Just think of what we read in high school civics books.  We were told that good citizenship was inextricably tied to voting.  This was our contribution toward making our voices heard.

When Dwight D. Eisenhower, the forgotten Republican president, was seeking reelection in 1956 he delivered a brief announcement to the nation shortly before Election Day urging all Americans to exercise their right to vote.  He urged every eligible American citizen to vote, even if that meant voting against him.

We have come a long way.  Sean Hannity, who drips with syrupy self-proclamations on patriotism, has a different view.  Voters should only turn out if they favor the candidates he and his "fair and balanced" Fox News colleagues such as Bill O'Reilly and Neil Cavuto sanction, meaning Republicans slavishly supporting the Cheney-Bush agenda.

Recently Hannity encouraged Democratic voters to "stay home on Election Day," adding that, "your vote doesn't matter anyway."  His rationale was that Democrats should stay away from the polls "for the sake of the nation" since their votes "won't change who occupies the White House" and Democratic "candidates have absolutely no idea how to win the war on terrorism."