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During a speech the President made following the Republican National Convention, he mentioned something negative Mitt Romney had said and the crowd, in support of the Big Chief, began to boo.  “Don’t boo,” he said…”vote!”  And he was absolutely right. Even though the great speeches at the DNC have gotten us fired up and ready to go, none of it matters unless we ALL go to the polls in November.

We can’t depend on emotion, excitement or even patriotism to get us to vote in the numbers needed to defeat Mitt Romney. If our motivation for voting is based on our feelings, we’re in trouble.

Based on the economy, the rampant neighborhood violence, school teachers threatening to strike, floods, droughts, substitute NFL referees (sorry, that’s my issue), there’s a chance that none of us will be in the mood to vote. In all honesty, you really may not be better off now than you were four years ago. You may be laid off,  laid up or locked out. You may be one of the many people caring for your grandchildren and your parents in a home that is upside down. You might have a college-aged child who can’t return to school because his Pell Grant has been cut. You may be deployed to the Middle East to fight a war that looks like it will never end.

No one can deny that the country was a mess when the President got into office, and because the Republican Congress has carried out its promise to block as much of his legislation as possible, it’s not too much better today.  As secure as we felt the night that we heard that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, his death added no more money to your paycheck, nor did it add any new jobs in your community.

I couldn’t have been more proud watching the First Lady address the nation and tell us why she loves the President.

The convention got off to a great start and I know it’s just going to get better when V.P. Biden, former President Clinton and the President himself takes the podium. But this is just September.  What’s going to carry us through until November?

Nothing will do it except commitment and dedication to taking part in a freedom that we cannot take for granted.

A vote for the President will not miraculously change things, but we know it is a move in the right direction.

Mitt Romney and the Republicans are not going to work to make things better for us. If the tide happens to change while they’re in office, we may benefit. But I’d much rather give my support to a party that represents the values that we’ve been taught most of our lives: That if you’re blessed enough to have more than most, it’s your responsibility to help those with less. Issues like abortion and gay marriage are political.  You may agree or disagree with either. But the basic message of the Democratic Party is the one that speaks to the majority of us and if you believe that message, that everybody deserves an opportunity to have a better life, then you should vote for the President in November.

It’s going to get rougher than ever after the convention ends. The opposition will be in full force trying to discredit every positive thing that was said by and about the President. The best way to defend him and the party that has our best interest at heart is to vote. Don’t boo, don’t fight, don’t cuss, don’t get fired from your job…just vote.

Let’s not let our emotions get in the way of the work that has to be done. Let’s not be motivated by anything except sheer conviction. Let’s keep our eye on the prize.

If you aren’t registered, there’s still time. Call 1-866-My-Vote-1.