Sharks on Election Day

This election is coming on like a car crash. Here I am, typing from my third story apartment in Boston, sitting near the window. The sounds of traffic waft up from the busy street below. From a distance there is the sound of a loud engine going way too fast, building speed down the straightaway. Then, a sharp squeal of tires as the light suddenly changes, or someone comes out from a side street. There is an inevitable warm sickening sound of metal smashing, the crunch of broken glass. A long silent pause, then a moment later sirens begin to wail. The ambulance is on its way, and I wonder, as my neighbors do, is anyone dead on the pavement.

I’ve waited until the very end, the November issue of MRR, to make up my mind. The question on the table, surrounded by ink on all sides, written about in every radical and punk ‘zine over the last year, is the upcoming Presidential election. The debate, for the most part, hasn’t been Bush vs. Kerry–but whether to vote at all?

You have probably read or debated or written yourself about the lack of democracy in America. How these two choices we’re given are not really choices at all. It’s like betting on black or red on a roulette wheel of corrupt politics–either way, the house wins. Many people feel, and rightly so, that voting for a “lesser evil” is wrong. They don’t want to give their approval to any candidate who will support war and perpetuate the current system of exploitation, which both candidates are sure to do. Voting, in this situation, is a farce, a sham, and a buy-in to a corrupt system that will win no matter who is elected.

But, balance this fact with the need to kick George W. Bush out of office. In only four years, he has declared war on two countries. Not to mention he has attacked civil and environmental rights, and gutted the national treasury–in favor of State control, the fabulously wealthy, right-wing Christians and corporate profits. These are not trivial issues, or little details–they are matters of life and death! Bush’s domestic and international crimes are well recorded. In the history books there is a library of his misdeeds, and in the streets there is an angry marching column of millions, each a voice that can attest to his wicked policies!

Yet, with all this waste and suffering attributed to Bush, I still cannot bring myself to endorse the leading opponent, John Kerry. If elected, Kerry would perpetuate most of the same policies, and supports the same system as Bush. Nor can I get excited about supporting groups like PUNKVOTER.COM or the Democratic Party. For me, they are all missing the point. Almost half a million people marched in New York City against the Republican National Convention, calling to get Bush out of office. That was important, and builds momentum for change, but until people are calling to get rid of Presidents all together, demanding to create something new, we are not getting very far. Emma Goldman said it very well, “Corruption of politics has nothing to do with the morals, or the laxity of morals, of various political personalities. Its cause is altogether a material one. Politics is the reflex of the business and industrial world, the mottos of which are: ‘To take is more blessed than to give’; ‘buy cheap and sell dear’; ‘one soiled hand washes the other.’” Both men are candidates who, if elected, will represent not the interests of people, but the interests of profit.

So, with these thoughts, what to do on Election Day? Will I vote? It has been a hard decision for me. On one hand, I am anxious to get Bush removed from office. On the other, I hate to participate in this current system that only creates the illusion of popular choice and democracy. After much internal debate, and to the consternation of my anarchist comrades, here is my reply.

First, observation and daydreams. Recently, while looking though a photo book, I discovered that I smile like a shark. Especially when someone tells me to smile when I don’t feel like it. My lips pull back into thin lines, revealing gums and a mouthful of teeth. My eyes focus on the camera as if to say, I could eat you alive. And, with all those teeth, I just might! During a daydream while thinking about the election, I pictured myself as a smiling shark, and both Bush and Kerry were floating in the ocean with no boat or help in sight, just two bobbing heads above the waves. Would they both still be wearing ties? And little American flags on their lapels? I was a huge great white shark, circling the two men, smelling blood. What would they say, with no speeches prepared beforehand? No fighter pilots at their command? I was a hungry shark, but taking my time before the strike. My choice was which to eat first. With a wide smile full of teeth, I gained speed, slicing through the water. Soon, Kerry was swimming nervously all alone. That is what voting will mean to me. One more capitalist reduced to fish food. One target down.

Yes, I have decided to vote, but with my eyes wide open, not confused by slogans and empty promises. I see voting as another tool at our disposal, and to ignore or dismiss it is disingenuous to say the least. George Bush needs to be sent back to the ranch! And, with the propaganda machine running high, he just might win another four years of blood and tears. I don’t want to see that happen, and my vote is against Bush.

However, if Kerry wins I have no plans to let him rest easy. Fuck, no! My choice is not who I want to be President, but who to give hell to for the next four years. I will curse, and pull down a lever, looking ahead to the continuing fight. Since the beginning of this country, the people’s struggle for real freedom has never ended, or started, with Election Day. I am not blinded by any notion that this election is “democracy in action,” but neither am I deaf to the suffering that George W. Bush has caused during his Presidency. Kerry is by no means a solution, but even if the changes were modest, he would be an improvement over the current situation. I also think it is hypocritical to demand change, and then not use this opportunity, however small, that is at our disposal. It seems most of the people who refuse to vote on the high moral ground that they don’t want to be involved with the government, already are. Most people pay taxes, an action much more intimate with the State, and directly harmful, than voting. I don’t mean to be harsh in my criticism, but it’s hard for me to swallow that line of reasoning, other than not voting is much easier (and safer) than not paying taxes. Of course, if you feel voting will somehow be giving in to the Man, and harm your soul, by all means, don’t do it!

We will see what happens. If you decide to vote, don’t go into the booth like another sheep to the slaughter, believing Kerry or Bush has your interests at heart, because obviously, they don’t. Vote like a shark. And don’t forget, this doesn’t end on Election Day!

In Solidarity and Blazing Guitars, Erika Ransom