Because I keep seeing people say this over and over again:
"You don't like how Obama voted on that FISA bill? Well support him MORE so he can be President and then he won't have to be such a hypocrite in the future! Because otherwise John McCain will win!"
Do you know why we keep getting crap Democratic candidates that promise one thing and then renege on it? Because we keep VOTING FOR THEM ANYWAYS.
Yeah, JedReport, I'm looking at you. Your diary is nothing but yet another "Obama is still the lesser of two evils so vote for him and if you don't we'll get worse!"
I voted for Nader in 2000 because Gore was a crap candidate. I voted for Nader in '04 because Kerry was a crap candidate. I voted for Obama in the primary because I believed in his message and what he was working together, but with his FISA push, he won't be getting my vote in the general until he gets his act together.
Cry all you like, I don't care. It's my vote and I'll be damned if I'm going to give it to someone who doesn't respect the Constitution.
In 2000, Ralph Nader won almost 3% of the vote. In return, he was scorned by Democrats who believed he handed the Presidency to Bush. But you know what? Those of us who voted for him did so because we didn't feel Gore was WORTH our vote. Had more people voted for Nader, the Democrats might have seriously LISTENED to the country's progressive left.
Instead, 3% didn't get us that. It just got us scorn from the Democrats. People who thought about voting for Nader but didn't were scared back in to voting Democrat no matter what, under the threat of getting worse from Republicans. Yeah, thanks for not taking a stand.
Yeah, you keep saying, "Oh well if you don't work hard for a candidate who's already compromising his morals, we'll get McCain in November!" You sure seem to have forgotten what Michelle Obama said about "don't vote out of fear," yeah that's useless when it doesn't work to your favour.
If more people were willing to stand up and take their votes somewhere else, we might be able to hold the Democratic Party seriously accountable. They might have to work for our votes not just in the primary but in the general, too. Instead, after Obama told me all about how he was going to respect the Constitution, he rolled right over on it, and then still expects my vote.
And you guys give me grief about it.
I'm not saying that Obama will not get my vote - he is an intelligent man and may be working behind the scenes. He may be doing things yet that will keep my respect for him and get my vote. But if he isn't, if he becomes another typical politician pandering for the center and the right while dropping the people who worked so hard to get him his nomination, then he won't get my vote and he especially won't be getting any more of my money.
Don't you try and threaten me in to voting for him anyways. Don't you grief me about what I do with my vote. Don't you dare give me this "lesser of two evils" crap, because I was willing to stand up and put my vote towards a candidate I knew wouldn't win. I took a stand, and I am more than willing to do it again. It's the rest of you who are rolling over and yelling at me for not doing the same.
And you wonder why the candidates keep doing this to us.
EDIT: I also want to make this clear that I am not saying I will NOT support Obama, but that he, nor anyone else, is guaranteed my vote unless they prove themselves to be the best candidate. If Obama returns to his senses, shows some real leadership and is willing to take a stand on the Constitution, then I will gladly continue to donate and will proudly vote. But if he rolls over on this because he doesn't want to look "soft on terror," if he turns to political expedience to play the general election, then he won't get it.
A few weeks ago we read how Obama said to Wall Street Investors, "See how I run my campaign. That is what kind of President I will be."