It should be obvious by now I'm not voting for Bush in November. But it may come as a surprise that I'm not voting for Kerry either.
Before you bombard me with catchy campaign slogans, hear me out. Most people think I'm throwing away my vote by going the third party route. But I can't be convinced that Democrats have my interests and concerns in mind. Clinton showed me with NAFTA that members of his party can and will sell us out.
The United States indulged in a cultural revolution -imbued with social and environmental reforms -in the 1960s and '70s, took a nose-dive into conservatism in the 1980s, flirted with progressivism in the 1990s and is now back on the miserable road to trickle-down hell in 2004.
I'm tired of the pendulum swing. We need more.
The obvious alternative is author and consumer advocate Ralph Nader, the so-called spoiler of the 2000 elections (though technically the Republicans stole that one -not Nader's fault).
But there are many other presidential hopefuls out there, too. A comprehensive list of candidates is available at www.politics1.com/p2004.htm. On this site I counted at least 11 third parties, and three with the word socialist in the title. So I'm not exactly sure yet who gets my vote; I have some more research to do before November.
I realize that whichever person for whom I vote is not going to win. But the point is -and capitalists won't understand this -it's not about winning or losing. It's about being the kind of person at whom I can stand to look in the mirror every day. And as everyone who tries to work within the system knows, that ain't easy.
My vote isn't a waste. Rather, it's a boot in the face to those who would placate and co-opt me. It's a resounding no! to a system gone wrong, a society lost in its own hubris. It's an adamant no to our degradation of the environment, our criminal injustice system and our rampant materialism. It's an exasperated no to corporate greed, the antagonistic police state and corrupt government officials.
Private interests have highjacked our democracy. They are stealing our future. My vote is a defiant fist in the air.
The saddest part is, over the next few months both Bush and Kerry are going to be tripping over themselves, trying to win those 10 percent of the population who are so-called swing voters.
These voters piss me off more than the politicians themselves, because they know little about politics (otherwise, they'd understand the differences between the candidates) and are susceptible to the cheap gimmicks for which our officials are so well-trained.
Candidates jump through hoops for those who demonstrate no party loyalty or ideological leanings and are likely to choose whomever looks best on television. What kind of mandate to govern can a politician have when he is elected this way?
I love Democrats. I really do. I don't expect everyone to abandon their middle-class lives to join communes. But I can expect them to stand up for the values they're supposed to represent. Don't feed me sound bites about justice, then ask me for a $100 donation to your political machine. This is crap.
I implore everyone to think long and hard about who you're voting for and why. I am going to vote my conscience, and I hope you will too. For me it's not about strategy. This is an election, not a game of chess. (Fortunately so, because I suck at chess.)
Sometimes short-term sacrifices are needed to make a long-run difference. Any economist will tell you that.
If you believe in what Bush stands for, vote for him. If you believe in what Kerry stands for, vote for him. But casting a vote for a candidate who doesn't inspire you or reflect your views, in my opinion, is a throwaway vote.
-Lindsey McKay bids you farewell and wishes you all the best for the future. Send her some personal attacks, campaign ad-style, at Libertysun04@yahoo.com
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Lindsey McKay
