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Campaign for 2012?

This will sound like a joke. But I'm asking everyone to consider it seriously.

Suppose that lots of us on the left half of the political spectrum pulled together an independent campaign, not connected to the Democratic Party. We set up an organization, raise money, recruit volunteers, print buttons and bumper stickers and lawn signs and all that, organize rallies and marches, spend money on media ads if we get enough to do that. With this theme:

RE-ELECT OBAMA: THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS

A button or sticker: HOLD YOUR NOSE AND VOTE DEMOCRATIC!

some signs: OBAMA: HE'LL SLOW THE DECLINE

ENERGY POLICY: NOT QUITE AS HOT WITH OBAMA

CIVIL LIBERTIES: LESS LAWLESS GOVERNMENT WITH OBAMA

NO NUTS! NO NUTS!

VERY SLOW WITHDRAWAL FROM THE WARS

And so forth. Loudly and proudly giving faint praise to the Democrats and the Obama administration, and urging everyone to get out and vote for them, because the alternative is worse.

The best part (or maybe the worst) is that no one will be sure if we are sincere. This is, after all, the exact argument that we have heard many times before, FROM people in the Democratic Party, meant seriously. However disappointed we may be with Obama and the Democrats, we must support them, because we have no alternative. Third-party bids are both useless and harmful. Primary challenges are almost as bad because if unsuccessful they weaken the centrist candidate, and if successful they put someone in the ballot who will lose the general election.

The only strange thing about this campaign would be that, though everyone has heard this argument before, and may even have made it before, always meant seriously, no one has ever said it loudly and proudly. Perhaps if we do it, it will shame the Democrats into having more spine.

Tags: 2012, campaign

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Comment by Jeremy Raines on August 19, 2011 at 10:33pm: @Brady, would you vote for an anti-science, irrational, social conservative just to keep the House under Republican control? The Republicans have expunged their party of all reasonable moderates through primary challenges. What is left are ignorant religious homophobes with an anti-intellectual bent. The Democrats haven't been liberal in most states for decades. In fact, many of them vote consistently with the opposition.

The only way to get third parties into the system is through a public campaign financing policy. Otherwise we're stuck with what we have. So, good luck with that.

Comment by Brady on August 19, 2011 at 7:09pm: The problem is that independents like myself will weigh the pros and cons of both candidates, then decide on what option we need at that time. I know that the far-left and far-right play politics by scaring people to vote "against" the other party. But that doesn't work with me. Here is why:

A super majority democrat or republican party in control of the primary 3 branches never works best in the interest of the whole country. In either case, there is no balance of power and our country was founded on that balance.

If a party sticks together then they can ignore legislation and pass illegal laws that require lots of fighting in the courts which would later be overturned by the supremes. I like the structure we have right now, Republican majority in House and Supreme Court and a Democratic majority in Senate with Democratic president.
Personally, I would like to see more independents that stick to the constitution and are not affected by the far-right and left.

My two cents on voting.