For Those Not Happy With The Candidates…
The election is just a few days away, bringing to a close the longest campaign of my life. While I enjoy politics, and view it as my passion, enough is enough! Here is my problem… I don’t feel as though I can vote for either of these candidates. I have no idea what will happen in the voting booth, but I can tell you I am distraught.
The poll on the right indicates that I am not alone in thinking neither of these candidates should be the one for the job. Thirty percent of our readers indicate they are either voting for a third party, or just hate their choices. Barack Obama will help everybody out, which is probably my problem with him. John McCain knows nothing about the economy and will continue these wars… which are my problems with him.
Most of our normal readers know I supported Ron Paul for president. What people viewed as crazy at the time, has become much more “sane” as time has gone on. With the economy in meltdown, everything Ron Paul has predicted has come true. He warned us about this crisis when it could have been prevented.
The Republicans have blamed Fannie and Freddie Mac and the failed Carter principles… and why shouldn’t they! The Democrats have blamed Bush’s failed economic policies… and why shouldn’t they! Bush and his sponsored bankruptcy bill, made creditors feel safe to offer stupid loans. The housing bubble did not begin to start until Bush got into office, and it greatly increased after the bankruptcy bill was passed.
Now, I could go on and on about how Bush ruined the economy and how he cut taxes but increased spending. The real problem for the Republican Party is that they put up a candidate who was a “conservative” and turned out to be someone who just didn’t care and never did the dirty work conservatives have to do. So, Bush ruined the conservative, and yes, the republican name. Now the party props up John McCain, a true independent, who really could not be closer to what Bush turned out to be. He is very far from what Bush pretended to be, but I like to worry about facts.
I cannot vote for Barack Obama just because I cannot vote for John McCain. That is the stupid system that America has fallen to, for way to long. The lesser of two evils, and I am not sure who is less of an evil in this case, is still very evil. Now, I am not a hater… I like John McCain, and I like Barack Obama… as people. I am not racist and I am not, not voting for John McCain because he is old. I am not, not voting for them because of their policies and the fact that they “scare me”.
Socialism is bad, and you are going to get it, just like you did from bush (in all the wrong ways) from either of these candidates. I am not voting for somebody if they want to spread my wealth around… and I am not voting for somebody who only is really going to cut taxes for the rich.
My only hope is that if Obama gets elected, and by all electoral polls it is not even close, that perhaps a Barry Goldwater will come up from the Republican Party and reform the current mess. I do not call myself a republican because… they left me, and I did not leave them.
I am going to focus on reforming the whole system in the next few years. Sixty percent of Americans would replace all of congress, and there is something is wrong with that. Let’s get a fair system in place, let’s start using our “checks and balances”. There is corruption all across the board, so let’s deal with it. Let’s actually push for a popular vote and not this stupid Electoral College voting system. Let’s actually start taking a proactive role in local politics. Let’s reform local politics, so that it filters up the system. We place too much faith in the presidency, much because it has become a kingship. Let’s bring the presidents role back down to what the founding fathers intended… To do this, we need to make sure the people in the legislative branch start doing their jobs.
But for now, who can I vote for?
Comment by Jim Leveroni on 29 October 2008:
Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party
Comment by Shadotek on 29 October 2008:
I have to agree with Jim. Chuck Baldwin is the closest you’re going to get to Ron Paul on the ballot. Of course, I may vote for Dr. Paul anyway. That’s where my choice lies right now, between those two.
Comment by M. McMahon on 29 October 2008:
Great post… except for the comment re: the Electoral College. Not supporting the electoral college seems to be the antithesis of what you are promoting. A popular vote will vest power in a single, majority institution whereas the electoral college forces a distribution of power across 51 voting entities (Stats + DC). It is the foundation of local politics, our representative system and is as fundamental a check and balance as the three branches of the federal government are intended.
Comment by jaqphule on 29 October 2008:
Hey, that’s an easy question!
Just vote for no one. If we’re very, very lucky, he just might win.
Comment by Realitista on 29 October 2008:
I’m going with Charles Jay of the Boston Tea Party- he is the closest you will get to Ron Paul. Don’t fret, just vote for someone you believe in- he’s out there if you look hard enough. The more people do this the quicker we can fix things.
Comment by nick on 29 October 2008:
vote libertarian. they are the biggest third party, and one of the few third parties dedicated to the contsitution and the free market. do it whether you believe in bob barr or not. it’s a vote for the party not the candidate. he’s not going to win anyway, but the more votes he gets the better the party is situated for the 2012 elections.
Comment by Paine on 30 October 2008:
A vote for Bob Barr is a message to the Rep/Dem candidates. 2012 is only 4 years away.
