as an addendum to the post from earlier today lemme just kinda lay out my thoughts on the matter:

I live in New York. New York is not going to vote for Santorum, Gingrich, or Romney. This solidly Democratic state is going to go for Obama. So therefore my vote, which could go to Obama, is put to better use voting for the Greens.

The reason for this is very simple: to provide, in whatever meagre way, a threat to Barack Obama from the Left. If it turns out on Election Day that the Greens had a solid showing in many counties, what that shows Obama is that he’s losing support from the Left and will therefore have to pander to them. As opposed to right now, where he knows that progressives WILL use lesser-of-two-evils logic and vote for him, which means he only has to pander to the Centre and the Right to get into office.

It’s not a good strategy in swing states- say, Florida- where every vote for a Green takes away crucial votes and can allow the greater of two evils into office. Strategically, here, voting Democrats makes more sense than voting Green. It sucks, but Nader ain’t gonna be President and to show support for him in Florida aids Republicans and doesn’t even have the threat effect that a Green vote in a Blue state can have.

As far as solidly Red states, doesn’t really matter what you vote if you’re a progressive in my view. Democrat’s the most logical, but you were dealt the electoral shit hand. Sorry.

truth-has-a-liberal-bias:

For the past few years, I’ve read any number of “Left” pundits, along with various bloggers and commenters on blogs saying that there’s “no difference between the parties,” and that “Obama is the same as Bush.”  … These past two weeks should have put a stop to that.

….

“Look at all of those statements, at all the actions, and if you still think there’s “no difference between the parties,” then you’re beyond hope. Anyone who continues to say that is not a progressive! They may say they are, they may claim to be “speaking for the base,” but given the objective reality that there is a real, and significant difference between the two parties, they’re most definitely not speaking for the base. They have other motives to stop you from voting, and it’s not to your benefit. It probably is to theirs.

That’s why it’s important to get out and vote this coming November. There’s a lot at stake, and there is a very real choice happening. One party wants to take us into the future, the other wants to take us back to 1900. If you don’t realize that, you need to wake up and smell the coffee.”

— NOW Do You Think There’s No Difference Between Parties?

The correct phrase here is not that the two parties are the same, but that the differences between them are far, far outweighed by similarities. And the similarities are just as troubling.

Guantánamo Bay is still open

He has escalated drone strikes into other countries we have not declared war on

Despite his billing as a “socialist”, he has consistently appointed financial industry insiders to key jobs.

He has destroyed the Bill of Rights in ways Bush only dreamed of, including the execution of American citizens suspected of terrorism.

So yeah. While there are differences- differences that matter!- between the two parties, do not fool yourself into thinking Barack Obama is a progressive or even a liberal. He’s not. He is as much of a war criminal as George Bush ever was in foreign policy and is center-right economically.

He might be better than the other guy, and if you’re in a swing state for Princess Celestia’s sake vote Democrat, but he is not a good guy.