My Vote
I have a confession to make. I am an undecided voter. I realize that my vote is a drop in the ocean, but I also consider it a solemn civic responsibility. I've been thinking a lot over the last few weeks about how to best use my tiny little vote. If I lived in a state where the Presidential race was close, I would certainly vote for Obama--as I consider him a far superior candidate to Romney. But Obama is ahead by 20 points here in Washington. I consider it a moral imperative to vote against Romney, yet there are policies of Obama's that I strongly dislike (such as his use of drone strikes and indefinite detention). Since Washington state will easily go to Obama, I've actually been pondering whether I should cast my vote for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate. She has absolutely no chance of winning, but I find that the Green Party comes closest to reflecting my own civic values on a whole range of topics. So perhaps my miniscule vote--aggregated with others-- can be a message of encouragement to the Greens and a message of rejection to the Republicans and message of dissent to the Democrats and a message in favor of getting beyond the hegemony of the two party system.
3 Comments:
I too have been tempted towards voting like that, and have in smaller races. But for a big one, I prefer to address the larger picture and show strength hopefully, and as time goes by, work to change those things I don't agree with.
If I was to not vote for Obama this time, I would vote for Pat Paulsen. So in my case, the decision is slightly easier.
Mitt is not the end of the world, but I have severe reservations about his lack of foreign policy experience and how to "grok" relating to the myriad social and political world communities.
Dealing with a Mass. Democratic majority is not even close to even comprehending how other cultures are perceiving you and making decisions.
Still, he does have some pretty good humor value if he was elected, as long as we don't all get blown up.
Pat Paulsen? Ah Dwelf, you're showing your age. ;^)
I'm seriously considering voting for Jill Stein, as well, for the same reasons - the Green Party platform speaks more to me than any other. Although I lean to the left and the Democrats are more in line with my beliefs, I cannot vote for a president whose warmongering tendencies are no different than Bush II's.
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