You Can’t Get There From Here
The Real Harm in the Lesser-Evil Approach “You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.” This insight by Albert Einstein reminds us that in life, certain choices and actions can undermine goals we ostensibly hold dear. But when it comes to elections, such reasoning is suppressed. Whenever the quadrennial presidential horse race heats up, spokespersons for the liberal left outdo each other rationalizing why “responsible” opponents of the status quo must buck up, be “practical” and, above all, never stray from the narrow, contrived choice allotted to us by those currently pulling the strings. Each race is different. Sometimes, progressives will argue that the Democratic candidate is so meritorious that he/she has earned our support outright, based on the balance sheet of the candidate’s actual efforts and accomplishments. Remarkably, there are those who try to make this case for Barack Obama today—a position that can only be defen...