 1917.

If you want to criticize Lenin, fine, but attaching him to this sort of nonsense is misleading.

[bobbolink]

4. The quick boil.

Many of us have had that thought.

Too bad it can't be discussed here. :(

[HughMoran]

8. .

OK

[salinen]

9. They sell us out

for campaign donations. Maybe another war needs to happen.

[ipaint]

40. I'm waiting for it.

The middle class will need to live the life the bottom has been forced to live the last 30 years.

Then maybe they'll understand we are all in this together.

[salinen]

42. Right

revolutions are always bottom up.

[bobbolink]

46. Usually, but not always.

Liberation Theology in Latin America was the exception. The leaders, such as Archbishop Romero, gave the people on the bottom rungs the support and backing and understanding to stand up to the powers that be.

[bobbolink]

47. I suggested today to some who work at Walmart that those rich jerks who are stopping

Healthh Care should either have to be in the military and live on that "salary" with the dangers, or have to work at Walmart for a year, with no access to their mansion or their wealth.

Needless to say, they were all for it. ONe who is a manager of a department there, when I suggested that Rep. Jerod Polis work under her position, said she'd have a lot of fun with that.

Even though it'd be only for a year, somehow I think they'd suddenly "get it"

[Lost-in-FL]

6. Republicans keep adding ammendments, damaging the bill knowing very well

that it will pass. Isn't this tyranny by the ignorant and greedy minority?

[bobbolink]

11. Of course it's tyranny. Who's gonna stop 'em? The foxes that are guarding the hen house?

[Hydra]

12. More precisely

It's allowing the thugs who should have been marginalized into the drivers seat.

This has been my issue with the Dems for years- letting the repubs control the dialogue. 9/11, Patriot Act, IWR, Military Commissions, Gutted FISA...all of those things were lost chances for the Dems in Congress to grab the national dialogue and say "What the HELL are you people doing?!?!"

Instead, they sagely agreed. And I suspect they'll sagely agree when the minority party does it again.

[salinen]

14. yes

The tiny, greedy, ignorant minority has won, with support from the greedy ignorant majority.

[scarletwoman]

10. I don't think I can ever bring myself to vote Republican, I prefer the option of just not voting.

Which is precisely what I intend to do in 2010 -- and ever after -- if they fuck this one up.

No money, no phone banking, no bumper stickers, no lawn signs, no vote. And I'll encourage all I know to not vote either. What's the use? They don't listen to us or care about what we want or need, anyway.

sw

[salinen]

15. Right on!

I'm so done.

[DevonRex]

13. If you vote republican, you're a republican.

:eyes:

[salinen]

16. you might think that

There is now, IMO, no such thing as a democratic party. So you're voting republican too.

[DevonRex]

19. Sell that BS to somebody else. I'm not buying.

[Maru Kitteh]

36. +1

[spanone]

17. i will never vote for republicons.....never

[Autumn]

21. No public option? No fucking vote

I will stay home.

[salinen]

23. I'll stay home too

I was exaggerating that I'd vote pub.

[Ohio Joe]

22. Every time I think I've seen an idea so stupid, it can't be topped...

Someone comes along to prove me wrong. Go vote repug, good luck with that.

[DevonRex]

24. This is a desperate Naderite argument. It'd be sad if it weren't so stupid. nt

[salinen]

25. Quite a few of us are not going to the polls in 2010

O.K. you're right. I'd never vote pub. Gross. But not voting is seriously going to hurt the dems, correct?

[Ohio Joe]

45. I don't know

I suspect the answer will be no, not the way that the repugs are self destructing but I'm not very good at telling the future. Even if it did though... what would it get you? You think politicians are going to get serious on health care because you did not vote? No money to them though... thats a damn fine idea, not only that but make sure they know it, not only that but you need to make sure you are letting them know what you want in regards to health care:

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

I don't know how often you contact your elected reps but do it more often. Hell, since I've been unemployed, I'm doing it almost every day... gives me something to do and I like giving out my opinion :D I have also been looking into running for an office myself... still trying to figure that out though... an atheist with a foul mouth, a bad attitude and a checkered past does not seem to be the type of person people want to vote for... I'm trying to find a way to put a good spin on it all.

Regardless... I just don't see how not voting helps anything. I suggest finding and being very vocal about good candidates, make sure they know they have your support. Also, make sure that the douchbags know where your time and money is going. Throwing up your hands and walking away from one of your most precious rights is not the answer though.

[Speck Tater]

26. In other words, turn Washington into a self-cleaning oven.

Or a compost heap. Give the Republicans the White House and the legislative majority. Let the fever of insanity burn hot and run its course. Concentrate as much right wing corruption and evil in one place as possible and let the rot become so self-evident that the whole ridiculous empire collapses.

Voting Republican is voting for the collapse of the United States, but maybe collapse is the only way to get to meaningful change. Palin for President in 2012! Let the circus begin.

[salinen]

31. You said it better

The empire should collapse. America has become a bad infection.

[DCBob]

27. Voting Republican will only help them recover from near extinction.

A smarter strategy would be to work harder to marginalize the conservatives. They are on the ropes, why let them go?

[salinen]

32. That might work

Good luck.

[Joe the Liberal]

28. Interesting premise....

I've often thought of things similar although I don't think I could bring myself to vote republican ever but I know what you mean. It seems that the only way to get real and long lasting change around here is to let things get so fucked up that real change is the only alternative.

[salinen]

35. If they become so horrible

maybe some kind country will accept us as political refugees.

[Robbien]

30. You gotta be kidding

You are going GOPer?

The party of Palin and C Street?

Single payor, yes. Crazy loony Goper? Yah gotta be kiddin.

[salinen]

37. I am.

But not voting again is moving in that direction.

[Maru Kitteh]

33. If I can't have a mansion, I am going to live in a dirt hole! That'll show 'em!

[salinen]

39. Yep

I just want that healthcare mansion.

[Iggo]

34. Wasn't too long ago that...

...coming to DU and announcing you were gonna vote Republican was akin to ordering a pizza-for-one.

Times change, I guess.

[Uzybone]

38. +1000000

[salinen]

41. That's almost always the case with me anyway

because I like anchovies.

[Iggo]

48. I do understand your frustration, though.

Hang in there.

[Bjorn Against]

43. If you want change then work for change, voting Republican will not bring positive change

First off if you think your one vote which is going to accelerate the rate of decline so fast that people will rise up and turn it around you are delusional. Truth be told your vote does not make all that much of a difference.

Do you know what does make a difference? Actually getting out there and doing the work to build a better society. Go march in the streets, go confront business executives and ask them why they use unethical business practices, go blog about your experiences and let people know about the greed and corruption in the corporate world. If you want change you need to work for it, voting Republican is not going to do a bit of good for our society.