Look, few people are more skeptical about voting than I am; it's bullshit to choose between two old, christian, white dudes who come from a small array of backgrounds to represent the whole country. women are most egregiously underrepped but every other group that doesnt fall into those categories isnt far behind. Still, there is usually a lesser of two evils and if the election is close I will vote or if there is a prop on the ballot I strongly favor (happened once) or oppose (happened about five times; but I generally vote NO on all of them).

There is the old Carlin routine that "if you DO vote you have no right to complain because you put the motherfuckers in office" and I tend to take that position, but some things you just cant let happen. If all the liberals, blacks and latinos included, in Florida turned out; we wouldnt be in as much of a mess at the moment (although many of them hit FL pig roadblocks, but nevertheless it was so close that a stronger push would have kept it from a supreme court vote to elect bush)

That said, blacks CAN swing a vote! What kind of ignorant shit is that to say that if every black person voted one way it wouldnt affect the outcome. Dont you think OTHER people are voting for the same candidate/initiative? Sure, if everyone picked a candidate to write-in, he/she wouldnt win but could probably win a state or two given the low turnout of white voters and the disagreement among them. I know you know that if every black person in the country voted for Dean or Bush, it would make a huge fucking difference.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.