There is some legitimacy for discussing the lesser of two evils. I'm all for working to educate the public enough to understand some of our positons and voting third party or reformin the Republican party BUT I also live in reality. This time around one of these two will be elected and I SURE think McCain/Palin is the best choice.
I like Palin and will bevoting for them. "I'm not here for your approval..." hehe
Cheers...
Hi EndTheFed,
I understand your reasoning. My wife has a similar view on the subject in that; she is willing to vote for McCain only to prevent Obama from entering office. This is primarily because of a single issue related to laws surrounding labor unions and the formation of them. She feels that a vote for McCain is actually a vote against Obama. This appears to make sense, but a vote for anyone other than Obama IS a vote against him. On the other side, a vote for a third party is really a vote against McCain and Obama both. I realize that one of the two, either McCain or Obama is likely going to win this election. It is unrealistic to say that a third party will win, but we need to stop thinking in the short term. By voting for a third party you have such an impact on the process. The more votes a third party such as Libertarian or Constitution Party receives the greater credibility it gives them. People believe a third party cannot win, and as a result they don't vote for them. But if a third party got 15% or even 20% of the vote in just one election it makes an impact on other voters for the next cycle. They begin to see that party as legitimate (I'm talking about the masses now) and consider it a real option instead of a wasted vote. That is extremely important when you consider the big picture. Even more important than recognition, is ballot access and debates. If a party gets 15% or more of the popular vote in a presidential election, they get automatic ballot access in the next election, just like Republicans and Democrats (I have not checked these facts. I will be checking, but I trust the source who told me). This would mean 4 years from now a third party could focus it's time and money on campaigning rather than constantly getting signatures. These are important milestones that cannot be ignored.
Here is what I asked my wife, "Do you believe that McCain will win the general election in our state?" To which she answered, "Yes", as we live in Alabama, a very red state. This being the case, her individual vote most likely is not needed for McCain to get the electoral votes from our state. However, her vote can still help get the 15% popular vote needed by a third party to secure ballot access in the next election. With that in mind, to vote for either McCain or Obama only perpetuates the system we have now and encourages both Democrats and Republicans to continue taking advantage the American people as they have for so long. They will have no motivation to change their platforms or policies in the future knowing that the people will vote for them anyway. It is a simple case of supply and demand. As long as the demand remains unchanged they will continue to supply the same pitiful representation currently seen from both parties. If they see the votes shifting in another direction they will need to find a way to make their policies more desirable to voters, having no choice but to change. To vote for anyone other than a third party becomes a wasted vote as it suggests that the current system is working and should remain the same. This trick of getting us to vote for one side just to prevent the other from winning is what has allowed a two party system to dominate in the United States for so long.
If you still feel that voting for a third party will hurt McCain's chances, try this. Find someone in your area who plans to vote for Obama, but like yourself is unhappy with the current system and is only voting to prevent McCain from winning, perhaps another Ron Paul supporter in your area. Both agree to vote for a third party thus canceling out each other’s votes and encouraging the changes we hope to see from a strong third party stand. It if the other person truly does hope for "change" they should be willing to work together towards this common goal. I'm trying to match people up like this in my area already by talking to friends and relatives. I've been shocked by the responses so far. People are actually very open to this idea of collaborative voting since they don't believe a third party can win and it works towards a common goal without effecting the Democrats or Republicans chances in this election.
