Election Day Logic

With election day (November 3^rd) rapidly approaching, I’m reminded of the famous political quote by that colorful senator from Louisiana, Huey Long. Back around 1935, when asked if there were any differences between the Democratic and Republican parties, Huey remarked, “…the only difference I ever found between the Democratic leadership and the Republican leadership is that one of them is skinning you from the ankle up and the other from neck down” (taken from the “High Popalorum and Low Popahirum” speech).

Huey made another, less famous, but equally insightful statement while campaigning for the re-election of Senator Hattie Caraway (D-AR) in 1932 when he said “…they’ve got a set a Republican waiters on one side and a set of Democratic waiters on the other side, but no matter which side brings you the dish, the legislative grub is all prepared in the same Wall Street kitchen”.

As an aside, Hattie was only the second woman to ever set in the U.S. Senate (appointed to replace her husband, Sen. Thaddeus Caraway, who unexpectedly died, and the first woman ever to be elected in her own right).

While “the Kingfish” as Huey was known tried to create a third wheel in American politics (called the “Share the Wealth” movement), his assassination brought it to a bitter end in 1935. However, its popularity among the poor and working class showed that voters of all races were tired of the corrupt political duopoly and “Yellow Journalism” of the time

Today, we find there are even fewer differences between the two parties than there were in Depression Era America, and while there are many more news sources than there was in the 1930’s, many are mere shills for their corporate ownership (but, be that as it may, 90+% of all media is owned by just six mega-corporations), corporate and political power   

Independents are now the nation’s largest voter demographic with about 48% of all voters while the Democratic Party is in the upper middle 20% and Republicans are in the lower middle 20% ranges. When it comes to Congressional approval, a paltry 16% of registered voters approve of the job Congress is doing (or to put it another way, 79% of voters disapprove!).

 When asked about their confidence in Congress, a pathetic 9% said “a lot”. 34% said “some”, and 54% of voters had none.  President Trump isn’t doing any better. His approval rating, which has never been high, stands at 38.6%, meaning 60.3% are dissatisfied with his job performance. Finally, 66% of the public believes the nation is on the wrong track according to an Economist/YouGov poll.

When it comes to the corporate owned legacy media, 66% of Americans have no or little confidence in that they’re being given factual information by the news media. Remember that the next time some newspaper tells you who or what to vote for and don’t forget that the role of the media is to provide you---the citizen and voter---with the unbiased facts no matter how disturbing or “inconvenient” those facts might be.  

So, what does this mean? Simply put, it’s time for a change, not just from red to blue and back again, but time for a real fundamental change. Some would say the system is “broken”. I would respectfully disagree. I would say that the system is functioning exactly as intended, not, however, as intended by the Founders, but as intended by Wall Street and the corporate overlords who literally own and run the government for their sole benefit.

The change in voter demographics away from partisan dominance is a positive change for us. It gives us the numbers to make real differences, and along with those numbers are numerous organizations such as Term Limits, Let Us Vote, Fair Vote, the Forward Party, Fair Elections Center, Democracy Works, and countless others to help us make those needed changes a reality.  

So, when you go to the polls on Tuesday, November 3^rd, remember that it isn’t about which of the two corporate-owned parties or “shill-in-a-suit” you vote for, nothing will change unless it serves the interests of a tiny wealthy and powerful few. Now is the time to think…and act…outside the mouse trap (or “box” if you prefer a gentler analogy). We finally have the numbers. 

However, if there are no other alternatives on the ballot except “red” or “blue”, seriously consider voting for the challenger (if you’re able to do a write-in where you live, consider doing so). In many cases, you’ve already seen what the incumbent can do (or, rather, won’t do), so you’re no worse off. And for all those who say voting for a third party or Independent candidate is a “wasted vote”, the only vote that’s wasted is the one not cast. Personally, I think too that voting to get the same results over and over is the actual “wasted vote”, after all, one skins from the ankle up and the other from neck down and I'm tired of constantly being skinned. How about you?

 

A History of Third Party and Independent PresidentialCandidates

 

List of third party and independent performance in UnitedStates presidential elections

Gallup Poll: Congress and the Public

 

Gallup: U.S. Media Trust: Edges Up From Record Low