Are YOU prepared to take responsiblity?

[Rosco T.]

If you're going to sit out the vote Tuesday, or vote for someone other than the DEM because ...

... you're one of those "I'm gonna teach DEM's a lesson cause I didn't get EVERYTHING I wanted RIGHT NOW!"
... you're one of the "Nothing has changed, Obama has accomplished nothing" (you're badly misinformed too).
... you're one of the "Let the GOP mess things up even more, then we can get somewhere.. maybe".

You have EVERY RIGHT TO DO SO.

But.

You have to take RESPONSIBILITY for NOT helping keep the DEM's on top.

You have to take RESPONSIBILITY for -

... every person that loses their job, because the GOP keeps pushing thru more tax breaks for the corporations to move jobs out of this country.
... every person that becomes gravely ill or dies, because the GOP manages to gut the Health Care changes that HAVE been passed and the good that was done is erased.
... every person that loses their home because the GOP keeps giving the banks the breaks and you get nothing.
... every economic and health related disaster that befalls another American, because YOU let the GOP take over and deadlock, stall and obstruct the House.

You ABSOLUTELY HAVE THE RIGHT to sit on your hands, fume and cuss, vent your frustration.

You ABSOLUTELY HAVE THE RIGHT to get out and do your DAMNEDEST to make sure the GOP stays in the minority.

You HAVE THE RIGHT to choose which to do.

.. but with that right, comes the RESPONSIBILITY.

Are YOU prepared to take RESPONSIBILITY?

EDIT: Because you can be DAMMED SURE the GOP Won't.
---

That's my opinion. Deal with it.

[no_more_yesterdays]

1. a little video ginkoblioba

got my consolidated general election sample ballot all filled out and ready for tue.

bringing my son, he turned 18 last week.

enjoy the video

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlBOv8m_Xa8>

[no_more_yesterdays]

3. p.s. i can spell, i just can't type.

[pinboy3niner]

12. Good video!

Thanks for the link!

I'll be at my polling place on Tuesday, too. Most times, I do a mail-in ballot. But sometimes I want the experience of going into a polling place and casting my vote in person. This is one of those times.

[H2O Man]

2. I vote a straight democratic

ticket; however, I think that any loses in this year's elections are 100% the responsibility of those democrats in Washington, DC. I agree with your wanting to motivate the base, but repectfully disagree with the idea that the voters are responsible for potential loses. Our elected representatives must be held to a high standard, and it seems evident that too many of the democrats in office have not earned widespread respect or support.

[Rosco T.]

4. YOU (the generic YOU, not you personally) are the last link in the chain...

.. YOU have the vote. YOU make the difference.

Simple as that.

[H2O Man]

5. Right.

I understood that.

[Hannah Bell]

7. bullshit. bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

[Rosco T.]

Down the hall, on the right, flush when you're done.

You went from 2 BS to 4 BS. Maybe some Immodium D is in order? :)

[Hannah Bell]

24. your scolding arrogant tone & snark will win you lots of support, i'm sure.

lesson 1 in how to win friends & influence people:

don't talk down to them or act like you're their nagging mother.

your post is bullshit.

[Rosco T.]

26. "don't talk down to them"

you mean like "Bullshit, Bullshit, Bullshit, Bullshit"

Yeah.

Right.

[Hannah Bell]

30. no, i mean like your op. which was posted BEFORE i called bullshit on it.

[Skittles]

15. CORRECT

I voted Dem, but ONLY because I know the alternative is worse

[Bluebear]

6. A) Who on a Dem website do you think will be sitting out? B) I hope this is not your idea of GOTV

Deal with it.

[Rosco T.]

8. A) Try reading a few threads.. you'll see plenty...

B) It's an opinion, old quote "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility". Just a reminder for those that may have forgotten.

[Bluebear]

10. My enthusiasm for this party is the lowest it has ever been.

Nevertheless, the alternative is far worse.

[Rosco T.]

11. Pre-cisely.

You just made my point for me.

[Skittles]

16. not really

we should be voting FOR Demorats, not AGAINST repukes

[Naturyl]

71. How can we do that when we have hardly any progressive Dems?

Sorry, but I'm voting for bodies with cardiovascular and respiratory function who aren't Republican to fill seats and take up space - because the last 4 years have proven that's about ALL they are willing to do.

But it's still immeasurably better than having Republicans in office, because they WILL do things - bad things.

I can't vote "for" Dems when we barely have any, at least by my definition of what a real Democrat ought to be.

