Can't have it both ways. Either the first vote counts or it doesn't. Which is it?

For a long time, I've been saying that the Democrats and the Republicans all work for the same people. And up until now, I believe that this was true. But at this point in history, I see a shift in those dynamics. Because of the internet and because of how the internet makes it possible for large numbers of people to make an impact with few resources, I see changes in that dynamic in this election cycle.

The whole Republican philosophy is about redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top, consolidation of power to a few at the top, and exploiting people and resources at the expense of the world and the masses. The Democrats have been guilty of some of these things, but that's not their entire philosophy. Although they haven't always been true to their core philosophy (Bill Clinton being one example), their core philosophy, when practiced, makes life better for a lot of people.

When Republicans behave in a way that is consistent with their core philosophy, a lot of people suffer. When Democrats behave in a way that is consistent with their core philosophy, life gets better for a lot of people. As with cigarettes, there's no good reason to have a party like the Republican party - when used as intended, people suffer. When the Democrats are behaving in a way that is consistent with their core philosophy, there's a lot of good reasons to have a party like the Democratic party.

I see a big shift happening in the Democratic party right now, a shift that is created by the fact that all of our politicians know they're vulnerable right now, and the voters - in particular, the Democratic voters - are starting to hold their feet to the fire.

If Republicans hold the Republicans' feet to the fire, nothing changes, because the Republicans have been doing what their core constituency wanted. If Democrats (and non-Democrats who have voted for Democrats) hold the Democratic politicians feet to the fire, the Democratic politicians will have to start behaving in a way that is consistent with their core philosophy, and a lot of people will benefit from that.

It might not work, but it's definitely worth a try. We need a large Democratic majority in both the House and Senate.