Rep. Dennis Kucinich: The only major party candidate who supports full gay marriage rights, a single-payer non-profit healthcare system, and our complete withdrawal from Iraq, including Bush/Cheney contractors and cronies like Halliburton.Yeah, I know, he can never be elected. That's never stopped me before from supporting a candidate who stands for what's right. "You're throwing your vote away!", I'm told...or, by voting for someone who has no chance you help insure that the "lesser of two evils" loses and the worst candidate is elected. Still, I refuse to vote in this fashion, and if more people simply refused to support "junk" candidates because they feel that they have no other choice, we might actually move toward having a real democracy instead of what we have now...two branches of the same ideological persuasion and no real choice when we get inside the voting booth.
When I taught political science in college, I used to emphasize reforms that could actually democratize our political system, things like moving to proportional representation. There's no reason why we have to accept a system polluted by money and corruption, where you have to be a millionaire or better to have a chance at being elected to most congressional offices. The system is broken and the populace perpetuates the evils by being complicit in voting for the lesser of two evils rather than demanding a choice of candidates, some with principles similar to their own. For many of our citizens, the problem is in their lack of education, but I am constantly surprised at my more educated and savvy friends who argue with me about my refusal to vote for mediocrity. Why not feel really good about supporting and voting for someone for president for a change. It's a life-altering sensation!
Jim
