General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: IF Hillary declares as a candidate for President of the United States, I will [View all]cab67
(2,992 posts)I dislike many of Hillary Clinton's viewpoints. My conscience says to support a truly progressive Democratic candidate. But if Clinton is the nominee, my conscience tells me that a Democrat - ANY Democrat - is better than a Republican. Arguments that Clinton is really no different from a Republican are objectively wrong.
There's the world we want and the world we have. We don't have a parliamentary system where different parties form coalitions - our major parties are the coalitions. Voting for independents or third-party candidates, even if they come closer to our convictions, is worse than pointless - it draws votes from the coalition that includes others sharing your convictions. This helps the coalition that excludes such people. I don't like it, but there it is.
Part of me wonders whether a parliamentary system would be better. Lots of countries do it, and it really does make it easier to vote with your convictions more consistently. But it also adds a level of instability whenever a coalition collapses and new elections have to be called. Either way, voting for a third-party candidate will neither change the Democratic Party nor make anyone take the third party seriously. That may not be what I want, but it's reality.
So it's a matter of context. Given a choice of candidates during the Democratic caucuses around here, I'll go with the most progressive, and I will do what I can to get that person nominated. If that should fail, I will do what I can to make sure the Democratic nominee - even if it's Hillary Clinton - is elected president.