Leaving the Party
My voter registration form came in the mail today. I was like a kid on Christmas. As I hurriedly filled in all the boxes and struggled to remember my address in 2006 (how could I forget?), I came across one section that I had failed to anticipate. It was Box 11.
Box 11 is a rather large but unassuming division of the NYS Voter Registration Form. It’s in this area of the form that voters signal which party they wish to enroll in. The parties are listed out in order of how many votes they received in the last election, I think. At least that would explain why Democratic Party is at the top and Working Families Party sits neatly at the bottom.
That’s not to say that the WFP is a loser party. On the contrary, they’re kicking ass. So much ass, in fact, that I’m considering making the switch. Here’s my reasoning:
I hate the Democrats. I know that “Democrats are our friends” or some bull shit because every now and then they’ll show up to a rally or something, but let’s be real. Over the last 8 years, the Democrats have either actively or passively had a hand in every piece of dumb shit that’s gone down, be it the war, the Patriot Act, or the wardrobe malfunction. It’s a party bought and paid for by corporate interests in which truly progressive candidates are often buried and ostracized, especially on the national stage (cough*GRAVEL*cough). Four years ago I registered as a Democrat because I wanted to vote against Bush. I was also 18, naive, and honestly believed that if we put the Dems in power they would end this war. Well, in 2006, after 6 solid years of running their mouths and bitching 24/7 they finally got the House and Senate and…well you know. Nothing happened. The party that promised us change and oversight and an end to Bush brought us war and wiretaps and a droning woman who wanted to be Bush so badly that she voted to ban burning the flag. Even W’s not that nuts.
The benefit to registering as a Democrat would be the opportunity to vote in the primaries and thus steer the party towards an actually democratic candidate. It’s tempting to think that my one little vote could have the power to shape the future of the mighty Democratic party. It’s also tempting to think that if I dump enough ice into the river near my apartment I can single-handedly stop global warming. In truth, the latter is probably more likely. The Democratic party is awash with special interests and politicians both after the same thing: the promise of a steady paycheck, and they’re willing to work together to get it at the expense of folks like me and you. How else do you explain the last 8 years? Has the Democratic party behaved like the progressive anti-war, anti-imperialism party it so fervently claims to be? And if not, who have they been acting like?
Which leaves me with two choices: register with the Working Families, or don’t register with a party at all. At least with Working Families my vote counts for something. Still, WF often ends up cross-endorsing the Democratic nominee, so I could just as easily not register with anyone and still sleep well at night. And come to think of it, I’d like to be sleeping right now.
