An off-year election always means great turnout, Regardless, polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM, and you can find your local (for Houston folks) polling place here. As for whom you should vote for, my proclivities are already pretty well known, and since I'm in a bit of a hurry, I'll just quote last weekend's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher::
New Rule: Controlling Congress is for closers. Listen up, Democrats, it's as simple as ABC: Always Be Closing. First prize? Controlling congressional committees, with subpoena power. Second prize: set of steak knives. Third prize? You're fired.
The election is four days away, and I'm through dicking around with you. Here are your talking points:
1) When they say, "Democrats will raise taxes," you say, "We have to, because some asshole spent all the money in the world cutting Paris Hilton's taxes and not killing Osama bin Laden." In just six years the national debt has doubled. You can't keep spending money you don't take in, that's not even elementary economics, that's just called "Don't be Michael Jackson."
2) When they say, "The terrorists want the Democrats to win," you say, "Are you insane? George Bush has been a terrorist's wet dream, and nonpartisan commissions have confirmed that he's a recruiter's dream: theirs, not ours. And, he has exhausted our military without coming away with a win, the worst of both worlds." Bush inflames radical hatred against America and then runs on offering to protect us from it. It's like a guy throwing shit on you and then selling you relief from the flies.
3) When they say, "Cut and Run" or "Defeatocrat," you say, "Bush lost the war -- period." All this nonsense about "the violence is getting worse because they're trying to influence our election." No, it's getting worse because you drew up the postwar plans on the back of a cocktail napkin at Applebee's. And of course Democrats want to win, but that's impossible now that you've ethnically cleansed the place by making it unlivable, just like you did with New Orleans.
4) When they say that actual combat veterans like John Kerry are "denigrating" the troops, you say, "You're completely full of shit." Remember when Al Gore caught all that flak for sighing and moaning during that debate? Yeah, don't do that. Just say, "You're full of shit."
If I was a troop, the support I would want back home would mainly come in the form of people pressuring Washington to get me out of this pointless nightmare. That's how I would feel supported.
So when they say, "Democrats are obstructionists," you say, "You're welcome." Because with a bad administration that has bad ideas, obstruction is a good thing, just as it's a good thing to obstruct a drunk from getting his car keys. I would be happy to frame the debate as a fight between the Obstructionists and the Enablers. There's your talking point: "Vote Republican, and you vote to enable George Bush to keep ruling as an emperor." A retarded, child emperor, but an emperor.
Democrats, you've got two days to get out there and close. It's not about slogans this time. Although when it comes to slogans, accept no other from your opponent except this one: "The Republican Party: We're Sorry."
Vote.
UPDATE: Democrats take control of the House. Senate still too close to call. Perry wins. So does Lampson. Hell of a night all around.
Even if everyone I voted for loses, I’m damn glad I voted.
I’d vote for Bill Maher if he was running for anything. Even if he doesn’t realize the inherent cowardice of ramming a plane into a big building.
Rick Perry again?! How ass backwards are you people?!!? No offense. ;)
Rick Perry again?!
He’ll limp into office with 38% of the vote. Not quite the 60+ percent you California idiots gave Schwarzenegger, is it?
A California idiot maybe, but he’ll keep vocational education going and that’s the only thing that mattered to me, as my dad is a business education teacher.
And what can I say? We like our elected officials to always be photogenic.
Apparently, so does Texas which is why we re-elected Governor Good-Hair.
Abso-freaking-lutely spot on, Pete. Great post. I’ll be linking it later today.
Thanks for articulating it for the good guys.