Voting is Hard

And I reckon it should be. I've only been allowed to vote in two elections, but each time it was really difficult to decide who to vote for. I think there are two ways one can approach voting. The first, and by far the most popular, is voting for who you like the best. That seems pretty reasonable. I've done it for each election I've voted in and it seemed like a good idea at the time. But the second option is one I've been kicking around this election cycle, because I think it might fit our country's style of limited democracy better. Sometimes, you have to vote for 1) the lesser of two evils or 2) the most electable candidate that represents your views the best. You need to use your vote strategically

I think we get frustrated because our two party system perpetually leaves us with two candidates who, at best, tangentially represent us. In 2000, we had a prominent third party candidate that rustled up enough support to create a dent in the final vote tally largely because he wasn't a democrat and a republican. The problem is that in 2000 Ralph Nader and the green party likely cost Gore the election because just about everyone who voted for Nader would have voted for Gore had Nader not been involved. And between Bush and Gore, Gore was clearly the greener of the two. But the notion that you should vote for who you like the best got in the way of the logic that a vote for Nader is, essentially, a wasted vote and that vote should go to the guy who you agree with the most and who actually has a chance to get elected. Sure, Gore wasn't going to be as green as Nader, but the alternative was a guy who really didn't give a shit about the environment.

If I'm a voting democrat today, there is simply no doubt in my mind who I vote for. It's got to be Obama because quite simply Hilary is unelectable. There is no chance in hell republicans are going to approve four more years of a Clinton presidency. Republicans despise the Clintons, and they'll never vote for her. And this is what I'm talking about. You have to use your vote strategically. You might be in love with Hilary Clinton, but you have to make sure you get a nominee out there that is electable. In 2004, Kerry got the nod despite the fact that he was loathed by half the country before the democratic convention. And then he lost the presidency to a guy who proved four years in he was one of the most incompetent people in the country.

Democrats think there is no chance for a republican to win the presidency, but it's just that kind of hubris that cost them the 2004 race. I feel that if the republicans get McCain out there, he has the kind of crossover appeal that could garner enough support to handily beat Clinton and possibly Obama. Republicans need to do the same thing: Romney and Huckabee don't strike me as electable. McCain is the clear choice for them.