Tuesday's elections: Not just about the White House

The media, and most private citizens, seem to have been focusing on the Obama-McCain race as the key vote this November.

And it certainly is key.

However, it's not the end-all and be-all.

We must also focus our attention downballot.

In the unthinkable event that John McCain wins the presidency, we must be prepared to trump him in the legislature. That means that we need a filibuster-proof 60 seats on the Democratic side of the Senate, not counting sellout Joe Lieberman.

And if Obama wins, we will still need that buffer in the Senate to move his agenda forward without the kinds of Republican roadblocks that we've seen over the past two years.

And it wouldn't hurt to increase our margin in the House as well.

Maybe then we could finally start to get some things done.

Equally important are the propositions and other ballot initiatives being conducted in various states.

For instance, we've got California's Proposition 8 which, if passed, would ban same-sex marriage in that state. So gays and lesbians would, by law, become second-class citizens. Do we really want to write discrimination into the California constitution? I hope not. So, if you reside in California, please vote "No" on Prop 8, and encourage your friends, neighbors, and family members to do the same.

This is the tip of the iceberg. There are many other important ballot initiatives on the line -- too many to list.

So, please, if you've ever been tempted to sit out an election, please, please, PLEASE, do not let this be the one. There are too many critical issues on the ballot this time.

And the welfare of this whole planet hangs in the balance.