Why would you vote for someone who has no chance of winning?

(Reply) (Thread)

would I vote for someone I don't believe in?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

This is the continuing debate I have with my husband. Do you let the definite bad guy win because the guy you believe in has no chance of winning, or do you go with the lesser evil in the hopes that you unseat the bad guy?

It's not a good situation, and one that we've never been able to answer or even agree on.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

see the other thread on this post for some of my thoughts on this matter...

they largely center on the fact that politics is not just a zero-sum game, and each election has implications on the elected and the electorate after it is over..

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Better you should use your vote to at least get someone out of office.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

If so many people keep thinking that way, we will _never_ get away from the two-party system, which I must admit I don't really care for. Personally, I could care less whether a Democrat or Republican sits in office, they just try to do different bad things to me, so the "get the bad guy out" argument doesn't work for me.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

I don't care whether a Democrat or Republican is in office either. But the facts remain: 1) The Democrats are most likely much closer to your viewpoints than the Republicans.
2) In this election, an Independent is not going to win.

I'm all for opening up the two-party system. I do think the two-party system is outdated, but in this election, even if I felt an Independent more closely matched my veiwpoint than a Democrat, after a certain point I would be much more concerned with voting Bush out of office.

You should support whomever you want to, up to a point. I believe that in certain circumstances: namely the '04 election, when it's anybody's race, and the '00 race was won/lost by a nose, it's more important to get someone electable into office, than to bury your head in the sand and say you're going to vote for whomever you please, consequences be damned.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

The union will stand regardless of who's in office--that's why we have the check and balances of the executive, the congress, and the courts...and there's an advantage to being a "spoiler," which is that both parties are going to hopefully pay attention to the influence of that bloc of voters, and the next election they may align themselves more with its views.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

The union will stand regardless of who's in office--

I'll remind of this statement in two years if Bush wins, as he continues to chip away at our economy and civil rights. The union will stand, but will we?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

The courts are already knocking the worst excesses of PATRIOT down. Remember--we've been through worse, as a country (civil war, McCarthyism, mistreatment of native Americans, internment of japanese Americans...) and recovered.

I don't think the Bush II era will be hailed as a bright point in our history, but it's not the end...

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

As long as a Republican is in office, he can continue to stack the courts with like-minded individuals. There was a huge amount of speculation this past year about some of the Supreme Court justices stepping down. I believe this is a critical election.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

I'll go so far as important...but important enough to sacrifice my principles and reward the democrats with the office? In many ways the democrats are worse than the republicans--but in almost all ways, they're both bad.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"But the facts remain: 1) The Democrats are most likely much closer to your viewpoints than the Republicans."
Nope. They're not. I'll have to see what the Democratic candidate looks like, but to give you an example, I didn't care whether Bush or Gore won in the last election. They both stood likely to do things I wouldn't like.

-Pam

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

ewww. thank huge link is doing nasty things to my friends page.

(Reply) (Thread)

And remind me never to talk politics with you.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

s'okay!

who you rooting for this 'lection?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

anyone but Bush.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Well, it's a long time until I have to pull the lever in November...until then I'm rooting for the person representing the policies I most agree with.

I'll make that ultimate calculation in the voting booth like everyone else.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)