Are you sending a message with your vote today? Grassroots opinion leaders at HOTSOUP.com say they are, and the news is bad for incumbents – Republican or Democratic.
“If there was a spot on every ballot to mark ‘none of the above,’ I bet that would be the winner this time around,” said MEED1, a member of today’s Hot Loop. In the Loop, members are asked whether they plan to send a message to Washington with their votes today. If so, what is it?
“Who’s awake at the wheel in Washington to receive a message?” writes a member who goes by the name thevoice. “It’s all about survival and the status quo.” Writes another: “It’s time to shake up the focus-group phonies in Washington by getting out the vote. It doesn’t matter who you vote for as long as you vote.”
The throw-the-bums-out frustration is underscored by a HOTSOUP poll in which about nine in 10 members say government doesn’t work, their political leaders are untrustworthy and their voice is not heard in Washington.
Few think things will get better after today’s elections, regardless of the results. Looking to the 2008 presidential election, an overwhelming majority agreed that a ``major overhaul is needed’’ in politics.
HOTSOUP members are an important audience, because they consist of local opinion leaders who tend to influence their friends, family and associates. In the short term, Republicans are likely to bear the brunt of the voters’ frustration, according to public polls and sentiments expressed in the Soup.
“I am a GOP voter, or at least I was until the party I signed up for disappeared,’’ writes Kathleen33. “What am I going to do? Well, it’s pretty simple. Vote Democrat. Campaign Democrat. And encourage everyone I know to vote Democrat.”
Longer term, both parties stand accused at HOTSOUP of partisanship, gridlock and a lack of accountability. “What will it take for America to move beyond brand-name politics?” writes smellywetdog. “When will there be a viable third party?” Make your case at www.hotsoup.com.