537 votes

I just saw an excellent political ad. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, especially after months of them. But this one was particularly compelling. Surfing the net a bit, I learned that this ad is called “537,” referring to the number of votes that decided the election in Florida—and thereby in the nation—in 2000. The year the US Supreme Court installed George W. Bush as president.

Watch this ad … and then, if you haven’t voted yet, do. Tell everyone you know to do the same. As the now-familiar poster says, “Your vote is your voice,” and every voice matters. Especially now.

Full disclosure, just in case my own preference in this matter isn’t clear: I tremble and whimper at the thought of a Romney presidency—for women, for poor folks, for immigrants, dreamers, and would-be citizens, for people of color, for old folks, for students needing or having loans, for folks with existing health problems, for folks who rely on Medicare and Medicaid, for LGBT folks, for the environment, for the role of the US in the world community, for the composition of the Supreme Court for years to come, and for a lot of other reasons. On the more affirmative side, although I have been disappointed in Obama’s first term in many ways, I have also been heartened by the steps he has taken, despite intractable resistance, and I’m hopeful that there is more to come.

If you are in that vanishingly small sliver of still-undecided voters, I’d be happy to help you decide.

In any case please, please vote.