Runaway Train
Posted April 10, 2004 thepeoplesvoice.org

By: Kerry Tomasi

It’s like watching a vintage old train roaring by at 90 mph; the locomotive fueled with bags of money from the national treasury, and each boxcar filled with some valuable part of our country. George “Casey Jones” Jr. is at the controls (well, sort of) and Karl Rove is stoking the boiler, feverishly trying to generate more steam. You watch in frustration, because up ahead, just around the bend, the bridge is out.

Yes, the corporate despots who have seized control of our government are driving this country toward certain disaster. There’s only one slim chance to halt this runaway train. That chance is the popular vote in 2004.

(By the way, if there are any steadfast Bush supporters reading this, your time might be better utilized elsewhere - like yelling at an anti-war protestor or spamming an online poll or something. I’ll understand if you can’t hang around.)

For those still with us, consider the following:

In the 2000 presidential election approximately 100 million votes were cast. For simplicity, let’s say half went to Bush, half to Gore. If only 5% of those who voted for Gore - one person out of every 20 - made a commitment to do just two things, we could put this country on the right track overnight:

A. - Convince at least 2 people that voted Republican/Nader in 2000 to switch sides in 2004.

B. - Encourage 2 others who did not vote in 2000 to vote Democratic.

This isn’t too difficult, is it? How many do each of us know - friends, family, acquaintances - who voted for Bush/Nader in 2000, but are now, for whatever reason, having serious doubts? And finding 2 people who didn’t bother to vote is a piece of cake.

If A and B were achieved, here’s how the presidential election would turn out (all else being equal): Bush - 45 million votes (43%); the Democratic candidate - 60 million votes (57%). Similar percentages could carry over to the House and Senate.

Now one might argue that the Republicans could just as easily do the same thing, offsetting the effort. Theoretically maybe, but not as easily. Short of some “unexpected” rally-round-the-flag crisis or the implementation of “Operation Diebold” (see ‘will do anything’ below), they’re tapped out. Every major GOP voting block is already onboard, and their growth potential restricted.

For example, there’s only a limited number of hard right wingers out there, and practically all of them already vote. And in case you haven’t noticed, their message has been getting more frantic and a bit lame:

“Oh yea? Well this is all Clinton’s fault anyway, and… Bush is God’s Chosen One, and… well… if you don’t like it, why don’t you just shut up, you traitor you!”

Beyond the wing nut realm of Dittoland, these are not very persuasive arguments to thinking people in the undecided category.

There’s also a limited number of the wealthy - those in the top 5% - who represent the primary supporters, and beneficiaries, of Bush’s economic policies. They too already vote. And that other 95% is getting wary of the pitch:

“Hey, stick with us, we’re almost there. If we just give a few trillion more in tax cuts to the top 1%, maybe turn the Social Security Trust Fund over to them, that money should start trickling down to you working folks any time now!”

The working folk are beginning to realize they’re being scammed.

Karl Rove understands all this. He’s done the numbers himself a hundred times. He’s doing focus group studies, watching the polls. So there’s one more thing we must do if we’re to pull this off in 2004. If called upon, we’re going to have to look the pollster straight in the eye, and state: “I support G. W. Bush and the GOP 100%!”

I know this may be the most difficult part of this ‘operation’, but it’s also the most crucial.

Remember, Rove is watching, he’s listening, he’s gauging the need to take more drastic action if necessary. If he believes, due to the poll numbers, that it’s going to be close, all bets are off. They will do anything - and I mean absolutely anything - to maintain their hold on power and see their goals of domestic and global domination to fruition. If, on the other hand, he thinks the election is in the bag, he might let it proceed relatively unhindered.

This could be our best, possibly our last, opportunity to preserve our constitutional form of government and the ideals it represents. Let’s not let it slip away without a fight.

Even if in the end we lose, we can still take pride in the fact that we tried; that we took some action. History smiles upon those who at least tried.

So put on a smile, a clean shirt, and go talk to someone. Present your case.

Do it for yourselves. Do it for future generations. Do it to ‘support the troops’.

Do it because, as a committed citizen of this country, it’s your responsibility to do so.

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© copyright 4/11/04 by Kerry Tomasi. Permission is granted for reprint in print, email, blog, or web media so long as this credit is attached and the title is unchanged.