As the days wind down to Election Day 2010 I am struck by the apathy of many and the anger of others. Many people right now are upset with the plight of the nation, and I can sympathize, to a point. I am worried though about how extremists threaten to take our government by storm because their outrage and platform matches that of a small, loud mass of people who are pushing the panic button. It is hard for me to see our nation freak out and prepare to take a step backward in many areas with the rise of the Tea Party.
It is true that things have not improved in the way many people, including President Obama, thought they would. I am hoping to appeal to the more level-headed, less reactionary majority that Jon Stewart hopes to rally later this month in Washington D.C. Get out and vote! Show the loud, angry minority that they don't speak for all of us. Voter apathy is abhorrent to me, and if those on the left and in the middle stay home and let Tea Partiers dominate the polls we will lose something valuable. Prejudice and discrimination are at the core of what the extremists stand for, whether they admit it or not. I don't think our country can afford to take steps backward, and the only way to make sure that we don't is to get out and VOTE!