How Dare You Not Vote! By Doug Patton

Source: http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2006/dp_1016p.shtml

So, you are a conservative who has faithfully voted for Republicans ever since 9/11. Or possibly your eyes were opened back in 1994, when Democrats were routed in the GOP "revolution." Maybe you recognized the vacuous nature of Democrat fiscal, social and foreign policies when you first listened to Ronald Reagan take on Jimmy Carter in 1980. Perhaps you are a hard-core Goldwater conservative who has simply become fed up with the profligate spending and irresponsible border policies of the current Republican leadership.

We're hearing a lot of talk about conservative voters -- especially social conservatives -- staying home this election. Most of it is coming from those in the so-called mainstream media, many of whom want to see their heroes on the Left reinstated to what they think are their rightful places of power. They hope that Mark Foley or some other silly, isolated scandal will keep you from going to the polls.

I don't believe everyone should vote. If you are not motivated to inform yourself on the issues, I don't want you even having a voice in who will represent me. But if you are a disgruntled conservative Republican who knows the issues and understands what is at stake in this election, I have one message for you in this crucial mid-term election: don't you dare fail to vote next month!

From taxes to judges, from social policy to national security issues, it matters who is in charge, and Democrats cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Don't get me wrong; many Republicans can't be trusted either, having let us down in several key areas. But at least the GOP grassroots still holds fast to a solid conservative platform, and the constituencies to which the party leaders must appeal have a chance to keep them in check when they are struck with their annual case of Potomac Fever. Democrats, on the other hand, are unapproachable on the issues about which we care so deeply. In fact, many of their policies are so radical that they could get us all killed.

I remember the way many anti-war liberals treated those of us who served in the military during the Vietnam War. They hated us and called us baby killers, and they defaced their own country every time they spat on one of our uniforms. They are at it again today. They pay lip service to "supporting the troops while opposing the war," but their call for retreat from the primary front in the war on terror demeans the brave men and women whose valor has motivated them to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Add to that the ridiculous left-wing contention that terrorism is a law enforcement problem rather than a declaration of war and it becomes clear why they cannot be allowed to regain power.

From the American Revolution to the current war on Islamic extremism, the United States has produced some of the most valiant warriors ever to wear a uniform. Most of them didn't want to fight. Most would have preferred to stay home with their families and enjoy the liberty afforded by the great nation in which they were born while allowing someone else to serve in their place. But that is not the American way. That is not a part of the culture in which they were raised. Those who serve recognize that each generation that went before them paid a price for their liberty, and they are willing to do their part.

In the face of such love of freedom, how would you explain to those who gave their lives for your right to vote that you can't be bothered to go to the polls and exercise it because you're angry at the party in power? As you contemplate how to express your frustration with Republican leaders who may have mishandled the power we have entrusted to them, consider how you would explain your apathy to the 1.2 million brave men who have given their lives in America's wars over the last 230 years.

Then get yourself to the polls and exercise your precious right to vote.

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Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and public policy advisor. His weekly columns are published in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet web sites, including Human Events Online, TheConservativeVoice.com and GOPUSA.com, where he is a senior writer and state editor. Readers may e-mail him at dougpatton@cox.net.