The Double-Edged Sword: Voting In Protest

by Colin Hussey

"As I stand aloof and look there is to me something profoundly affecting in
large masses of men following the lead of those who do not believe in men."-Walt Whitman

So the conventions have come and gone, the running mates have been picked, and I've watched as much of the debates as I could stand. At the close of this silliest of silly seasons, I'm left to ask, is it entirely necessary for us as voters to choose between John McCain and Barack Obama? Sure, I'm voting for a bevy of local candidates to fill various positions, but I'm at a point with presidential picks where I just want to wash my hands of the big tickets.

This voter is being asked to choose a president between a couple of U.S. Senators, who've both supported the PATRIOT Act and, more recently, that bailout scheme proffered by President Bush's people and seconded by Speaker Pelosi, which makes every bone in my body scream, "Scam!" Like many prominent pols, the presidential candidates have their respective snarky associations, from shady business figures to crazy preachers (although that pretty much comes with the territory.) Neither is consistent when it comes to personal liberties, from reproductive rights to gun rights, nor can we expect either of them to call for an audit of the Federal Reserve or a rescheduling of marijuana. Both candidates have been known to readily throw principles and past acquaintances under buses, out of political expediency. Both are polarizing figures. One big difference, besides their respective ages, parties and choice of words, is that one candidate fools practically no one-not even his supporters-whereas the other's campaign has been fooling a lot of folks, supporters and opponents, alike.

"Maverick" is not a word I'd use to describe John McCain, even after he nominated Sarah Palin, moose-hunting hockey mom and governor of Alaska. That was mostly to energize the GOP's Evangelical bloc, that's never trusted him. Palin has since proven to be such a target of ridicule, she went along with the jokes, doing an appearance on Saturday Night Live. McCain's campaign and its message have been awkward, disjointed and slow on the uptake, further disadvantaged by his own party's loss of credibility, thanks to President Bush's blunders. And recently, the GOP nominee got booed while trying to calm down rabid haters of his opponent-the very same he and his running mate have been stirring up of late. Whatever McCain and Palin are doing, they're making it easier for the Dems' ticket to prepare their victory speeches.

Barack Obama, in contrast to the dour and pasty McCain, appears as a fairy-tale prince, a messianic god-king, called upon to save the planet, with the mainstream media and entertainment figures laying palm leaves before him and crowds of followers shouting his name in exaltation. And look, there's footage of school children singing songs of thanks and praise for the candidate-that's when it gets really creepy. It's troubling whenever a flawed but overhyped public official becomes an object of worship, and we are talking about someone who's voted several times to cashier freedom for the illusion of peace. Expectations among Obama's avid supporters are through the roof, but should he get elected, he merits as much critical scrutiny as the current White House occupant. As Public Enemy's Professor Griff rightly asks, "Who is Barack Obama? Who is he for real?"

The same could be asked of Obama's running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden. In the immediate wake of 9-11, this "foreign policy expert" came up with the idea to give $200 million to Iran, with no strings attached. That's right, nine figures of our tax dollars to a regime that may have had nothing to do with 9-11 but loves to declaim, "Death to America!" The more I read about the VP candidates, Biden and Palin, the more attractive becomes the option of going "third party."

For those with stubborn principles or who've just plain had enough of the big party's offerings, there's always the option of voting in protest, refusing to settle for the major ticket that pisses you off just a tad less than the other major ticket. Or let's say you're stuck, because you've been talking with true believers among your friends in both camps, possibly wishing you could believe as earnestly as they do-yet so clearly seeing the flaws, the contradictions, the hypocrisies, that it's tough to vote a Republican or Democrat to the White House, even if one is a Republican or Democrat

To vote in protest is a fool's errand, we're often told, a wasted vote. Yet how do we know those votes that elected the current bunch who saddled America with all these difficulties were not themselves wasted votes? In a lot of cases, they sure look like it now. And is it a wasted vote when a candidate we vote for loses? If so, then why bother with voting, at all? Because even if a particular candidate doesn't win, if enough people vote as the protest voter has done, a strong point is made: The victor may have won an election, but there is no mandate. A significant percentage of the voters have refused to just go-along-get-along and must be at least listened to.

True, the protest voter will invariably get credited or blamed for one candidate getting elected rather than another, like Gore's people castigating Nader's supporters for Bush;s victory in 2000- which is bullshit. If a front-running candidate loses an election, it's that candidate's own damn fault for not winning over enough of the electorate-and even losing some of them-during the course of the campaign's alienating grind. If you run a lousy race, you don't deserve to win. Period.

So let's give it up for Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney, Ron Paul, Mr. Nader (yet again) and a bevy of other indie campaigns, bravely running despite nearly impossible odds. I may vote for one or none, or write someone else's name, like Charles Barkley or Pat Paulsen (who's running again, this year, in spite of being dead). Who's to say I can't? This is America, and regardless of what the parties, their activists and surrogates, the "conservative" and "liberal" media, or their peers say, the citizens can still vote however they please. Protest voters of America, unite! Or not.

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