Will you not vote in '08 if you don't like the Dem. Pres. Candidate?

[twilight_sailing]

Is a non-vote for the Democrats the same as a vote for the Republicans?

[Demeter]

1. Don't Be Silly!

They're going to have to pry the ballot from my cold, dead hands!

[sniffa]

2. that's a good framing

i aLways vote. if i don't Like the options, it gets a write-in or a bLank.

[Greybnk48]

3. Ditto.

I will vote no matter what for the Democratic candidate, no matter who.

[RebelOne]

4. I wasn't really thrilled with Kerry,

but I voted for him. Anyone but Bush. So, no matter who the Dem. candidate is, I vote for him or her.

[Missy M]

5. I vote in every election and will do so in '08....

for the Democratic candidate.

[Deep13]

6. No, it's half a vote for Rs.

There is no way on this earth that I will not vote in the '08 elections. I will never fail to make a decision in the voting booth. The only way I would ever vote for the R is if it is a moderate R running against some bat-shit-insane DINO like Zell Miller. Even then, I would have to think about it.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. I will vote in '08

Even if the Dem nominated is not my first choice. And I will vote Democratic, unless a new and better party comes along.

[warrens]

8. Yeah, right

I used to be an independent. Now, if Jesus appeared on earth and said he was running for office, I would have only one question. Which party, pal?

There is no one in the Dem party I would not vote for over any repuke. Even that little pissant Todd Stroger, Cook County president and corrupt little punk.

[endarkenment]

9. Well that depends doesn't it?

I certainly can imagine a Democratic presidential candidate I could not vote for. Consider Joe Lieberman. I could barely vote for him when he was running for the token position (pre-Cheney) of VP, and that was before he became a total turdstain. Now he is radioactive to me, he is in the Zell Miller category. So as long as the official nominee is within certain bounds, I will work for support, hold my nose, and vote for whomever we manage to get stuck with.

[brazos121200]

18. Zell Miller is NOT a Democrat!

He spoke at the Repubic convention for Bush, that makes him a Repubic in my book. Lieberman is different. Yes he has pro Iraq war position, but has always been liberal on social issues, and has always been loyal to the party in other matters. The Democratic party needs to be a big tent if it is to be a majority party.

[Deep13]

35. If it was R vs. Lieberman, I would have no trouble voting for Holy Joe.

He certainly would not be my first choice, but I really don't see him as that much worse that Biden or Clinton and probably better on environmental issues than Landrieu.

Doesn't matter, though. Senators hardly ever win.

[endarkenment]

41. Zell thinks he is a Democrat.

And officially Joe isn't.

[goforit]

10. Why you asking? Are certain Dems gonna rig who they desire?

[Hekate]

11. And hand the presidency back to the Repubs on a silver platter?

Dearheart, I ALWAYS vote. For gods' sake, haven't the past six years taught purists ANYthing? You want utopia, go find another planet. The rest of us are down in the dirt and muck trying to save this one as best we can.

During the 2000 campaign Ralph Nader said there's no difference between the Repubs and the Dems. Well Ralphie, my former hero of the little guy -- just shove it.

:rant:

Hekate

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. A non-vote for a dem does not = vote for repub.

But it is a serious cop out.

I will strongly push for my candidate and, as usual, reluctantly vote for the dem who actually gets nominated. (My candidate NEVER gets nominated :cry: poor me.)

[Kelly Rupert]

21. No, but two non-votes for a Dem are equal to a vote for an R.

[bowens43]

13. I will vote for which ever Dem gets the nominatin.

[Andrea]

14. I always vote

And I always will. I vowed during the Clinton impeachment that I would never again vote for a Republican and I never have and I never will. If someone like Zell Miller was the Dem candidate, I guess I would vote Green.

[Karmageddon]

17. I was about to say the exact same thing....

...about the impeachment. I used to be independent, but ever since the "Contract On America" bullshit, and now with this administration and congress, I'd vote for Satan himself before I'd vote republican. It would have to be someone completely unacceptable (too unacceptable to ever win the primary) for me to not vote Dem at this point in time.

[WI_DEM]

15. of course not, I will support the Democratic nominee

any of them would be better than what we've had.

[Teaser]

16. Yes. I will also stab myself in the eye and amputate my butt.

nt

[Danieljay]

19. Sure, hey better yet...I'll just vote Republican also. Give me flippin break...

are you twighlight sailing or in the twighlight zone? I'm not sure I get your logic...

[AndyA]

20. The way I look at it is this:

I vote for the least offensive, non-Republican, Democratic candidate. Period. I don't always like the Democratic candidates, but I do always prefer them over any Republican.

I think of it as a step in the right direction. Not perfection, but closer to it than it has been.

[twilight_sailing]

22. Didn't see the name Hillary in the first 20 replies.

How come? There are lots of vehemently anti-Hillary people around here.
What do those folks have to say?

Me, personally, I like Wes Clark but I will vote for anyone the Democratic Party nominates.

[nashville_brook]

24. reason for that is prolly b/c people are *reacting* to groupie-ism

it's silly to think there's "anti-hillary" people hanging out on DU.

what we DO see, tho, is a LOT of spoiling-fatigue.

being a democrat is more than the horse-race.

now that we have a dem-controlled congress, wouldn't it be nice if some of this groupie energy could be directed toward meaningful use of our re-acquired power instead of pissing in the wind.

