OK, I’m going to come out and say it…
In the past, I’ve certainly advocated voting however you like, and I’ve done so myself. Third party candidates, write-ins, dowhutchalike. However, this time, when a great many of us, even the ones who don’t like Obama (at the moment, I think he’s awesome; your mileage may vary, and so might mine once I see what he does), REALLY don’t want the Republican Party to have the ability to make 4 more years of shit run downhill, and when it’s beyond obvious that the independent parties have no fucking shot in hell of winning the Presidency, voting for an independent party Presidential candidate is a really selfish, foolhardy thing to do. That said, you’re more than welcome to do it, but if you do, accept that you’re being really selfish, foolhardy and counterproductive toward your party’s interests this time rather than putting yourself on some pious, self-righteous pedestal. I’m not saying it isn’t your perogative, but let’s call a spade a spade here and at least exercise some self-honesty If you’re going to do it, folks.
If you’re really serious about breaking the two party system, vote for Obama today (because a loss for the Republicans could fracture that party), along any of your party of choice’s LOCAL candidates, and tomorrow, contact that party and start working for them. Volunteer your time to them, volunteer to run for very local offices for them next year if you feel comfortable and competent doing so, and take an active role in the political process. In the past, I’ve looked into doing so (for the Libertarian Party, at the time), and while I opted not to further involve myself after some more soul-searching on their positions (noble in a lot of ways, but not tremendously realistic within the boundaries of human nature), I can tell you that, from what I saw, smaller political parties can really use all the help they can get. If you want to give it to them (and by them, I mean any political party; I was just using the Libertarians as an example of my first-hand experience), don’t vote for their Presidential candidate today. Shift the momentum away from the Republicans, deal another blow to the two-party system, and volunteer your time and energy to the party of your conscience tomorrow.