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Today Is the Day
This letter contains (almost) no criticisms of how the Democrats have brought this day of reckoning upon themselves. That -- and where to go from here -- will be the subject of tomorrow's letter. 
Today, we have one job and one job only: Stop the return of the bigger criminal class, the Party of War, the people who (with a few Democratic enablers) manufactured the very mess we are in.
There is good news this morning: The final ABC/Washington Post poll shows that, among registered voters, people still say they prefer the Democrats over the Republicans by 5 percentage points. It's only when the pollsters ask "likely voters" who they want that the Republicans come out ahead by a few points.
So it's clear the majority of voters want the Dems, but the prediction is the Republicans will win because Dem voters are going to stay home.
So, our mission is simple: MAKE SURE NO ONE WE KNOW STAYS HOME TODAY. Here's what I am going to do right now and what I'm asking the millions of you reading this to join me in doing:
1. Email, call and/or text every non-Republican in your personal address book and remind them to vote Democratic today. If they (rightfully) complain that the Dems have been disappointing, tell them they're right, then ask them to watch this editorial by Rachel Maddow last night where she correctly lists the dozen or so things this Democratic congress did right -- the types of things we'll never see from the Republicans if they take over (equal pay for women act, taking student loans out of the greedy hands of the banks, funding for our first bullet trains, boosting veterans benefits after Bush refused to for 8 years, etc.).
2. Post a general reminder to vote (and who to vote for) on your facebook page and tweet it to your Twitter followers.
3. If you have the time, go down to a local candidate's HQ or the local Democratic Party office and offer to make calls or give people rides to the polls.
4. Think local. No matter where you are in America, there’s someone on the ballot today in your town who deserves your vote. Guaranteed. If you're in Wisconsin and you're pissed at Harry Reid for letting Joe Lieberman derail the public option on health care, don’t let that stop you from getting everyone you know to go vote for Russ Feingold. In Florida and furious at the way the Obama administration coddled Wall Street? All the more reason to call every single person you know in the Orlando area to go vote for Alan Grayson. In California and mad about the total Democratic failure on global warming? You can still change the world for the better by showing up with all your friends to vote for Prop 19 to legalize personal use of marijuana (and stop the record numbers of people we put in prison who don't belong there).
5. Explain to anyone who's given up and doesn't want to vote today that Obama was handed a terrible mess that he didn't create. He may now understand he's moved too slow and compromised too much on the big stuff that needed to get done (after all, Goldman Sachs was his #1 private contributor in the 2008 election). But in the last couple months he's made some good moves -- booting some generals, dumping economic advisor/wrecker Larry Summers, and hiring new people like consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren. Things are very bad right now. But they can get MUCH worse. War with Iran? A genuine worldwide Second Great Depression? A Republican Congress will spend every second trying to make it happen.
6. Finally, we must let the Democratic politicians know that our vote comes with one big condition: If they do not straighten up, get a spine and do what we expect of them, we will find alternate candidates to run against them in 2012. And we mean it. Go vote today, but also sign this petition that I'll deliver to every elected Democrat -- the "I'm Voting Democratic But I Will Work to Defeat You Next Time If You Don't Do Your Job" petition, aka "The Democrats on Probation" petition. Let's publicly put them on notice that we'll give them just two more years to start doing the things we elected them to do. If they move one more inch to the "center" or to the right, they will never get our vote again. And we mean business.
Bill Maher said, "We have a center-right party and a crazy party. Over the last 30 years, the Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved into a mental hospital." That about sums it up. But he also said, "Sure, I'm mad at the Democrats. I'm also mad at my cell phone compnay. But I don't throw away my cell phone cause I'm mad and then rub dog shit on my teeth." We all know this isn't the best situation to be in. So consider this one last reason to get out and vote:
There are good people the country has never heard of who are running today all across America, most of them for the first time. Somewhere in this great land right now, the woman who will cast the deciding vote in the Senate for single payer in 2016 is running for mayor of your city in her first big race. Somewhere else, the person who will become the first female president of the United States in 2020 is running for the state house for the first time. Their careers will be over and that future will never be if you don’t show up today. Go to theballot.org, find out who’s great and running where you live, and then show up to vote for them. You may help light the spark that will save our sorry ass somewhere down the road. Don't just hold your nose today as you go in the booth -- go ignite a future revolution. The only thing that makes the corporate honchos happier than paying no taxes is making sure as few people vote as possible. They think they've bought this election.
Go prove them wrong.
Yours,
Michael Moore
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194 Comments so far
Show AllAmem. Get out and votes. Vote Republican. Get the Democrat OUT!
