The HP Alliance, in coordination with the wizard rock community, has just unveiled its newest effort, “Wizard Rock the Vote,” a nationwide (that is, United States-wide) event to get as many Potter fans registered to vote in this November’s election as possible.
To remember why it matters look only to J.K. Rowling’s Harvard commencement address: “Even your nationality sets you apart. The great majority of you belong to the world’s only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden.”
The concept is simple: at every wizard rock concert this summer, volunteers will be on hand to help register audience members. If you’d like to be one of those volunteers, check out concerts near you and fill out the form or send an email directly to samantha@thehpalliance.org. You can check out the participating bands here.
Watch this video!
If you’d like a Wizard Rock the vote T-shirt to rock this summer, go here; proceeds fund the drive!
Some of these comments are fascinating. I love how topics like this always turn into political debate.
@kbprez, you showed kirty a lot of respect, more than I would have.
First kirty goes on a rant about stripping the NAACP of its tax exemption.
Then kirty apologizes for picking on the NAACP, but insists that they are the worst offenders. It’s interesting that he/she never offered the name of a single right-wing group that also bends the law even a little!
Then finally when another poster says right-wing groups bend the law as well, kirty says:
“That’s what I’m saying. I don’t like any of them skirting the law, conservative or liberal leaning”.
I think Kirty’s original point was that the HPAlliance is skirting the law, and the NAACP was just another example of it from the left. Then Kirty got all sidetracked defending the NAACP example, when the whole point was that HPAlliance is doing it and it’s not unheard of.
@jkbowling “9) Who presided over the hugest budget deficit spending our country has ever seen? Ronald Reagan, then topped by George W Bush – Republicans.
10) Who presided over the biggest expansions of our economy, setting records for new jobs putting more people to work? FDR (after the Depression), Bill Clinton (after he pulled us out of the Reagan deficit, then balanced the federal budget) – Democrats.”
Actually, Regan’s administration was stuck with a deficit left by the previous Democrat administration. Clinton just reaped the benefits of the previous administration. Thats just how it works.
Some of the comments to my very late night post as well-taken, but someone needs to tell Exasperated: It is factual that Reagan increased military spending so much that he created what had been the largest federal deficit on record at that time. This was why Bush1 was forced to increase taxes, against his campaign promises. Clinton inherited the deficit, presided over huge economic growth, balanced the budget and even produced a small surplus. George Bush2 quickly blew this away, outdoing all his predecessors by increasing spending while giving huge tax breaks to the wealthy. This has produced our present federal budget deficit of $9.4 Trillion.
The point is: register to vote at PROJECTVOTE.ORG/REGISTER. In many states, the deadline to register is about a month prior to an election, so you must do it BEFORE OCTOBER.
If you are living away from where you are registered (for example, a college student), you should APPLY for an ABSENTEE BALLOT now. It is a 2-step process and takes some time. Phone your county Election Board.
It’s quite easy to look only at the good things one presidency produces. You’ve mentioned all the economic growth during the Clinton years. No one really talks about how that house of cards fell as soon as a major event hit the markets (9/11). I remember watching the news months later and seeing all the work put into spinning the economic woes on the current administration. It would be impossible for all those financial statement shell games to have occurred in the 9 months Bush was in the White House. That would mean that all that financial chicanery occurred during gasp the Clinton administration, although it wouldn’t be a stretch to think it might have started at the latter part of Bush 1’s presidency, though it’s doubtful when you consider the timing of the accounting pronouncements etc.
The main problem with your argument that your point was to encourage people to register at projectvote.org/register is that you made several points lauding democrats beforehand (my personal favorite was your spin on presidential vetoes, Bush using the veto =bad democrat president using the veto = good). It would seem your point is more like vote democrat.
It’s not inherently bad to feel that way. Just don’t try and say that you were just telling people to go out and register. That’s the main point of the discussion thread, “it’s cool to encourage voter registration, we just wish we didn’t have to hear the party preaching.”
You’re right, Eldric. I got away from my point when I was worried about someone implying I’m racist (or at least that’s how I took it) by criticizing the NAACP. And dilbert, if you think that was a rant, you ain’t heard nothing yet. I just mentioned that when Melissa said because they were a tax exempt organization, the HP Alliance wouldn’t be endorsing a candidate, and mentioned that the NAACP hasn’t let that stop them (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7433-2004Oct28.html). I really don’t care if it’s right or left wing organizations, the point is that it does happen.
Our votes do extend beyond our borders. We are a superpower, and we, Americans, have the power to do some great things. Not only for others, but for this great country. Also, something I think many Americans forget, is that it’s a not only our civic duty, but our RIGHT to vote. So if anything one should go out there and exercise this right. It’s a powerful thing.
Some of these comments are fascinating. I love how topics like this always turn into political debate.
@kbprez, you showed kirty a lot of respect, more than I would have.
First kirty goes on a rant about stripping the NAACP of its tax exemption.
Then kirty apologizes for picking on the NAACP, but insists that they are the worst offenders. It’s interesting that he/she never offered the name of a single right-wing group that also bends the law even a little!
Then finally when another poster says right-wing groups bend the law as well, kirty says: “That’s what I’m saying. I don’t like any of them skirting the law, conservative or liberal leaning”.
OH PLEASE.