The Presidential elections are coming up. Are you sick and tired of having to pick from the lesser of two evils? Do you feel discouraged voting for a third party, knowing they are shut out of the debates by the corporate powers that be? Do you feel that voting for one of the two major parties compromises your values? Do you wish the two major parties would put forth candidates that were more responsive to the American People, and less beholden to corporate power and the Military-Industrial complex (aka sucked less)? Well, have I got just the cure for you-- voting in the primary elections!

Now, primary elections are a bit of a grey fuzzy area for a large number of people. Most people I talk to envision the selection of candidates going like this:

In a dark smoky back room, there is a table, illuminated by a single naked lightbulb. Sitting around it are the inner-most party members, members of the corporate aristocracy, the conglomerate media, and the military industrial complex. They grease each other's palms with money, and decide which candidate would be best at giving them more money and more power. I've even talked to some who think that the selection of the presidential candidate is done by the board of either the GOP or the DNC, based purely on opinion polls. Some in my age group (eighteen to twenty something) think that donating money is the only way to influence the outcome of the primary elections. Very few people realize that they either can, or should, vote in the primary elections.

That smoky room described above? I have some good news and some bad news. That does happen. But it doesn't happen in secret. It happens right in front of our very eyes, but the one big difference between this fantasy and reality (which is the good news) is that you do have a say, and you can put a stop to it.

Yes, you can vote, and yes your vote does make a difference-- and it's vital that you do make a difference. The primary elections are just as important, if not more important, than the general elections. Why? The Primary elections are when you get to choose the direction of the party you've chosen by electing the candidates that will run for office. It's your job to stand guard, and make sure that terrible candidates don't get the nomination. Ever watch the news, see the latest scandal and think, “My god, how do these people get elected?” The answer is: because you didn't vote in the primary.

The blindly loyal of each party (who do vote in every primary) get tricked by the false dichotomy of Republican versus Democrat, and vote for “safe” candidates portrayed as being “electable” by the conglomerate-owned corporate media. These candidates get lots of attention from the media because they have millions of dollars, which interestingly comes largely from the same companies and people who own the media. Hillary Clinton, for example, can count Rupert Murdoch, owner of the conservative public relations spin zones FoxNews and NewsCorp, as being one of her largest donors. The public, seduced by horse-race style coverage that is devoid of any discussion of the issues or where the candidates stand on them, are sold these candidates as if they were being sold dish detergent, and end up thinking that simply voting one person out of office in favor of another will be enough to cure their political woes, without realizing that many have the same backers and agenda in both parties.

Sometimes the difference between the corporate candidates and the ones who actually want change becomes apparent in public forums, like debates. When this happens, it's a favored tactic to point out that “as different as our views are here, the differences between us are small compared to the differences between us and the opposing party,” which, if examined in any depth, is false. Truly, when funded by the same interests, there are actually fewer differences between the corporate-chosen “mainstream” candidates in either party and the candidates who are portrayed as “radical.” This portrayal is ironic as most “radical” candidates are portrayed as such only because they threaten the grip on power and control of public policy that the wealthy elite have. In reality, they are much more in line with the average American on every issue.

Thanks to the corporate-owned media favoring the candidates with the most money, the public unconsciously equates money with electability. Think about that for a moment-- we measure a candidate's viability by how likely they are to be corrupted by dirty money. What does that say about us as a nation? It's no wonder people are so cynical as to see candidates, who they agree with, as being too good to be true, and that to compromise their politics for more “electable” candidates is the only real option. We've been conditioned not to vote in our best interest.
There are alternatives to the two-party plutocracy in the general election, known collectively as “third parties.” Even though there is more than one of them, the name makes it seem as as if the “first and “second” parties, the Republicans and Democrats, have a right to rule forever. These parties are where issues that affect the majority of Americans end up relegated, as the corporate candidates have and agenda of maintaining the status quo. There are, however, problems with our electoral system, created by the two-party system fearing any threat to it's duopolist power, that make it near impossible for third party candidates to gain ballot access, let alone win a seat in office. In order to make our system more democratic, more representative, and more responsive to the public's needs, we first must elect a candidate who will make changes to the system rather than protect his or her career interests. This person inevitably will have to come from one of the two major parties.

So, do you want change? If you really want change, it's absolutely vital for you to vote for in the primaries. If you don't, the general public will end up with a choice between two candidates who have allegiance to their corporate handlers and no allegiance to the American people.

In 2000, 60% of Americans didn't vote, because they were so fed up with the two party system. Many people today register as Independent, because they feel that neither of the two major parties represent them, not realizing that they are giving up their shot at turning the table -- voting so that instead of finding a party to suit them, they change the party to better represent them.

If we want real change in the 2008 election, Americans need to wake up, and register to vote. Not in the general election, where corporate owned candidates are already selected for us. We need to get involved at the entry level, and keep terrible politicians from getting the nomination in the first place. Are you ready to take democracy back into the hands of the people?