Has anyone thought about getting the unemployed to vote?

[yurbud]

It seems like they should be the most motivated to keep the GOP from getting back in power, they'd have the time to show up to vote, and there's a lot of them out there.

[leftstreet]

1. Why would unemployed people vote status quo?

:shrug:

Doesn't make sense.

Frankly, the Dems have to hope they DON'T show up

[county worker]

12. How ridiculous. The repubs in power is not status quo

This gets a little stupid as November gets closer.

[leftstreet]

15. Uh....that's what I just said

The OP asked why the Dems aren't attempting to motivate unemployed voters.

The Dems have the majority
Voting for Dems is therefore voting status quo

The debate is: are unemployed people likely to vote status quo, or do they tend to vote anti-incumbent?

Get it?

[county worker]

16. If you don't show up you might as well have voted repub

[slackmaster]

2. I've always voted whether or not I was employed on election day

Unemployment touches all demographics. I can't see "the unemployed" as a political force, because unemployed people already belong to various ages, races, interest groups, etc.

[Codeine]

3. Unemployment actually tends to make people get pissed off and lash out at all incumbents.

I don't think mobilizing massive numbers of jobless would be a net benefit to the Democratic party at this point, sadly.

[babylonsister]

4. They're angry at both parties...

99er NOVO member Mignon Veasley-Fields renders Ed Schultz speechless


99er NOVO member Mignon Veasley-Fields rendered Ed Schultz speechless yesterday, blaming both the Democrats as well as the Republicans for the mess the 99ers find themselves in today.

In recent weeks, a group of the longest term unemployed has emerged called the 99er NOVOs, who are so angered by Washington inaction on a Tier 5 that they were refusing to vote at all in the upcoming elections, unless S3706 (The Americans Want to Work Act) was brought to the Senate floor for a vote first.

Mignon Veasley-Fields is a 61-year-old Los Angeles grandmother who has been out of work since June 2008. Her unemployment benefits ran out over three months ago.

On Thursday's "Ed Show," Schultz did his best to get Veasley-Fields to encourage the NOVOs to cast ballots for Democrats in November despite their economic woes. Since the NOVO agreement was to halt their plans not to vote, if the bill was brought to the floor, Mignon assured Ed that the NOVOs would indeed keep their word. Unfortunately, the 99ers are not all on board with this decision.

"Well Ed, yes, we have committed that we are going to encourage our fellow 99ers to vote for either party that their choice. However, 

Ed, yesterday was very disappointing for us. And even though we are trying to tell them to vote, many of them are not going to vote even though the No NOVO says to go ahead and do this. They were disillusioned by what they saw on the Senate floor yesterday. We were grateful for Senator Stabenow for her effort, but we thought it was just sort of put together really quickly like a dog and pony show in order to get us to vote for them. This is a sentiment across this nation." Ms. Fields told Ed.

more...

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com/2010/10/99er-novo-member-mignon-veasley-fields.html

[yurbud]

7. in one sense I can understand that because Dems supported and later refused to roll back trade deals

that screwed American workers, and once they had the power to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, they sat on their hands--sort of like the bait and switch Republicans did to their base with abortion.

[TexasObserver]

5. Voter registration laws are designed to disenfranchise mobile people.

All those laws that require a notice be sent and if it's not returned the person is stricken from the voting rolls are designed to weed out apartment dwellers, those who live with others, those who lives are in transition and they have to live somewhere they may not be next month, and the homeless. The GOP uses systems which make voting more difficult, and require a voter to have a place they reside for some length of time.

Then they allege voter fraud when people try to vote.

[bobbolink]

6. Yes, it took me TWO AND A HALF hours to register to vote last time.. when it takes 2 minutes for the

rest of you.

Then what I get in return for my effort is to have my meager benefits cut by the party I voted for.

[bobbolink]

8. The time to think of that was a long time ago.

You see, now you want THEM to benefit YOU.

You should have thought of that a long time ago, and been fighting for those of us whose votes you now want.

In fact, when I mentioned this over a year ago, what I got in return was snark.

You can't just use people.. you have to WORK FOR THEM.

That is what democracy is about.

[eilen]

10. I wish I could rec this. nt

[bobbolink]

11. Thank you. The lack of understanding of the true nature of politics is reallyy astounding.

[stray cat]

9. why do you think they won't?

but don't count on them voting democratic anymore than republican

[mikeSchmuckabee]

13. They already have the day off.

Are the bars still closed on election day?

Didja see how many millionaires are unemployed? Could be dicey?

[Book Lover]

14. I assure you, I will be voting this November (nm)