[H2O Man]

21. In general,

focusing on a negative potential is less effective than focusing on a positive potential. Certainly, most of the democratic left is aware that republicans are terrible, in that they are pro-war, pro-corporations, and anti-social services. However, too many of the current democrats fit that same description.

Perhaps the single most important reason for the democratic left to vote for the democratic candidates on Tuesday is because it allows for the chance -- small as it may seem to some -- to defeat those same candidates in the next primary cycle. Third-party candidates are not as likely to win elections for national office, and republicans in office are more entrenched.

The concept of progress coming slowly, one small step at a time, makes the most sense in this context.

[Rosco T.]

23. Indeed. Even if it's the "two steps forward, one step back"

you're still netting one step forward, not ten steps back, ten steps back, ten steps back the GOP will provide.

[H2O Man]

25. The GOP

closes the door on the potential for progress.

[Rosco T.]

27. Closes it, nails it shut and pours a concrete block over it....

.. and done with kickbacks out the wazoo.

[donco6]

53. Uh . . . that's from Spiderman, dude.

I guess you can still call it an "old quote."

[Rosco T.]

55. Actually Stan the Man paraphrased it from other places...

"Responsibility walks hand in hand with capacity and power." — Josiah Gilbert Holland

"Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility." — Louis Armstrong

"Power without responsibility...the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages." — Rudyard Kipling

"It is a sad reflection...that a sense of responsibility which comes with power is the rarest of things." — Alexander Crummell

"To whom much is given, much is required." — John F. Kennedy

then again....

"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." - Luke 12:48

[laughingliberal]

13. " I hope this is not your idea of GOTV"

It's the Rahm Emanuel/Robert Gibbs school of GOTV. Insulting the voters always increases turnout, doesn't it?

[Rosco T.]

17. Show me where I insulted ANYONE.

I said clearly YOU HAVE THE RIGHT.

and you have the RESPONSIBLY.

Isn't that something Democrats believe in, taking responsibility. Not like the 'thugs... were it's ANYONE FAULT but theirs.

[laughingliberal]

20. The tone of your OP is authoritarian and condescending. nt

[Rosco T.]

22. Nope. It's the "Jack Webb" tone.

"Just the facts ma'am".

[laughingliberal]

29. I don't see it changing anybody's mind. It's one of those things where I'll vote despite

being sick to death of hearing this kind of tripe for 2 decades.

4 years we've had the majorities in the House and Senate and have increased them with every election. 2 years we've had the White House with it. And yet, the rich are still getting richer and finding new and better ways to rob us while the leaders look for new and better ways to compromise with those who are robbing us. It's frustrating and failure to recognize that frustration in the voters is one of the reasons we're in such a tight race.

[Naturyl]

72. Actually, no... we don't really do the whole "personal reponsibility" trip.

Not sure how you managed to miss it, but that has been a classic *right-wing* meme for many years.

Rather than assailing people with popular but ultimately meaningless slogans such as "personal responsibility," progressives generally like to take a much more nuanced view of how a whole variety of factors play into any situation or outcome.

[laughingliberal]

9. I'm going to vote for Democrats on Tuesday

but if we keep the Democrats in power and the jobs still don't return and our SS and Medicare gets gutted, then who's responsible?

[Rosco T.]

14. Fair Question.

Don't have a answer, but someone up thread made the point.

The alternative is far worse.

But I will say this, if the DEM's DON'T Stay in power, you can guarantee on all of us getting gutted.

But if it does, then time get a new batch of DEM's in office, not the same old ones.

[laughingliberal]

18. "The alternative is far worse."

People who will be facing starvation if they gut SS really aren't going to be concerned about much else. Once we've decimated people's ability to survive, the rest is sort of moot.

I've always voted for Democrats and I will this time but I'm not kidding myself about their commitment to us.

[Hannah Bell]

28. what would be the "far worse" alternative to gutting medicare & SS?

are the republicans going to murder everyone in their beds?

it will be rather cold comfort to "get a new batch of dems" after SS & medicare are gone.

[Rosco T.]

31. what's worse? The GOP idea of medicare & SS.

put it this way, keep the DEM's in power and you've got a good chance of keeping medicare & SS.

put the GOP in power... it's gone for sure..

so what's better, over 50% chance of keeping it, or 100% chance of losing it?

[Hannah Bell]

32. lol. the party of roosevelt has come to a pretty state.

[Rosco T.]

33. Barbour: "the party will make the recent health care reform law unrecognizable"

"If Republicans get control of Congress after the midterm elections, the party will make the recent health care reform law unrecognizable". the chairman of the Republican Governors Association said Sunday.

