Force The Vote as a Democrat or Non-Affiliated
It is the new year for those following the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar most used in the United States. Many seemed to have celebrated at home due to COVID-2019 restrictions and/or expressed concerns over social distancing in order to decrease the spread of the deadly infection. Certain online users, however, appeared to yell into the void to force a vote on the new 117th Congress House Speakership nomination process, whether as a Democrat or other, perhaps non-affiliated political party participant.
In recent weeks, some controversial yet popular online social media users conveyed the message, “Force The Vote,” which was a maneuver to have The Democratic Party take note that incumbent and newly-elected members of Congress could prevent the confirmation of House of Representatives Speaker nominee and infamous San Francisco (CA-12) Representative, Nancy Pelosi. Taking the prominent role as Speaker of the House and being the first woman to do so, Pelosi has consistently served as the Speaker in prior years until Republicans retained the majority of the House in 2011. She was then re-elected as Speaker in 2019 to represent the 116th Congress.
With the 2020 US Presidential Elections having taken place in early November and with the state of Georgia in a special runoff election this month to decide the majority of the US Senate between Democrats and Republicans, many voters (especially online) are paying close attention to certain political events. The movement behind “Force The Vote” was set up for particular House representatives in the hope they would withhold their vote in affirming Pelosi to the House Speakership in order to gain a floor vote on the passage of Medicare-For-All.
It has been noted that the most recent bill for Medicare-For-All, introduced by Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) in 2019, was and still is a prevalent healthcare issue not only for the 2020 US Elections in which Sanders had also taken part as a presidential candidate, but for the new year. Unfortunately, with the official Democratic Party nomination of Former Vice President Joe Biden, the issue of healthcare reform went to the back-burner as the need for other legislation regarding the effects of the coronavirus, SARS-Cov-2, which leads to COVID-19, had taken more precedence.
Many would argue of the dire need to redress governmental healthcare reform at such a critical time while almost ignoring the calls of help from overworked hospital staff who are also pushing to ensure protective and vital equipment is available and provided by the very entity which is supposed to protect its citizens. The US government is almost, if not already in a frenzy over notable leadership positions, economic and health concerns, and how it acts as a world leader on a center stage.
Those who supported and still support the act of “Force The Vote,” which was also designed to disrupt the confirmation of House Speakership, had pushed selected representatives to withhold their vote in order to prevent Pelosi from being confirmed as the Speaker. Whether through disappointment or even hatred of the notorious representative, many online users showed their distaste not only with the direction of the majority of The Democratic Party but with the lack of its pursuance in acts which appear beneficial for the people and planet, such as Medicare-For-All and Green New Deal, respectively. Both policies are reported to be popular among voters, according to previous exit polls during the 2020 elections.
Many supporters of the disruption also seemed distraught after the vote for House Speakership had taken place on January 3 in which 216 votes confirmed the San Francisco representative, including by those known to be more progressive in their voting process. Online users expressed their anger and frustration while vowing to give up on The Democrats, which then begs to ask whether these supporters wanted to force a vote as a member of The Democratic Party or a “non-affiliated” one.
While it is true it should not matter to which political party one is associated when deciding certain types of public policies, especially when it comes to so-called bipartisanship, it appears to matter when it comes to nomination processes and even outreach to voters. In fact, at times and in particular areas, it is actually necessary to affiliate with a political party in order to vote, but also to act as a sense of pride and unity. In the case of voting-in and ensuring a majority in the House, various forms of reassurance may be deemed imperative when deciding upon one representative to speak on behalf of the majority. Though frustrated democratic and non-democratic supporters may be irate over current representation, it is important to recall such procedures related to voting matters, including those pertaining to the nomination of Speaker of the House.
Whether one supported “Force The Vote” as a Democrat or not, it is wise to see the underlying message of such an unique disruption. Many Americans both in the US and worldwide support universal healthcare. Though the US has much to decide after also passing the Affordable Care Act during the presidency of Barack Obama, which was monumental and maintains all citizens must be covered by health insurance or face a financial penalty (though the individual mandate was later retracted by the Trump Administration,) it is obviously not enough as some would say healthcare in the US is completely unaffordable.
Until the day comes when the majority of congressional representatives and an agreeable president are in power to address the grievances of those who push for healthcare reform, both democratic and non-affiliated but Democrat-leaning voters will look for various ways to not only send a message but force a vote! Perhaps it would be smart for some elected officials to listen.
