How will Louisville Hotbytes vote in the Election?

If you have the right to vote, you shold exercise it. That's what our great country is about. Hold your nose and go for the party you believe in, that is all you can do. Rock That Sh.t. !!!!

Not voting does no good for our great country. Rock The Vote

So I been thinking about this: What if a person lives in a district that is overwhelmingly opposed to their political leanings. Should that person spend the time going to the polls, just to have their vote squashed in the electoral college. Is there really that much value in the argument 'well I voted for the other guy, so I get to gripe about the state of things.'

Hmmm... think I'll vote green party and load up on rocks. They all live in glass houses. Oooops. WE all live in glass houses.

Edited for counterpoint: 'Stephen, you are naive! There are many more things on the ballot that impact you in a more direct way, locally.'

'Nice point, Stephen, perhaps you should focus more on local and regional issues. Research these matters, because, well, they matter.'

'Yea, but that means I'd have to watch local news and read the CJ.'

'Yeeaaa...'

'Yeeaaa...'

So what do we all do? Give up? Give in? The person with the most money, deepest pockets, most corporations behind him wins?Isn't it a bit egocentric to think that if MY vote isn't the deciding vote that I won't bother to vote? Every vote counts and every vote matters and the only people that will tell you differently are the people that don't want you to vote.
Turning the tide is never easy but it can be done and it takes everyone caring enough to do something. So vote every chance you get... locally, for primaries, whenever you're given an opportunity. Campaign for your causes (whatever they are) and quite expecting someone else to take care of matters at hand. Taking pride in your community means accepting some ownership in it as well.
Voting = a good thing
Whining = a waste of time

So what do we all do? Give up? Give in?

I guess we could all write-in Paris Hilton because she's, like, totally ready.

And, she's like, TOTALLY hot! Hehe! I'll be REALLY surprised if a whole bunch of people don't write her in. If she was 35, she might have the chance of getting elected. Scary.

This is exactly why more people need to vote and support third parties. Look at how often we are getting shoved two almost identical choices. I always hear people laugh when I say I'm voting third party, but then turn around and say they'd vote third party if they "had a chance". Well guess what, if all these people that had this attitude actually voted third party they would have a chance. I caved last time due to how bad Bush was and voted for Kerry as the lesser of two evils. In the end we still got crapped on and had Bush again. I will never play that game again.

This is exactly why more people need to vote and support third parties. Look at how often we are getting shoved two almost identical choices. I always hear people laugh when I say I'm voting third party, but then turn around and say they'd vote third party if they "had a chance". Well guess what, if all these people that had this attitude actually voted third party they would have a chance. I caved last time due to how bad Bush was and voted for Kerry as the lesser of two evils. In the end we still got crapped on and had Bush again. I will never play that game again.

This is where my husband and I stand as well anymore. It seems to me that if we just keep voting for "lessers of two evils" and never give another party a chance, then nothing will ever change.

This has been a distressing election season for me. I've always considered myself a democrat (although I've not exactly carried a card), but over the past many months when I've dared to question or express opposition to what I see happening within the democratic party these days, and also to articulate my distress over the fact that the democratic congress is pretty much maintaining the status quo of the republican congress, many fellow democrats have felt absolutely justified in not only telling me exactly how I should vote but have at the same time become so angry with me they lecture me about my commitment as an American citizen and have even, well, for lack of a better word, begun to shun me. I'm astonished by it. Frankly it doesn't feel any different from being told by so many republicans and conservatives that if I didn't support Bush and his policies that I was no better than a traitor and that I could just move to another country. Preferably France.

I've belonged to a political forum online for roughly 8 years now, a board run by a liberal democrat (and something of a friend) who has always framed it as a forum for open exchange and dialogue about politics. Just three days ago I was banned from the board. Why? Because I noted the very obvious double standard applied by so many democrats, including the folks on that forum, to the John Edwards of the world versus the Newt Gingriches and Larry Craigs and the like. Suddenly, it became very apparent that we are not to criticize democrats. It was perfectly fine to talk about McCain's temper and his "Stepford wife," but when I suggested John Edwards may unfortunately be guilty of misappropriating campaign funds to pay his mistress, well, it simply wasn't tolerated. And it's not just an isolated incident. Maybe I'm only just noticing it, but I'm stunned by how intolerant of actual open dialogue and differing opinions the democratic party actually is beginning to seem. When the famous New Yorker Obama cover came out, the general consensus there again was that The New Yorker itself was racist, but that even if they weren't, publishing the cover was "dangerous," that, as folks said, "people need to watch what they say because this election is too important." I was reminded of Ari Fleischer's famous pronouncement after 9/11 saying that people needed to be careful what they said. And that's pretty much been the tone now for nearly 8 years with this administration. And now I'm hearing exactly the same sentiment within the democratic party regarding fellow democrats. We're all expected to fall in line and march lockstep with whatever the "appropriate" political line is. When I protested, both in The New Yorker and the John Edwards instance, it was made clear to me by the management of the forum that my contrary views would not be tolerated. When I expressed my surprise, I was astonished to find myself banished from the community.

I'd like to say that's an unusual sort of experience, but what I've seen in internet forums and newpaper letters exchanges for months now suggests otherwise.

I'm dismayed more than I can even express.