See I disagree with the underlying premise that not voting = silence. For example, are we to deny the agency of the undocumented, felons and others who cannot vote but participate in the political landscape in other ways? Not voting has been used as a strategy globally and does not for me automatically equal silence rather it can be an act of protest rejecting the legitimacy of the current system.

I also don’t agree that Republicans show more contempt. I think they are just more honest about it. It strikes me as pretty damn contemptuous to deport more undocumented immigrants than presidents before.

I think history has shown us the ways it can get worse : concentration camps, genocide, summary killings, things we are seeing now in some respects.

Personally I will vote. It likely won’t be for a Democrat or a Republican though and I have do not judge those who do not vote

I was thinking along the same lines this morning re this article as it relates to immigration by the Dems.

A friend and I were arguing a bit, agreeing that Obama is as bad or worse than Republicans in his treatment of immigrants.

I mean, look at this article: http://trac.syr.edu/foia/ice/20101004/

That’s bad, very bad.

Voting R or not voting Dem are fairly equal in as much as what will result from it.

In four years of Republican tenure, perhaps a leader with more principles than politics will arise. A purge, if you will.

I dunno. As someone with a health problem I am so happy that Obama started health care legislation. It is barely more than allowing people with pre-existing conditions or who get sick to not be denied coverage, but presidents since Nixon or before have been trying for this and failed, it is no small change for me. When I see a momma with a little girl with Turner Syndrome like me who can afford to get surgury for her daughter, to get medicine for her daughter, her daughter finally has health insurance…????? I think Obama is not getting jack credit for the people that he has helped. I love it when the republican senator from Tennesee goes to speak at an automobile factory who got to rehire people and he tries to go take credit for it, when this senator voted AGAINST the bill giving mone to the auto industry. When we could be going to our banks and being told they have no money. I mean from my perspective Obama has been holding a falling apart country together with tape and staples, done a better job than most presidents have done, and is getting zilch credit. People call him “socialist” (like that’s a bad thing or whatever) when they don’t even know what it means and actually agree the gvmt has a role and are glad when they do their job, but don’t realize it takes $ to make it work. Most people I know like what he has done in many areas, but they don’t reven realize that they things they like are, and nothiing more than that, are what repblicans are calling scary socialism. Not to mention – who is going to protect a woman’s right to choose? That’s not a joke to me, and Sharron Angle and more are running for SENATOR on this.

The way immigrants have been treated pisses me off. That’s the #1 reason I am reading this blog. How do I reconcile that with Obama? I don’t know. It’s not like our country began exploiting immigrant labor when Obama was elected. I want to make things more fair for ALL workers, whatever their status, and stop families from being split up. I agree with that and I hope I can fight to make that happen just like the rest of the political goals I have. I hope we change our laws to allow immigrant workers to stay here legally, changing laws is slow and hard but it is the only way I see to make it permanent and lasting enough and that isn’t going to happen overnight. And as people have stated – the higher courts are staffed by the president – do we want to trust a republican with that?

I dunno I see your points Mala. But I still disagree and think it’s pretty important this election to not let the current batch of republicans win – because they are not even your normal shady poltiician, they are worse than that. I don’t take for granted what we have – it’s not ideal, and yet it sucks that undocumented immigrants arre getting the worst of it, but even look at the judge in Arizona who struck down some of SB1070? The system is running, even if it’s not the best, it’s there. I think I am glad Obama is keeping together with his sticks and tape, and I don’t think ignoring it’s importance, and letting it fall even more apart, will be good for immigrants either. I honestly think if republicans have their way, ALL workers in the US will have some hard times to face, there will be less jobs for the undocumented and more of them will be deported than now, and we will send more jobs overseas and exploit people over there even more than we do now. Look at what the businesses that benefit from the Republican tax cuts are all ready doing, that’s their constituency and who gives them $. It’s not the average small business they are fighting for, it is the small number of really rich businesses who are exploiting people overseas. Is that what we want?

I totally agree with Maegans’ point of view.

