It was there for the winning. It was never going to be easy. If there’sone thing we know about non-Presidential elections it’s that Republicans SHOW UP AND VOTE, and that Democrats don’t – at least nowhere near to the same degree.
EVERY GODDAMNED VOTE MATTERS!
Like I said, polling in a situation like the Georgia 6th is worthless. Because faced with the prospect of losing a seat to a Democrat, Republicans will vote for almost ANYONE (Exhibit A is the current occupant of the Oval Office but there are plenty of other examples) to keep that from happening. If there is any lazy-assed, worthless piece of shit progressive, or even conservative leaning Democrat who couldn’t be bothered to cast their vote in the 6th I say go straight to the hell that as an agnostic I don’t believe in. Because you had a chance to put the fear of the god so many of you down there in the so-called bible belt believe in, to put that fear into Republicans all across the country.
And you fucking blew it. Support in the form of money, volunteers from around the country including some who actually went down to your neck of the woods to canvass in person poured in. Yes, the GOP matched it. But our own Party pulled out all the stops to support you and our candidate. While I offer my sincere thanks to those who actually did cast a vote, to those of you who could have but didn’t I really wish there was an actual hell for you to go straight to, because your laziness, overconfidence or apathy (or some combination of those) has consigned hundreds of millions in our own country and so many more around the world (via untold ripple effects) to an unchecked GOP assault on the Constitution, and most people – even those who have been repeatedly suckered into voting against their own best interests time and again. Your District was supposed to be made up of more highly educated voters who wouldn’t buy the GOP line. Guess what? All those educated suburban GOP types made sure to vote, and for the Republican regardless of how they feel about Trump.
Some of the comments I’m hearing on MSNBC are whistling past the fucking graveyard. The “Oh boy – we are seeing big swings in these formerly safe districts” comments. Or “Any Republican who had a margin of less than20% is in trouble. Don’t kid yourselves. There are NO “moral victories” including and especially this one in the GA 6th. We matched the GOP in money and organizing effort and didn’t just lose, but by what looks like four or even five percent of the vote. And Trump only won in that District by 1%! As I said earlier you might (and probably do) hate the GOP’s policies, but what you should hate as much or more is that THEY GET OUT AND VOTE!
And we don’t.
Excuses will be made. It rained. Boo-fucking-hoo! I’ve been voting since I was 18. And I’ve made it a point to vote even in state & local elections. That includes absentee when I was in the Marines. When I left active duty I was living in Virginia which is one of those states that holds important statewide elections in off years (as in odd-numbered years separate from either Presidential or mid-term election years) and despite once having had jobs that required travel I always managed to cast my vote. I’ve stood in line for hours sometimes, whether in northern VA or after moving to WV even to vote early just to make sure my vote was cast, because I didn’t want to take a chance on election day. In recent years due to health issues, standing in line in NC (where I now live) has meant feeling my legs going numb by being on my feet for an hour or more (even for early voting) but I by god took it and cast my vote. So I don’t want to hear ANY excuses from ANY asshole in Georgia who navigated the GOP voter suppression blockade and was actually registered and able to vote –and didn’t because of the rain, or being too busy, etc. That’s why they have early voting. Or mail in balloting!
Around the country we were counting on you. And from the top down to the grassroots we made sure that our candidate would have every resource the GOP provided to theirs. And with the extra time between the first round where Ossoff fell just a couple of percentage points below the50% needed to avoid today’s runoff it seems that we not only couldn’t build on what was achieved in the first round but the Democratic vote REGRESSED. We got hosed in same day voting. And as it turns out we couldn’teven win the early voting.
Just how the hell are we supposed to win Independents when THEY can look at election after election and see how actual Democrats can’t be bothered to get the hell out and vote? Yes, they can see the same voter suppression stuff that you or I can. But even so when attention can be focused like in special elections and Democrats have a fighting chance they still lose, and not by a handful but by a statistically significant amount.
So no one should be taking consolation in so-called moral victories. And they shouldn’t be sad or depressed either. They should embrace the kind of cold fury I’m feeling, and accept NO excuses from anyone either in the Georgia 6th (Democrat or Independent who leans our way) about not voting. If someone is facing barriers to getting registered then ask them, even beg & plead with them to say what the problem is and hold their goddamned hand if necessary every step of the way to get them registered. As the next (or any) election approaches make sure they vote. If they are poor, elderly or have any barriers such as getting to the polls again do whatever it takes to get them to admit it – and then do what is needed be it getting an absentee ballot, voting early, providing or arranging a ride to their polling place etc. to make sure that vote is cast.