I've pulled in my horns for the past year or so. [View all]

[Jackpine Radical]

Many dear friends on this board were lost to me because I was quite critical of Obama's policies and actions, from health care to the way his administration conducted the bailouts.

Truth to tell, I am far to the left of Obama and deplore some of his concessions and--forgive the term--sellouts, but is is not my purpose to argue about issues of that sort right now.

What I want to say is that, although my heart lies with people to the left of Obama, my mind tells me that this is not time to let idealism trump survival.

The fact of the matter is, when the shit hits the fan, I would rather have Barack Obama in the White House than any conceivable Republican.

These are not times like others in the history of civilization. References to the Roman Empire fall far short. This is an era in which the survival of our species, and that of any other species, is at stake.

I don't think Obama will enact the policies that we need for survival. In fact, I think it would be political suicide for him to do so, because corporate propaganda and disinformation have so polluted the public forum that a majority of Americans have no conception of the magnitude of the crises we face.

Nevertheless, he will not be so rash as a Romney would be, and might accomplish some mild abatement of the huge problems facing us.

At the very worst, a second Obama term will buy us a little tim that we would not otherwise have.

Therefore, I cannot vote for a Green or a socialist or any other politician whose ideals are closer to my own. To do so would be to throw away my vote. I'm not enough of a purist to do that.

I'm voting for Obama.

I would prefer to vote for the Obama we thought we might be getting in 2008, but I'll settle for the one running in 2012.

Not happily, but I'll settle.