In my eyes if the goal we seek is freedom then part of getting there would be in exposing the illusion of voting,the fraud and racket that is the American electoral system.
I think that Maegan’s position also serves as a kind of “road marker”.. so to speak..that is,a “milestone” of progress upon which we can observe as advancement made upon this same road of freedom of which we speak.
You can bet that if the majority of Americans were to ever achieve the level of consciousness many of us on the left share,the repressive apparatus of state machinery would pervert,corrupt and change the “rules of the game” that is voting and elections.
Hell yeah! they would get rid of it in a heartbeat if it was to ever erode and work against their interests.
If the deception of voting and the electoral system is exposed and shown to Americans for the con that it is..I can guarantee you the ruling powers would declare a form of martial law and impose a level of fascism upon the public.
IMHO,this would be good in the sense that the “iron fist” hidden within the “velvet glove” would be exposed and the American people seeing this would be more inclined to accept non-dogmatic creative ideas- socialist,communist,marxist critiques and a program in which they would participate and create democratically.
No doubt the road to freedom is loaded with land mines,obstructions and false exists..taking this road is fraught with danger..but for many of us we have chosen to take this risk..considering the alternative..which is unacceptable.

Thanks Chicano Future Tense..it’s a long road as well and one that will not be changed by any law.

Thanks Maegan. I am not a mom, can’t take that credit, but thanks to social media I have been able to meet moms of young daughters dealing with the same medical condition I deal with, a mutual support kinda thing, and I have heard from a few lately who now have health insurance for their daughter that was previously denied. I don’t have health insurance right now, it will be a few years for it to kick in for the adults :/ This is frustrating to me, but I think how long it took to even get THIS far, and I don’t want to go backwards or start from scratch again.

I think the sentence you said “it’s a long road that won’t be changed by any law” kinda goes to the crux of this. I believe that sometimes it can, and it works well, but sometimes you can’t wait 100 years and that’s how long the law is going to take (I’m thinking civil war ends and 100 years later, civil rights for African-Americans are starting to be enforced…I don’t want anyone to have to wait 100 years anymore, and things are moving faster, but still not fast enough).

Yes I did read what you said about deportations/ lack of good reform of immigration laws under Obama. And I remain torn and confused about that. I agree I want him to do more. I don’t blame people for being pissed. I still say that the current republicans seem to want to go backward. And that includes what I’ve seen of how they talk about immigration reform, why they are pandering to the racists while ignoring tons and tons of people who DO want change. The truth is on this issue, probably more than any other, I cannot guess what they will do, if either side will do what they promise. I can say though that the conservative way of talking about the subject is dangerous enough as it is, and it is affecting how many people are thinking about the subject. Just like the way they are using the word Socialism, they are good at using manipulative language. I am hearing immigration being talked about everywhere, and a lot of people have some great ideas, but the republican language seriously does throw a wrench in debate and I think the dems who care about immigration are afraid to stand up to them.

M.A. : For me you hit it when you wrote that the Dems are afraid to stand up to the Republicans and their rhetoric. How is fear something to stand behind. I mean just here in NY which in many ways is considered a safe state (although no se looking at some of the Paledino/Cuomo poll numbers). How am I expected to vote in good faith for someone like Biometric Chuck Schumer who was selling wolf tickets left right and sideways on immigration, did shit about it except a whack ass blueprint that was more Republican than anything and letting DREAMers fast in front of his office?

I’m not going to vote for the Republican alternative, I may write someone in but I sure as hell am not giving Schumer my vote.

Re: “I don’t know if I ever bought the “sleeping giant” metaphor.”

I repeated that line without thinking about the fact that racists suppressed our vote for many years in the Southwest by gerrymandering districts to prevent us from electing somebody who would represent our interests, to harassing Latinos at the polls in Arizona and Texas. Once they had successfully kept most of us at home on eelction day they came up with the “sleeping giant” metaphor to paint us as innately lazy. Thanks for making realize how offensive that label is.