Just the fact's ma'am.

[laughingliberal]

35. Under the current HCR bill, access to health care will remain out of reach for us.

So, that won't affect me. Cutting SS and raising the retirement age? That will affect me.

And I don't for one minute believe the bidness friendly Republicans have one real intention of getting rid of a mandate for Americans to give their money to insurance companies.

[MilesColtrane]

48. (self delete)

[laughingliberal]

34. And your answer to me if the Democrats go along with the theft will be?

It won't really matter to me whether the chance of losing it was 50% or 100%. Once I've lost it, I'll be just as hungry.

And I'd say it's more like an 90% chance enough Democrats will side with the Republicans.

[bighart]

79. This whole vote D becuase the other side is "far worse" is bull.

So you are willing to settle for crappy representation over crappier representation, maybe some aren't.

If your boss came to you and said you can take a 20% pay cut or a 30% pay cut, your choice, would you celebrate what a great person they are because you got a choice?

[bobbolink]

69. As it is, I'm to the point of preferring to be "murdered in my bed"

Leaving people with nothing so that they are FORCED to take their OWN lives is about as cruel as it gets.

Its really a shame that so many are so mired in their own authoritarianism that they have NO ROOM in their hearts for hearing the pain of others.

[Naturyl]

73. Yes, exactly.

This year I had a good friend become homeless because of his father's attachment to the "get a job" indoctrination. This man was clinically depressed and despite his best efforts to cope with his sudden transition to homelessness, he was unable to do so and took his own life.

The cruel reality is that for many Americans, this tragic loss is cause for celebration. One more "bum" out of the gene pool and off the public's back. That's the kind of mentality we're dealing with.

He was a good man, one of the most intelligent, insightful, and compassionate I've known - and I hold American culture directly responsible for his death.

We are already being murdered in our beds - or, in this case, in our sleeping bags spread out on sewer grates.

[bobbolink]

78. "That's the kind of mentality we're dealing with." Yes, and it is really hard for me to grasp.

I see it all the time, and yet.... it is still very jarring.

The worst is I see it from "progressives"... not just here on DU, which I'm sure you have seen, also, but IRL, people who proudly proclaim just how "progressive" they are, and yet refuse to give one bit of concern for homelessness, and this week, actually were suppportive of people who were being very prejudicial toward me for no other reason that because I am homeless.

It took me a long time to actually realize just how deeply embedded this is, and it still leaves me feeling gutted.

I am so sorry about your friend. :( That must have been very hard for you to deal with. :( The suicide rate among homeless people is very high, but I still can't get people willing to take action to change the situation. :( When so many of the Katrina people were killing themselves, it wasn't possible to make it a real issue even here. :(

I don't know what we have become, but it isn't human.

[readmoreoften]

19. Yes! Don't vote for Crist like Clinton says! Go Dems!

[LooseWilly]

36. Ok, I'll play... and yes I'll "take responsibility"

I am so amused by your 3 strawmen re-constructions of legitimate criticism that I just voted for Laura Wells (Green) for governor of California. It was fun :)

I don't have to take responsibility to keep Dems on top though, you are mistaken. They have the responsibility to earn my vote. Calling me a retard and privatizing the schools— DOES NOT WIN MY VOTE. (wow... this ALL CAPS BULLSHIT SURE IS FUN!!)

If the party fails to behave in a fashion that wins my vote (Barbara Boxer won my vote with her behavior, Jerry Brown didn't... draw a conclusion, and please try to call me an asshole for a viable reason, rather than a boilerplate reason concocted in some strategist's office somewhere in the beltway... I mean, assuming you're capable of more than regurgitating party-lines WITH ALL CAPS)... well then that's a failure of the party.

I'll repeat... it is not my responsibility to keep the party in power. It is the responsibility of the party to represent the people. To vote for a politician who is not representing me makes me an idiot, and to do so because some loudmouth likes to use all caps makes me an easily cowed idiot.

Are you calling me an easily cowed idiot? If so, I invite you to go fuck yourself.

If not, I'll remind you that I have no responsibility to:

... every person that loses their job, because the GOP keeps pushing thru more tax breaks for the corporations to move jobs out of this country. (I don't see Democrats doing any differently on the National Stage anyway... furnish me some proof)

... every person that becomes gravely ill or dies, because the GOP manages to gut the Health Care changes that HAVE been passed and the good that was done is erased. (What about the people who have to pick up a third job to cover the mandatory health insurance in order to pay-off the health insurance industry to cover these people?... What're the Democrats doing for them? Do they not count?... Are they any less fictional than your arbitrary and unsubstantiated demographic?)

