Yes, there are a lot of people on the Left (and even Middle Left) who are very unhappy with Obama and the current crop of Democrats. They point to any variety of really bad (or at least profoundly disappointing) things — from unmanned drone attacks that kill innocent civilians outside a war zone, to continuation and defense and expansion of the Bush national security mechanism, to an apparent willingness to acquiesce to a slow dismantling of the social network as a "centrist compromise" to make debt control the number one priority …
The question is, what does one do instead. It's unrealistic to the point of madness to think that a third party vote will actually make a difference in this election, given the binary nature of our political system and the expectations of the populace. If there were any indication that it might seriously be otherwise, that would be one thing. But there is not.
So a vote for a third party more liberal / progressive candidate might have some strategic value in "sending a message" to the Dems that they need to change their ways. Maybe.
On the other hand, it will certainly help elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. And, likely, a GOP majority in the Senate, and help them retain their position in the House.
And I haven't seen anyone suggest credibly that such a regime would be any better, or even no worse, in those policies and problems than reelecting Obama. And given the push by the GOP to marginalize and disenfranchise groups that oppose them, matters would likely become even more irreparable. Letting that happen is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.
(And let's not pretend that, for all the disappointments, there have not been at least some positives to come out of this Administration. The ACA (though disappointingly limited) is still a significant improvement over the status quo ante. We're out of Iraq, too. And the changes in "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and defending of DOMA are not insignificant, either.)
The desire to challenge and change the Democratic party is an understandable one. How do you do so? Well, how did the conservative Right change the GOP into what it is today? Not by voting for third parties. They did it from the grass roots, from the inside — by changing things on the local level, that built a change over time to both the party leadership and the folks being elected by it in a way that filtered upward. That's what progressives need to do.
That's not an overnight thing. It's not trivial, it's not easy, it's not fast, and it's not a bold statement of principle today. But it's strategically and tactically both the right and the savvy thing to do. Even if you have to hold your nose while waiting.
Reshared post from +George Wiman
I'm quite aware the Democratic party sucks, but there is good reason to vote Democratic in November anyway
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Of course the Democratic Party sucks… so what? | MyFDL
My favorite description of the Democratic Party is Woody Allen's restaurant; you know the one, “such bad food and such small portions”. The American political system is corrupt and both political part…
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The Tea Party very easily could have become a third party, but the GOP saw the writing and merged them into themselves. I think the threat of a third party can help cause the Dems to focus on particular aspects of their platform, otherwise they risk a rift. I'd really like to see more than two viable parties, but so long as this is the game we're playing I'll continue to vote Democrat…at least until Huntsman, or someone equally reasonable, decides to run again.
All too often, voting amounts to choosing the lesser of two evils.
No matter what you think of Obama, if you are at all left-leaning or even moderate, it is your duty to vote for him. A Romney/Ryan administration would be so damaging to this country that it really is a matter of voting against them rather than voting for Obama.
I’m used to voting against the greater of two evils. I’m 55 and I’ve never voted ‘for’ anyone in my life.
The notion of getting to choose between ‘good’ and ‘better’ — well, that’s a fantasy.
I'd love to seen the Democratic party embrace the Green platform the way the Republicans have the Tea. I'd love it so much that I'm willing to keep working toward it and not just stamp my feet and let the country go to hell in the meantime by letting a RepubliTeacan win.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So precipitate. Wait, wrong kind of solution. 😉
Participate.
In this internet age, what excuse is there for us not, each one of us, to be spending an hour or six a week on learning to be the best possible Jeffersonian citizens we can be?
Turn off the TV, the XBox, the MMO, and spend a few hours a week learning more media criticism, history, econ, poli sci, and so on so we can be steward leadership of our republic from the bottom up, if not working our way through the ranks of local government, party, council, board, whatever area of service we can find our way to serve.
Leave your house if you can and find more people who want the same things, and then engage people who want different things, and shatter your illusions and learn a bit more. 😉
I teach kids in the Boston area an intro class in systems thinking, civics, organizing, project planning, and nonviolent organizing in two hours ("How to Save the World in Your Spare TIme") — just enough to whet the appetite and show what's ahead for them.
We spend twelve years tamping them down because teachers don't want to be fired and (honestly) don't want to deal with uppity students. Then at 18 suddenly we think they'll be good stewards of democracy and the republic when they've been taught nothing but how to steward their "permanent record?"
God help us.