Reply #48: OK

[davekriss]

Note my post downstream. Even though I am way left politically than most on this site, I have been a straight party-line voter since I began to vote (for Carter in 1976, btw). We live in a duopoly. I believed, for example, that a vote for Nader in 2000 was in effect a vote for Bush, and we all see what the consequences of that squandered vote.

The reason I am a straight party-line voter is that our representatives govern by coalition. The last thing I want to do is weaken our coalition. Wonderful if, after the primaries, I get to vote for Democratic progressive Presidential, Senate, and House candidates, but absent that option the centrist Democrat gets my vote every time -- because it strengthens the left-center coalition. Democrats will never vote lock-stepped like Republicans because, unlike them, we are truly the anti-authoritarian big tent (even includes as few authoritarians amongst us). My candidates might not vote yes on all items on my agenda (and not all my items will make the agenda), but the probability is the left-center coalition that my centrist Democrat is part of is more likely to represent my interests than the other side. Thus Democrats UNFAILINGLY get my vote.

Having said that, if Bernie was running for Senator in my state, I'd vote for him over a centrist Democrat, but Bernie/Vermont is an exception, not the rule.

My preferred candidate in the primaries is Dennis Kucinich. There is nothing wrong with any of us arguing his merits over the other candidates, even when that paints other candidates (those more likely to win) in a negative light. But when the primaries are done, I will rally around the Democratic candidate even if that candidate is the personification of a Republicrat.

We're still a two party system. Maybe it is, now, the Republicrats vs. Republicans, but I still value Republicrats for their perhaps marginal diffrence over the fascists that reign in the Republican Party. (Domestically, I think the difference between the two parties is huge -- on foriegn policy, I think the difference is slight at best.)