I First Heard of the Notion of "Holding My Nose and Voting..." From a Conservative Friend in 2004.

[RadiationTherapy]

I now have a new, uncomfortable understanding of what he meant with that phrase. He voted to re-elect Bush, but was embarrassed and unenthusiastic about him until Obama came along. Even now, his praise of Bush is distant and generic.

[aquart]

1. Oh, I've been familiar with it a lot longer than that.

Right now I have a very short list of who I'd want home with the flu on the day an asteroid strikes Congress.

[Safetykitten]

2. No gay friends huh?

[RadiationTherapy]

3. You know, that is interesting.

Of course I have gay friends, but, no, never heard it from them. Now I see your point on multiple levels. Thanks.

[bowens43]

4. No more of that for me.......

I am through voting for people I don't believe in.

[femrap]

6. I believe voting on local/state

issues/candidates is more important than national. On a national level....as we've seen, it doesn't seem to make much difference. They're bought and paid for.

Lately, the only logical action seems to be to :hide:

I despair.

[sad sally]

5. Something to consider from George Carlin:

"Now, there's one thing you might have noticed I don't complain about: politicians. Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. F*ck Hope."
— George Carlin

[RadiationTherapy]

7. I agree with him. We are an image-conscious, competition-driven society.

It is evident in our politicians, pop culture, and income distribution. I fully believe we are doomed without, essentially, a global "consciousness shift". I don't mean that in the spacey sense; I mean people have to just stop wanting to live certain ways. Without that, it won't stop. We can't force people or 're-educate' them.

[deaniac21]

8. I hold my nose with every vote. Caveat emptor.

[RadiationTherapy]

9. I thought I could just vote my principles, but I feel forced into something more complicated than

that.

[Forkboy]

10. I first heard it back in the early 90's.

It was for a local election, not a national one.

I've never really felt like I'm "holding my nose" when I vote for someone. I'm certainly not always thrilled with the choices I have, but those were my choices.

I will say that I feel like I'm voting against someone more often than for someone, which is a little bit of a downer.