Because Voting Is Never Enough


Because Voting Is Never Enough

Blog from: www.JoshWolf.net/blog

 

After fighting tooth and nail for the opportunity to watch the election results kick in on the Jailhouse television, I became exhilarated with the realization that the Democrats had taken control of the House and were on track to secure the Senate as well. This flood of exuberance quickly dwindled when I heard that incoming Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, had declared that impeachment is “off the table”.

 

Now I know that Pelosi as House Speaker now represents the entire Democratic Party, but as the representative for most of San Francisco she must also be accountable to the interests of the city. After all, we are her constituents and we as a city had just overwhelmingly passed Proposition J, which called for the impeachment of both Bush and Cheney. Yes, it is true that impeachment would further divide our already divided nation and perhaps it should be approached with serious reservations, but to outright reject impeachment after her constituents voted otherwise is not just insulting: it goeas against the very ideology of a representative democracy.

 

This past election should certainly be taken as a positive sign; we should celebrate the partial restoration of the balance of powers; but we should not pretend the fight is over. We should not pretend this Mission Accomplished. You do remember how that turned out, right?

 

Time and again, the Democrats have crawled toward the center in fear that they might otherwise alienate their base. In light of Pelosi’s comment, I have no doubt this syndrome will plague the upcoming Congress as well. And while it is good to revel in this victory, I feel that it is more important than ever before to speak about the issues that concern you today. Voting is never enough, but it is the leas you can do.

 

And perhaps if we make enough noise, the Democrats will build up enough courage to listen. After all, the last six years have shown that the Republicans have enough strength to ignore us and look where it’s gotten them.