If you watch this video you will see why.
Yes, I proudly voted for a Democrat today. I drove past all the absurd “Stop Obama” signs and the signs falsely claiming the GOP candidate will balanced the budget. (The GOP has never delivered a balanced budget yet, so there is a zero chance this claim is true.). I remember who brought us a surplus –and it was Democrat Bill Clinton.
I also remember who brought the US economy to its knees. And it was not the Democrats. Paraphraising that recent video (about such remembering), which appeared on the BV front page , we remember who has brought us jobs and who has not, who tried to provide tax incentives for keeping jobs in the US and what party obstructed that effort. I voted because only one party cares about or will produce jobs, the Democratic party.
I voted for a Democrat today because Democrats accomplish great things. We tend to forget that. (Please, see Maddow clip above.) I voted because Democrats are also democratic with a big tent including men, women, people of color, LGBT, the poor, the Middle Class, the young, the old, the sick. It doesn’t matter what religion you are because we are all Americans with the right to believe what we wish. We have no litmus test. We are all in this together. The other side acts as if that is not true. But no matter how they try to obstruct, sabotage, serve limited constituencies, or get ugly, we are all in this together. It’s just the Republican Party which does not get that.
I voted for a Democrat because Democrats conduct themselves in a bipartisan fashion far more often than Republicans, who almost never do. Dems go to Washington and remember they are OUR representatives.
I voted for a Democrat because only the Democrats will leave health care reform in place and attempt to tweak it over time to make it better. Though Rick voted against the original bill for two specific reasons, he won’t try to repeal it.
I voted Democratic because Democrats will protect Social Security from privatization–or elimination–by Republicans, who’ve promised to defund the existing system; and workplace pensions from their appropriation by supposed corporate over-seeers. I voted Democratic because of credit card reform, consumer protection, and mortgage paperwork reform already ushered in by Democrats. I voted Democratic because Dems are the only chance to continue the reform of Wall Street, so that the debacle of 2007 never happens again.
I voted Democratic today because only the Democratic candidates want green jobs, more reliance on innovative green and cleaner technologies, reduction of greenhouse gases, and protecting the environment. I voted for a Democrat because only one party thought there should be a moratorium on new off-shore drilling as the BP disaster was unfolding….and because there is only one party which ultimately doesn’t see the legitimacy of continuing down the path of increased reliance on more wars for oil.
And while on that subject, I voted Democratic because former president Bush and former VP Cheney lied us into war and then tried to get us to stifle dissent (“watch what you say”) or even questioning. I remember who left Afghanistan abandoned and in chaos, to wage a preemptive war against Iraq, which did not attack us on 9-11. And I voted Democratic because President Obama put the war on the books, and therefore made honest accounting of the cost possible, unlike the off-the-books previous admin. And just as predicted the GOP then damned the President for supposedly increasing the deficit. BTW, he’s brought it down slightly. And the health care reform bill will also reduce the deficit over 10 years.
I voted Democratic because there is no equivalence between the parties concerning the hate and thuggery coming from the right-wing Republicans since 2008. It really is appalling what passes for radical “right” statements these days. And it’s a really bad example for our children and grandchildren. I will post a separate post on that later today or tomorrow. Any assertions of equivalence on the right and left are nothing but bald-faced lies.
I voted Democratic because I believe that government has a role to play in helping us to create communities, states and a nation we want, making it possible to do great things –beyond that which we could do alone. No, despite the GOP’s fear-mongering slander, that is not socialist. The GOP has rendered that term meaningless anyway. But, except for that one term, it is surprising how often the GOP is guilty of what it falsely accuses us of doing.
I proudly voted specifically for Rick Boucher because he did town halls long before others did and long before the far-right think they invented them come “tea party” time. I voted for Rick because whenever he doesn’t have to be in Washington, he is right back here in the District, meeting with residents, helping them in their problems with government. Also, his constituent service is impeccable. He doesn’t care what party you are from. He helps anyone in his district who needs it. While phone-banking, I talked to a Republican. She said she and her husband were not Democrats, but she and her husband love Rick. “We’d do anything for Rick,” she said. Morgan Griffith does not respect Democrats, but only attempts to frighten and manipulate them via a ridiculous contemptuous advertising/campaigning. You get a positive campaign from Rick Boucher. You can tell something of what a man (or woman) will be like by the ads they run.
