Politics Are Not About Your Feelings

One of the things I hear many progressives talk about when they make a decision on who to support in an election is "how it makes them feel." There is a personal quality to it, that the choice they make reflects their ideals. It's beyond real-world values, i.e. things that are tangible and concrete. It's about the ideal, the world they want. Beyond just agreeing with a list of policy statements, progressives want to feel good about their choices.

While I can respect that point of view, it's not my point of view. Politics and government are far too important for me to worry about my feelings. Decisions our elected leaders make have real-world implications on our people. It was a "small government" mentality that created an inept FEMA, which of course mattered when Katrina hit. When we "cut the size of government," actual people lose actual jobs, denying their family a paycheck. When we go to war in Iraq, actual Americans lose their lives, limbs, and mental health in the heat of battle. When we deny women access to birth control under their health insurance, we impact their lives in a very tangible way. I could go on and on, but that would beleaguer the point. The things that government does, at all levels, matter to real people. This is important stuff.

With that in mind, I really don't care "how I feel" about a candidate. Don't get me wrong, i'm not voting for an ax-murderer because he's right on the issues, but unless you're a truly bad person, I will vote my positions. If the "less progressive" candidate will win and enact most of the things I support, I will support them over a candidate who either can't win, or can't enact law. My ideal government probably won't exist during my lifetime. A government will though, and it will matter to many lives. I'll take the best deal there is for the people, even if it doesn't make me "feel better" about my purity as a political being.