Set aside political platforms and campaign promises for a minute. We know that many politicians will say whatever they think is necessary to win an election and that they do not necessarily honor campaign promises. Instead, take a look at what Republican politicians in office are actually trying to do. This will allow us to learn plenty about what we would get by electing even more of them.

Here are some highlights:

• Deep cuts to Social Security and Medicare
• Opposition to anti-bullying measures in our nation's schools
• More of the corporate funded "war on science," including more antievolution efforts
• Lax standards for nuclear safety and less effective domestic disaster response
• Opening state parks for oil and gas exploration
• Even more massive corporate tax cuts, the cost of which will be made up by taxing employees (i.e., us)
• Continued erosion of church-state separation
• IRS audits of sexual assault victims who get abortions
• More wars
• A very different sort of war on poverty that is really a war on the poor

If these things sound good to you, then vote Republican. If not, we need to make sure that more Republicans are not elected. But whatever you decide, don't let anyone tell you that it doesn't matter who gets elected. And however frustrated you may be with the Democratic Party or the two-party system itself, remember what is at stake if we simply give up.

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