I have never voted like that, but we have not the 2 party system in Norway which I think makes it easier. It goes all the way from far left to far right. Its not that I am always happy with my Prime minister or the other ministers, but its only for a few things that are not that important to me. The things that I care most about like health, welfare and education and such they handle things the way I want to. I also like that we are not a part of the European Union.

I voted for Edwin Edwards for governor of Louisiana after the party I identified with at the time put up David Duke. Edwards was a known quantity and I despised him, but better an evil lizard than an evil wizard. Other than that, no, but I can't say that many of the people I've voted for have had my full, enthusiastic support either. McCain might have if he'd made it through the 2000 primaries, but his choice of Palin as his running mate disqualified him in 2008. I don't think Palin is evil, though, just nuts. What else can you say about someone who thinks the first amendment of the Constitution is there to protect politicians from the press rather than the other way around?

If you listen to the campaign ads (and who can get away from them these days?) even the politicians are about the lesser of 2 evils. None of them tell you why they are a good choice. Instead they tell you why their opponent is th worse choice. Oh sure, they may spout off various promises but when has a politician ever kept a campaign promise to the average person?

I'm quite far to the left in my political thinking, though I wasn't horrified by McCain in 2000. He disgusted me in 2008 however, and the thought of Palin anywhere near the White House was terrifying. But I was solidly in support of Obama then. I'm less enamored now though. But I cant see myself voting for anyone republican, especially given the field.

I did vote Romney as governor, however lesson learned. He campaigned as such a liberal republican. I suppose he had to, given the state, but he made abrupt changes in viewpoint as soon as he was in office. He's a snake, and I don't trust him.

At this point, I think the only person I would be happy with occupying the Oval Office is me!

In the past our 2-party system was such that, even though the parties sometimes seemed monolithic, their large and diverse natures meant that different shades of opinion could still be considered. By the time you got to the two presidential candidates, it might seem like they looked the same, but the process allowed for a full debate of different shades of political opinion. Even though you might not have a "conservative" or a "progressive" candidate, groups favoring those positions did have some influence on the positions of the final candidate--in order to win the nomination, the candidate had to build a broad coalition of support.

What has happened in the past 10-20 years reflects what has happened in our society as a whole. The increasing concentration of wealth into a tiny percentage of the population, and the vast disparity that has developed between the top 1% (actually the top 0.1%) and the bottom 80% has allowed for almost the complete takeover of our political parties (and our government) by corporate interests. The explosion of money (esp following the United Citizens SCOTUS decision) means that, basically, members of Congress can fund campaigns, buy TV ads, etc, with little participation from the average citizen.

The most striking example is the rise of Newt Gingrich. Here is a guy whose entire staff quit on him earlier in the year, who has built almost no campaign structure in Iowa or New Hampshire, yet has zoomed to the lead in the polls in those states with only a couple of months before the primaries.

Iowa and New Hampshire have always justified their privileged positions as "first" primary states by saying it forced candidates to engage in "retail politics" and meet face-to-face with a large and diverse citizenry. It was supposedly a chance for voters to "kick the tires" and really focus in on what the candidates were all about.

For republicans, that hasn't been necessary at all. To me it seems like they barely even bother to give interviews anymore. Everything they say and do seems to be filtered through a prism of (controlled) campaign ads, (controlled) Facebook and Twitter statements and (controlled) appearances on Fox News and right-wing radio. For them, that's probably a good thing since anytime they have opened their mouths to say an unscripted word, they have proven that they are ignorant fools.

But it's gotten to the point where they don't care. They can sit back and just bomb the airways with ads, like the Allied raids on Germany in WWII.

The 2012 election is going to be grotesque. My only hope is that people will be so repulsed, they will demand changes. But with all the corporate $$ available, I don't think even that will make a difference. The politicians can just tell their constituents to f--k off.

I did vote Romney as governor, however lesson learned. He campaigned as such a liberal republican. I suppose he had to, given the state, but he made abrupt changes in viewpoint as soon as he was in office. He's a snake, and I don't trust him.

As a conservative who ususally votes Republican (though I have voted Libertarian and Constitution at the local level) I agree with your assessment and will NOT cast a vote for Romney. I don't trust him at all becaue of his flip flopping.

Personally, I'd like us to vote for people like our original government officials, men and women who DON'T WANT THE JOB!

Well Since the last election I have completely changed the way I vote. I am done voting against a candidate I will be voting for the candidate who I think is the best candidate not the candidate I think everyone else thinks can win. Its only a throw away vote if you vote for someone you didn't want.

[/quo I am done voting against a candidate I will be voting for the candidate who I think is the best candidate not the candidate I think everyone else thinks can win.te]

interesting. I'm wondering how you can determine who is the better candidate with the millions of dollars in the system spewing out and out lies and people willing to use scare tactics, half truths and misinformation?.