ARMENIAN AMERICANS CAN GAIN MORE BY JOINING INDEPENDENT VOTERS AND REFORMERS
By Appo Jabarian
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine
October 26, 2012
Most Armenian Americans barely control their anger, frustration and
exasperation in the face of utter disrespect hurled at them by both
Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.
As if the Obama administration’s gross failure in keeping campaign
promises made to Armenian Americans wasn’t enough, now the victims of
the Armenian Genocide and of illegal occupation by the perpetrator
Turkey of their homelands in Western Armenia and Cilicia must deal
with the insulting disregard by both Pres. Barack Obama’s and Governor
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns.
It is lamentable that Armenian Americans along with many Americans
are being disenfranchised by Republican and Democratic presidential
campaigns.
“Clearly, it is unwise for both presidential candidates not to court
the support of Armenian-American voters in crucial swing states,
at a time when the race is so tight that a handful of votes could
mean the difference between victory and defeat. … Finally, not
voting for either presidential candidate does not mean sitting out
the elections. One third of the US Senators are up for reelection as
well as all 435 House Members. Armenian-American voters should reward
candidates supportive of their issues by voting them back into office,
and should punish their opponents by voting them out of office!” wrote
Harut Sassounian, Publisher of The California Courier.
In the days running up to the November 6 U.S. presidential elections
Armenian National Committee of America decided not to endorse
neither Pres. Obama nor Gov. Romney. A number of key individuals
in the Armenian American community such as Sassounian took the
same decision. He stated: “This was not a difficult decision. Both
candidates have been disappointing. The President has not kept his
word on many Armenian and non-Armenian issues, while his rival has
not shown the slightest interest in the Armenian-American community
and its issues.”
Armenian Americans are not the lone segment of American society that
is shortchanged. The majority of the U.S. population in most of the 50
U.S. states feel being taken for granted because of the outdated and
dysfunctional Electoral College system. The time has come to overhaul
the system to allow the American populace to cast its electoral votes,
district by district, as outlined in the congressional districting
map in each state. Let each presidential candidate earn his electoral
college vote not through the elite club but directly from the people
of each and every congressional district across the United States.
As many voters are aware, under the present Electoral College system
a U.S. president is not really elected by popular vote like it’s done
in many European countries such as France and Armenia.
The present formula violates the sacred principle of one-person,
one-vote. “Our Electoral College system is weird – and not in a good
way,” recently pointed out Eric Black of The Minneapolis Post.
“Winner-take-all Electoral College pushes most states to the
sidelines,” indicated Steve Rose in The Star of Kansas City.
Presently Nebraska and Maine are the two exceptions to the
winner-take-all Electoral College system. These twin states disallow
that. Instead, they split the electoral votes according to the number
of votes each candidate receives.
The time has come for Americans as a whole to reclaim their electoral
process by creating a counter-balance to the corporate-controlled twin
political parties – Republican and Democratic. The mega corporations
and their neocon (neoconservative) lackeys have hijacked for far too
long the U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
Armenian Americans should actively join forces with thousands of
reformist Americans in demanding that the “winner-take-all” electoral
college system be modified in their individual states and be converted
to district-by-district system. They should push for appropriate
propositions in each state instituting such methods of granting
electoral votes, thus giving the people the real power of choice.
I know, it’s easier said than done. But the process must start from
somewhere.
In the meantime Armenian Americans stand to gain by positioning
themselves as independent voters in all 50 and especially the swing
states of the Union.
By casting their votes in favor of a third party candidate they can
make important contributions to the establishment of a viable third
wing in presidential elections.
In the absence of any outreach by the two candidates to Armenian
Americans to address their concerns, the latter has no choice but
to deny their votes to either “corporate” candidates, and vote
for a third-party candidate even if that candidate has zero chance
of winning.
In response to Sassounian’s article on ArmenianWeekly.com, many
bloggers posted pro and con remarks.
Lydia T. responded: ” Neither of the candidates deserve even one
Armenian vote. I want to send a message to the candidates and vote
on Libertarian presidential ticket. Let them know if they are not
supporting the Armenian American community, then we will not support
them either. … If we were smart, then we would make sure every
Armenian in US is registered voter, so that we can show numbers and
that would make a difference, it would make our votes count for the
presidential candidate.”
Sangria Time wrote: “Plainly stated, Obama is a liar. … USA is
a one-party system, and ‘Democracy’ is an illusion. The ‘media’
masterfully exploits and coerces the unsuspecting lazy public into
identifying themselves as ‘Republican’ or ‘Democrat’ when in fact,
in the end they both do the same thing, taking slightly different
approaches to accomplish the same thing. … Also, … I completely
reject the excuse that U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide
‘is contrary to our security’ like these ZIONISTS claim.
”
While one blogger, Juliet, claimed that “voting for neither candidate
is the worst decision,” another – Suren 2 underlined: “You know
there are other political parties in America besides Republican and
Democrat as much as the media likes to pretend there aren’t. Go vote
for them.” A third blogger – Voskanapat pointed out that “Republicans
and the Democrats are just the two wings of one party of the ruling
elite. It’s brilliant. They are in power and selling death no matter
what.”
Recent political developments have illustrated how the Armenian
American community’s political clout has its limitations under the
current status quo.
The fact that neither Obama nor Romney made any campaign promises
to Armenian Americans may eventually become presidential blessing
in disguise.
The time has come for Armenian Americans to reinvent themselves as
an influential component of reformed American democracy – and in the
process, assist America in re-inventing itself as a once again fully
functioning democratic nation.
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