One More Day
Tomorrow is election day. I know which way I’m voting and, if you’ve read this blog for very long you know, too. The most important thing I can ask you to do is vote. Make sure of it. Go out of your way to get to the polls. Schedule the time in your dayplanner or whatever, treat it like it’s a business meeting or a doctor’s appointment. I’m also going to echo a call I’m hearing from some of my colleagues in the blogosphere, put best by Citizen Smash:
| :::::::: | Respect Other Voters
EVERY ELECTION, Democrats accuse Republicans of voter intimidation, and Republicans accuse Democrats of ballot fraud. Which is worse? Intimidating voters (or misdirecting them) is a form of disenfranchisement. But so is voting multiple times, or casting a ballot when you are not eligible to vote. Every illegal vote neutralizes one legally cast ballot for the opposition. Just because someone has a different opinion than you, doesn’t mean they have less of a right to vote than you do. Don’t undermine our democratic system – vote once, and go home. Don’t Panic THE POLLSTERS tell us that we’re in for another close election. There may even be legal challenges to the vote counts in several states. We have a legal system in this nation that has withstood the test of multiple wars, insurrections, and a full-on civil war. While heated rhetoric by rapid partisans and the occasional riot might make us feel insecure, rest assured that we have well-established and tested legal procedures to ensure that any disputed election will be peacefully resolved long before Inauguration Day. This brings us to our final point: Respect the Results WHOEVER ULTIMATELY WINS a majority of the electoral votes will be the next President of the United States – not just the leader of the Republicans or the Democrats. While this election has been particularly partisan, once the votes have been counted it will be time for us to stop bickering and start thinking of ourselves as one nation again. Remember, the integrity of our democratic system is far more important than any transitory partisan agenda. We can only have one commander-in-chief at a time. |
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Indeed. I have already pledged to do this. I will not be sitting here for the next four years badmouthing Kerry should he be elected President and I certainly won’t be engaging in personal ridicule of the man. I won’t be agreeing with everything he’s doing, assuming he does what he says he’s going to do and I absolutely will say so. What I won’t be doing is calling him stupid or suggesting he’s the reincarnation of Pol Pot. I won’t be engaging in baseless allegations regarding what his running mate’s business dealings are and I damn sure won’t be calling for any foreign body of any kind to provide oversight of their administration.
It would be nice to think that President Bush could expect that kind of treatment from his opponents should he carry the day. Guess we’ll see. Tomorrow’s the day we speak. Barring lawsuits filed by the parties or their proxies, we should have a fair idea of who’s got it in 48 hours.
