A smarter voting policy (Andrew Sullivan)

Sully offers a letter from a reader that says in part:

...Our country is certainly headed in the wrong direction, our spending has spiraled out of control, we have brave young men and women dying in Iraq, and those in power only want to talk about illegal immigration (and not seriously reform it) and wedge issues like gay marriage that only further divide these "United States..."

After the letter, Sully offers the following advice:

Next Tuesday, as part of that process of reform and renewal, whether you are a conservative or a liberal or sick of both labels, vote Democrat or abstain.

First of all, the letter gives an inaccurate portrayal of the "immigration debate". On the one side you have those who favor a quasi-open border (Bush, the Dems, Big Business, churches, far-left/racial power groups, etc.), and on the other side you have a few House Democrats, a fairly large number of House Republicans, and 75% or so of the American public. The latter group doesn't want to just talk about illegal immigration, they want to do something about it. And, they would if it weren't for those on the other side who offer a strong opposition. While those on the other side occasionally somewhat oppose illegal immigration (such as Bush with the fence bill), that decision is only to advance their wider aims. So, what the letter writer tries to claim is just hot air is actually a bit of a struggle.

As for Sully's voting advice, you can do better. There are several GOP members that oppose those who do not have America's best interests at heart, and they deserve your support.

UPDATE: That wacky Sully! Right after the letter, he had a sentence encouraging voters to vote for Democrats or just stay home, and that's what my last paragraph is refering to. But, now it's gone. I guess it was a technical glitch, or something. Luckily, this other blogger replied to it too.