[twilight_sailing]

28. Jargon unrecognised

What are "groupie-ism," "spoiling-fatigue," & "groupie energy"

Thanks

[dysfunctional press]

23. I'll ALWAYS vote...

if i don't like the Democratic candidate, i'm sure that i'll be able to find a 3rd party with one that suits me.

i'll NEVER vote for hillary or any other dlc corporofascist.

[mike_c]

25. of course I'll vote, but if I don't like the dem candidate then...

...I'll likely vote for another candidate. The Green Party's platform has always been consistent with my politics so I assume it will be in 2008 if the Democratic Party's isn't.

[longship]

26. I vote for Democrats, period.

If it's a Dem I don't like, I still vote.

I knew that Kerry would likely lose, even though I didn't admit it here. His campaign was atrocious, just like Gore's in 2000.

What I'm hoping--dare I say, praying--is for somebody to come back from the wilderness, or out of the fog of Congress, or governor's office, and wrench the rhetoric away from the DC insiders and media moguls. As long as we allow these people to control the discussion, we are going to continue to have poor candidates, wretched campaigns, and even worse elected officials.

I'm not optimistic of what I see happening in 2008. Either Senator Clinton or Obama, the rock stars, get the nomination. If it's Clinton, she loses--hands down. Obama fairs better and could win. But with his "don't rock the boat" conservatism, he doesn't make the bold, leadership-type moves that we're going to need in the next four to eight years.

Oh, BTW. We all know the identity of the guy in the wilderness, who I think could be the wild card if he can be convinced his country needs him. It could be his Churchillian moment. I feel strongly now that if he steps up to the plate, and I mean *really* steps up to the plate, nothing would stop him. He only has to show the country what "strong leadership" means.

He's got the whole White House press corps asking each other how to spell erudite!
Lewis Rothschild, The American President

Vice President Gore, your moment in history is waiting.

[Kelly Rupert]

27. It is very likely that I will vote for whomever the Democrats nominate.

If by some impossible chain of events the Republican is more liberal, or the Green candidate is outpolling the Democrat, then I will vote accordingly.

[Alexander]

29. I would work and vote for the Dem anyway, and get drunk off my ass afterwards.

In fact, that's exactly what I did with Kerry, in 2004. He didn't exactly inspire me as a presidential contender.

[Tesha]

30. I *NEVER* "don't vote". But don't assume my vote automatically goes to...

I *NEVER* "don't vote". But don't assume my vote automatically
goes to "the D" just because they have a "D" after their name.

The Great Lieberman Scam of 2006 proved that there are lots
of Democrats on the right side of the party that won't vote
for a candidate they don't like (even though the disliked
candidate had the required "D" after his name), so I no
longer feel obligated to vote for their assholes either.

Tesha

[ellenfl]

31. i haven't 'not' voted since i was of age. won't start now.

after all, i DID vote for nelson (dino-fl) this year!

ellen fl

[nashville_brook]

32. this kinda sounds like a call to declare loyalty

i've never not voted for a dem, but i totally reserve the right to do so, or else my vote and my activism doesn't mean much, does it?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

33. I always vote. Usually for the Democrats. But, I'm not beholden to them.

[XOKCowboy]

34. Hell Yes!

On both of your questions.

Edited to add that if there was a Republican candidate that held my beliefs (universal health care, lower taxes on the poor and middle class, reviving Social Security, the environment, etc) then I'd vote for that candidate. Do I see that happening in the near future? Nope.

I will vote though and I'd consider a Green Party/Libertarian Party/nonvote/etc. vote a vote for Republicans.

[ShaneGR]

36. The Dems could nominate Darth Vader with the Emperor as VP...

And I voted for them over a Republican. lol

[Alamom]

38. Same here. As we have seen , there are creatures on Earth who

would scare the shit otta Darth Vader !



I have voted Dem for 34 years and sometimes with doubts, but I will never vote for another party.

[Dhalgren]

37. If I don't like the candidate or where the party is, at that time, I vote

for a third party. The Democrats have two years and a campaigning season to show me where they stand...

[wryter2000]

39. I'd vote for the Dem

But I'm not willing to roll over in the primaries.

[OregonBlue]

40. As long as it's not Miller or Lieberman, I'm in. Almost anybody but Bush!

[RobofSWVA]

42. not voting is horrible

Even if you vote for the lesser of evils or a write in, at least you are making an attempt to have your voice heard. Some say individual votes don’t matter. To an extent they are correct. Voting blocks are what matter. The more people you convince to vote with your side the better the chance for victory. Individuals do matter because they are the driving force behind elections. If enough like-minded people vote the same way, success is achieved in spite of the relative per capita value of an individual vote.

When nonvoting and victim mentalities couple with passivity, poor candidates win elections. The phrase "make your voice heard" isn't just rhetoric.

[otherlander]

43. Only if it was Lieberman vs. Chafee. But that would never happen.

I mean, neither of those people have much support from their parties. Can we trade? Please?

[Libby2]

44. Hell no!

I'll vote dem, no matter what.

[magellan]

45. Honestly, yes

I will not vote if I don't like the Dem Presidential Candidate in '08. I'm not biting the bullet or holding my nose anymore. The only thing that's got us is a Dem Party that pretty much inhabits the same political space the Repugs used to own before they all lurched to the far right.