You're never wasting your vote.

I understand the idea of the strategic vote, but I don’t agree with it. I don’t, and never will, do it. It makes someone a politician. The job of a politician is to mitigate damage. The job of a citizen is to do what is right.

To me, I think that philosophy basically asks the question of the voter, "What is your breaking point? How much does it cost to buy you?" It is a form of extortion.

Let’s look at this wasted vote idea a different way. For the most part, voting for either of the two main candidates is a wasted vote. The only time this [third party voting] argument actually comes up at all is in battleground states. Dems and Reps don't want this argument to come up in the solid states because they know they lose big-time.

So, just to be clear, the only time a Dem or a Rep will claim that you are "wasting your vote" to vote for a minor candidate is in states where the race is close. Because they know if they raise that issue in a solid state they are going to have their asses handed to them and all you need is one person in Alabama to say "You are wasting your vote if you vote for Barr" and what happens is the rebuttal to that argument will POUR out votes for Barr.

I live in Florida, so I hear it every election. hear it. I used to live in Washington, which is a swing state but not battleground, so I did hear it a little but not much.

I'm not really sure where this argument came from that if you vote for someone you don't really like and don't really believe in that you are somehow not wasting your vote. The election is the only time that the "average joe" gets a real voice. And if you do it to serve an agenda that you don't believe in.. then you have wasted that opportunity to finally speak for what you do believe in.

My vote won't be counted or recognize according to the county election office. I will be voting as usual it just won't be counted. Who wants to argue that we live in a democracy where it's one man one vote? We don't.

I was in a class once called "Skills for Adolescents" when I was in Junior High School. One day, I went to class, my friend, Derek, and I were the first to arrive, and the teacher told us that we were needed at the Administration Office. So we went down to Admin and they told us to wait. We waited for about 5-10 minutes and they said, "Nevermind." And sent us back.
We went back to our class and as we walked in our teacher was up in the front talking about something and then he said he was going to repeat it for Derek and I.

He said he was doing an experiment. He said he was going to put up three lines on the overhead projector and we should raise our hands for the biggest line. He put up Line A, then Line B, then Line C, just so we could make a decision. Line C was very clearly the largest line. I thought to myself, "Pfft. Obvious."

He put up line A and no one raised their hands. He put up line B and everyone raised their hands. He put up line C and no one raised their hands. To be honest, I did not raise my hand at all. I was too shocked at seeing everyone raise their hand for B when it was obvious the largest line was C.

He said that since not everyone had voted, that we should take some time to discuss it and then there would be another vote and everyone should vote. The discussion that ensued was one I was never forget. I was in a group and half the people were looking at me like I was an idiot, some were looking at me like they knew something I didn't.

I thought... it must be some sort of trick. B must be the bigger line and there is just something I'm not seeing or some optical illusion. So in the final vote, I voted for B, even though I thought C was the larger line. And after it was all done, my teacher said, "You have all seen the power of peer pressure."
I swore then that I would never vote for B again.

To me, McCain is A, Obama is B and Nader is C.

And just because no one else votes for Nader, even if I'm the only person in America who votes for him, that is who I'm going to vote for because that is who I think should be president.

He told everyone to vote for B while Derek and I were out of the room. I always think that is obvious but you would be amazed how many people don't get that.

There is no such thing as a wasted vote, but there is such thing as a bad vote.

And a vote for Nader is a very bad vote indeed.

__________________
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"It is no crime to be ignorant of economics, which is, after all, a specialized discipline and one that most people consider to be a 'dismal science.' But it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on economic subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance.

--Murray Rothbard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skinny. A liberal is just a libertarian who hasn't studied economics.

Who did Derek vote for?

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"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves." ~Ronald Reagan

Derek chose B also

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America sneezes - and the rest of the world catches pneumonia.
If we always do what we always did, we'll always get what we always got.

A vote for Obama or McCain is a good one?

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America sneezes - and the rest of the world catches pneumonia.
If we always do what we always did, we'll always get what we always got.

No.

But I would say that either one would be better than Nader.

If Nader, by some freak accident, managed to get elected, then I would try to flee the country.

__________________
.

"It is no crime to be ignorant of economics, which is, after all, a specialized discipline and one that most people consider to be a 'dismal science.' But it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on economic subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance.

--Murray Rothbard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skinny. A liberal is just a libertarian who hasn't studied economics.

I would wish you well.

__________________
America sneezes - and the rest of the world catches pneumonia.
If we always do what we always did, we'll always get what we always got.

I wish the socialists wouldn't try to take over America. It's not like they don't have other places like that. But America is the last hope for freedom in this world, and there are those, like Nader, who are truly convinced that it would be a good thing to destroy that last hope.

__________________
.

"It is no crime to be ignorant of economics, which is, after all, a specialized discipline and one that most people consider to be a 'dismal science.' But it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on economic subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance.

--Murray Rothbard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skinny. A liberal is just a libertarian who hasn't studied economics.