February 24, 2004 - Political Dating Game

The twist was that one of them wasn't a Kennedy. He seemed to be leaning towards her.

Yes, my sleeping brain is as weird as my waking brain.

Another reason I have politics on the brain is because of the return of everybody's favorite independent liberal candidate: Ralph Nader.

Let me put my cards on the table: I voted for Nader in 2000. But I have a clear conscience about it, because Al Gore won Pennsylvania anyway. If I lived in Florida, however, I would be kicking myself viciously.

Back then, I voted for Nader because Gore seemed wishy-washy on issues such as the environment, which I cared deeply about. While I didn't want Bush to get in, I argued, "Darn it! This is America, and I should be able to vote for the candidate I truly want to see elected." So that's what I did, and I'm sure many people across the country did the same thing.

And then, in a squeaker of an election, having lost the popular vote, George W. Bush became the next president. So now, I think a lot of us lefty liberals are rethinking things. Is a vote for Nader a vote for Bush? In 2000, I would have argued against this, but now I'm not so sure.

And if Bush himself isn't bad enough, if he comes back he brings back Rumsfeld and Cheney and Ashcroft, otherwise known as the true Axis of Evil. Think about that when you cast your vote.

Democrats, including Howard Dean, are urging voters to stay the course and not go with Nader this time. Perhaps the Bush campaign will actually help make the case.

For the last several weeks, conservative pundits have been harping about John Kerry's liberal voting record and how he's even more liberal than his Massachusetts compatriot, Teddy Kennedy. Green Party people and independents, take note. Kerry just might be your liberal choice.

Especially after Bush today urged Congress to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Way to go, Bushie-baby! You just cost yourself 10 percent of the vote! (Most surveys estimate homosexuals make up about 10 percent of the population.) Keep "calling it like you see it," you compassionate conservative, you. Keep shooting yourself in the foot (not surprising, if stories are true that he missed so many National Guard training sessions).

And even if his political views have changed over the years, becoming more moderate, Kerry is a man of integrity. Not only did he serve his country with honor, but he wasn't afraid to stand up and point out the injustice of that war, having seen it firsthand.

I view him as a thoughtful man who views issues on a case-by-case basis, rather than adhering to any sort of party dogma.

So perhaps "the Nader factor" won't be as strong this time, especially if Kerry makes an effort to let the left know that he still stands for the core beliefs they support.

I used to have a T-shirt that said, "Don't Blame Me: I Voted for Bill and Opus." I'm not sure what happened to it, but I gave it away. Even though it was funny, every time I wore it I felt like an idiot. Someone who had voted for Bill and Opus could be said to have thrown away their vote.

More recently, I considered creating T-shirts that read, "Don't Blame Me: I Voted for Nader."

We have a two-party system and have since the early days of the United States. Two parties just barely make us a democracy. We're not like those countries in Europe where different kinds of parties exist, giving just about anybody a chance.

The closest we have seen to that sort of election was the recent recall election in California, where there was no primary and any interested candidate who met the basic requirements could appear on the ballot.

This isn't a democracy, as such. It's a representative democracy, and the people we choose to represent us are, by and large, those who have the money to make a national pitch. So, really, it's the privileged few, the elite, who make it into higher office. I'm no expert in presidential history, but I doubt there have been very many presidents in the past 100 years who came from a humbler background and who didn't have a history in secret societies and boast other "insider" connections.

America is a government by the elites and for the elites. I don't see that changing any time soon. Therefore, we should remember to vote in local elections, where we can make a real difference. That's where independent candidates have a chance, and these are the people who handle the daily business of the community where you live, rather than handling nationwide policy that may or may not affect you directly.

I'm not saying that the highest office in the land, the president, doesn't matter. Of course it does. But perhaps that's not the place to take a stand on deeply held political beliefs. Maybe that's the time to be practical and vote for the candidate who's strong enough to actually win. Otherwise, you just might get the candidate you truly don't want, who goes against everything you believe.

I'm thinking again about that dream I had last night, the political dating show. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that Howard Dean was the contestant. After all, the dream wasn't really about dating; it was about political connections. And Dean, poor Dean, was about to go for the non-Kennedy.

That lack of political connections, along with his bumbling campaign management, cost him the Democratic nomination. Once his campaign managers had gotten national attention, back in December, they should have changed the message and said, "Now that we've got your attention, here's what we'd like to do."

But instead, they stuck with the same "Angry Young Man" act, and gaffe after gaffe finished Dean off. He should have made friends with the Kennedys, or the Clintons. Anybody but Al "Lock Box" Gore.

See you all next time on the Political Dating Game (sponsored by the military industrial complex)!

Moral:
Always go with the Kennedy.