I definitely agree with Kim and Kendall in principle. Unfortunately, that's not the way politics works in the United States. Other countries divvy up their governments differently, with proportional representation for as many parties as there are and how many people vote for whom. But not the U. S. In the U. S., it's not proportional representation, it's "winner take all." If you have two parties that share a number of planks in their platforms (say, Dems and Greens) opposing a third party that's diametrically opposed (Reps), the two similar parties split the vote and the one diametrically opposed wins. Sorry, but that's the political reality. Irritating and exasperating, but true.

There is a whole lot I don't like about the Democratic Party. But let's face it, if any party at all has a ghost of a chance of defeating the Republicans this time, it will be the Democrats. It's very unlikely that if a Democratic candidate wins the presidency this time he (or she) will turn this country into a Utopia. But I will be voting for whichever Democrat wins the nomination.

I regard it as damage control.

Don Firth

P.S: Of course there is Thom Hartmann's thesis that says if you want Bush out but you don't like the Democratic Party, join the Democratic Party, find others there who think the way you do (and there are some), form coalitions, and start dragging the party in the direction you think it should go.