Six Days To Go!

It is now less than a week until the polls close. Tens of millions have already voted as will many others in these remaining days. My guess is that the number of voters either still undecided or who will change their minds is miniscule. The vast majority of the American people have already made their decisions, and continuing to debate the issues will prove fruitless, so what now?

Some elections hinge on last-minute political commitments, but not this one. The only real question for the next six days revolves around getting out the vote. If any Democrat believes that the fight is over, sits back and assumes their vote doesn’t matter, he/he is inviting a political catastrophe.

On the other hand, President Trump and his cohorts have done everything in their power to keep people from the polls. If you are convinced that your mail-in ballot will be thrown out, so why bother---electoral doom lurks in the wings.

Regardless of who has won the ground on the issues, this election hinges on turning out dedicated voters. What a farce it would be to see the nation go down the drain because solid progressives don’t bother to vote.

I want to say a word to those good solid progressives who remain unhappy with Joe Biden’s unwillingness to endorse Medicare for All, as well as other solid liberal proposals. I fear however, that your continual attacks on Joe Biden have been both shortsighted and risky. How many otherwise solid voters will your trashing of Biden keep from the polls? I know it is not your intention to help secure a victory for Donald Trump. But in this election every vote is critical. Bernie has bent over backward to support the Biden-Harris ticket. But every swipe at Biden may mean critical votes lost. I trust that in these last days you will do everything you can to encourage those in your orbit to vote. I stand among those more comfortable with democratic socialism than with the safer middle of the political road. Perhaps a fresh progressive movement is now necessary. But for the next few days every effort must be made to secure a Biden victory.

I know that most of us have done our best, encouraging those we know to vote as soon as possible, realizing that this is the appropriate strategy for the next few days. As they say in Australia, “good on ya!”