PS: I also agree with your comment in "Shades of Howard Zinn" Bill Moyers.
I am with you. I just got back from voting. I held my gorge and voted Republican for the first time in my life in California. I had to work to unseat Boxer and defeat Jerry Brown. These guys ARE the problem. Old line lifetime democrats and millionaires who shove the progressives to the sidelines.
I hate the Republicans, but if they win then we are going to get some real progressive pressure in 2012!
Jerry Brown was once a real progressive years ago. I still would have voted for him over Whitman if I lived in California. When I heard she has spent over 140 million dollars on the race I was stunned. THAT is just total bulls***!
Its hard medicine, but it it is medicine.
Democrats need to lose to win in 2012.
Its hard medicine, but it it is medicine.
Democrats need to lose to win in 2012.
Black is white, two and two can sometimes be five. The American people need to understand the myth of the positions of the Democratic Party. If these last two years have made no impression on you then perhaps you aren't thinking hard enough.
Now that the Republicans have retaken the House and made large inroads into the Senate one thing will become certain. Nothing much is going to change, not really. Until we the people understand that neither party represents our best interests, that what we need is a third party dedicated to the rejection of corporate money and the attached strings, the system is going to continue to work for the interests of About 2% OF US.
doubledee,
"Nothing much is going to change, not really..." Really? During Obama’s news conference , he said he's willing to work with the Republican. The Republican in turn said their first agenda is to repeal the Healthcare. Now, I see the compromise between DP. The Healthcare Industries and Obama finest hours. A final sellout to the America people. I just love to see the faces of Progressive who want to give the Dem. another chance. Too bad, you got screwed again! I told you so, did I?
The screwing it not over yet Baby! More good stuff coming our way.
Who are you and why do you display such ignorance of my positions and previous comments?
Your cryptic nonsense aside, I will respond as if you had really made a point...
The Health Care legislation was, in large part, a sell out already. Despite a few minor sops to the public it was nothing more or less than an assurance of continued profit for the Insurance Industry and Big Pharma. Obama, in his press conference yesterday did make a couple of telling points in his noting of the list of actual good things about it and asking, rhetorically, which were the GOP in favor of cutting. Too bad he hadnt adopted this tactic, of actually demanding specifics to wild and empty charges that characterize the position of the GOP these last two years, during the last two years.
The American people will continue to be "sold out" as long as there are those like you without the patience or the intellect to deal with details and , instead, act like a spoiled little child. I voted Green, will continue to do so until there is a damn good reason not to. You go back to class now, recess is over.
..
JohnShade
Thank you, thank you. I am from CA too. Last week my wife got the Pink Slip and I am on S/S. She got cancer last year. Kid in UC Davis and hefty 35% increases in tuition. Now dunno what to do next! This is the real American’s Dream.
PS: CD down?
Dumb yourself down to
The level of a rock...
And pray for better days.
==quote from CD
Why would you vote for a Republican if you hate them?
Duane Roberts was running as a Green for the Senate.
http://voteforduane.wordpress.com/
And Laura Wells was running for Governor:
http://www.laurawells.org/
You had an opportunity to vote for actual progressives in THIS election -- 2010.
I don't even need to read Moore's letter (and I haven't) to know that it is yet another lesser-evilist begging us "on the left" to swallow our bile and vote for Democrats across the board, then "hold their feet to the fire" afterwards.
blah blah blah. Not wasting the calories. Been there, done that, heard it. One hundred percent, unadulterated cow-plop.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
I hope for all you progressives, wishing harm on others. Wishing things get worse hoping things get worse, I hope you are most affected. I hope when we do get republican rule that the most horrible of laws affect you the most. Lesser of two evils? Don't like that idea? Well this is the real world we live in. Not make believe progressive land. That place as much as I would love it, just isn't here. But to sit here and read post after post of you all almost BEGGING for the country to fall apart ore just so you can sit back and say "I told you so" makes me sick. It makes me ill! There are lives at stake. And if you haven't had to feel what it is like to have these laws, and acts affect you. Then you are lucky, and that explains why you clamor for things to get worse.
I can't help but agree with your sentiments in many ways OR de R. But what the commenters here are doing is envisioning an ideal that can only be attained by brutal means....no other way. Like you, I shy away from such means, even though I'm a socialist at heart, agree with their point of view most of the time. I have learned a lot about US politics from CD articles and comments.
But until there's even a seminal party representing what I believe in I can't bring myself to be seen to be helping the ultra-rightwingers by not voting. The Republicans will win everything here in OK anyway - no doubt at all, so my vote has been academic in the end.
