{"id":30055,"date":"2012-09-01T08:53:16","date_gmt":"2012-09-01T14:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/09\/01\/holding-ones-nose-to-vote.html"},"modified":"2012-09-01T08:53:16","modified_gmt":"2012-09-01T14:53:16","slug":"holding-ones-nose-to-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/09\/01\/holding-ones-nose-to-vote.html","title":{"rendered":"Holding one's nose to vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

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. \u00a0They 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 …<\/p>\n

The question is, what does one do instead. \u00a0It'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. \u00a0If there were any indication that it might seriously be otherwise, that would be one thing. But there is not.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, it will certainly<\/i> help elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. And, likely, a GOP majority in the Senate, and help them retain their position in the House.<\/p>\n

And I haven't seen anyone suggest credibly\u00a0that 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. \u00a0Letting that happen is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.<\/p>\n

(And let's not pretend that, for all the disappointments, there have not been at least some positives to come out of this Administration. \u00a0The ACA (though disappointingly limited) is still a significant improvement over the status quo ante<\/i>. We're out of Iraq, too. And the changes in "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and defending of DOMA are not insignificant, either.)<\/p>\n

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<\/i> level, that built a change over time to both the party leadership\u00a0and the folks being elected by it in a way that\u00a0filtered upward<\/i>. That's what progressives need to do. \u00a0<\/p>\n

That's not an overnight thing. \u00a0It's not trivial, it's not easy, it's not fast, and it's not a bold statement of principle today<\/i>. But it's strategically and<\/i> tactically both the right and the savvy thing to do. Even if you have to hold your nose while waiting.<\/p>\n

Reshared post from +George Wiman<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I'm quite aware the Democratic party sucks, but there is good reason to vote Democratic in November anyway<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Embedded Link<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOf course the Democratic Party sucks… so what? | MyFDL<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMy favorite description of the Democratic Party is Woody Allen's restaurant; you know the one, \u201csuch bad food and such small portions\u201d. The American political system is corrupt and both political part…\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Google+:<\/strong> View post on Google+<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. \u00a0They 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 … Continue reading “Holding one's nose to vote”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7081,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2004\/11\/01\/vote_dammit.html","url_meta":{"origin":30055,"position":0},"title":"Vote, dammit","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 1-Nov-04 10:31pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Vote. Do it. Get off your ass, make the time, go in, and participate in this country's future. Don't let the last-second campaign ads and stump speeches dissuade you from...","rel":"","context":"In "Elections 2004"","block_context":{"text":"Elections 2004","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/elections-2004"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31879,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/21\/well-if-you-just-anybody-vote-who-knows-who-theyll-vote-for.html","url_meta":{"origin":30055,"position":1},"title":"Well if you just anybody vote, who knows who they'll vote for?","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 21-Dec-12 9:08am","format":false,"excerpt":"George Will rightly notes that we shouldn't make it easier for people to vote because, well, they might vote for people that thoughtful folks like him don't think should win. Like Hitler. \u00a0Or something. Embedded Link Conservative Columnist: Simplifying Voting Process Would Let The Wrong Kind Of People Vote Reducing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24347,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/12\/08\/id-vote-for-this-if-it-were-up-to-me-to-vote-for-it.html","url_meta":{"origin":30055,"position":2},"title":"I'd vote for this, if it were up to me to vote for it","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 8-Dec-11 1:02pm","format":false,"excerpt":"There is, of course, little to no chance that this Amendment will get anywhere, since it directly attacks the power of both wealthy businesses and wealthy individuals to control the electoral process. But I can dream ... #ddtb Embedded Link Bernie Sanders Proposes A Constitutional Amendment To Overturn Citizens United\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/images0-focus-opensocial.googleusercontent.com\/gadgets\/proxy?container=focus&gadget=a&resize_h=100&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicususa.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flast-word-sanders-300x189.jpg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":131958,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/11\/07\/voting-gives-you-a-voice.html","url_meta":{"origin":30055,"position":3},"title":"Voting Gives You A Voice","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 7-Nov-16 3:17pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Some people seem to feel that their vote only counts if it's the only vote. That's ... not really democracy. Some people seem to feel that their vote only counts if their side wins. That's ... not really it either.Every vote counts. Every vote may not win, but every vote\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44571,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/08\/24\/get-out-the-vote-unless-it-might-vote-against-you.html","url_meta":{"origin":30055,"position":4},"title":"Get out the vote (unless it might vote against you)","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 24-Aug-14 10:12pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The core requirement of any democracy is buy-in. People accept and support a democratic government if they feel their voices are heard. They may disagree with specific outcomes but accept the system if they are a part of it.For which reason, the idea of registering people to vote who might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":137459,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2018\/11\/15\/helping-employees-vote.html","url_meta":{"origin":30055,"position":5},"title":"Helping Employees Vote","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 15-Nov-18 4:08pm","format":false,"excerpt":"It is both maddening and so very (alas) American that large employers feel the need to volunteer to make it less difficult for their employees to vote in elections. 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