Power to the voter

Represent! Show your agreement or disagreement of the way things are - Show them the finger! (No, not literally, but by putting it down on a voting machine.)

Of course, this is only possible in a democratic country. So if you live in a nation that is one, please don't throw away the power to vote. Sacrifices that people made to get rid of dictatorship and colonialism should not be forgotten; nor should it be in vain.

I have always been a big proponent of voting. A huge chunk of the population thought that their vote would not make a difference in the US presidential election of 2000. Boy, did they get it wrong on that one or what? So, it doesn't matter what your political belief is - get out there and make yourself heard.

The reason I wanted to bring it up is this - recently Obama's campaign brought about an unprecedented change in campaign tactics. The gist of it being - if you sign up as a volunteer or supporter of their campaign, you would be among the first to be notified when Obama's VP choice is revealed - via text message. What better way to give power to the voter? The campaign bypassed all the experienced "pundits" and "Washington insiders" in the main stream media dishing out their "thoughts of righteousness" and "model citizen behavior". These days, they (the gawker media pundits) don't even know that they have the huge responsibility of sculpting public opinion. Its more a discourse of emotions, instincts and gotchas. I strongly recommend reading this short piece on the Obama campaign's tactic I mentioned above - unlike this piece, it is well written and gets to the precise point. Here it is - "Enjoying the cone of Silence". Sit back, relax and read how power to the voter can feel like.

Remember, not voting is like some one else telling you how to live your life. If you don't know what it feels like, just ask any person who is married.