Is there any reason I shouldn’t vote in the primary for the presidential candidate who most closely reflects my own political views? I’m not talking about whether anyone agrees with me about the merits of the candidate. And I’m certainly not talking about the chances my candidate has to be elected president. All I’m saying is that, since I’m going to vote for the Democratic candidate in November anyway, no matter who that turns out to be, why shouldn’t I vote my heart and conscience on February 5?

There are eight names on my primary ballot. Three of them belong to those the media recognize as “major” candidates. The others have either been driven out of the race already, or have been so deliberately marginalized that they aren’t taken seriously. And the “major” candidates have allowed this to happen, so that only their voices are heard. Well, I’ve heard my guy speak, and he makes sense to me. He has serious views on both politics and governing, which are two entirely different endeavors. He is also fighting seriously for our right to hear him, which I admire as much as anything else about him.

Come November, I know I won’t have a chance to vote for Dennis Kucinich. But I can’t think of a reason in the world I shouldn’t vote for him in February. Is it a protest vote? Well, yes, sort of. But it’s also a statement of the direction I think the process should be taking, away from the mainstream and toward more progressive thinking. My reasons for choosing him don’t matter nearly as much as my strong feeling that I have the absolute right and obligation to vote in a way that makes me feel I’ve done something positive for the benefit of the country.