I’m not concerned Democrats will lose Congress

Democrats might become the minority following this election, but I don’t care. Though the alternative might be even worse, I refuse to vote for what I see as a force of evil.

I’m disappointed, primarily in the Democrats’ inability to stand for their own, stated progressive principles. I’m disappointed in the lengths to which they’ve gone to please and pander to corporations, rather than the voters who put them in office two years ago.

I’m also disappointed in progressive media’s (Ed Schultz, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, among others) falling in line for the re-election of Democrats. For two years they’ve complained incessantly about Democrats’ lack of progressive chutzpah, about how Democrats have failed to deliver on their promises. Clearly they have not been progressive enough, so why should we re-elect them?

And, now, progressive media and Democrats who refused to take principled stands on issues voters most care about are the exact same people sounding the alarm for us to get out and vote for them because Republicans would be even worse. This only perpetuates our current system. If I vote for the lesser of two evils, I’m still voting for evil.

I don’t require ideological purity, not by a long stretch. I just need to think that the candidate I’m voting for will do more good than bad. As an independent, I hold Democrats to the same standards I hold Republicans. If a candidate isn’t truly progressive and willing to at least fight for what he says he believes in, I won’t vote for him.

Some people think I’m crazy to not be terrified of Republicans taking back power, but I’m not. If people still can’t see that Washington is run by corporations, then it must not be obvious enough. In the short term, Republicans being in charge is a disastrous prospect, but in the long term it could turn out to have positive side effects, hopefully sparking a nationwide backlash toward corporations sticking their dirty fingers into American politics and getting in between the people’s vote and our elected officials.