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Home / News / Appealing to independent voters

Appealing to independent voters

Posted on: 10-10-2010 Posted in: News

The crucial midterm elections are fast approaching, and everyone has a prediction about the outcome. History suggests that the party in control of the White House will lose seats. And for the most part, Democrats are bracing themselves for a tough election cycle.

They should not have to face the music alone.

The fallout for the country, assuming the current political environment holds, is that it will produce more heat and more gridlock in Washington, D.C., unless the two major parties come together to solve our common problems.

This is why your vote — as independents or nonaligned with either party — can make a difference and help steer the country back on the path of fiscal growth, sound policies and a better future for us all. Before you make your decision or cast your vote, consider this letter signed by a bipartisan group of more than 130 former members of Congress sent to every person running for Congress.

In the letter, they requested that candidates “Conduct campaigns for Congress with decency and respect toward opponents, to be truthful in presenting information about self and opponents, to engage in good faith debate about the issues and each other’s record, to refrain from personal attack, and if elected, to behave in office according to these same principles.”

Imagine that — asking grown-ups to behave.

The media has covered this election season as a clash of the titans: Democrats versus Republicans 2010. You can almost hear that title echo over a bloodthirsty crowd as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner bump gloves. The media, the partisans and the politicians keep painting this fight as one between parties.

It’s not.

It’s not about Democrats, Republicans, incumbents, President Obama or the tea party. It’s not about Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck or any of the characters we see screaming for airtime or tweeting away. It’s not about individuals at all. It’s about the issues that must be addressed to help us chart a better future. It’s about finding common-sense solutions that will help America become more competitive in the 21st century.

It’s easy to fall into melodramatic language, pronouncing salvation or the apocalypse depending on which political party takes power. I’m not going to do that. This is an important election, just like every election. Instead of trying to sway you with overwhelming rhetoric, I instead propose you take this litmus test:

First, do you believe trickle-down economics will rebuild America’s economic engine? If you believe that the best way to stimulate the economy is to inject money at the top, with tax breaks to the highest income earners, then vote with those who wants to return to the past.

If you’re more concerned with making your mortgage or health-insurance payments than you are with prohibiting gay marriage and abortion, then vote for candidates who are not intolerant or using division as a tactic to win votes.

If you’re more interested in deporting undocumented immigrants than you are with guaranteeing decent labor standards for all workers, then vote for candidates who are simply offering sound bites decrying our broken borders.

There are fundamental differences between the underlying philosophies of Democrats and Republicans this election, and the divide will only keep growing. This matters not because the livelihoods of thousands of politicos depend on what happens in November, but because all of our livelihoods depend on what happens in November.

The media discusses elections like it’s a horserace or a contest, but this isn’t the Red Sox versus the Yankees. As much as we may celebrate when our team wins the big game, it doesn’t change our tax bills that year. It doesn’t affect the curriculum in our schools or our military strategy. We talk about elections like they’re the World Series, when that analogy would be appropriate only if the winning team got to declare war.

Remember, this election is not about who wins, but which candidates offer the best solutions to our common problem. Which candidates will reach across the aisle and do what is best for America and not just their political party?

This election isn’t about just Democrats and Republicans, it’s about you — the independent voter who often is locked out of most primary campaigns, but your vote on Tuesday, Nov. 2, will serve as the key to America’s future. Do you want an angry government or an effective government?

The bottom line is it’s about what you want your life to look like. It’s about who shares your vision for that. For me, I believe in personal liberty, and I am determined to support the staunchest defenders of that important American value. But my answer may not be yours, and that’s OK. Just figure out what your answer is, because this election is too important to ignore thinking it doesn’t matter.

It matters, and the differences are enormous.

Vote like your life depends on it. Vote as if the country’s future depends on you making a difference.

About the Author

Donna Brazile
Veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile is an adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist, television political commentator, Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee, and former interim National Chair of the Democratic National Committee as well as the former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute.

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