[Peace-discuss] How to vote.

[Morton K. Brussel]

This is for fun. Fun?

How to vote in the coming election. Options and likely consequences:

1) Abstain from voting in protest or indifference. If enough do so, either the Dems or the Repubs will win the Congress, one or both houses. Most probably, with high abstentions in key states, it will mostly hurt Dems. Hope for the worst or the best. 

2) Vote and support Green Party, Libertarian, or some other presently minor party, when possible. The same result as in 1) will most likely occur, but one's conscience may be assuaged by voting for someone whose principles are in mostly agreement with your own. Greens most probably will steal from Dems, whereas Libertarians will most probably steal from Repubs. 

3) Vote and support Republicans even if having voted otherwise previously. If enough do so, Repubs will probably take over the Congress. Presumably, those who voted for Obama and Dems previously will do so out of disgust, disappointment, and anger with the present Democratically controlled(?) Congress and with with the current administration.

4) Vote and support Democrats. Then there is a greater chance that Democrats will remain the majority party in the Senate or the House. If so, this means that the government will most probably continue on its current trajectory in foreign and domestic policies.

5) Vote for and support candidates who best represent your political, economic , environmental and social preferences, irrespective of party label. Who wins Congress is then uncertain, but if there are many cross-overs from the Dems (in key states), then Repubs will prevail.

It is important to remember that the kind of Repubs or Dems elected will have an effect on future policies.  The Repubs are ever more rightist, as exemplified by most Tea party candidates. I see no great change in the character of the likely Dems elected. 

If Repubs take over one or both houses of Congress, the outcome  will likely be a stalemate in governance (when there is substantial difference in the positions in the parties), for Obama can still exercise his veto. The wars and occupations are likely to continue, or get worse, nothing new will likely change relative to Israel-Palestine (unless some dramatic events happen on the part of the populations there), the National Security State will persist or continue to grow; civil rights will continue to atrophy. Money will still reign supreme, even more so, in influencing votes. How such a stalemate will influence the Presidential elections of 2012 cannot be foreseen. It depends on various things, including the state of the economy and how well/badly our foreign policies succeed/succumb. Domestic instability is not out of the question. 

The rest of the world will not stand still (except for Europe?). What happens with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries may change our political trajectory, but how? The grab for diminishing and degraded natural resources will intensify and affect every nation's policies. 

My crystal ball is somewhat cloudy. 

Draw your own conclusions.

--mkb