I ploughed through the US's expensive and convoluted immigration system for years to obtain the right to vote, and I cannot, in all conscience, use that right to add to the already vast majority voice in Oklahoma asking for more Republican madness. My vote was not for the Democrats (I'm registered Independent) it was against the Republicans.
Let's get one thing straight.
It is the capitalists who are perpetrating violence on humanity.
And like all violent psychopaths asking them nicely to desist from killing our children will not work. It hasn't worked in the past and it's still not working.
Standing up to violence is not aggression. It is not attacking. It is not perpetating brutality.
It is saving our children's lives.
Agreed. But when the choice is between 2 capitalists ?
There is no choice in this state, in our region - none at all. Until there are candidates offering the people clear choices all we can do is prevent the blackest rogues from gaining even more power....if we can. We are unlikely to even be able to do that much in this state though.
It's easy for people living in swing states or blue states, or states with Green Party candidates to decide what to do for the best. We live in a state where it's well nigh impossible to make any difference at all, yet I cannot bring myself not to vote. The Republican candidates and incumbents here are evil. No other word for 'em. I had to vote against them no matter what.
True, I had the option of voting for a Progressive Party candidate for the US Senate and I did. On local elections and governor I voted democrat because there were no other better choices.
However, I will NOT vote democrat in 2012 for president, US senator or US congressperson. I will vote Green or Progressive.
As for "things getting worse" as some here are talking about, things are going to get a whole lot worse - forever - no matter who is elected. We passed the point of No Return like 6 years ago. Oh yeah, with Imperial overstretch, national bankupcy, Peak Oil and the general sickness and fraud of the american political-economic system, things are going to get very much worse indeed. Stay tuned for Third World America, the new Reality Show we will all be living in soon enough.
Yes, I agree we're on "a hiding to nothing", whether we voted or not, or however we voted. But we had to do today what we'll be able to live with in the meantime. That's a little different for each of us, according to our situation.
2012 ? Daren't even think about it yet. Maybe tomorrow.
The names change and the colors of the states shift from red to blue but the state marches in a straight line forward with its policies and oppressive wars and lies and oppressive laws and bad economic policy and disaster capitalism and not a thing changes. not one single thing.
The dems are told to by their handlers to be more intelectual and sort of make sense in their speaches in a cold lack of substance kind of way.
The repugs They are told by their PR haldlers to act stupid and pretend like they ben out on the range punchen them dogies and clearin brush and whatnot.
The choice is a PR one about what kind of comercials you like the best.
I vote for the repugs because they make me laugh.
Good analysis, the only difference between Dimocrpas and Repigliecons is the Dims talk in breathy whinny NPR announcer voices and the Repiga talk like b movie western actors like their hero Ronnie Raygun. Both enact the same policies and laugh behind out backs at the culture war issues they brew up to keep us divided instead of united against concentrated wealth and power.
I agree it's tough. I was able to vote straight Green when it came to the U.S. Senate and the Governor, but my Congresscritter choices were the incumbent Tim Bishop and his opposition was Repub Randy Altschuler, a young slimeball who never met a job he didn't want to outsource, among other things. When asked about what he would do about health reform, he had one word: Repeal Obamacare and replace it with -- roll drum -- tort reform only! Then Bishop started spouting the "virtues" of Obamacare and I couldn't vote for him either. I didn't have a name to write in, so I wrote None for my Congresscritter.
From listening briefly to NPR they were talking about major Repub gains already. The reporters sounded like they wanted to rub their hands together in fiendish delight. And so I turned that off. As a voter you can only do what you can do, right? Earlier I heard a woman who was a Dem saying that she was voting Repub because we need real change. Sometimes you just gotta laugh and then shut the noise off.
"As a voter you can only do what you can do, right?"
Yeah, and that ain't much. But as citizens and individuals there is a lot more we can do. Very few are doing what we can do.
And that is why we are in the shitter.
I don't expect a response that doesn't blame the pols.
True. There's much more we could be doing.
Don't have much idea what you mean by your last sentence, but it seems most reasonable to blame, in terms or percentages: a) the republicans (60%), the media (30%), and the democrats (10%).
From this perspective, and other simple logic, it seems that the media should be initial the focus of protest.
I disagree (a lot) with your numbers. The way I see it, it's more like: the republicans (25%), the corporate complex (25%), the democrats (25%), the people (25%). (Note 1: the dems and repubs are part of the complex) (Note 2: I really don't have a clue what the numbers are, and it doesn't really matter)
That's what I meant by my last sentence. Your first paragraph highlighted one huge problem, but your numbers completely left that part of the whole out. It's always someone else's fault, right? We share it. Let's own it and change.
