angryMany people who I generally respect and think of as intelligent have posted things today saying emphatically "Vote straight-ticket Democratic!", and justifying this by pointing out how awful the Republicans are. I agree that the Republicans are awful, and should most emphatically be driven out. That does not NOT *NOT* mean that you should vote Democratic!!!
For one thing, America's two-party system is de facto, not de jure. Having only two (effective) political parties is (in my opinion) something that the Founding Fathers would have regarded as a Bad Thing, and have prevented if they could only have worked out how to do so. Voting straight-ticket for *any* party is an abrogation of your civic responsibility to consider the individual elections. Why do you think we *have* individual elections in the first place? Why not just have one big checkbox on the form, with only two choices? I don't want to give *either* main political party any more power; they each (even the Democrats) have more power than is healthy for democracy.
On a more immediate level, every single incumbent Democratic Congressman is a demonstrated failure as a foe of the Republicans. Not *one* of them stood up at any time these past two years and filbustered any of the many grievous bills that were passed. Not one of them has done anything *effective* to stand up against the criminal, tyrannical Administration. I have no confidence that their moral courage will improve when they are in power, and no wish to reward their demonstrated cowardice.
Living as I do in Massachusetts, I had the luxury of voting in a House race that involved no Republicans. I most happily voted *against* the Democratic incumbent. In the Senate, Teddy Kennedy was facing a Republican, so with some reluctance, I voted for him. In several local elections, I voted against Democratic incumbents. Most notably against Secretary of State Galvin, who is, against all sanity, trying to bring Diebold voting machines into Massachusetts.
Don't choose the lesser of the top two evils when there are actually less evil choices available.
Because I'd have to do a few hours of digging to decide if I'd say the same thing. Ineffective it could be, but it could also be a situation of trying to turn back the tide with a bunch of little sand-pails.
I've heard lots of Democrats "speak out" against the Administration. But none of them in any context where it would actually make a difference. They register a formal protest, and then they quietly back down, having accomplished squat. They vote against a bill, knowing that the bill will pass anyways, but they don't filibuster. Taking a stand means taking *action*. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are being systematically dismantled, and no one (currently) in Congress is doing anything about it. I literally cannot imagine a situation in which it is more important for a Congressman to draw a line in the sand -- yet none of them have done so.
Right now, I'm in a "throw out all of the bums" mood and I don't really care which party the incumbent "bums" belong to.