Once upon a time, so the story goes, a well-meaning, civic-minded citizen offered to provide a ride to the polls for an elderly woman who found it hard to get around. She politely declined, saying, "I never vote. It just encourages 'em."
If ever an election justified that lady's attitude, it was the one just past. Even veteran political observer Tom Englehardt called it the most dispiriting election of his lifetime. The candidates and their corporate backers spent over four billion dollars on this campaign – and for what? What difference will the results make in your life or mine? What will change? Will people now find jobs? Will the wars end? Will global warming be reversed? Will any real problems even be addressed?
The chief lesson of this election – and, for the matter, all the ones preceding it, at least in my lifetime – should be that if you really want change, don't vote for either the Democrats or the Republicans, whether they're called "blue dogs" or "tea partiers" or anything else.
According to another story, Ralph Nader's father was once asked if he thought the nation needed a third party. He said he thought it needed a second party. He was right. For at least a half century now, America has had one political party, the Corporate Party, with "Republicans" and "Democrats" representing two factions that differ hardly at all but that provide the illusion of "choice" come election day.
Is it even possible to change a system so badly broken? Probably not. But certainly not without first eliminating the legalized bribery that buys our "elected" officials. How do we do that? Better folk than I have tried to figure out a way, without much success.
Not cheerful thoughts, I know. But this election has left me, like Tom Englehardt, quite dispirited. So, as Edward R. Murrow used to say: Good night, and good luck.
