So the primaries are about a month away where I live, but it doesn’t really matter because it’s not as though I have a choice anyway. Kerry’s already wrapped up the nomination. We know now it’s going to be Kerry and Bush. The news doesn’t even show the results of the primaries anymore because it’s not like they’re going to change anything. You have to wonder why they even bother asking for our opinion.

Well, I for one intend to vote for my candidate Dean whether he’s on the ballot in late April or not. Some may accuse me of throwing away my vote on a candidate who’s not even in the running any more, but just hear me out. The way I see it, voting for Kerry is more of a wasted vote than voting for Dean. If I vote for Kerry it changes nothing. He would have won whether he had my vote or not. I could not vote at all, and Kerry would still be the winner of the nomination. Me, everybody in my state, and everybody in all those other states that happen to fall after Super Tuesday have been told very clearly that our votes don’t count.

Well, I’m going to make my vote count. Kerry may be the Democratic nominee already, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. In my opinion, Kerry was a horrible choice for the nomination, and I’m sure Democrats will come to realize this all too soon. By voting for Dean I can still send a message. I can tell the party that this is the type of person I want running for President. This is what I want to see done. I can tell them that my voice will not be silenced just because Kerry happened to pick up Iowa. It may not be the message Dean supporters wanted to send with their votes, but it is still a message nonetheless. And that’s what voting was made for. If I just fall in line and vote for Kerry I communicate nothing, and my vote really is wasted. That’s why I’m still voting for Dean. And I encourage the rest of you in states that have yet to vote in their primaries to do likewise.

I’ll still vote for Kerry in the general election. But in April I’ll be voting for Dean.