that is, until about 18 hours after their votes, when they learned how disastrous their votes were.
I understand the top recommended diarist's desire to "feel good" about his vote.
But look what we got because the Nader voters "felt great": two disastrous wars, grotesque inequality, Alito, Roberts, nothing on climate change . . I don't need to go on.
And what about the individual candidates for House and Senate? The anomie I hear from the diarist and others here makes me doubt seriously that they will work for anyone. Many Dems this year are very progressive. Just go to Act Blue and you can find great candidates to donate/work for:
Are Sestak, Boxer, Coons, Blumenthal, or Giannoulias Blue Dogs?
Are Grayson, Bishop, Weiner and dozens of others Blue Dogs?
Here's a scenario -- the diarist et al. hold their nose and vote for Obama (or not) without doing anything to elect Dems to the Senate and House. The Senate goes GOP or there's a 51-49 (i.e., a "Ben Nelson" margin.)
A Supreme Court position opens up. That position may very well most likely not be filled until 2013, or it will have to be someone like Kennedy to satisfy ole Ben. You may very well have a reactionary Court like the '30s anti-New Deal Court, voiding health care and who knows what else.
And please forgo the "Gore lost because of a lot of other things than Nader" -- the Supreme Court, Clinton, etc.
Maybe yes, maybe no -- but you cannot escape 95,000 versus 537.
Don't let it happen again.