American politics is bi-polar.
In other words, if you do not commit to one of only two parties yet lean toward one and vote for an independent candidate leaning toward that same party, the result of your vote and those of supporters for that candidate will likely be a net gain for the opponent of the party you were closer to.
Example: If you voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 you may have leaned closer to Al Gore than George W. Bush. Yet your vote for Green Party ticket pulled votes from this bi-polar system and netted a razor thin margin of victory for Bush. Most Green Party folks don't like this one bit and have even suggested they campaign in states where a Republican or Democrat victory is not assured. In other words, places they believe they can be influencial in swinging votes. But they'd be more apt to get a person in the White House who supported more of their views if they campaigned only to convert Republicans. As it is, they are preaching to the choir and perhaps only converting and splintering Dems.
I don't believe we only have two options. So I'm finding out what I can about John Kerry and John Edwards while continuing to observe how President George W. Bush handles foreign policy. I'm even looking into David Cobb, the Green Party candidate. So if you want to help elect Bush, vote for Cobb. I'm joking but this may be the reality in some states.
Had Kerry chosen Gephart he would have balanced out the ticket on things like foreign policy but Edwards may cause Kerry to have a better chance to win than Gep. See Mike Cope's blog for a good piece on Edwards's loss of his son in the mid-90s.
Should Christians be involved in politics? Should they only participate in "conservative" politics? I know people who feel a Christian should be Republican. There's some serious wool that has been pulled over our eyes when it comes to politics, and we're only beginning to unravel this wool by saying that, friends, you don't have to be Republican to be a Christian. That does not necessarily mean you automatically have to swing over to be Democrat or vote that way. A few items in the agendas of each party make it difficult for me to support either whole-heartedly but we are stuck with a two party system--or are we?
Take a look with me at political web sites. Get involved. Ask questions. Vote responsibly and with conscience and conviction. Here are several web sites. Please write to give me more to list.
6:54:15 AM 
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