And should we try very hard to make people feel guilty about not voting ?
My answer is... yessss !
Of course some proportion will feel "I won't be manipulated" or "I won't listen to this" or "you're trying to lay a guilt trip on me". But if we can increase the number voting by just 10 per cent, we increase the likelihood of winning.
But laying a guilt trip is precisely what's needed, IMHO. Remind women of the sacrifices made by advocates of the woman's vote. Remind African and mixed people how blood was shed to get them the vote. Remind folks that for a long time, voting was restricted to people of property, excluding those with lower incomes.
And remind people that there are real policy issues that impact them directly. Remind them of threats to their personal interests, and the interests of their children, their parents, that are posed by the elected Republicans in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Cuts in health care. Cuts in social security. Failure to raise the minimum wage. Supporting vulture capitalism. Class warfare ? The Republicans have been waging war on middle and lower income Americans for decades, manifested by wages that have risen much more slowly than that of the top 10 per cent.
It's not hard to understand. If too many people say "my vote doesn't count", they screw themselves. They help elect people who are not their friends, who do not represent their interests.
My view is shame them and guilt them. And point out to them they are behaving stupidly. Not voting is unintelligent stupid and dumb. Let's not pussyfoot and make mealymouthed statements like "well it's their right not to vote". It is of course their legal right, and they cannot be dragged to the polls and made to vote.
Part of the fault lies in a deliberate ruling strategy of the corporate owned mainstream media of drowning the airwaves with sport and celebrities, distracting interest from politics. I think sports have played a wonderful role in promoting ethnic tolerance and integrating our culture. But I do not think reporting of sports and celebs should be used to divert attention from the specifics of what their elected representatives are doing.
The Economist, an influential British newsmagazine, had a very interesting analysis in its issue of November 1 2014:
"A survey by the Pew Research Centre finds that 73% of 'consistently conservative' Americans are likely to cast a ballot on November 4th, along with 58% of consistent liberals. Among those with 'mixed' views, however, only 25% are likely to bother. That, in a nutshell, is why both parties are pandering to the extremes. Their strategy relies less on wooing swing voters than on firing up their own side to get out and vote. Often, this involves telling them scare stories about the other lot. The same Pew poll finds that dislike of the other party is one of the strongest incentives to vote. Republicans with a 'very unfavourable' view of Democrats are far more likely to turn out, as are Democrats who loathe Republicans. With Barack Obama in the White House Republicans are angrier than Democrats, and that is one reason why they are expected to win."
Time to bollock more liberals into voting. Pointing out the ways in which their lives are negatively impacted by Republican policy. And the lives of their siblings and parents and offspring.
The counter-message is simple. "Your vote DOES count".
