Politics for the Birds

I'm glad we're not voting tomorrow. I'm at a complete loss.

I've taken several of those online quizzes to find out where I fall on the political spectrum. According to each and every test, I'm a centrist ... and no political party aligns with my views. Oh, goody.

My father-in-law sent me a link to "find your candidate". It's an interesting exercise where they ask you about your position on various issues and then tell you where the candidates fall in relation to your answers. I wasn't the least bit surprised to find that Hillary and Obama were at the bottom of the list. I was amused that Duncan Hunter was at the top. Who? But no one -- not one of the candidates -- agreed with all of my positions. Given the short list and the limited options given, I had hoped that it would be a less impossible task ... as ridiculous as "less impossible" is.

They tell me not to waste my vote. If you vote for someone who is not Republican, Democrat, or, at the very least, "Independent", you're wasting your vote, they tell me. If you vote for someone who isn't in the lead, you're wasting your vote. So I'm left with a dilemma. Do I waste my vote by trying to elect someone who does not represent my views, or do I waste my vote by trying to elect someone who does represent my views but cannot get elected? And is it, as Michael Medved suggests, immoral to vote you conscience if it's someone who cannot be elected?

I have some time. We won't be voting for a year. I suspect, however, that in the next year that my choices will be limited even further. Duncan Hunter won't be an option. Neither will anyone who agrees with my view. At what point do I just admit that I'll be living in America without representation?

Sigh. I don't like politics very much at all.