And it's not here because of guys like you. No matter how much I disagree with you, I'd never wish you harm. And most posters wouldn't either. And if we're going to play that game, the same can be said of you guys who can't break your fear addictions. We'd be much further along if you wouldn't continually slash your wrists going for that remote sliver of a chance of improvement.
You're right, there are lives at stake. And you're apparently perfectly happy with feeding those lives to the machine the easiest way you know how.
And for wishing someone like me harm for calling this sytem out, I tell you: get bent.
Well said, drone.
Careful. The democratic party cannot win without progressives.
Don't be stupid.
You are living in total denial.
Yes, they need us. Together we will make the different!
For now vote Republican or stay home.
even an idiot like bush knew to keep his base happy -
you only prove how stupid and fake you dims are.
We can go on and on debating DP. This election it's about Obama. It's about "Change we can believe in,” "Yes, we can.” All these are lies. Obama Sums Up Last Two Years on The Daily Show: "Yes We Can, but..." The next questions should we stay home, vote DP, vote Green? I am going to vote Republican. Do I want to see the Republicans destroy this Nation? No, but why trust the Dem again? Why should we worry? We are already finished. Lost everything, Period. Last week the axe came down again, my wife got the Pink Slip, her last day will be two days after Thanksgiving. What a lovely Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts.
I do hope everyone understands why it’s important to vote Republican. Michael Moore I love but you are wrong this time!
I don't want to see things get worse, but they do, day after day. I gain zero pleasure in seeing my country turn to shit and won't feel like some bargain basement Nostradamus when the bottom falls out under the weight of all the lies I've heard in my 51 years. I feel the pain of a dead economy every day. I have been a union carpenter since 1978 but now I've got no job and so far no luck finding anything I can even make ends meet on. I'm not talking about making ends meet in my old standard of living, I'm talking the new reality, having a roof over our heads and food on the table.
I've played by the rules, kept my nose clean, and tried to help those I could along the way. None of that matters. Not here, not now.
I was real enthusiastic about voting in '06. I was ready for change in '08. My eyes are finally wide open now. Once your eyes are opened to reality it is impossible to go back to not seeing. Fuck the republicans. Fuck the democrats. Fuck them all and all they stand for because they sure as hell don't stand for us. See them for what they are, not what they were, what you think they are, or what you want them to be. Fuck all of them.
If you think that you have any say in this slow motion orgy of greed fueled self destruction then you are the one living in dream world.
bundecutchie,
Same here. Play by the rule too. Not a single frees lunch all me life! Not a cent of credit card debts. And the crooks walk free to continue robbing and destroying lives to people like you and me and millions more.
Hey, Michael Moore, like to hear my story (email Elizabeth Warren earlier on)? My is equally unique as everyone is. You too will vote Republican if you are in my shoes!
Like I said, fuck the republicans and fuck the democrats. I have never in my life voted for a republican and I never will because I know what they stand for. I will never again vote for a democrat because I know now what they stand for.
What have you got to loose? Vote Republican for once and the next time Vote GREEN. Take care:-)
"If you think that you have any say in this slow motion orgy of greed fueled self destruction then you are the one living in dream world."
You're right, of course.
We should remember, though, that elections drive Americans crazy. Every two years we break promises to ourselves and wonder why we feel betrayed, why we need to prostitute ourselves and give up yet another piece of the truth that we've come by at the expense of so many hard knocks.
It is a dream world. It's an illusion that through our vote we have power. We don't. What we have is a chit that allows us to keep playing the game. 'Cept, the game's on us.
I voted today. I voted for two bond issues and nothing more. I was a good American and went to the polls, stood in line, gave my name, got my ballot, and passed by all those names without marking a one. And that is what they all are: names. They are an abstraction of reality. They stand for something other than what they appear to stand for. An imaginary place where, as we've been told since 2nd grade, we can exert our will on the system. What a crock of shit! Our teachers lied to us! We don't exert shit on the System, it exerts itself on us. We've been conned, hoodwinked, bamboozled, and flim-flammed. We're suckers!
The moment I decided not to cast my vote for any candidate, the scales fell away from my eyes. All those lawn signs and slimy radio ads meant nothing. I was truly liberated from a lie that has held me in its grip for over 35 years. In all that time I've dutifully voted and then wondered why the steady march downward has kept apace. I mean, there are two opposite parties, right? That take us in different directions, right? That stand for different things, right? Wrong! We've had two parties since dirt was young and they've taken us in one direction - down!
So, what happened? Of course, we know what happened. It's a con game. A Ponzi scheme.