... every person that loses their home because the GOP keeps giving the banks the breaks and you get nothing. (Again, I don't see the Democrats behaving any differently on the national stage— so what's the difference?)

... every economic and health related disaster that befalls another American, because YOU let the GOP take over and deadlock, stall and obstruct the House. (Uhh, why would obstruction of the House make any difference while the Senate is Legislatively-Constipated?... Nothing's getting through, and the Democrats haven't found a way to get anything through... so— what's the difference again?)

Hmm... on the whole, your "opinion" is pretty easy to deal with. Why don't you, please, take responsibility and GO F*^K YOURSELF... (Or, you could maybe do some volunteering ... all those Democrats that've been taking my ilk for granted between elections seem to be experiencing a shortage of volunteers and they keep calling me. I'm sure you'll be happy to quit your job so you can cover that, right?)

[Hannah Bell]

37. "not my responsibility to keep the party in power - the responsibility of the party to represent

the people"

+100.

the reason palin & these idiots are being talked up so much is to move the entire political spectrum to the right, & so they can be held up like little fetishes & shaken at the voters at election time: "scary, scary, scary! vote for us! not as bad as this devil doll!"

[lonestarnot]

38. worse!

[LWolf]

42. +1,000

[VMI Dem]

39. This isn't flamebait....but gay civil rights threads are. Transparent.

:rofl:

[TheKentuckian]

40. I'm voting and I have volunteered but it is the politician's job to earn votes not ours to blindly

support them in the hopes they may at some future point get tired of sloughing at the pig trough and work for the people.

Any problem lies with the craven, worn out, bought slaves to the machine and a twisted party apparatus.

[LWolf]

41. I don't have to deal with your shit. It's yours. YOU deal with it.

If you think that's the way to GOTV, you've got some hard lessons coming.

[PA Democrat]

43. I've always "taken responsibility". Not all of our Democratic politicians have.

[Vogon_Glory]

44. Since When Have This Crop of Reactionaries Taken Responsibility For Anything?

Since when has this crop of reactionaries ever taken responsibility for anything? Despite the lying horse-(BLEEP!) I've seen on-line from contemporary 'conservatives' that they practice responsibility, this crowd has never taken responsibility for their foul-ups. It's always blame somebody else, and for the last thirty years, it's been blame Carter, blame Clinton, blame Obama, blame Nancy Pelosi, but never, ever take responsibility for making their own messes.

The memory-impaired, easily-distracted suckers who have voted or who are planning to vote Republican are going to find out that they voted for people who NEVER take responsibility for anything.

:grr:

:nuke:

:dem:

:patriot:

[Hannah Bell]

45. they *never* do, even diaper-sex. which demonstrates that not taking responsibility =

successful political strategy.

we all know people who brazen it out & get away with it -- not only get away with it, but soar, while the play-by-the-book types beaver away in petty clerical roles their entire careers.

the big boys like psychopaths -- they recognize their own kind.

[pinboy3niner]

46. Sorry. Seems well-meaning, but it's lecturing.

As much as I may even agree with you, I have to unrec. It's possible to do an encouraging post WITHOUT lecturing.

[Vinca]

47. I doubt many here will be sitting the election out or voting for a nut

because we may be disappointed with the last couple of years. Your rant would be better placed on a board populated by Indies and the few remaining sane Republicans.

[docvet]

49. LOL!

When repubs are on top, gop policy goes through. When dems are on top, gop policy goes through but we close our eyes. Responsibility my donkey!

[txlibdem]

50. Unrec'ers are out in force

While I might have a quibble about some of your facts as stated, your point is valid.

I'm as disappointed in Obama as anyone on DU, possibly, but I am going to the polls and vote 100% Democratic this Tuesday. I don't want to take the chance of my missed vote being the one that could have made things even a tiny fraction better for American workers than they are today.

[laughingliberal]

58. I'm voting straight Democratic & I unrecc'd this

I don't see that anyone here is unaware of the facts presented. The tone is condescending and not likely to persuade anyone who isn't already committed to voting for Democrats.

Just because I'm, once again, forced to choose between bad and worse does not mean I'm happy about it and reminding me is not helpful.

My quetion is: After I slog down to the polls and vote for Democrats and they turn around and compromise with the Republicans to cut SS and I'm left hungry, what will YOU say to me?

That's rhetorical, obviously. Of course I'll be told I'm a whiner who didn't get my pink pony.

