Forget the Presidential Election

I followed a link from @acarvin on twitter to NPR's Get My Vote project, I didn't plan on doing anything but looking around, then I signed up and wrote the following:

The election in November will be the third presidential election that I have had the privilege of being a part of, and for the first time in my life, I think that I could honestly care less about who the eventual nominee of either party is. When I was a kid I was (much like other kids I'm sure) always pulling for the candidate that my parents were supporting. So, in general, it was a republican candidate. I can't say for sure when that changed and at what point my political views veered away from that of my parents, but I imagine that it was around the time that I first read James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man". For some reason this book (which I swear all of my friends hated) changed something in me, and made me really start developing my own opinions as opposed to simply accepting slightly modified beliefs handed down by my parents. I studied history and political science in college and have become a staunch independent, which makes me on of the millions of forgotten voters in this country who are continually forced to choose between the lesser of two evils when picking who to vote for in any national election. I think more than at any other point in my life, I am less concerned with who the President will be and far more concerned with what is going on in Congress that is causing the true problems in our government. Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama (arranged alphabetically so as not to imply any favor, since I don't agree with any of them more than the other) can give speech after speech about what they will do about the problems facing this nation, and when it comes down to it, it all means nothing. The President cannot legislate, he/she can support a position, but they cannot introduce or work to pass legislation. The Congress is the problem with this country. I'm sure there are many who put the blame for everything that has happened since January 20, 2001 squarely on the shoulders of President Bush. I will agree that I do not like President Bush's policy stances on most issues, however, with a truly representative congress (not full of career politicians who are concerned only about their paychecks) most of the things that have happened would have died on the floor of the House or Senate. The parties and their power over congress is the problem, not the man occupying the West Wing. Republican lockstep politics have led to increased national debt, an unpopular war, a fragile economy and a constant state of fear perpetuated by the government. However, with Democratic passivity allowing everything to fly through out of fear of political backlash when they came up for re-election, all we have is a congress that can't do anything of real value. I do not support Obama, McCain or Clinton (reverse alphabetical order just to mix things up) and I do not plan to vote for any of them in November. But what am I left with, Ralph Nader? Worst of all, when it comes to congressional elections, I am left casting what amounts to a protest vote for a Libertarian or a Green. Our system is broken because those who we have entrusted it's care to have abused and neglected it. Whoever wants my vote had better be ready to vote for 100% publicly funded campaigns and term limits for Congressmen and women. If that ever happens, I will be truly amazed.