Reply #39: No, some people wish they had an OPTION to ever win.

[Mechatanketra]

To use the most gaping example: If you live in Ohio, you may be presented with Mr. Merrill Keiser Jr. (a self-described "Biblicist" who favors the death penalty for homosexuals, mandatory prayer in schools, treating global warming and evolution as mythical, and of course, lowering taxes) as a potential candidate for Senator. Hey: he's a Democrat, right? Can't be too picky. Got to back our horse in the race.

Bullhockey.

To be blunt, this isn't f***ing football, and I'm not obligated to root for Democrats out of team spirit. You can see, I'd hope, that if Merrill Keiser somehow won the primary, a lot of people (non-Christians, environmentalists, homosexuals, civil rights advocates) would have to feel they've already lost regardless of the results of the later election.

Now most candidates aren't as openly useless as Keiser, but the fact is, a huge chunk of the professional Democratic party might as well be Republicans, because they don't actually try to fix the problems Republicans create, or stop them from creating new ones. We live in a nation where it's a matter of public record that the political party in power is, essentially, a mob organization engaged in ongoing crimes — but many officed Democrats insist on treating them as if they were sincere and judicious statesmen they just happen to share methodological disagreements with. America has been and continues to be poisoned by conservative policies ... and instead of offering real cures, we're offered hospice care.

For whatever it's worth, this is my "litmus test" right now:
1) recognizing that the modern Republican Party is not acting (and does not intend to act) in the best interests of American citizens;
2) recognizing that the modern Republican Party has been systematically engaging in criminal activities (and acting consistently and persistently to oppose those actions instead of asking for a cut);
3) recognizing that the modern Republican Party isn't interested in a two-party system, doesn't believe a 'loyal opposition' can exist, and cannot be bargained with squarely.

I don't believe these are particularly radical or even inherently 'leftist' sentiments (except to the degree with which "left" or "liberal" has been redefined to mean "opposing Republicans in any way or degree"). Hence, I don't believe these can be considered unfair standards to apply to politicians. And yet, they don't seem to be standards politicians and their loyal supporters particulary want applied to them.