Who To Vote For?

I haven't said much about politics lately. It is too depressing.

For decades I was a Libertarian. The platform of maximum social and economic liberty seemed sensible and sane and in line with the Constitution. Over time, as I saw regulations relaxed and learned that not all corporations are run by saints, I came to realize that pure libertarianism is like pure communism: it sounds real good and if only people acted in real life as they do in theory it would work for the good of all.

But, we have learned painfully that communism doesn't work in a pure form; even if it doesn't get involved with a dictatorship, people don't put maximum effort in for minimum reward. There has to be something in it for me or I won't do my best.

And the same is true for the libertarian dream. There aren't enough leaders of industry who will self-regulate when it hurts their bottom line. Instead of the ideal of the corporation that wants superior workers and so pays above union scale to get them, we have the many corporations that off-shore their labor so that they can pay slave wages to people working under slave conditions. As much as I would like to believe that corporations are as good as three year olds and will live up to expectations when treated with respect, it just ain't so. People need rules, and people with power don't like to obey rules. Don't think the rules apply to them.

Nonetheless, I used to vote Libertarian anyway. There wasn't a chance we would win anything big, but we might influence the winners if we got enough votes, and since I believed that influence would be in the direction of freedom, that would be good.

And then the 2000 elections happened. The results were frightening on so many levels. By 2003 I could see that this country was going in the direction of reduced freedom, that we were going to leave our grandchildren with less hope and liberty than we had. And I could see from what was going on in Washington that having one party in control of all branches of the federal government was a very bad idea. If we were to break this one-party rule, no third party had a chance. Only the Democrats had a chance to supplant the Republicans in one branch or another. So, I voted Democrat for the first time in my life.*

And things got worse. And in 2006, the electorate reared up on its hind legs and voted the Democrats into majorities in both house of Congress. Perhaps not big enough majorities, but nonetheless, majorities.

And what good has it done us? Does the Democratic led Congress vote the way the electorate wants them to? It seems to me that instead of taking their cue from their election and the increasingly low approval ratings of Bush and his policies, of the fact that ever larger numbers of people think the country is going in the wrong direction, they vote for whatever George Bush wants. They renewed FISA for six months, with a promise to revisit it then and correct its most egregious parts. And then they allowed themselves to pass it again, with the added provision that telecommunication companies that went along with the administrations requests for warrantless wiretaps on US citizens be immune from prosecution.

Until Senator Chris Dodd put a hold on the Senate FISA bill, which, I understand, will prevent its passage. At last. Someone with guts. Dodd joins Kucinich, in the House, whose introduction of Articles of Impeachment against Cheney also takes a stand in action against the erosion of the Constitution.

So, now I have two men to choose between. It will probably be Kucinich, again, because I agree so closely with everything he says. But, I could give my vote to Dodd if he made the ticket without much concern. A candidate with guts.

For most of the rest of the Democrats in Congress, I suggest that they follow the link to Mark Fiore's Spineocrat

I think they need a good strong dose.

*Ah, perfect record -- I've never yet voted for anyone who actually won an election.