Comment by MNinTX on 30 October 2008:
As a Libertarian, I am sure you will agree that the most important thing is the defense of the Constitution of the United States, right?
What does the Constitution say about the role of the President? Let’s take a look. The President is Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces. He appoints judges and cabinet positions and he negotiates treaties with other countries.
We still on the same page?
There is no doubt that McCain isn’t the perfect Conservative, heck, moderate is probably a stretch, but how does he fit into the role the Constitution prescribes. How does Obama- as left as one can get, fit into that same role?
Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces- who would our troops rather have in their foxhole?
Appoint ambassadors- who would most likely choose those who reflect America’s interests?
Appoint judges and cabinet members- who would get the advices and appoint to positions of those who are more likely to work towards goals you agree?
Negotiate treaties- who would more likely think of America first?
We all have doubts about McCain in one or more of those areas, but of course, I know you will agree that we have doubts about Obama in ALL of those areas.
Think about it like a football game. You don’t run for a touchdown on every play, sometimes you simply have to hold yardage, sometimes you make small plays to position yourself for a better move, sometimes you just play defense.
I understand some of you want to support Barr or Baldwin as you may believe they are more Conservative- even though it is mathematically impossible for either to win. You may believe this is the right thing to do to ‘teach Republicans a lesson’, but you are doing it at the wrong time.
Why is it that liberals focus on winning and getting power first, then they force their members to get in line. Conservatives have worked the opposite way. Who is gaining in power and who is losing? Teaching Republicans a lesson in 2006 left us where we are now. Why not take on the Lib’s strategy, win power and then force our representatives to get in line. We are good at the former, but we stink at the latter.
Wouldn’t you agree that if you don’t have the power, all the Conservative philosophy results in nothing more than coffee shop philosophy?
The choice is clear- McCain or Obama.. Apathy isn’t a choice, because the the world doesn’t stop for your apathy.
It is your play, do you play a short term defensive game for a while, positioning yourself for a better play, or do you give up and walk off the field?
Comment by MNinTX on 30 October 2008:
By the way, hoping for a Goldwater to rise out of an Obama presidency is far too much of a risk. Conservatives in Euro-socialist countries have been looking for their ‘Goldwater’ for decades after they taught their moderate Conservatives a lesson letting the socialists take over. They said the same things many here are- teach them a lesson, they’ll want us back.
I hate to tell you, but they may not. Not in Norway, not in Denmark, heck, even in France and the UK, leaders we would consider Socialist here are mainstream there because they changed the discourse.
“Revolution” movements and Conservative values don’t go together in the modern world because Revolutions don’t set up freedom, they change power structures. As soon as you displace a power structure, a vacuum is created and someone who wants power- thus, the antithesis of Conservative values, steps into that vacuum.
It is time, I believe, we take heed of Ayn Rand’s warning about supporting political offshoots that not only don’t have a chance of winning, that by not working within the system, you actually risk setting your own values back.
Letting Obama win, no matter how you cut it, sets back Conservative and Libertarian values, and could, like the aforementioned countries, eliminate them from the political landscape. People already worship the false Messiah that is Obama- imagine all these people with a religious like devotion and willingness to accept liberalism and all that comes with it- having power. Look at what the Obmessiah has done to anyone who dares question him- the plumber or the reporter, imagine that with power. Do you think Conservative or Liberal thought will be allowed to grow?
Comment by MNinTX on 30 October 2008:
Correction on the last sentence- Conservative or Libertarian thought.. sorry..
Comment by MNinTX on 30 October 2008:
…I hate to ramble, but, one other thought, look at what Obama’s friend Hugo Chavez to the election process in Venezuela. How do you suppose that Conservatives come back from that? Is it worth the risk to elect someone like minded here?
Comment by tj on 2 November 2008:
My wife and I are voting for Bob Barr in Texas.
Best hope in my mind is that millions of conservatives jump ship and go for Barr or Baldwin. That will send the strongest message to the GOP.
Comment by Tom Jefferson on 2 November 2008:
I cant’ vote for Ron Paul in FL, so per his recommendation, I voted for Chuck Baldwin, who has the views closest to him.
Here’s hoping for more momentum for the third parties after this election!
Comment by Jonesy on 3 November 2008:
My vote cast in early voting was for Chuck Baldwin. The Republicrat monopoly on our electoral system is getting tiring.
Comment by Larry on 3 November 2008:
MNinTX,
The lessor of two evils is still evil. I don’t support Obama or McCain. Time to get right with your thoughts and vote for real change. Read the Constitution and let it guide you to the one that takes the oath of office seriously. The decision is yours and I won’t say who you should vote for or how to think but those that take the oath to support and defend the Constitution should be judged on how well they hold to the oath they take.
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