Fuck tactical voting

Up until recently, I've been a Barack Obama supporter. Generally, it was because I agree more with him than I agree with John McCain, and I was fool enough to think he would actually stand up for what he believed in, to represent me "closely enough".

After he voted for retroactive telecom immunity, that idealistic bubble burst, as he had previously stated that he would filibuster any bill that included the retroactive immunity provision. The reason this bothered me so much wasn't because I disagreed with his vote, but because he made promises that he would not keep. It calls into question everything else he promises; where else will he meet the neoconservatives midway? Torture? Health care? The war?

More recently, he selected Joe Biden, a man who is "pro-RIAA, pro-FBI", and "anti-encryption", as his running mate.



Fuck this, I've had enough. Barack himself is willing to meet tyranny midway, and if something happens, the guy who steps in is even worse. At this point, it's painfully clear that there are few real distinctions in the Republicrat machine, and those differences will fade more and more if and when Obama takes office.

I used to think that I'd be making the most difference by voting for whichever of the top two candidates agreed with me the most. Well the joke is on me. There are no top two candidates, there's just the one, and he's for sale.

If there's a direct democracy presidential candidate, please let me know. In the meantime, I'm going to vote for the only candidates who acknowledge the failure of the plurality voting system: Nader/Gonzalez. Call me an asshole for not voting tactically if you want, but the system is fucking broken and I refuse to game it any more.