There Is No Such Thing As Not Voting

“If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV on primary day. By all means stay home if you want, but don't bullshit yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is no such thing no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard's vote.”
- David Foster Wallace

When I read this quote I nearly cried because it articulates so well something I have been trying to convey for years. And I am rarely out-loquated. I am by no means a tattoo person but if I ever did get a tattoo that didn't wash off with soap and water, it would have to be this. I knew I had to share it everywhere I could, starting with you.

Most Successful Presidential Campaign from Prison

Eugene Debs 1920. (different year than the above poster.)

"There is one thing I know on the eve of this election. I shall not be disappointed. The result will be as it should be. The people will vote for what they think they want, to the extent that they think at all, and they, too, will not be disappointed...The people can have anything they want. The trouble is they do not want anything. At least they vote that way on election day."

I can't sleep and am reading about the 1920 election. I would not ever call myself a socialist, but that's a pretty baller quote.

Ain't no one comin' in for the windows

It's rare that I'm willing to admit that someone is smarter than me, especially when it comes to campaign stuff.

However, this week I had the opportunity to reconnect with a campaign friend who is most definitely smarter than me, and I was reminded of the smartest thing he ever said. I would love to give him a shout out here, but I haven't asked his permission, so we'll call him Jarreth.

Jarreth is mostly a policy guy and was working as a full time staffer on a campaign because he was friends with and believed in the candidate. Toward the end of the campaign, I asked him what was most surprising to him about campaigning, and doing field specifically. And he said,"policy on a campaign is like window dressing in a bordello."

Amazing. I loved that. I thought it summed up so perfectly just how far removed some campaign actions can be from the policies that we are ultimately hoping to enact through electing good leaders. Sign wars anyone? It is also my stock answer when people ask me why I don't want to work on the hill.

Let's be real. Ain't no one comin' in for the windows.