I Am Voting for Ralph Nader

“If the Republicans win, we will immediately declare Limited Nuclear War on all of Indochina and the IRS will start collecting a 20 percent national sales tax on every dollar spent by anybody- for the National Defense Emergency. But if the Democrats win, Congress will begin a fourteen-year debate on whether or not to declare Massive Conventional War on all of Indochina, and the IRS will begin collecting a 20 percent National Losers’ Tax on all incomes under $25,000 per annum- for the National Defense Emergency.” -Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: on the Campaign Trail ‘72′

For all of the enthusiasm that the 2008 campaign has wrought from America, the root is still the same. Some people have speculated that because we have had both a woman and an African American as serious candidates that things are genuinely changing in our politics. People are instilled with a newfound sense of “hope” that Washington will finally shape up and act on the will of the voters.

This is a lie.

At the very heart of it, just like most venerable American institutions, it is a lie.

Why is it a lie?

Is it because of a cruel, hierarchical power structure deeply embedded into our culture will shun any candidate who represents a threat to the status quo? Is it because the media tells us who is electable and who isn’t? Is it because running a national campaign without unlimited financial resources is the worst kind of exercise in futility?

No. It’s because we have come to expect too little from our Presidents, our Senators, our Governors, and anyone else who is supposed to be serving the public.

I e-mailed an older friend of mine recently and said that I intended to vote for Ralph Nader in November. She immediately responded that not only did I need to vote for Obama, I needed to WORK for him because John Mccain was just too dangerous and we couldn’t afford to let him in. With all due respect to my friend and the millions of Illinois citizens who will undoubtedly vote for their Senator in the fall, Barack Obama doesn’t need my help, and I’m not going to give it to him.

The Lesser of 2 Evils…

I have the right to vote for whoever I chose, even if it means the chance of losing an election against a “greater evil.” Americans have decided to vote for the lesser of two evils for too many Presidential elections in a row. At the end of the day, the lesser of two evils is still evil, and I’m tired of openly casting my vote for someone with that distinction.

I do not owe the Democratic Party anything, and my conservative friends do not owe the Republican party anything. We allow this nation to slide further backwards every four years because we refuse to exercise our right to vote.

What do I mean?

In a blinding moment of frustration with Pepsi a couple of months ago, I decided to endorse Coke.

When you’ve been drinking Pepsi for your entire life and then one day you discover the joy of Coca-Cola, it might seem like a radical change. But this is a lie and I’m tired of living it.

I’m voting for Ralph Nader because he represents my values and that’s the only thing that matters. If you truly believe that Pepsi and Coke are perfectly acceptable choices, then go with God. Just don’t come and complain to me when your Kool-Aid dispenser says I somehow cost you an election.

The Pumas Come Out at Night

In response to my post about Hillary supporters who plan to vote for John Mccain in November, I received thiscomment yesterday.

“ONLY CLINTON RAN A CLEAN CAMPAIGN. OBLAMA RAN A TYPICAL DIRTY NASTY RACE BASED CHICAGO CAMPAIGN. I HAVE NOT BEEN FOOLED NOR HAVE I HAD A DRINK FROM THE STUPID FOUNTAIN. As for the rules we clinton supporters are mad as hell because the DNC led by Donna Brazilla at the rules committee. Suceeded in Breaking the rules not Following them. For instance the rules State that “NO CANDIDATE MAY BE GRANTED OR RECEIVE DELEGATES IN ANY MANNER ACCEPT AT THE BALLOT BOX” sO TELL ME oBLAMA mORONS HOW DID HE GET DELEGATES FROM MICHIGAN WHEN he was not on the ballot. (by his own choice i might add.)

Also Florida an Michigan were not the only states to break the rules. So did IOWA,NEW HAMPSHIRE and S. CAROLINA.
According to the RULES All States must be treated equally, no special consideration will be given to one state over another. SO ACCORDING TO THE RULES THE DECISION SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
FLORIDA HALF DELEGATES
MICHIGAN HALF DELEGATES
IOWA HALF DELEGATES
NEW HAMPSHIRE HALF DELEGATES
S. CAROLINA HALF DELEGATES
The michigan delegates all to hillary because NOBLAMA WAS NOT ON THE BALLOT. BY RULE HE CANOT RECEIVE ANY DELEGATES FROM MICHIGAN.

we all know what happened and we will not forgive or forget on fall in line. COME NOVEMBER COWARD DEAN D. BRAZILLA AN N. PELOSI WILL HEAR OUR ROAR.

PARTY UNITY MY ASS McCain 2008- Hillary 2012″

I’m going to ignore the easy, obvious puns that such a thing could provoke, (except maybe something about the stupid fountain later on) and get right to the message that lies within.

The Democratic National Committee broke their own rules and awarded Obama every Michigan delegate that was “undecided,” and a couple that had voted for Hillary. What they did was unlawful and they deserve to be punished for their willfull disenfranchising of millions of Hillary’s supporters, who now refer to themselves as PUMAs (Party Unity my Ass,) and are dedicated to doing everything in their power to make sure Obama is not elected in November.

