I am so completely unprincipled that in this election I will not vote for a single Republican.

[grantcart]

From time to time we are blessed with people who consider themselves Progressives and agree with the Democratic Party on 70%, but because of their personal very high principles are going to withhold their vote for the reelection of the President.

In the past I would try and research the local offices and while I would never vote for a Republican for any federal office, legislative or executive, would vote for an occasional Republican mayor, city council, state insurance commissioner, or even Governor if I thought he/she would do a better job with actually making the office work.

No more.

I remember in the 1980s I was accompanying some visiting US officials to meet various Malaysian state officials. In mid day we had a lunch and one of the Americans asked in earnest why Muslims don't take greater effort to get rid of radical Muslims. There was a moment of tense silence and then the undersecretary (who had graduated from Harvard) looked the questioner in the eye and with a beguiling smile asked, "What would you have me do, go door to door with a baseball bat, ask a few questions and then bash the offending radical on the head? No? Ok we will do it your way. I have the names of some of the most radicals and I will cancel the afternoon and you will go with me and you tell me what you want me to do with each and every one of them and we can start getting rid of these pesky radicals. Are you free the rest of the afternoon for this important task?" (I was laughing so hard that jello was exiting the nostrils).

The point is that these radical movements are insidious in nature and not as easy to get rid of as you might think.

Two nights ago I had a two hour round and round with a true believing conservative. He was unusual because he watched Maddow and wasn't completely head in the sand. It was clear that neither was going to move the other, although he had to agree we had more facts.

Then I said to him "the primary difference between the two of us is that I stand with a coalition of people who I am proud to stand with. Environmentalists, Black Activists, Gay Activists, Gun Control Activists, and so on. We don't agree on every point but I am proud to stand with them. You on the other hand are standing with 1 out of 3 people who cannot identify correctly where the President was born. Half of those are low grade bigots that are frustrated with their lives and the other half are full blown bigots, including the KKK. If you take these miscreants out of the Republican Party then Romney wouldn't carry a single state. This is the American Taliban and your side won't denounce it, won't shame it, you give them cover to grow and grow, that is the difference between your side and mine."

We have a powerful energized Taliban like part of the Republican Party that is either going to grow or get frustrated and go away. So while before I might have considered voting for a Republican in a small post because I knew that they would be more responsible than the crook that happened to qualify for the Democratic ballot I won't do that anymore.

You see the good City Councilman who wins eventually might run for Mayor and eventually Congress. So even if it means electing someone that I consider 100% corrupt I will vote for every Democrat over every Republican. I want every one of them to lose until they stand up and clean up their house.

Until that time I intend to do everything I can to defeat every Republican, even the ones I admire as people or think would do a better job than their hapless opponent.

Don't get me wrong I don't consider myself more principled than the average Democrat, or citizen or even a lot of good hearted Republicans (and don't be fooled there are tens of millions of those) its just that I can't stomach going door to door with a baseball bat and this seems more effective anyway.

[Odin2005]

1. All the sane Republicans, like Gov. Chaffee, have left the GOP.

Hell, Chaffee is to the left of many DEMS!!!

[quaker bill]

2. Welcome

I have been doing this for a very long time. I do not vote for the republican even in the "non-partisan" races we have locally. I simply do not want to encourage that sort of thinking. I have abstained from a couple of races where the Dem was in jail or under indictment on election day, but still did not vote for the republican. They all have to get a start somewhere, and I want no part in it.

[tama]

3. I like that direction for consensus building

"anyone but Republican" is much more inclusive and open to dialogue and empowering also the grass roots movements than...

[wellstone dem]

4. kicking

because this is worth a view, and more than a thought

[Agnosticsherbet]

5. In the past, parties had a spectrum of members...Rockefeller Republicans...

were fiscal Conservatives and Social liberals. That entire strain of Republicanism has died out and they are all Democrats now, the type many liberals and progressives get angry at for voting for "Corporate Masters."

Southern Democrats are now all far right wing Republicans now.

The Republican Party enforces ideological purity in an extreme form, and centrists and center-right Republicans have for the most part been "Tea-partied" out.

Finally, even if a centrist or progressive Republican were elected, they would do little good because in order to thrive in the Caucus, they would be required to vote with the party and not as a progressive.

[porphyrian]

6. . n/t

[mick063]

7. Like the OP

I used to research and judge each candidate individually. Especially at the local level.


No more.

Until this country is rid of the Tea Party, I will vote straight Democratic ticket regardless of how impressive any given resume is.

Look at how the GOP is voting as a block. No dissension within the ranks. They walk lockstep on every issue no matter how extreme.



A local GOP candidate for State Representative knocked on my door and asked for my vote toward his reelection. The first question i asked him is if he was Tea Party. He was emphatic that he wasn't. No matter. He is a member of a party that the Tea Party and Fox News has infested like a bad virus.

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. Once upon a time, the Democratic Party had this problem

The "Dixiecrats". The "Segregation Forever" version of George Wallace and a scary collection of racist kooks. Some eventually changed their views, but for the most part, when they could no longer get what they wanted from the Democrats, they left. Unfortunately, the Republican Party was there to welcome them and has been letting them steer the GOP ever since.

The racists, the sexists, the bigots, the teabagger nincompoops, just need to be ignored by both parties. Politically, they have NOTHING to offer a functioning civilized society.