What are you voting for?

Like many liberals, I was a very strong supporter of Barack Obama in 2008. In fact, when hearing him speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I thought to myself, "this man ought to run for president." I had fully and faithfully drank his "hope and change" Kool-Aid. I even defended some of his cowardice in the first year of his presidency, thinking that he was compromising now to build a coalition to get more done on the serious stuff, down the road.

But that day never came. He continued to capitulate on many issues like healthcare, tax reform, the environment and showed his true colors on issues that he had direct control over, like bombing of innocent civilians in Pakistan, eroding of civil liberties, opening up of protected areas to oil and gas extraction, and devastating grazing practices.

Unlike most liberals, I will vote, for Jill Stein, a third party candidate in the upcoming 2012 presidential elections. Could she, if elected, prove to be just as disappointing as Obama. Yes. But, I will take that chance since I am guaranteed disappointment by the two leading party candidates.

I looked online for a suitable image to go with this post and found this instead.

Does Jill even have a chance? Considering that 90 million eligible voters (twice the number that will vote for either Obama or Romney) will rather stay home than vote for either of the leading candidates, because they don't think they have a choice, yes, I do. If those 90 million were made aware that their vote/voice counts and that there are eligible third party candidates on the ballot.

Rather than working to make those 90 million aware of this possibility, many liberals (I am including progressives in that terminology) are choosing to pick the lesser of the two evils. A vote for Obama is a vote against Romney, they say. If that is all it is, then people are literally throwing their vote away.

Voting is about what we want our leaders to be and what we want them to do. It is about what we think will create a better world, for us, our children and future generations. It isn't about perpetuating evil (lesser of the two evils is still evil), just because we are fearful of the alternative. "We have nothing to fear but fear itself," said a great leader once. 

I am not voting against Obama because I don't like his policies. I am voting for Jill because I think she can do better. What are you voting for?