I was just compiling my presidential voting record for the fun of it. I've voted in 10 presidential elections. Six times I voted for the Republican, three times for the Democrat and once for the Libertarian -- not exactly monolithic, but it shouldn't be too hard to detect an underlying political philosophy. And my record is even -- five of my candidates won, and five lost. I don't remember being particularly bitter when my guy lost or especially ecstatic when he won. My life went on more or less the same, whether I felt I had " friend in the White House" or not.
Generally I've found all of the major-party candidates flawed, but there were enough redeeming qualities in one of them to get my vote. The exceptional year was the Libertarian one, and I didn't vote that way to make a statement. The more votes that candidate got, the more credible that philosophy would be, I reasoned. I was voting to have a future impact.
I'm having another Libertarian year -- that is, both John McCain and Barack Obama are so weak I can't feel good about voting for either one. I watch everyone else going ballistic about McCain's cross-in-the-dirt story or Obama's born-alive vote problem, and I just can't get worked up about any of it. The thought of seeing either of them day after day on the news for four years is really dispiriting.
But I'm not still naive enough to think a protest vote for one of the minor candidates will mean anything, except to lodge a pointless protest. So I have a dilemma. Will this be the first presidential contest for which I just stay home as a way of making the most meaningful statement?
