Yesterday after a few days away from the computer (and that was pretty nice I might add), I went on Facebook and saw a political quiz. It was a simplistic little thing from a group called "I side with" and it asks questions then compares you to the candidate that you support. Now, according to their site they don't support any single candidate and their "about" page says they are not affiliated with anyone but are two guys asking questions. SO... that said I took their quiz. According to the quiz, it turns out I seem to agree more with the Green Party candidates then anyone else though I seem to agree with President Obama on 78% of the issues, Mitt Romney on 19% and Ron Paul on 18%. I was a tad surprised, I did not realize I that much in common with the Greens.
HOWEVER, as I said to my friend on Facebook - "I would sooner vote for my Seven year old Son than vote for the the Greens and help the Republicans".
Why is this? Well for me at this point I think that this Presidential election (2012) and the re-election of President Barak Obama is important to the future success of our nation. With the vote being as tight as it is, I think every vote counts (as Florida in 2000 showed) and at this point, I am more than willing to have my political goals met part of the way than demand 100% (or 86%) which was what the poll showed.
For instance, let's look at Healthcare. Personally, I favor the Public Option. I think healthcare should be "right" and part of the building blocks of a society. In my opinion a truly "civilized" nation cares for everyone and doesn't leave people dying in the streets OR leave lives in ruin due to bankruptcy from impossible medical bills. Now, does the Affordable Care Act (ACA) do that? Nope... BUT, it is a step in the right direction.
I just don't think Americans are ready at this time to support a Public Option (despite nebulous polls that indicate they "might"). So... while I want it, what I want more is that we start down the road towards that kind of solution.
But the Republicans promise to REPEAL the ACA, they don't want anything even approaching it (even though it is based on their own policies). They would undue everything associated with it AND limit compensation from malpractice. All of this would put us in even a worse situation than we are in now. How is that getting me closer to my goal? It doesn't, it just means Americans would be dying in the street.
How about the environment? Not much more important than that - literally. After all, if we don't have clean air to breath or water to drink where are we? Has the President been ideal on the environment? I don't think so. BUT he has made steps to put us on the right path to Alternative energy and has worked within the limits imposed on him by a hostile congress to make Americans more aware. With all that, again... steps forward. Not 100% but progress.
At the same time, the Republicans would destroy the environment. We would have drilling everywhere. We would have that disaster named the Keystone Pipeline running across our nation threatening environmental disaster to one of the nations largest aquifers. They would cease almost all regulation to businesses and hamstring (if not dissolve) the E.P.A. How does that help me? I can take a step forward or a leap off the cliff backwards. What does one think I would do.
How about the Banks? Well, the President's record here is hardly admirable. It's not THAT different from his predecessors and yes he hasn't held them accountable what they did to this nation. HOWEVER, I don't know that anyone could or would have the public or private support to pull that off. Certainly if a Republican is in office nothing would ever get done and even more would be done to help the banks further ruin the American economy.
With President Obama though, I know that there will be incremental steps forward at a pace that the country would allow. America (despite the polling crowed about here) is not a particularly liberal nation. If it were, we would have far more liberal politicians being elected, NOT a bunch of lunatics who like to pretend it's 1776 and the Federal Government is run by King George.
SO.... I am voting to move things forward rather than taking votes away from President Obama and moving our polity back in time. Would I love to see more progress made than the President is making on various issues? Sure. Would I let that vote count towards making things far worse? Nope.
In the end my politics may agree more with Green but my vote is gladly going Blue and for President Obama in 2012