I have a question for the Pumas. If you’re really willing to defy the Democratic party and not vote for the nominee in the general election, why on earth would you throw your lot behind John Mccain? If you’re smart enough to perceive (finally) that the Democrats don’t care about you, then certainly you know full well that the Republicans are guilty of the same sin. If you’re a woman who feels that the mainstream media and the supposedly progressive party undermined the feminist movement during the primaries, why would you vote to keep that system going? John Mccain is not going to do the women’s movement any favors.

The systematic degrading of Hillary Clinton goes far beyond the Democratic party cronies and MSNBC commentators. In order to really give women (not just HRC) a chance to compete evenly, you have to get to the root of that problem, and the Republican party is one of the largest cogs in the machine.

If you’re REALLY fed up with Democrats not representing the values of true change and equal rights, then why don’t you stick it to them, while still staying true to your ideology?

Yes, I am once again, talking about 3rd parties.

Independents are, believe it or not, the largest voting block in the United States. So why do they keep splitting themselves down the middle and not voting for independent parties? Why keep drinking from the stupidest fountain of all?

If the PUMAs want to teach the DNC a lesson by putting Mccain into the White House, they certainly can do that. There are more than enough of them to tip the scales far enough to ensure that Obama cannot win. But if the PUMAs want to teach AMERICA a lesson about the power of voters, then they should throw their lot behind an Independent, and the game would be changed forever. While their choice might not win the White House, creating a legitimate 3rd option to challenge the stagnant Republican and Democrat controlled status quo would do far more for the plight of women and other minorities than checking the box for John Mccain will ever do.

Hillary Supporters: Voting for Mccain is NOT the Answer

It appears that tonight, finally, the Democratic primaries are going to end, with Hillary Clinton admitting that Obama has won enough delegates to secure the nomination, while stopping short of actually conceding the race, whatever in the blue hell that means.

Now that the race is over, alot of people (mainly Hillary supporters) are very, very PO’d.

They have every right to be. People were calling for their candidate to exit the race months ago, and the media has trashed Hillary at every turn. (She has certainly deserved some of it, but the extremes to which the MSM has gone to degrade her are absurd.) What the DNC chose to do with the delegates from Michigan was undemocratic, unfair, and unreasonable. While there may have been no clean way to sort that mess out, the fact is that now the Democratic Party has a huge problem on its hands. Hillary’s people are ready to jump ship and vote for Mccain.

Folks, I have supported Hillary’s right to stay in the race until the very end, I have tried to defend her from personal attacks, and I am one of the last people who would vote for Obama, but voting for John Mccain in November is not the answer.

The only way to solve this may be to force Barack Obama to take Hillary Clinton on his ticket for vice-president. That may go a long way to bringing back her supporters into the fold, but it shouldn’t be necessary.

I am not a supporter of party politics. But just because you’re completely, completely disappointed with the Democrats doesn’t mean that the grass is greener on the other side. In fact, that grass is brown, dried out, rather disgusting, and the country is tired of eating it.

If they don’t put Hillary in as VP, why don’t you come up with a better response than just voting for the other guy? If you’re a true Clinton supporter, there’s no way that you can believe John Mccain represents your interests more than Obama does.

Or, even better yet, vote Third party and teach BOTH the Dems and the Reps a lesson.

What do American League All-Stars Tell us about our Democracy?

Today comes the latest batch of All-Star votes for the American League, and it is completely dominated by Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

First Base: Kevin Youkilis is leading

2nd base: Dustin Pedroia, followed by Robinson Canoe

3rd: Alex Rodriguez, followed by Mike Lowell

Short: Derek Jeter

Catcher: Jason Varitek

DH: David Ortiz, followed by Hideki Matsui

Outfield: Manny Ramirez

What does this tell us about the voting process? For one thing, the media shows just how powerful it is in selecting candidates for baseball and for the President of the United States. See, the choices for the people on the ballot are made even before the season begins, much like our primary campaigns. Before a single vote has been cast, before our voice has been heard, someone has already chosen who is electable and who is not for us. This means that only big names will be on the ballot and candidates who are just as qualified, if not even more-so, will be left out in the dark, and the people who choose to vote for them will have their needs ignored.

Case in point: Carlos Quentin of the Chicago White Sox is not even in the top 15 vote-getters for the outfield position, despite leading the AL in home runs, and being 2nd in RBI. Why? Because when the ballots were put together, baseball decided there was no way Carlos Quentin could put together an All-Star year. So despite having the best credentials, Quentin will not be voted in by the fans.

Who does make it? The two party system. Baseball coverage is dominated by Red Sox and Yankees highlights, just like media coverage is monopolized by Democrats and Republicans. Because we have been told that the Red Sox and Yankees are the only teams that really matter by the main-stream media, those are the ones that get the votes. So even though they might not perform, *As of today, the Yankees are in last place in their division* they will still be selected to represent baseball’s best.

