Monday, February 18, 2008

He gives me Hope. The system takes it away

I wrote recently about the hope that Barack Obama instills in me. I mean it really does feel good to look at someone running for President and to think good things rather just thinking - "Well he's better than the Republican choice."

But despite the hope he makes me feel. Despite the fact that he stirs in my the desire to get involved - to do something. And despite the fact that I'm am energized and encouraged when I see how strongly he inspires those same feelings in LOTS of people, I am continually discouraged by a system that pretends to be something it's not.

Thanks to All-Mi-T over at Raw Dog Buffalo and Rikyrah at Jack and Jill Politics for pointing out this nonsense happening in my back yard.

"Black voters are heavily represented in the 94th Election District in Harlem’s 70th Assembly District. Yet according to the unofficial results from the New York Democratic primary last week, not a single vote in the district was cast for Senator Barack Obama."

Was it only there? No - apparently it was happening all over the city.
"That anomaly was not unique. In fact, a review by The New York Times of the unofficial results reported on primary night found about 80 election districts among the city’s 6,106 where Mr. Obama supposedly did not receive even one vote, including cases where he ran a respectable race in a nearby district."
Some places it was just ridiculous.
"In the Harlem district, for instance, where the primary night returns suggested a 141 to 0 sweep by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the vote now stands at 261 to 136. In an even more heavily black district in Brooklyn — where the vote on primary night was recorded as 118 to 0 for Mrs. Clinton — she now barely leads, 118 to 116."
So, what? Were they just NOT COUNTING the Obama votes? How does this happen? How do we trust that the new numbers are right when the initial ones were so MESSED UP?

You know, some election days it's hard to get out and vote. Dragging little ones behind. Trying to get there before school, and childcare and work. This last time I had Sugar and Spice and Sugar's violin all squeezed up in the booth with me. But I was grinning from ear to ear as I flipped those switches and pulled that lever. I was happy to cast my vote for the first time in more years than I can count.

Usually I walk into the booth feeling that my vote doesn't count. And it pisses me off to know that often my vote doesn't even get counted. We've lived for 12 ridiculous years with an administration that's been running around blowing up the world in the name of DEMOCRACY and we don't even get our votes counted properly!!!!!!!!

I know Barack Obama won't change all that - he can't change everything. But having him in office will at least help to maintain my hope that despite a messed up system - things can change.

2 comments:

The Bear Maiden said...

I heard a little blurb about this on TV or something, and it was so distressing I just blocked it out.

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

10 in a row, yeaaaaaaaaaaa