Is this what we have to decide?

[jpgray]

Poll question: Is this what we have to decide?

I often see this contrast between people with regard to the coming election in '08. Some view the general election as a major test for personal morality, others see it as a major test for practical morality. I imagine -both- see the primary as a test for personal morality. In other words, one group refuses to compromise closely-held values to endorse the Democrat, regardless of what another GOP presidency could mean. The other refuses to vote based on personal morality if the practical effect is to empower another horrible GOP candidate's chances for election. There's no question -at this point- that one of the two major parties will win, and there's also no question that while some Democratic candidates are too similar to the GOP candidates on too many issues, the Democratic president would promote progressive ideas to a greater extent.

Now this ignores other factors, such as whether your state is inevitably going to one candidate or another leading up to November or other cases where protest votes have less practical effect. So let's talk in the abstract, if we can, and assume each of us is voting in a close state. What is more important?

[PDJane]

1. To quote JK Galbraith:

Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.

[jpgray]

2. It isn't always that way, but most of the time, yeah.

[AlGore-08.com]

3. I don't think you can talk in the abstract about this and get a real result

We don't know where the folks live who post that they would vote their consciences through the general election. If all of them are from states that are safe for one party or another (Cali or Indiana etc.), their stance does not threaten the result of the election. And (obviously) if they live in a swing state like Florida or Ohio, their stance is a problem IF and only IF the election is close enough AND there are enough folks thinking of sitting it out to actually swing their state to the Republicans AND that swing could decide the election.

I'm just sayin'...

[jpgray]

4. That's why I said assume you are in a swing state and the race is close

Hopefully that's not too much of an imposition. Obviously nobody's personal progressive credentials are at stake in this poll, no matter what their vote.