Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Election Issues The Myths of Joe Biden

A candidate who claims to be the candidate of "change" selects the ultimate Washington insider to be his running mate.

Every move Obama makes gets more sickening.

And when he gets elected, I will be sure to say "I told you so" after he continues on with an imperialist fake war on terror.

So what you're saying is that by electing McCain the "imperialist fake war on terror" will end sooner than if you elect Obama, right?

No.

That is what you are saying because you have bought into the "lesser of two evils" logic that is at the root of why our country is on the precipice of economic and ecological collapse.

I am voting for a candidate that most closely represents my views and my values (Cynthia McKinney) and I will not allow those who say "because she can't win, that I am casting a wasted vote" to sway me from participating in what is left of our democracy.

Democracy means voting for who represents your views and values, not against who you don't want.

As long as people continue to approach politics in this country the way that you have apparently chosen to do, we can not and will not make progress towards real change.

This directed specifically at Roger, but goes for other posts at times as well. None of us know exactly why one poster has put up a comment here, so saying things such as "you have bought into" is what these guidelines were intended to address:

That's your right and I'm not going to try to sway your vote.

I'll be voting for Sen Obama because out of the 2 that stand a chance of winning, he is the one that is closest to my values.

I like my vote to count.

I'm with Roger on this one.
My vote is my opinion and the last time I looked, I'm still allowed to have an opinion in this country (just barely though).

I can't vote for someone who doesn't best represent my values. That for me would be a wasted vote. I'm too old to do that anymore.
I'm likely to be voting for Ms McKinney too but I haven't completely decided.

Speaking of Joe Biden... Obama lost some people on that choice. Just look at Rasmussen since then.
If the Republicans choose their runner up as VP like the Democrats didn't....

In this case, the pragmatist in me wins out over the idealist in me. Like kap I am choosing the candidate with a chance of winning who most closely represents my values. That is not to say I don't appreciate conscience voting, but even if it is the "lesser of two evils" - which I don't believe it is - one has always to make gradations in life, and not picking a better choice is not having a say at all. The last 8 years are a testament to that.

I suspect Biden's function will be to be Obama's Cheney. How does that saying go? The more things 'change', the more they stay the same?;-)
Yours,
Issodhos

The unfortunate thing about the "lesser of two evils" mantra is that evil -- at least political evil -- seems to be cumulative. Anyway, in the end, voting for lesser evil means one is still voting for evil.:-)
Yours,
Issodhos

Third (or Fourth, Fifth, etc.) party voting only makes sense in an election that awards proportional representation to the respective parties. If your state or local body has that kind of system, then your minor party candidate will have a chance of being elected to one of the positions available to minority members. Then he or she can negotiate a coalition with other parties to get some (or perhaps ALL) of the minor party positions enacted. This is how a Parliamentary Government works.

But in America, very few political races are for such proportional-representation bodies. Most are for a single office, once it gets above the board membership or city counsel level. In >99% of these single office races, your minor party vote gets you nothing. (Or it actually helps to elect the major party candidate you LEAST prefer!)

This is precisely why you find Green Party candidates on counsels and boards all over the country, but you rarely (if ever) find one in a Congressional office, a State Governor position, or even a Mayor's office.

If you want to support your Third Party, pick your races: Vote Third Party in races where your candidate can actually win an office. In most single-office races, vote for the major party candidate most likely to work with your party on their issues. Or go join that major party and work from the inside to get your issues into their platform: "Green Democrats" have much more influence than "Greens". "Libertarian Republicans" have much more influence than "Libertarians".

Or just go beat your head against the wall with your "principled vote": The wall won't mind...