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I think it's possible to be true to own's own ideals while at the same time acknowledging the complexity and political realities of the world.
I support Nader, but as he suggested in 2004, if there is any chance McCain could beat Obama in my home state, I'll vote for Obama. That doesn't mean I feel Obama is my saviour, utterly flawless and in possession of absolute truth (nor is Nader). I haven't looked for that in a career politician for some time now. I don't even believe that such a being would necessarily make an effective political leader.
Sometimes a realistic concern for the greatest good, compromised as it may be, will require a sacrifice of one's own personal idealism- if one really does care about the rest of the world. But that doesn't have to result in one's being damned and going to hell. As Obama said recently, we should be able to do two things at the same time. "Be in the world, but not of it/don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing", as Christ said. Or, "You don't have to give up the world, just your attachment to it." in the words of Ramakrishna. Or Sai Baba's "Hands in society, head in the forest."
Obama of course would never have gotten where he is if he were a true Progressive. And he'll have to make the same concessions to public opinion, the media, his party's platform and even the military industrial complex for him to even remain in office if elected, just as Clinton, Carter, etc had to before him. But given the alternative, the greater evil, I think it is just plain selfish to place one's own personal ideals above the good of the country. Politics, as religion, has got to be more about than just "Me". Would you refuse to throw someone a life preserver because you happen to know that the oil used in it was made possible by Halliburton?
In fact, I think that's why God probably came up with the idea of "Grace." We just have to make sure that we maintain enough of it in our bank account to cover our checks (another SB saying). And voting for someone because the other represents a beeline to extinction, shouldn't deplete it. Plus, there is always the hope, the outside chance, that someone like Barack might find a way to be truer to his own innate beliefs, once in office.
If one wants to be absolutely true to one's own pristine pure value system, then I think one should eschew politics and go live in a cave.
But even if that's the case, I imagine one will quickly find that they still have to come to some understanding with the mice and scorpions...
