President Obama sent me an email today. The short message had a personal touch -- Barack addressed me by my first name: Chris. I know that some of my readers must be jealous. I mean, it's not everyday that the most powerful man in the world takes the time to write to a regular citizen like me. Even if it's about raising money for the midterm elections...
Now that I reflect upon the email, it looks oddly familiar to the other 487289358 emails that I have received in the past thirty-five minutes; like the email Vice-President Joe sent me. Something seems fishy. I wonder if the two of them had shopped at Target recently.
All kidding aside, us political enthusiasts can expect dozens of similar emails in the next few months. As an individual who donated money in the past to Democratic campaigns, my personal information is ripe for solicitation. The midterm elections are right around the corner.
Most people must agree with President Obama about the midterms, however. They are not sexy. It doesn't even come close to the Presidential elections. That's the real sexy stuff -- remember when Mitt Romney opined about his sleeping wear. Indeed, most people do not even know if their candidate is on the ballot this year.
But for me and other liberals, there is something uniquely troublesome about the elections this November. Midterms are historically a bad time for Democrats. We tend to fall asleep. In other words, voter turnout during non-presidential election years are proven to be horrid. This year will be even more of a hurdle because of the unprecedented congressional redistricting, or "gerrymandering," by Republicans in 2010.
As stated before in a previous post, the Congressional maps heavily favor Republicans. In 2012, there were 1.4 million more votes for Democrats, but the Republicans maintained a 33-seat majority in the House of Representatives. That was the second time since the 1940's that a party receiving more of the votes ended up losing the majority.
That's not all. Democrats can expect more obstacles to overcome. I know: it is not fair. The 2010 wave of Republicans, and Tea Party candidates, also stormed the state legislatures. Conservative states obtained Republican super-majorities, meaning that those states were relatively free to pass whatever "freedom-loving" bills that it wanted. On the agenda: strict voter ID laws.
Voter ID laws -- passed under the guise of fraud-prevention -- mandate that voters possess a valid identification card while casting a vote. Some states require a birth certificate or passport. The GOP has also taken steps to limit early voting, online voting, weekend voting, and same-day registration. Evidence shows that these type of laws have a negative disparate impact on low-income and minority populations -- traditional Democratic voters. The Republicans have been busy in the state legislatures -- as opposed to the House of Representatives.
So, while you may hear or see the occasional pundit pontificating about the political ramifications of ObamaCare on the midterms, it's actually more about structural advantages set into motion in 2010. Not that ObamaCare is necessarily politically bad for the Democrats. There is evidence to suggest that over 7 million will sign up by the deadline today. But it is undeniable that millions of dollars in TV advertising are being poured into the false ObamaCare narratives. Fact-checkers will be busy for some time.
We have a choice. The red or blue pill. Democrats can accept the traditional midterm blues or we can do everything in our power to help with the turnout. If we simply concede to the slick strategies implemented by the GOP, I question our resolve. The simple "reality" is that we may have to do more than read emails. Let's pick up the phones too -- we may find ourselves in a "better world."
