An option for Americans who are sick of partisan politics?

The two-party system in this country frustrates me to no end.  Not only do I find myself unable to support the ideology of either major party (it's tough being an atheist and not being a faithful liberal in this country), but I can't even trust their candidates to be honest about what they stand for.

The result is a political climate that focuses more on who's talking than on what's being said, and many good ideas flounder and die amidst volleys of nastiness and name-calling.

I hate to admit it, but I've become so disillusioned with the state of American politics that I almost don't feel that voting in national elections is worth my time.  I just want to let the Republicrats continue their stalemate in Washington while focusing on the issues I can help change, and I end up just casting a ballot for whichever side I think is the lesser evil (and then usually find out I was wrong).

And then, whilst skimming the news, I come across this:

If this kind of idiocy by elected officials sends you into a hair-pulling rage and leaves you wishing that we had more options today than our two-party system is putting forward — for instance, a party that would have offered a grand bargain on the deficit two years ago, not on the eve of a Treasury default — not only are you not alone, but help may be on the way.

Thanks to a quiet political start-up that is now ready to show its hand, a viable, centrist, third presidential ticket, elected by an Internet convention, is going to emerge in 2012.

There's an internet-based movement called Americans Elect 2012 that seeks to smash the two-party Scylla-and-Charybdis mold we've been stuck in for generations.  In a nutshell, it's a group of Republican, Democrat, libertarian, and independent voters attempting to form a consensus and jointly put a candidate on the ballot next fall who will actually get something done.

Part of me is doing the fist-pump, shouting "woo hoo!", and wanting to crack open a few beers with like-minded friends in celebration.  Part of me is skeptical of this movement's chances of success, and thinking that I shouldn't get my hopes up. 

Still, it's nice to entertain the notion that the next election might not be a choice of the lesser evil, and that I might have a positive alternative to a write-in vote for Cthulhu.

For what it's worth, any American readers who are frustrated with the current state of politics might want to visit the site and answer some of the policy questions.