Posted: Thursday, 28 August 2008 11:10AM
Let's Celebrate Independence Day
Steve Corbett Reporting
Thursday, August 28, 2008
No way, no how, no Democrats.
I quit.
As soon as I finish this column I’m heading down to the Lackawanna County Voter Registration office to change my registration. This time, unlike when I registered as a Democrat so I could vote for Hillary Clinton in the April Pennsylvania primary, I’ll declare my independence.
I’ve spent more years as an independent voter anyway.
But I wanted to give the Democrats a chance.
And they blew it.
Party bosses fixed a title fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In bare knuckles Scranton where I’m from, that’s tantamount to treason. So they better watch out when I come looking for a rematch.
Then I’m tearing up my old voter registration card and mailing it to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. Maybe he’ll get the message that I, like countless other Democrats, believe he and other party bosses squandered the strong future of their party on their own selfish thirst for power.
I’ll feel better as an independent voter.
And, if I ever want to vote for another Democrat in the primary the way I voted for Hillary, I’ll simply re-register as a Democrat so I can get into their closed primary.
Then I’ll quit again.
I plan to use the party rather than have the party use me. The same goes for the Republican bosses. If I want to vote in a Republican primary I’ll register Republican, vote and quit.
My independence is worth more than their party rules. Call me a spoiler because that’s what I am. And I’m proud of it.
Besides, they need me more than I need them.
Independents make up the fastest growing voting block in America.
Obama and Republican John McCain need independents now more than ever. The presidency depends on how independents, as well as disaffected Democrats, vote in November.
Independents truly shape the future of the nation because we will more and more demand that the two mainstream parties reach out to us. They can then worry that when they do, we still won’t reach back.
Libertarians and Greens and other fringe third parties can reach out to us as well. We just might indeed reach back to them.
Small voting blocks matter in tight races.
We can and will make the difference.
Some Democrats are still blaming Ralph Nader for Al Gore’s loss in 2000.
All Nader did was put Democrats on notice that he represented a platform that included what Democrats and Republicans excluded. I voted for Nader then. One day I might vote for him again.
Writing in Hillary’s name for president is another choice.
So is voting for McCain.
If Democrats want committed Democrats to stay in line, they better wise up and get better instead of worse. Rather than acting like party bosses who rule in Chicago and elsewhere, they need to offer a cleaner, more honest vision of America.
If not, they’ll lose.
They might lose this one. If they do, the lesson will be expensive but worth it. Democrats might finally understand that the bad old days are over and that they aren’t the only option for voters.
Democracy is not demagoguery.
Reaching the mountaintop of politics involves restoring hope, not stealing hope.
Equality is the dream.
Independence is the strongest means by which men and women together can one day reach the Promised Land.
|
Corbett
E-Mail
Print
