remember Microsoft's war against crossplatform software? they couldn't win on the merits, so they said flat-out that their strategy was
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear%2C_uncertainty_and_doubt">FUD: fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
there's a lot of that going around, from Cheney's slanders to "concerned" trolls here to the more earnest alerts we see every five minutes about election security. at this point,
FUD is our #1 enemy. for better or worse, a lot of people just vote for the candidate or party that has a winning aura about them--and many people won't vote for perceived "losers" because it's a waste. so failure attracts failure, and success attracts success--that's why analysts talk about "wave" elections.
and
we are heading into a wave election victory for our side right now, if we can bear to let go of FUD for just one more week. let's not be naive: if the past is any indication, there will be dirty tricks, and there no doubt already have been dirty tricks in this election (as have been reported all over this board).
some of the people posting about THE FIX IS IN! sound like they are eagerly waiting to have their dire predictions of total failure and grand election theft come true, so they can get on to the next step and protest. (not saying that's the case, but that's just what it sounds like to me.) whatever their wishes and intentions, they are feeding the enemy during the home stretch.
yes, of course, forewarned is forearmed, and i am all in favor of all of us staying familiar with the resources we have at electiondefensealliance.org, votetrustusa.org, blackboxvoting.org/toolkit.pdf , verifiedvoting.org , ep365.org , etc., etc. etc.; and being *organized* in our responses--in the media, in the courts, and in the streets--if/when we see foul play. i have kept up on this issue since _Black Box Voting_ came out, have spread the word to people i know, donate regularly to election-security efforts, have written to disability-rights groups encouraging them to insist on systems that are accessible *and* secure, etc. etc. etc. etc.--and i will be there with a pitchfork the second that's needed. ask anyone who knows me and they'll confirm that i have made them read about Diebold, ES&S, and all the rest.
nobody is advocating hubris or naivete. critical attention to weaknesses in our voting systems is absolutely essential--*and* we must take care that this vigilance does not make us passive.
words have power, and images have power. if we operate in fear, uncertainty, doubt, and dread, feeling hopeless and helpless, that creates a blueprint for failure and passivity. if we operate with confidence and a sense of community, feeling powerful, secure, and connected, we will move actively toward that vision of success. who is more likely to achieve success--someone who doesn't dare to imagine it, or someone whose vision of success guides her/his every action?
i remember 2000, 2002, and 2004, but this is 2006, and a lot has changed. i want the Democratic Party to win Congress back in a record-setting landslide--and i am confident we can and *will* win, even with all the dirty tricks the GOP has been throwing at us (redistricting, suppression, burdensome ID laws, etc.).
there's a time and a place for everything. what's the best course of action for the brief time remaining until the polls close?
do we want to win? can we dare to see ourselves winning?
during the home stretch, do we want to be projecting and reinforcing images of failure or images of success? FUD or power, safety, & community?
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