Early voting lines in Miami-Dade County were four and five hours long over the weekend. This after Rep. Rick Scott successfully cut back on early voting days. In Ohio, the Republican Secretary of State fought early voting to the State Supreme Court before giving up. Republicans spent millions suppressing the vote (everything from intimidating billboards to deploying “poll watchers), and if you — we, choose not to vote because of it — they win. If they succeed, they will do it again. The only way to shut this down is to vote.
 2. LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE
It’s obvious Mitt Romney will say just about anything for the sole purpose of getting elected. He seemingly has no real beliefs – whether climate change, abortion or gay rights – other than the sincere belief that he was born entitled to be President. He is the single most cynical politician I have ever witnessed. The only reason, in my opinion, he feels at liberty to lie so brazenly is because he thinks we’re stupid. He thinks we are too stupid to realize he’s lying. If Romney wins, we might as well be wearing dunce caps for the next four years.
 3. SANDY vs. KATRINA
Let’s recall Hurricane Katrina: Nearly 2,000 dead, thousands more forced from their homes, turned out of their states even and deemed “refugees” as they were sent by the busload to other states after months of waiting. Even now, the city has not been entirely rebuilt. Remember Former George W. Bush’s infamous flyover and the delayed response? How many homes were unnecessarily destroyed due to this federal dereliction of duty? That’s what happens when you elect a disinterested president. Now, we have Hurricane Sandy to compare it with. Within days, the President, hundreds of Federal relief workers and the American Red Cross were on the scene. Soon, you even had displaced marathon runners perusing the Tri-State and offering help. That’s what you get with a President who actually gives a shit.
4. Â THE RETURN OF STATE’S RIGHTS
I have no interest in debating the virtue of federalism. But I do know that “state’s rights” appears to be the red herring backward, southern and often evangelical states use to deny the rights of others. Personally I much prefer being a citizen of the United States to a citizen of Rick Perry or Jan Brewer land.
5. Â WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Equal pay, safe and legal abortions, would both be threatened by a Romney presidency. While he may have no moral core, he is beholden to right-wingers with very limited moral cores — Some have actually stated publicly they believe in mandatory prison sentences for women who terminate their pregnancy even in the case of rape or incest.
6. Â MR. WRONG
One thing usually overlooked about Mitt Romney is that he is always wrong. This guy has the perfectly wrong record on every issue he has ever chosen to voice his opinion about: The Auto bailout, Osama bin Laden, Iran, the housing crisis. Dead wrong, every single time.
7. Â THE RETURN OF THE NEO-CONS
President Obama has not gotten us out of Afghanistan yet. But just consider the many military landmines he has successfully avoided. He, unlike most in our federal government, seems able to handle the complicated global national security climate without immediately resorting to military force. He is as a rational, reasonable and temperate commander-in-Chief fending off the real hawks that still, remarkably enough, hold influence within the Republican Party.
8. Â THE REALITY CHECK
The Republicans are due for one. They have been fighting the tide for the last decade, and the more the country changes, the more fervently and viciously they deny it. Hopefully, if they lose, the grownups inside the party will start to deal with reality and stop pandering to the wing nuts in order to remain relevant.
9. AND 10. POLICY FOR THE TIMES
For some reason, reducing the size of government is hugely attractive to many conservatives. Guess it plays into the whole lower taxes, entitlement society meme. But personally, I think President Obama has provided a fairly balanced host of policy measures. No, he was not able to achieve them through bipartisanship but he got it done anyway. And we are a better country because of it. Here’s a laundry list: The Affordable Care Act, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, ending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and passing the Dream Act, just to name a few.
Devona Walker is political editor for The Burton Wire.
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