Lesser of two evils argument: how to respond?

[dannno]

Look. There is NO REASON to use the "strategy method" in the voting booth. One vote will NEVER tip the scales!! That is the ONLY reason a strategy vote is worth a strategy vote, otherwise it's just a wasted vote!! Always vote for the best person. Period.

A strategy vote is only potentially useful if there are 10 or 20 people voting!!

 

[apropos]

Pretty simple response is: why would you a) vote for someone who doesn't represent you accurately and therefore won't work for what you want and b) vote for someone you never believed in in the first place?

 

[rich34]

Hell with that logic. You can use the same logic and say that because of Ralph Nader we got bozo the clown to be our president over the last 8 years.

I'm registered republican now because of Dr. Paul, but I can't hardly stomach the neocon type republicans. They're the biggest hypocrits on earth. They had no problem with Nader and Buchannan (2000 election) siphoning votes away from Gore/Kerry which gave the election to the most corrupt president in American history (with the possible exception of Lyndon Johnson) so what's the problem now? I don't like Obama either and will most likely vote for Baldwin, but the republican party deserves whatever hell they get!

They rejected the most honest and principled politican over the last 100 years and used dirty tricks and manuvers to silence Ron Paul and now they want us to vote for McCain because he's the lesser of two evils? HELL WITH EM!

 

[Misesian]

Well, the chance of the election in FL coming down to one vote is astronomically small. So, he should vote his conscience.

Yes, I read this from Lew Rockwell saying that the chances of your vote determining the outcome of the election are less then your chances of dieing in a car accident on the way to the poll. You can see this in ANY type of election. Our local Republican Executive Committee had a special election to replace the chair who was resigning and the outcome was determined by 5 votes. Even if it was determined by 2 votes MY single vote would not have made once difference. People will usually still try to fight this argument but they're not understanding that my one vote wouldn't make the difference so whynot vote for hte BEST candidate.

Also tell them that a vote is supposed to be an endorsement of principles, not a betting slip. Point out McCain's atrocious record on increasing the size of government and just let his conscience work against him by saying if he wants those things, and a crippled GOP that will be led by this type of president, then certainly vote for McCain.

At least with Obama as president, the dems will get all of the blame and with the help of the R3volution we can restore true Old Right conservatism amongst the Republicans to stand up to the New New Dealings of Obama.

 

[armstrong]

depends if we survive 4 years of obama hmmm I wonder how much fuel will cost and food will cost in 2012

 

[Truth Warrior]

Gee, shit.008 is a whole lot better than shit.009, I'll vote for him! Go shit.008! You're my guy! YAY!!!

 

[qh4dotcom]

Here's a strong argument against the lesser of two evils concept

*****************************************************

My integrity is more important than electability...I refuse to sell my soul to the two party system (Obama/Democrats, and McCain/Republicans) that has caused so many problems to the country. Unlike millions of people, my conscience will actually haunt me for the next 4 years if I vote for the two party system because the next president is just about guaranteed to be as bad if not even worse than Bush. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results...so if you keep voting for the two party system don't expect different results....you'll keep getting more of the same. As Jay Leno once said...you get the government you deserve.

I am doing the right thing and voting for a third party candidate.

 

[literatim]

 

[libertarian4321]

How do I respond to this?

Both McWar and Obama will fight for massive new expenditures- whether they go with "tax and spend" or "borrow and spend" is pretty irrelevant.

Obama will waste our tax money in the USA- social programs, infrastructure, health care.

McCain will waste our tax money in Iraq (and probably Iran).

I fail to see how "wasting our money in Iraq" is "less evil" than wasting the same money in the USA.

If my money is going to be wasted, better to spend it on a bridge in the USA (Obama) than a bridge in Iraq (McWar).

Though, obviously, both are bad choices...

Full disclosure: I'm a Republican, and a fiscal conservative, but I'd rather staple my family jewels to my leg than vote for an utter jackass like John McCain. I do NOT want "FOUR MORE YEARS!" of the Bush Presidency...

 

[pinkmandy]

There is no lesser evil. When you cast a vote for a "lesser" evil, you are condoning that evil. You are giving politicians permission to screw you over. Next election- what do you get? More evil...why? BECAUSE THEY KNOW YOU'LL STILL VOTE FOR IT. It just keeps getting worse. The GOP has worked its way up to the liberal John McCain. What are the repubs going to do about it? VOTE FOR HIM! How in the world does that help the party? It doesn't! It just morphs it into something new and NOT conservative.

If this cycle were to continue (w/out our movement) what would the GOP put forth next time? Scary to think about, isn't it?

 

[Matt Collins]

Abstain From Beans

Sorry, I'm a libertarian not an anarchist. Some minimal government is necessary so long that it's controlled, restrained, and limited.

