Gimme --
Here's the response I promised to your #153 --
You having voted Libertarian in 2008 did about as much good as when I voted for Ross Perot in 1992 -- in other words -- zilch. And Perot got about 19% of the vote that year, way more than your guy probably did in 2008.
I still maintain it's a wasted vote until it can be proven a 3rd party candidate has at least a reasonable chance of bringing in 35% or more of registered voters. You're always spouting praise for GWB. So why didn't you vote for "Bush-lite" -- John McCain? Put your vote where your mouth is.
I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to vote for Obama. I didn't know him from Adam, didn't like his background of 20 plus years devoted to the racist preacher/Black nationalist Rev. Wright, and had a lot of questions about this new kid on the block.
BUT what was my other choice? It was John McCain -- the candidate who got on bended knee and promised corporate America he would march in lockstep with all of GWB's policies. McCain was only allowed by the Establishment to run for President if he agreed to sell his soul and keep the status quo of the eight years under Bush. And we all know how well that went, didn't we? It will take at least two decades for this nation to recover.
If McCain had been his own man, had said he realized the damage done to this nation caused by Bush's policies and said he would do his damdest to try and fix it, then I would have voted for him in a minute. But McCain was already bought and sold.
I measure my meager, little, one vote very carefully. I looked at Obama promises to advance stem cell research (something squished under Bush), Obama's promise to keep jobs here in the U.S. instead of outsourcing every American job in the name of corporate profit, his promise to no longer sell off all our wildland and national parks to the highest private bidder, to rebuild our aging infrastructure (roads, bridges) and many other things all of which McCain promised to do the exact opposite.
You can all scream about the cost of this health care bill and yes, it needs a lot of revision, but every time I ask anyone on the right to point out just ONE thing Bush ever did in 8 years to help the citizens of this country (and not just corporations) I never can get an answer. Never.
Sure, the Stimulous bill cost almost a trillion bucks. But where did the first half of it go? Bush's half? It all went to the banks and the insurance companies and we never saw a damn dime. At least Obama's half has gone to stimulate jobs, build roads and bridges -- something to help the people of this country.
So I very carefully weigh my tiny one little vote. And I don't waste it on some dark horse candidate without a snowball's chance in hell of winning. I guess you figure that allows you to say "Oh, I never voted for ___fill in the blank___ so don't blame me!" That's taking a wussy's way out.
I took a lot of heat for voting for Obama but I didn't have a hell of a lot of choice -- Bush 2 (McCain) or else give a new guy a chance. So far Obama has done okay. The right has tried to rip him to shreds since the day he took the oath of office. I'm willing to wait and see, but I will definitely keep a wary eye open and have no hesitation in calling it as I see it if I don't like something he's done -- like the Gates/cop incident. I take my vote seriously.
There's my 2 cents on voting for 3rd party candidates.
