Don't worry Don, I'm wavering and considering switching my vote now. I'm seriously being lobbied by friends to support the Greens, and vote Cobb. It does make better sense in terms of third party strategy and furthering the progressive agenda. I'm not convinced yet, because I think Nader is actually braver, and covered by the press a whole lot better than Cobb, who is being completely marginalized and ignored. Cobb can't get on the front page of the New York Times and the Washington Post, Nader can.

So the pragmatist in me says, keep supporting Nader, so the progressive message keeps getting some press. Not much press, of course. But Nader is definitely getting more press than Kucinich or Cobb are getting--or Jesse Jackson, for that matter--combined. Hence, my continued support for Nader.

But voting in Minnesota, a vote for Cobb could really help the Minnesota Green Party, which actually is doing pretty well here. So right now I'm feeling pretty torn. Like I said, I'm not much into the presidential horse race. I think a strong case can be made for letting Bush win this time. Not to give him an actual mandate, of course, but to give the right wing plenty of rope to hang themselves with by 2008. That way we just might be able to put an end to this Thirty Year Drought of right wing corruption, graft, and misrule.

I do care about my local races, though. Which is why I may well vote Green. The Green Party is the most viable progressive party in Minnesota right now, and the only one capable of getting matching funds. So it is very tempting to switch my vote to Cobb, to insure the progressive movement can get matching funds in the next election cycle, which will be much more important in Minnesota than the current election. We don't have any of the Twin Cities national congressional offices up for re-election this year.

There is no rationale that will get me to vote for Kerry, though. None. I view today's national Democratic party as the enemy, just like I view the national Republican party as the enemy.

Or to put it better: where was the national Democratic party when the right wing hate mongers came flying out of the rafters at the Wellstone memorial? Where was the national Democratic party for Walter Mondale, when he took Wellstone's place in 2002? Before that debacle, I could forgive the Democratic party for a lot of shit and cut them a lot more slack if it wasn't for that. But after the Wellstone thing, well. I won't be doing jack shit to support the national Democratic party anytime soon.