In the last post, I talked about my iconoclastic run of never voting for a major party presidential candidate. From 1988-2004, I found third party and independent candidates who either better represented my values and/or offered the hope of shaking up a corrupt and stagnant two-party system.
That run nearly came to an end during the last election. In 2008, none of the minor candidates represented my values or beliefs very much.
I preferred Barack Obama to John McCain, but had no desire to cast that vote. While Obama seemed smart and principled, I sensed that his platform represented a cementing of the nation’s moved to the right. Since when does a Liberal promise to give corporations more tax breaks?
Besides that, I lived in Maryland, one of the bluest states in America. It was in Obama’s column from day one, so there was no imperative to vote for him.
What to do?
In the end I decided to invert America’s approved political selfishness. Instead of casting ballots in my own self-interest, I turned my votes into a symbol of generosity.
I made of gift of them.
A dear friend of mine who had moved to the United States from Scotland in 1992, and who was was well on the path to citizenship by 2008, had never been eligible to vote for the politicians who’d been spending his tax money lo these many years. So I put a ribbon on my franchise and gave it to him. All of it. I brought him a sample ballo
t and had him fill it out completely, from President and Congress all the way down the line to local ballot initiatives and bond measures. He checked a box for every candidate and referendum, and on Election Day I cast votes according to his wishes. Whom we voted for that day shall forever remain between me and him.
Okay, it was for Barack Obama.
I watched the election at said friend’s house, cheering as one state after another fell to Obama’s column. It was truly remarkable. Even North Carolina? Indiana! The route was on. Afterwards we went to a great local bar. As people danced in the streets, we raised a toast and shed a tear.
Of course Obama’s been completely fucking mediocre since then. He’s done some wonderful things, like preventing an economic depression, putting a stop to the war in Iraq, and ending the military’s ban on gays and lesbians. But there are also serious problems. For example, if you’re willing to look past his willingness to slaughter Afghani civilians, then there’s a rip in your moral fiber so large that I don’t really care what you think. Not that it has to preclude you from voting for him, but it is one horrific example of him falling far short of what I expect from an elected official.
However, back in 2008 his victory was an important moment that we were honored to have played a small part in. It symbolized an incredible turning point in the sordid history of American race relations. I don’t regret the toast, and I’m still proud of that tear.
Anyway, I still think of it as my friend’s vote, not mine. I was going to do whatever he said no matter what, so as far as I’m concerned, I’ve still never 
voted for a major party presidential candidate. And I’m proud of that too. But not for the same reasons as when I first turned my back on them in 1988.
I no longer believe there aren’t any substantive differences between the Democrats and Republicans. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the divisions were not as deep as they are now. The Republicans were largely a center-right party and the Democrats were largely a centrist party. And with a government predicated on compromise and dominated by a somewhat rational duopoly, policy shifts in most areas were often minimal regardless of who held power. The real battles were over a few select social policy issues like gun control and abortion rights.
However, during the last decade, and particularly during the last several years, the Republican Party has gone off the rails. There’s no denying it anymore. And the scariest part is, it’s not even issue-driven. This isn’t about the war in Iraq, or the economy, or abortion, or any of the other issues that generally contribute to the blue-red divide. This is about one of America’s major parties being overtaken by a wave of dogmatic anti-intellectualism. It’s about 
populism running amok. It’s about the lowest common denominator hitting rock bottom.
So has the time come? Will I finally vote, in earnestness and of my own volition, for a Democratic presidential candidate on November 6?
I reveal my intentions tomorrow in Part III of this post.