Pat Porter You might just not bother and just simply vote for republicans because it will create the same result.
The "result" is NOT the same as voting Republican when movements for peace, social and economic justice are being built even if Republicans end up winning because powerful movements can do more to influence public policy... this has been demonstrated time and time again... Franklin Roosevelt had a much more reactionary House and Senate to deal with in pushing through the New Deal reforms than does Barack Obama... the difference was the tremendous upsurge of working people demanding change. And, by-the-way, Roosevelt never kicked Frances Perkins or Harry Hopkins "under the bus" as Obama would most certainly do with any of his cabinet members if they were to advocate for social and economic justice as Hopkins and Perkins did--- in fact, when Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor, came under attack by Tea Bagger-like rightwing fascist elements who accused her of trying to implement the agenda of the Communist Manifesto with her social programs like Social Security, unemployment compensation and socialized health care she responded, "I would rather see these words on paper put into government policies helping people instead of remaining words on the pages of an old pamphlet." And even the Democrats in Congress joined the Republicans in trying to impeach Frances Perkins... they called her a Bolshevik, they accused her of screwing Communist labor leader Harry Bridges, they accused her of having "affairs with Negros." For her entire period at the helm of the United States Department of Labor (three terms with Roosevelt) Perkins was under constant and unrelenting attack but she stuck to her intent to bring forward a liberal/progressive/left agenda intended to solve the problems of the people... think about this: Social Security solved problems for everyone in this country and look how many hundreds of thousands of jobs were created through the administration of the Social Security system. Public education provides jobs; look at all the government agencies from garbage to water departments providing work for people while solving problems encountered by society.
Barack Obama is focused on private industry as the "solution to unemployment and he is promoting wars that kill jobs just like these wars kill people.
I have no illusions that any politician can work "miracles," however, Obama had tens of millions of people willing and eager to support a progressive agenda that would have of necessity been in opposition to Wall Street's very narrow agenda which has one and only one goal and objective: maximum corporate profits... Obama chose the Wall Street agenda over solving the problems of the people; Obama chose more war instead of peace. No one held a gun to Obama's head forcing him to choose Wall Street over Main Street; Obama made this decision on his own. As such, Obama needs to be pushed from office, not by Republicans and Tea Baggers--- but from the liberals, progressives and the left... and we need to have a candidate of this liberal, progressive,left grouping to challenge Obama in the Democratic primary who is prepared to run as a third party candidate if she/he loses the primary challenge... this is the way to break free from the two-party trap.
No; opposing Obama and the Democrats from liberal, progressive and left positions is not the same as voting Republican even if the Republicans win because the most powerful coalition in this country is the liberal/progressive/left coalition when it is understood that struggles in the streets and at the ballot box must compliment and strengthen one another… and what isn’t won at the ballot box can be won in the streets and victories won in past struggles must be defended at the ballot box and in the streets.
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