[txlibdem]

64. I think we're in agreement but you said it with a tad more eloquence than I

Felicitations, I applaud your elucidation of the salient points. :-)

I've been wondering the same thing as you. What if our cherished Dems do in fact cut our throats and raise the retirement age while slashing the benefits we thought were guaranteed all our lives. I cannot offer you any good advice on that, my friend. All I can do is tell you what my plan is. Maybe it will give you an idea or at least a chuckle.

Here's my goal. I'm building a commune where people can join together for common economic security and to share the costs of living.

How much does it cost to pay your rent/mortgage each month? The commune shares the land with each member.
How much does it cost for a car/insurance/gas each month? The commune shares vehicle we have.
How much does it cost to pay the phone bill, cable bill, electricity, gas, etc? The commune shares all the costs with you.

I've been researching green building techniques for almost a decade. The same goes for energy efficiency. We've been applying one energy saving idea after another and now my wife and I have cut our electricity bill by at least half - even in the hottest parts of the year here in Texas. We've cut our natural gas bill from between $60 to $90 a month down to $15. We haven't gone caveman. We still have big screen tvs, microwaves, dishwasher and all the modern conveniences, including hot showers. We're just a little smarter about cutting out waste than we were before. There are more things we could do if we were starting over, building a house from scratch: we're living in a tract house, not one custom built to be energy efficient, although it does have radiant barrier in the attic.

[laughingliberal]

66. Oh, I like those ideas. We're barely holding on to our house & would dump it but we have thought...

if we can keep hanging on a while, it would not be a bad place for something like that. It's not big but it's on 2 1/2 acres and it is energy star rated.

[txlibdem]

68. I would try to keep it if possible

You're right that 2.5 acres is a good size lot. When we moved to our current house in '05 I tried to steer the missus towards an 8 acre patch with a less than sparkling house on it. She looked at this tract house and fell in love. No further discussion possible.

[laughingliberal]

75. Lol. Mr LL works in the trades and we are well aware when the Mrs has her heart set on something...

further discussion is futile. :)

[txlibdem]

77. Abso-tively, poso-lutely.

You got that right.

The only thing that really gets me is that we could have paid cash for the 8 acre one. Instead we have a $1200 a month mortgage... Oh, well. Spilt milk I guess. She had no idea that I would become disabled...

[donco6]

51. Who's sitting OUT the VOTE?

Haven't seen it.

[laughingliberal]

59. No one. And if anyone is, this isn't likely to help. nt

[donco6]

65. I read the first sentence or two, then -

it turned into that Charlie Brown teacher voice, "Whaa, wuh whaa whaa Whaa!"

[laughingliberal]

67. Yep. nt

[donco6]

52. PS. Roscoe - we're all set to be blamed for whatever happens anyway.

That's the way it works around here.

And yes, I already voted.

[Bluebear]

56. thank you

[donco6]

57. For what good it'll do.

These types of posts will only increase exponentially over the next 24 hours.

[Individualist]

60. So true! Everything is the fault of progressives according to some.

[KittyLover]

54. My vote's not going to be

pissed away. I can't stand all the projections, and the right wing spin machine ass kissing that I see going on. My vote will help America. Will yours everyone? We need to keep the US on the straight, and narrow. We can't do that if these red elephants get the power back.

I can't stress enough how much everyone on this site needs to be at the polls tomorrow. Tell you family, your friends...your pets, for pete's sake.

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[flvegan]

62. I love the smell of DU during an election season.

[Individualist]

63. Unrec.

Deal with it.

[Naturyl]

70. This makes sense in many states, but not in mine.

In my super-red state, Democrats simply won't win, period.

I still plan to vote, though. But if we lose in my state, which we most certainly will, you can't blame that on us when there simply aren't enough of us to ever win no matter how hard we try.

[messiah]

74. Back to reality

Corporations control the government now what?.

[AnnieBW]

76. Well, I for one am NOT voting tomorrow!

Because I early voted last Wednesday, sillies!

:evilgrin:

[treestar]

80. Nope. We already have indications they will have it both ways.

They are not at fault and should not be blamed, poor victims, for undermining the Democrats. Yet they are the "base" and we can't win without them. They are not fired up enough and have stayed home. So they made us pay. But they don't want any credit (or blame) for it. No they are not responsible. The Democrats who disappointed them are. That'll teach those Democrats! Now we have REAL Republicans (which are no worse, anyway).

Though IMO it is the independents and centrists being idiots with short attention spans that gets the Republicans in again.