Election

[pegkerr]

Okay, I should be in a good mood. Democrats have taken the house, Minnesota is finally FINALLY sending a woman to the Senate, we've just elected a strong progressive to the House in my district, the State House has changed hands to the Democrats. And Santorum has been defeated! I am truly happy about that. Dan Savage, have fun gloating.

But I'm feeling pissy. We lost the governorship by One. Lousy. Point. Hutchinson supporters, I hope you're bloody satisfied. Thanks for voting your consciences; now we're stuck with another four years of Pawlenty gutting the state.

And my state is sending an utter BIGOT to Congress.

I'm also pissed about all the states that outlawed even civil unions, never mind passing marriage amendments.

(Maybe I'll feel better after I've had breakfast.)

Comments

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Voting in a way which you *know* will have an outcome you don't approve of is just dumb. If you get the greater of the evils because you voted for a no-chance good guy, you're part of the problem.

Voting *for* the instant-runoff system, of course, will vastly improve the ability to vote your conscience *and* sanely at the same time.

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

By voting for the person whom I want to win (as opposed to gaming the system and voting for the lesser of two evils who I think has a chance of winning), I'm not getting an outcome that I disapprove of. True, my candidate doesn't win, but I won't feel slimy because I voted for someone I didn't actually want to win. In addition, I cling to the hope that if sufficient numbers of people stop voting for a main party just because voting for a third party candidate is "wasting your vote", the main parties will actually pay attention to the fact that, well, they suck.

I'm not a part of the problem if I vote for the person that I want to win. The problem is complex and has a lot of pieces, but actually voting for the candidate you support is not one of those pieces. Look to a two party system that has solidified into near law; look at the conventional wisdom that says no third party candidate can win because people will game the system. Look at lots of places, but don't look to those people who cast their ballots honestly.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I will find such reasoning mighty cold comfort as I watch Pawlenty continue to gut my daughters' education funding.

That's about the politest response I can make.

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

I do have some small advantage over you folks up in the north. My politics are already about as sucky as they can get, so my lesser of two evils is a LOT more evil than y'all's.

It's a long term view. I cling to it in the hopes that it will eventually work out.