Originally Posted by roachboy

well....while the present system might be little more than voting for which faction within the oligarchy will hold power for 4 years, this time the usual argument simply does not hold--there are significant distinctions between the factions. getting bush out of power would also push the conservative media apparatus (which is an empirical formation, the outlines of which are obvious, and which has nothing symmetrical to it on the "left") back into opposition--if you want to seriously work for third party options, you absolutely need to work to get these people out of power--if only because it would be simpler to mobilize third party spaces if the dominant discourse was at least rational, at least referred to the empirical world and did not retreat into a self-reinforcing rhetoric of the Will within which the vacant become resolute, the incompetent become heroic---a very christian, very moral context in which it is ok to lie about war, in which one can talk about the sanctity of life while supporting the wasting of life, military and civilian, in a pointless misguided adventure in iraq...

and these are only the tip of a very long list.

i support the creation of more political options, more political parties.
i have heard arguments like hal's over and over from nader folk.
i understand them and to an extent agree with them

but in this election, i find that it is not only possible but necessary to suck it up and vote tactically.