This is the same phenomenon that has pushed out legitimate candidates who have agendas that do not match the powers’ that be on both sides, and from 3rd parties. Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards and Ralph Nader have all been repeatedly shut out by the media and have been effectively forced out of the race.

Hillary Clinton, John Mccain and Barack Obama are ALL the establishment’s candidates. If you want a President who can really change things, and if you want to see your team’s best represent your town in the All-Star game, it’s time to start ignoring what the media tells you and start making choices on your own.

Why I Won’t Vote for Barack Obama

 Yes we Can, but No I Won’t.

First of all, I am a racist fundamentalist who clings to guns and religion and could never vote for a black man and besides, I think he might be a secret Muslim communist sympathizer, who should have left that evil, evil church a long time ago.

Now that that’s out of the way, here are the real reasons why I will not vote for Obama:

 

1. Bad Fruit from a Bad Tree

The tree I refer to here is not his mixed heritage or unconventional upbringing. The bad tree that has borne Barack Obama is the Democratic Party. For one, the notion that we have to choose the Democrats over the Republicans because they’re the lesser of two evils is flawed and ignorant. If you got your political coverage from somewhere other than the idiot box or major newspapers, you might discover that there are a whole number of political parties, and if, God forbid, you do some research, I’m certain that you’ll find one that reflects your values more than the Democrats and Republicans, no matter what your values are.

The Democrats have failed at every turn to stop the funding for Bush’s war, they have failed to impeach a President and Vice President that have broken the law and the Geneva conventions, and they have failed to convince me that they will truly change the way business is done in Washington. The donkey party has had it’s fair share of scandals, and I’m not talking about oral sex in the Oval office, here. Once they are back in power, we will quickly be reminded that they can be just as corrupt, inept, and smug as the Republican machine. The party is a bad tree, and anyone who comes out of it can only be bad fruit.

2. Realism

The realism here is not what most people complain about in regards to Obama’s ideas. Many of his critics say that he’s naive for promising to end the war in Iraq, to bring more Americans healthcare, and to heal the divisions in Washington. I say that we would be naive to believe him. If you listen carefully to his speeches and read his policy statements, you will find nothing radical in his rhetoric. His promises of bipartisanship are nothing that a hundred slick political anglers haven’t peddled to the American public a thousand times already. Critics will say that he has a radical voting record, that he is by far the most liberal member of the senate. Other than his extremely creepy voting record on abortion, I see nothing radical at all in his proposals. He’s progressive on abortion, gun control, and immigration. But I don’t see Obama being progressive on the issues that really matter.

When you hear him wax on foreign policy, he’s so eloquent compared to Bush that you can easily believe that he will end our destructive imperialist policies. But he promises to do no such thing. Barack Obama has no intentions of ending the permanent state of militarization in this country; Obama has made no promises to address the military industrial complex, which is the single greatest impediment to our own democracy, and to the lives and freedom of people around the world. Obama speaks of managing America’s image and empire in a more responsible fashion, but he never has shown a desire to “end the mentality that got us into war in the first place,” as he has promised so many times.

The realism needs to come from the American people here. Are we going to believe that one charismatic man can solve every foreign policy issue we have, just because his name is Barack Obama? Talking to terrorists and rogue states is not a radical idea, we have been doing so for decades without any serious intention of engaging their interests. Talk is hollow when it is done from a point of unprecedented military leverage. Obama has no grandiose notions like nuclear disarmament or withdrawing the hundreds of thousands of troops that we have stationed all over the globe. No, there is nothing radical about his ideas at all.

3. Arrogance

The issue of character will rear its ugly head again and again during this election. I am not going to claim that Obama has any less character than the lying Clintons or pandering Mccains, but one thing I do take issue with is the fact that his entire candidacy is based on a platform of arrogance.

Talk to any supporter of Barack Obama and try to see if they can find any flaws in him. I’ve tried, and I’ve come up short every time. Obama has done a superb job of convincing us that he is the coolest fucking thing that has ever walked the Earth. The groundswell of his support comes not from people who desire a real change in American ideas and actions, but from people who believe with all their hearts, minds, and souls, that Barack Obama can fix anything. It’s a point that he has hammered home again and again by claiming he feels the most qualified in the realm of foreign policy, when the man has absolutely no experience in the arena. There is no doubt that Obama is a confident man, and people line up behind confidence like sheep line up to get skinned. My problem is that Mr. Obama’s arrogance has become the driving point of this campaign season, and almost everyone down the line has fallen for it, except for the radical conservatives who will despise him no matter what he does or says.

The media loves Barack Obama. The people love Barack Obama. But don’t forget that the person who is most enamored with the Barack Obama phenomenon, is one Barack Obama.

Ralph Nader will not be our next President. But I’d rather back a humble civil servant over an egomaniacal, slick snake-oil salesman any day of the week.