Sorry for the rant, but I'm feeling feisty. It's good to walk through a barrier and realize that not only did I live, I am better for it. I let go of a dead weight on my shoulders that I've been guilt-tripped into carrying. And it's good!
Fuck electoral politics! I've been exhorting people to focus their energies on what they can do in their own lives AND vote to preserve what we have. Well, screw that. Don't vote to preserve anything - it doesn't.
Be that change you want to see in this world. YOU be that change. THEY will not help you - they are here to SCREW you! Only we can help ourselves.
So let's do it. Let's organize. Let's start something. Let's get out of our comfort zones and start a revolution within ourselves. Because we will not con ourselves.
I'm with you Ted!
"It's good to walk through a barrier and realize that not only did I live, I am better for it. I let go of a dead weight on my shoulders that I've been guilt-tripped into carrying. And it's good!"
Well said. Its like waking up from a dream.
I fail to see how my voting for evil is good for the country in any way, shape, or form. Whether it be a small evil, or big, blatant, horrendous evil. Evil is evil. The sooner you Dem-apologists quit confusing supporting evil, and START voting for third-party candidates that don't represent the Corporate Oligarchy in this country, the sooner things will actually start to improve.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
O Rei de Reis,
I went back and forth this last week about not voting. (We have early voting down here in NC.) I did end up voting in the end, because my Senator Burr and especially Representative Foxx are so reprehensible. I ended up voting Democrat because I did not have the option here of voting Green, and although there was a Libertarian candidate, I just don't agree enough with some of their fundamental ideas to vote for one.
Although I know both parties mainly exist to serve the rich, the Republicans I fear have totally lost their minds, and am concerned and actually fearful of what they may do once they get power. Fortunately at least for the next 2 years there will most likely gridlock because there is still a Democrat president. IMHO if they take over both house of congress, and the presidency I think things will quickly get even worse than they are now,
As I type this I am watching WWII in color on PBS. Seeing it in color just makes it seem that much more relevant and makes me fear something like this could easily happen again.
I am very worried the inept, corrupt politicians that will now be in power will put in motion events that will quickly spiral out of their control. Folks should be careful what the wish for, they may get more than the ever imagined.
The plea to vote for Democrats to help the poor most affected folks is highly uninformed. Lesser-evilism is precisely the reason that poor people are so screwed right now!
The "lesser evil" Clinton pushed through welfare "reform", the WTO, Wall Street deregulation, etc.all of which have had devastating consequences on the poor. The "lesser evil" Obama escalated in Afghanistan, and perpetuates our presence in Iraq (50,000 troops, plus very large and increasing numbers of "private" troops)with two big impacts on the poor: 1) dying or being maimed in the Middle East in disproportionate numbers due to the economic draft, and 2) losing basic services as incredibly large sums of money go to war instead of public welfare. So PLEASE stop arguing that we who think long-term and strategically.....including people like me who work with and in low income communities.....are harming the poor by refusing to vote for the Democrats. If we want to assign blame, it should go to your own short-sightedness and failure to look honestly at what has been happening these last 40 years.
But let's NOT blame each other. Progressives attacking and blaming each other is exactly the wrong thing to do. Instead let's stand up together for real change. Indeed if we don't speak truth and stand tall soon, we will not survive as a species.
What a shallow analysis you offer. Please try harder in future.
Bill Maher said, "We have a center-right party and a crazy party. Over the last 30 years, the Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved into a mental hospital." That about sums it up. But he also said, "Sure, I'm mad at the Democrats. I'm also mad at my cell phone compnay. But I don't throw away my cell phone cause I'm mad and then rub dog shit on my teeth."
The logic is crystal clear. When faced with the lesser of two evils, to cop out is simply avoiding a choice you must morally make.
Succinctly summarized. XXNice post ppeters!XX Oops should have read Nice post Jill!!!!
What a huge disappointment Michael has become to the real left. Today is the day, all right--the day I don't vote for any Dems at all! I'm only going to go in and vote on some local propositions. It's so refreshing to have finally decided about 6 months into Obama's term never to vote for a Dem again. No more holding my nose and hoping somebody I'm voting for might actually stand up for my views. Mike acts like we're not voting for the Dems because we're upset with them for being wimpy and ineffectual. If they were merely ineffectual I might actually still vote for them. They aren't just feckless, they're on the other side. They're just warmed over Republicans!
'I'm Voting Democratic But I Will Work to Defeat You Next Time If You Don't Do Your Job" petition'
Sorry, Mike. This WAS 'next time.'
Exactly! They had their final chance last time. I'm through with them.
Sorry, Mike. This WAS 'next time.'
Amem.
Absolutely correct.
today will be the day 1 of the end of the machine.