Besides, until you can get the states to convene a Constitutional convention voting is the way this country will continue to operate. You can be a part of the process or you can sit out and let others decide for you; your choice.

 

[Matt Collins]

5. Barack Obama.
Liberal. Socialist Democrat. If I have to pay a few more dollars out of my check (many of you, I imagine, will not), and swing the control of the government over to a less dangerous faction to see a better economy, a better foreign policy, and disposal of some of the more insane executive privileges I have ever heard of, then yes, I'll do it.

I don't think you understand... In fact if you support Ron Paul and would ever consider voting for Obama then you DON'T get the entire R3voLution.


Let me give you the quick version.... socialism/communism that we would get from Obama and fascism/socialism that we would get from McCain ARE BOTH AUTHORITARIAN. Communism and fascism are both big government.

Obama is going to screw us worse than McCain will but the point is that BOTH will screw us. I am voting for someone who WON'T screw us.

 

[Matt Collins]

Crazy ramblings? Or the start of an idea? Not sure yet. Thought I would throw it out there...

Michael Badnarik has contemplated this idea and supposedly uses a system such as this.

See this:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...constitution+class+&ei=cZhYSNbYF5SGrQKRxvjgDg

 

[Truth Warrior]

Sorry, I'm a libertarian not an anarchist. Some minimal government is necessary so long that it's controlled, restrained, and limited.

Besides, until you can get the states to convene a Constitutional convention voting is the way this country will continue to operate. You can be a part of the process or you can sit out and let others decide for you; your choice.

Sound more like a statist than a libertarian. Maybe you meant Libertarian ( statist ).

 

[Kade]

I don't think you understand... In fact if you support Ron Paul and would ever consider voting for Obama then you DON'T get the entire R3voLution.


Let me give you the quick version.... socialism/communism that we would get from Obama and fascism/socialism that we would get from McCain ARE BOTH AUTHORITARIAN. Communism and fascism are both big government.

Obama is going to screw us worse than McCain will but the point is that BOTH will screw us. I am voting for someone who WON'T screw us.

No, sir, you don't understand.

I could give a rat's ass about the privacy rights and ownership of a corporation. I care about civil liberties, and I was long in this movement before many of you lame excuses for revolutionaries had the ball sacks to criticize my idea of freedom.

To shame with your relentless and pathetically overused critiqued. If I never "got" the revolution, then the hundreds of people I brought to it, also don't "get it".

You wonder why you lost the hacker's support. You get herd individualists. What we have left here is people like you, morons who insult others by saying they aren't "with the program".

The only movement I understand is freedom. And I know when it's threatened in my life, and by my very essence, McCain represents everything I stand against.

 

[Elwar]

The arguments I've used throughout the years:

"I'd rather be pro-something this year, voting against something is never good."

The old stand by: "Voting for the lesser of two evils means you end up with....evil!"

"Who says I'd vote for McCain?"

"Your one vote won't count unless you go to work with a long black robe. That was proven in the 2000 election."

"I'm a bit selfish, I prefer my vote to have a bigger impact. Imagine you had a dollar that you had to give to someone. You had your choices of Bill Gates, Donald Trump and a single mom. If you gave your one dollar adding to the millions that Gates and Trump get they wouldn't care or notice and it wouldn't mean much at all. But if you give it to that single mom it would have the biggest impact of all of the choices. Your single vote has a bigger impact when voting for someone who doesn't have millions of votes already."

Then there's always..."We have Diebold machines...'nuff said"

 

[Matt Collins]

Sound more like a statist than a libertarian. Maybe you meant Libertarian ( statist ).

How exactly am I a statist?

 

[Matt Collins]

The only movement I understand is freedom.

Then why would you vote for Obama? He is going to take away freedom just the same, if not more, than McCain.

And I know when it's threatened in my life, and by my very essence, McCain represents everything I stand against.

Same here. And Obama is really not all that different than McCain.

 

[Truth Warrior]

How exactly am I a statist?

Easy one, you vote for the state!

Maybe you can tell me. Why does Ron strongly ENDORSE LewRockwell.com? ( My last sig quote )

Thanks!

 

[Todd]

How exactly am I a statist?

Your not a statist...

Even Libertarians and classic conservatism believes that some government is necessary. It's just that it should only be as little as possible.
The little diamond diagrams that people use to pinpoint where they are on the political spectrum are cute and all with boxing in different polticial ideology and they make great power point slides....but when it comes to collectivism and individual liberty anyone who has studied these issues knows it tends to more linear with one extreme or the other.

Any vote for Obama and McCain is a vote for further, unhealthy levels of collectivism. Period.