No, Virginia, They're NOT All the Same...

It's been a tough couple of months for the both sides do it/democrats and republicans are the same/elections don't matter/voting is a waste of time posse.  I could link up a bunch of crazy BS, but I'll just assume anyone who's made it this far follows politics closely enough to be aware that Rush just got his foot caught in a bear trap disguised as a vagina, Santorum is running for president as an out and proud Theocrat, and that Mitt Romney is a cyborg fueled by the tears of the working class.

So, I ran into one of those "it doesn't matter who you vote for, they're all crooks I tell ya!" people in a FB thread.  I'm so fed up with the narrative that I can't ignore it (the logical response) but the structure of FB inhibits meaningful dialogue.  So I made a few snide, accurate comments in thread and headed here to expand my musings.

I'm no fan of Obama.
He's been a total embarrassment on civil liberties, roughly equivalent to Bush across the board. His economic team is historically awful, packed with bankers who have provided exactly the wrong council at every turn.  His habit of accepting (and thereby validating) the Republican frame on assorted contentious issues drives me nuts.  His (seemingly genuine) belief that Republicans can be treated like reasonable negotiating partners has made me question his reason.  His powerful rhetoric and impressive talent for articulating a genuine progressive vision mostly just pisses me off, as he invariably deploys it in service of weak tea, milquetoast propositions, or slapping lipstick on some concession-laden "deal" with Republicans.

But dissatisfied as I am with his administration, I'm not fool enough to think McCain/Palin would be an improvement, or even a lateral move.  And I struggle for words to adequately describe the gulf between Obama's job performance and the tragic grotesqueries promised by a Santorum or Romney administration.

Why?
Well, he's demonstrably better on social issues across the board and he'll leave behind some concrete acheivements, like suspend defense of DOMA and repeal DADT.  But aside from policy stuff, it can be summed up in two words-

Supreme Court.

Nuff said.