The political internet is the virtual equivalent of a decibel 10 rock concert this morning — so loud, it’s impossible to hear one’s own thoughts (which is no doubt the point). Yet somehow, a few hardy souls are still out there trying to combat the hysteria.
People like elrod at The Moderate Voice, who makes an appeal to moderates and independents to vote against the GOP so we can get some much-needed congressional oversight:
Electing a Democratic Congress will not radically change our policy on the War on Terror; ironically, the Republicans are overplaying the influence of a Democratic victory in Iraq. Democrats are not going to pull the purse strings on the war. But they will hold the Administration accountable by asking the tough questions that this Congress has refused to do.
Many (including Polimom) have concerns about what the Democrats will do; our country has incurred enormous moral obligations elsewhere, and I’ll be furious if we derail on impeachments or create a sudden vacuum in Iraq. The far left Democrats scare me as much as the far right Republicans, but I do NOT want this administration to be able to interpret results as some kind of a mandate again.
Somehow, moderate and Independent voters need to send a more subtle message tomorrow. We need to express our dissatisfaction with both extremes, while affirming our commitment to debts incurred, and I only see one way to accomplish this: We need to send all available moderates on ballots around the country — of either party — to Congress… and we need to do it while giving the slightest of edges to the Democrats overall.
Unfortunately, major elections with millions of voters don’t lend themselves well to subtlety. Furthermore, every race doesn’t provide a moderate alternative, and while I was lucky to have had one on my ballot, many — maybe most — voters won’t have that option.
This is a crucial moment for America, and I think we all know that. What is less clear is how we can get the balance back into Washington without leaving room for misinterpretation… because the worst outcome is that one extreme or another stands up at the end of the day and says, “we have a mandate”.
We — the moderates and Independents of America — we are the only ones who can send this message. In short, we need to accomplish the impossible.