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Jonathan Buckman (Brooklyn, NY)

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How to get the 18% of people who aren't going to vote to change their minds

How to get the 18% who don't vote to change their minds

By Jonathan Buckman - Sep 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm EDT

As of now I am not going to vote. Maybe that's how you feel or maybe you've already decided. If you feel the same I'm glad to have the company. If you've already decided then finding ways to motivate people who do not vote should be at the top of your list. There is one reason I have never voted and still plan not to: the main issue I am interested in is never dealt with. In fact, my top two or three issues are never discussed in any type of political arena. Why am I writing this blog then? Why have I joined barackobama.com? I have decided to plead for a reason to vote for Mr. Barack Obama. Not any reason, mind you, but my reason. Will I reveal it here: no! Why? Well, I'm curious to see if anyone within the campaign actually cares about little 'ol me and the 18%, a free 18 points?!?!?, I represent. How can I claim to represent that 18%? Excellent question. Actually, it would be totally unreasonable to claim that but please continue reading. This 18% have never voted because nothing has moved them to vote, they have noted no change in this country whether a democrat or republican is in office, except for maybe which actor on Saturday Night Live becomes more famous for their impression of the new president. Maybe they sense the cyclical movement of history and deem the president more an agent of that cycle, a figurehead if you will. Maybe they've read or watched some Noam Chomsky (Manufacturing Consent etc) and notice that no candidate wants to address the massacres by the US occurring in other countries--the ones that do not make it into any newspapers. Surprisingly, that is not the issue that is most important to me and please remember that I will not reveal it here. Also, I would like to note that the president of our country has many powers, some great and some small, but I believe the greatest power is the one that doesn't rely on the cooperation of Congress, Senators, or a constituency; it is the power of storytelling, of mythologizing. Fans of Joseph Campbell will hopefully acknowledge that statement. If a president could tell our country a story so powerful as to change the way we view ourselves and the world then no laws need be passed, no voting must happen. Maybe Mr.Obama is up to my challenge and if not, then I guarantee not 1% of the 18% will be swayed and certainly my vote will stay at home on election day. What if there was a story which could be told which would allow all human beings to have true freedom, true wealth, and a true universally compassionate attitude? What would this story sound like? In fact, the main topics of that courageous and shattering story would be the very concrete items that I, as a human being and US citizen, want addressed more than anything. If you want that 18% you're going to have to do what no other politician has ever been willing to do; tell the US and world citizens a story they have never heard before. The stories we are told define who we are, how we treat others, and our view of the cosmos. It is time for a new story and boy do I have the main characters! I have spent my life reading, learning, thinking, and meditating so I refuse to settle for less than I deserve, for less than you deserve! I want a real change--the real change. As one simple human being I guarantee that the candidate willing to hear me out, to hear my story and to shape it into their own words will not have to worry about any election--they will have the ear of the people of this earth and that is all the power a leader needs. Please, Mr. Obama let me tell you a story you have never heard so that you may have the first chance of relaying it to the world. I'm guessing, however, that this campaign will continue to ignore me and the 18% who will not vote on election day, instead choosing to focus on the standard dead-even election while worrying about how to get one or two points ahead via swing-vote concern. Before concluding I must apologize for the almost new-age-iness of this post--it seems like I'm speaking of some ethereal object or some religious movement--I am not! I am instead choosing to challenge the candidate who I believe might have the courage to ask me exactly what I mean. My true question: does anyone from the campaign even read these posts and do they care? Will anyone have the courage to simply write me an email and ask for more details about how Barack Obama can become one of the most famous men in all of history? If not then Mr.Obama has proven that his campaign is simply an exact replica of all that have come before him. Please don't let that be true.

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