I don't think the American people will be manipulated this time around. [View All]

[Raven]

Call me an incurable optimist but I think voters have the playbook this year and they are not going to be fear mongered or hate mongered into voting for the candidate who slimes the best. Their coach has been George W. Bush.

I think this will be the case because of the incredible turnout of voters all over the country. I've spoken to many people who don't vote and they are an interesting bunch. Many have never registered to vote; are completely alienated from the political system; think all politicians are dishonest; believe that their vote won't matter; believe that things in this country will never get better; don't have the faintest idea how to register to vote; are working two shifts and don't have time to register to vote.

These are the invisible Americans. They are young, middle aged, elderly. Many are one missed paycheck away from ruin. They are frightened and many have been without hope for years.

So, for these folks to pick themselves up and dust themselves off, take time off from work and go to the trouble of finding Town Hall and filling out the forms and getting to the polls or caucuses in all kinds of weather...to vote for a Democrat, Clinton or Obama, speaks volumes to me.

I met a young woman canvassing one day back in 2004. She had 4 kids of her own and she and her husband took in foster kids with disabilities. She was a conservative, pro-life Catholic. She told me that she had voted for Bush in 2000 solely because of his anti-abortion position. She said that she had realized that voting solely on one issue was a mistake and that she had actually voted against her own best interests. She said she would never do that again.

So I think that this year many Americans have realized that allowing themselves to be manipulated by hate or fear is against their own best interests. They see the possibility that things might actually get better for them and they are going for it. They are seeing through the smoke and getting past the mirrors. We have George W. Bush to thank for this. He pushed these folks to their limits, past their limits, and they are shoving back. The turnout says it all.