What are people here doing this November?

Thanks for asking, t. I've been wondering what you all were thinking about this--your opinions are more meaningful than the crap I hear in the lunchroom at work.

I'm still undecided: the pencil, the not-quite-as-bad-as-a-Republican, the wolf in Libertarian clothing, the Boston-Tea-libertarian, or not-Gravel-but better-than-the-others; none of the choices seem very compelling.

After reading this thread, I'd say I'm leaning toward Hitsumei's guy Kelcey Wilson.

Examine the case of a real professional wrestler. Polling 7% before the debates he rose to polling parity and then went on to win, thanks to the "new" voters attracted by his appearances in the debates.

Then keep watching and listen to Matt Gonzalez' rise from 6% to 47% in the general election due to his appearance in the debates before his election contest.

Remember the excitement around Mike's own candidacy when he was on the stage telling the truth to BHO and HRC?

Yes... the same forces that shutdown Mike's campaign may well keep Nader/Gonzalez out of the debates this year. If they do the effect of each of us voting for someone that we actually want to be president may be "limited to" casting a clear majority for "none of the above"... but that can be the spark that starts the fire that burns the Demoblican/Republicrat duopoly's house down. That sparks interest in the NI4d and in participatory democracy in America.

And if they fail to do so....

"My greatest regret is that under our Constitution the American people can have anything they want, but the American people don't seem to want much of anything." -- Eugene V Debs

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Times have changed. We are going to empower the American people. Let’s work together. I am tough. I’m not afraid. None of this politics as usual. Mike Gravel

Here's an argument you can use against those in your state (assuming it's not a "swing state") who argue that they won't vote for someone that doesn't have a chance of winning. (And it's not an ideological argument, but a purely politically pragmatic one that you can throw back in the faces of those who use the "don't throw your vote away" argument.

In most states, people can easily predict who's going to win.

Take Maine, for example. Obama is about 15 points ahead of McCain in the polls. It's safe to say that Obama is going to win Maine. So wouldn't a vote for McCain, for all practical intents and purposes, be a throw-away vote? He really doesn't have much of a chance of winning Maine now does he? So if you lean to the right, vote for the Libertarian or Constitutionalist candidate...your one vote will be of more value to one of those parties than it will be for the Republicans in Maine.

Take Mississippi. It's probably pretty safe to say that McCain will win that state. So wouldn't  a vote for Obama be a throw-away vote? Heck, might as well vote for the Green Party...your one vote will be of more value to them than it will be for the Democrats in that state.

But then again, going back to the Maine example, you could say, "What the heck...Obama's gonna win there anyways. Might as well vote for the Green Party...one vote out of 20,000 will be of far more value to the Green Party than one vote out of 500,000 to the Democrats.

And in Mississippi...heck, McCain's gonna get it. That one vote to McCain won't be of much value to the Republicans, relatively speaking. Might as well give it to the Libertarians or Constitutionalists. That one vote will be of far greater relative value to them...

Of course, this argument won't work in a swing state that could go to either Obama or McCain.

But you might be able to convince some people in your state to vote for a third party with this argument, assuming your state isn't a swing state.

Just a thought...give it a try...it's so crazy, it just might work. :)

As long as people knowingly vote for evil... it'll be evil all the way down.

If in this election the result is along the lines of

JMcC:32%, BO 32%; Others: 36%

The new Great Awakening will take place in America : I coulda had a V-8!

Unless and until people truly realize that we do have The Power, and we do!, the NI4d, for instance, is going No Where. Do not vote for BO thinking that you are somehow voting against the people JMcC works for. You're not. You're voting for exactly the same people.

There is a difference between JMcC and BO... just as there is a "difference" between the good guys and the bad guys in professional wrestling.

But frankly it'll take more than the "keen analysis" applied by professional wrestling fans to change the status quo.

The Democrat/Republican duoploy is pledged to War Crimes, committed and un-. Knowingly to enable War Criminals is to share in the War Crimes yourself. Don't do it. Friends don't let friends commit War Crimes.

Barr/Root, McKinney/Clememte, Nader/Gonzalez.

Or Hisumei's favorite or even, dare I say it... Mike Gravel! You all have pencils, right?

Just do it. Voting for evil is voting for evil. Mirabile dictu, the result will be evil.

For just as long as we let it.

It's up to all of us. We're the only ones here.

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Times have changed. We are going to empower the American people. Let’s work together. I am tough. I’m not afraid. None of this politics as usual. Mike Gravel

Holding my nose and pulling the lever for the Democrat.

Until we have election reform in this country, presidential politics remains in a two party corpocratic chokehold.

I voted for the ni4d, I am campaigning for the ni4d, and in November I will write in Kelcey Wilson because he's the only remaining candidate with a minimum of altruism (Nader's too selfish, some of McKinney's controversies turned me off, Baldwin and Barr are insane...).

McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden are absolute warmongering psychopaths.

I don't believe in the lesser of two evils, especially since both evils carry the danger of a world war with nukes. That's a very heavy burden on a voter's conscience especially in 2009 and beyond.

Ever since I knew about Gravel, my standards got much higher.

Nader supports the Ni4D.  If I could vote, though, I would only vote for him if he got into the debates.  If he didn't, I would go with Obama to keep McCain out of office.