Apathy, now ignorance

There's this new conventional wisdom that says a lot of people were/are turned off by liberal intellectual elitism, a factor that may or may not have hurt Democrats and advocates of socially liberal policies this election. I can't really comment on that, I don't know if anyone can, it's just kind of a feeling some people have--the winds of down-to-earth red change. The kind of thing that's unquantifiable.

While arrogance might or might not have swayed elections, it may turn out that Democrats, in Washington at least, were most affected by a healthy helping of stupidity. Remember how the Governor's race ended with the Republican Dino Rossi up by 261 votes (Vote or Tie, Nov. 17)? First recount is in, and his lead is now 42 votes, with a second recount probably on the way.

The stupidity comes in precisely here: write-ins. Writing in a candidate in general is pretty stupid, because if the candidate had not the support nor the organizational capacity to get on the ballot in the first place, I mean, what does that say about the person? His or her chances are already nil, but what does it say about the person? Nothing good.

If, however, you feel you must truly vote your conscience, as symbolic and mute as that vote may be, go make yourself feel better.

But first, make sure the person you're voting for is eligible. This recount, which has now begun scrutinizing write-in ballots, has found that over 550 people in King County alone wrote in names of Democrats other than Christine Gregoire--recall: vote differential -42. Even that is fine. You're a Democrat, but you don't like Gregoire, that too is absolutely reasonable, a little futile for a pragmatist like myself, but I understand.

But this eligibility thing, it's troublesome. You see, over 500 of those 550+ people (King County alone mind you) chose Ron Sims as their write-in of choice. Ron Sims who had already been beaten by Gregoire in the primary. Ron Sims, who, according to Washington State law, is now, by virtue of losing the primary, unable to run even as a write-in.

That means you Sims lovers who felt a wave of real liberalism on the horizon and despite your candidate's failure still felt compelled to skribble down your symbolic dissent: your vote got thrown the fuck away. Morons.

Negative 42 plus 500 equals positive 458. Game Gregoire--game Democrats--if only it were that simple.

This is much worse than voting for Nader because it proves that, while Democrats may be elitist assholes, there are also a good chunk of them who are both arrogant and stupid. And now we're one step closer to the first Republican governor in 24 years.

Further proof that symbolism is fine for books, but is bullshit in real life.

The Washington Democrats now have three days to ask for a new recount, which, since the new recount fell under the 150 vote differential, might end up being done one vote at a time, optical scanning machines replaced by thousands of bespectacled seniors, bussed from their managed care facilities, battling their gout and glaucoma to do the work of the real patriots.