I voted for Rick because no matter now ridiculously the other side gerrymanders his district, Rick just rolls up his sleeves and works harder. I voted for Rick because he has brought jobs, airports, infrastructure, and high-speed internet to places that would be left out by the Republicans, including the likes of Morgan Griffith. I voted for Rick Boucher because he lives and loves this district while his opponent, who was behind the last gerrymander could have placed himself in our district–but he did not. He did not because he didn’t want to be in our district. Now he thinks he can pretend he’ll represent us, when the only reason he’s running in the 9th is because Bob Goodlatte hasn’t retired in the 6th.
I voted for Rick Boucher because he is a national expert on the law pertaining to the internet and he works to protect internet privacy, internet access, net neutrality and more.
And I voted for Rick because he supports public education, while the Republican Party wants to eliminate the Dept of Education, federal funding of rural Virginia public schools, and public schools altogether. He also supports our public universities and sees/appreciates their importance. Republicans keep trying to politicize and de-fund them, and of course, burden shift the cost onto students and their families. Then these same Republicans bemoan the high cost of college tuition they caused to be high. Did I mention, Obama’s reform of the student loan program? Increasingly these same Republicans see universities as extensions of corporations, serving the corporate interest instead of the people’s interest. If you want public universities with whole units owned by big oil, just usher in Republicans to do like BP did to UC Berkely. Goodbye quality unbiased research.
I voted for Rick Boucher because he is one of the most respected persons in Congress. His opponent is not known for anything except ideology, obstruction and extreme partisanship. And I know that the President and the Democrats gave the Middle Class the biggest tax cut in history. The GOP never gives the President any credit, but it’s true. And he did it in the most efficient and inexpensive manner, not grandstanding by sending the people of America a check. Instead, the President decreased withholding so that every week, Americans have more in their pockets to spend. He wisely knew that bigger one-time checks would probably get saved and therefore would not prime the economy. (See the video.) Mr. Griffith doesn’t tell his supporters any of that.
I voted for Rick because he supports women. It’s bad enough, the GOP wants to police women’s bodies, but they also are even trying to ban birth control. Too many young people don’t see what is happening right under their eyes. Should Rowe v Wade be repealed by the ideological SCOTUS, all over the country, radical Republicans are working on measures to imprison women and their doctors. Indeed, they even want to make natural miscarriage a criminal matter. As I said before, that’s one in five pregnancies. You can see why so many GOPhers are invested in private prisons for profit. We’d better pray we hold onto a Democratic Senate or future court appointments are down the tubes. We already have a Republican judiciary in this country and the Republicans are sitting on many of the President’s appointments to the lower courts. That’s what they do–leave them open until (they hope) they get into power once again, and then they load up the courts with Scalia-types.
Mr. Griffith and his backers in the RNCC allowed a despicable ad to air in which they falsely accuse Rick Boucher and President Obama of “stealing our money and now they’re taking our jobs.” They’ve got the wrong administration for that one. That lie alone makes Morgan Griffith unworthy of any elected office. His party was in charge. And President George W. Bush was Mr. Bailout. The party which allowed the train wreck to happen and waited far too long to do anything cannot be trusted. They let their buddies on Wall St cash out before they moved in to do anything at all.
Despite the fact that Rick appeared to agree with Bob Goodlatte a number of times between 2007 and 2009, his long-term track record is more like 60% agreement with yours truly. I know we cannot agree all the time, but Rick has shown respect for me even when I disagreed. When is the last time Morgan Griffith, the Tom Delay-like “Hammer” of the Virginia HoD, respected anyone except his buddies on the extreme “right”-wing?
I voted for Rick because Darrell Issa will try to use the House of Representatives as a subpoena “machine.” Issa has said this. Rick brought sanity, intelligence, and leadership to the House Judiciary compromise when Republicans tried to use to route Bill Clinton from office. Rick could well end up as chair of that committee, one of the most important in Congress. Think about that, if you have not voted already. Think also about the embarrassment that is the GOP minority leader, who yelled “No” over and over, being the Speaker of the House. He plans a government shutdown of the people’s business –and its resulting unemployment.
And if you are among the few bloggers and commenters who have noted you are holding out, just look at the above as a reminder of how much it matters to have a Dem in Congress. We are counting on you, and every Dem to bring the election home…so that we can continue to work constructively on the people’s business. Isn’t that what elections are supposed to be about? I believe that. But apparently, only one party still does. Ours. Vote! It’s not too late.
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