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Showing Original Post only (View all)People vote when they have something/someone to vote FOR. [View all]
The fact is that the vast majority of people are not political/policy wonks like we at DU are. It's simple, if they don't feel that their needs are being met, if they don't feel like they're being represented by EITHER party, they'll simply stay home. Whine and wail and render your garments all you want about it but the FACT is that if you don't give people someone to vote FOR (He's/She's not as bad as the other guy/gal doesn't work anymore), they're far more likely not to show up.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Locally, there's no Senate seat up and it's not a presidential election year. We did have a couple of Congressional seats that COULD have changed from R to D given the right set of circumstance (the DCCC did not send ONE CENT to either candidate) but since Obama delayed immigration reform the Latinos (majority of the population) in my area are LIVID and several have told me they're staying home because of it. The result is that both seats will remain in R hands.
And before I'm accused of it by the Party Faithful, let me be clear: NO, I AM NOT ADVOCATING PEOPLE STAY HOME ON ELECTION DAY. I just choose not to berate people because they don't feel like anyone represents them. All berating does is cause people to entrench themselves deeper in their beliefs. When promises are made and then not kept, time after time after time, it's not difficult to see why so many are saying they don't feel like their voices are being heard even when they make the "right" choice (voting for Ds).
The remedy is not to berate people but to put up candidates for whom people will get excited -- candidates that they feel will represent them and their interests and WHO KEEP THEIR PROMISES. Do this and people will show up to donate, work for the campaign and get out the vote. Continue to deny, delay and make excuses for why reforms have not even BEGUN to be enacted and you'll get what you have now which is massive voter apathy.