Gay Cousin Teddy

With the democratic primary season coming to an end, I’ve noticed a lot of hurt feelings on both sides of the contest. For weeks leading up to these final contests, both sides have uttered the words, “If my candidate doesn’t win, I’m voting for McCain.” I would be lying if I said i never had a moment in which I considered my ability to vote for Hillary Clinton, should she win the nomination. But those moments were usually in direct response to some infuriating thing she pulled during the campaign. While I have lost a large amount of respect for Bill and Hillary Clinton, this year is far too important to vote out of spite.

This conversation reminds me a little bit of the emergence of Ralph Nader in the year 2000. We had two candidates, one perceived as being too boring to be president, and the other too dumb. Out of that conundrum came the case for Nader. The possibility of a viable third party candidate was exciting, as he added a different spin to the race. I toyed with the idea of voting for him, but ultimately decided that any vote against Gore, was a vote for Bush. That proved to be very true, and ultimately very destructive. There are still Naderites out there who will argue that point with me. And while I understand their point entirely, i stand by my opinion.

I understand Hillary Clinton’s tenacity to fight this out, but it isn’t going to happen. Her only chance is to walk into Denver this summer, broker the convention, and win the nomination in a manner that will make your skin crawl. Deep down, I think even she understands how damaging that would be. After 8 years of George W. Bush, I think it’s essential to question what kind of administration you want to lead this country next January. Voting for John McCain, because you’re mad that your candidate didn’t win, is dangerous and reckless. However, if you’re still set on voting for him, you are most likely in favor of the following:

• The continual discrimination of the GLBT community including unequal treatment under the law with respect to marriage, housing, employment, military service, etc. He has stated that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is working and should not be abolished. He is not in support of the protection of gay and lesbian families. And he is opposed to adding protections for GLBT individuals when it comes to work place discrimination and hate crimes legislation.
• The restriction of a women’s right to choose. John McCain has a very pro life voting record and is also in favor of abstinence only education. He has voted against federal funding that create teen pregnancy prevention programs and the use of a balanced sexual education curriculum.
• Staying indefinitely in Iraq: John McCain has proven that he would continue the current campaign in Iraq and would not support troop withdrawal. He aligns himself with Bush’s fascination with Iraq while ignoring the numerous threats to world peace and human dignity that currently exist.
• Privatizing Social Security, the continuance of the Patriot Act, leaving the Health Care system relatively untouched, and looser gun laws.

I could go on for days. If you are remembering the McCain of 2000, he is not the same person. He is not the “moderate” that he once was. He is inconsistent in his positions and offers nothing more than a watered down Bush Administration. If you are supporting Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, then odds are you aren’t in allignment with most of his positions. Both Democratic candidates are extremely close on most issues. Their policy differences are pretty minor, with the exception fo a few. Further, McCain has positioned himself on the other side of most of those issues. Doesn’t it seem a bit absurd to even contemplate a vote for McCain?