the priniciples...

Election day is less than five weeks away, and as I sit here this morning I am thinking about my vote, and

..the principles: that I hold dear and consider non negotiable

when casting my vote. So with that in mind, I starting getting into a quandry of sorts, for Senator Bill Nelson (FL) has voted for things that violate my principles, particularly voting a *yea* to the recent Torture Legislation that pretty much gives Bush a *free get out of jail card* while putting innocent lives at risk.

So with that, I had to shout out to the DKos community this morning:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/4/11732/0177

Good morning Kossacks from Northern Europe!

I am sitting here with my overseas registration, prepared to fax it some that I am registered in my last residence--Floriduh (ugh)--so that I can vote in November.

However, I am in a quandary of principles, and am not sure what to do. Having a discussion with you all would be of benefit, not only for me, but those of us who are dedicated, progressive Dems in the same boat.

Grab your parachute, time to jump...

I have principles and values that guide my decisions, as we all do, and they are solid. And we are all in the same boat with how we feel about the current Administration and those Dems who are not doing the job that we have elected (and paid, by the way, with our taxes) to make decisions that are humane, keep our Constitution intact and correct the poorly steered US policy. I myself am so dedicated to this, that I am flying to CT on 04 November to volunteer for Ned Lamont (big thanks to CT Bob for the help and pointers). Interestingly, I am not from CT (Jersey native here), and one would think I would even go back to my last state of residence to move things forward...

Ned Lamont, John Laesch, Jon Tester, Danny Stover (to name a few) represent what we all know--progressive, Dem values that reflect a majority of Americans' concerns and needs. And as I look at Bill Nelson (FL-D, Sen), I do not see them.

1) Predatorgate: whilst I admit that I am not a MSM person and get my fix from Dkos, FDL, C&L, I have yet to see Nelson publicly address his back yard Congressman Foley. Not so much in reprimanding him, yet holding all Repubs accountable for putting children at risk for the sake of saving their careers.
2) Castrating the Constitution and Blowing Off the Geneva Conventions: Bill Nelson voted yes and passed this hideous piece of legislation. We know the significance of it, potential consequences, who will benefit from it while others suffer. No need to expand on this.

I try and think of the legislation that Nelson has voted for that aligns with my principles. His position on living wills and the right to choose are in alignment as well.

Yet when looking at Predatorgate and the Torture Legisalation, I am at a crossroads internally. To vote for him now, to a degree, signifies an approval that I am not willing to concede.

How do you all balance this? How do you feel, what are your thoughts?

What would you do?

I look forward to this conversation, for I am sure that many of us are in the same boat. Yes, I have been a straight ticket Dem, voting in every election since I registered on my 18th birthday. I realize that we need to keep as many Dems in office, yet how do we balance our principles that we hold so dear, cast our vote, and be able to sleep at night, knowing that we are defying what we hold true and dear?
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question: what do you choose?