Your Opinion: "Lesser of two evils' argument fails

Dear Editor:

I was telling a friend about my disillusionment with Barack Obama the other day and that I was not planning to work for his election this time. In fact I said that I wouldn't even vote for him. Shocked, my friend said, "Would you rather see one of the crazy Republican candidates elected president?"

I'm pretty used to having this "lesser of two evils" argument thrown in my face. Democrats have been doing it to me all my life and I have always gone for the bait.

This time I'm not biting. Obama is a disastrous president who has not only failed to deliver on any of the "Change You Can Believe In" lies he promised during his campaign, he has largely resumed most of the terrible programs begun by his predecessor - murder, torture, spying, war, repeal of habeas corpus, and selling out to large corporate interests.

Democrats need to realize now that they have a lame-duck on their hands. Obama will most likely not win a second term. Some of this may not even be directly his fault if unstoppable unemployment numbers continue to skyrocket. Of course no one on the right will vote for him.

He has pretty well disenfranchised and alienated progressives. Some of us radicals who voted for him last time may reluctantly vote for him, but none of us will work for him the way we did last time. The same can be said for the youth, black and Hispanic vote, so helpful in the last election.

The American youth got smart and cynical soon and fast thanks to our con-artist in chief. I think all this will add up to Obama being a one-term president.

The Democrats need to run a progressive candidate who can deliver the real change this country needs, not a man who is all style and no courage or substance. If they fail to see the handwriting on the crumbling wall, then it will be their fault if we have a "crazy Republican" for our next president. Don't give me that lesserof-two-evils garbage again.

Absent a viable third party, I'm sitting the next one out. No matter who the president, we have a government of, by and for the corporations. The only option a person of conscience has is to opt out of the whole process.

Don't vote and the choice is yours; vote and the choice is theirs.