Comments on: Doing Our Homework

By: Andy G

Andy G — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:22:45 +0000

Ben:
I know I am late to this game. I also know that this has been said before – but I really don’t think voting for a third party is “throwing away my vote”. If I thought of the election as a horse race and was voting for the person I think will win – then a third party vote would indeed be thrown away. But I think of it differently. I am resigned to the fact that Obama or McCain will be president (Ok – Obama will). I disagree with both of those guys on a lot of things but I think that either one will do a decent job and will probably do a better job than the current administration. So the issue for me is not really one of those candidates over the other. The issue for me is that we are given other options.
I don’t think a third party candidate is going to win anytime soon, but the more popular they get, the more people are going to listen to what they have to say. It wasn’t that long ago that Ross Perot was included in the main debates. I think a strong showing for third party candidates – any third party candidates – will send a message that we want more voices in the mix. That is why Ron Paul’s original endorsement was just for any third party candidate (and eventually for Chuck Baldwin).
I just think we are so used to looking at things like this election as betting on a football game in a Vegas sportsbook. You only win if your team wins. I voted for a third party candidate not because I was trying to pick the winner – but because I want better options in the future. And we will never get to those better options if we don’t start with some small steps in that direction.

By: Jennifer Surine

Jennifer Surine — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:54:17 +0000

You know, I’ve been feeling really uneasy about having to choose between the two candidates, I got to the point where I didn’t know how I could choose either. Thanks for the third party elbow nudge, Andy, I will spend some time tomorrow checking them out.

By: ben

ben — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:59:19 +0000

Come on lets be real in this serious election.
Even though you may be more aligned with one of these other candidates, you are throwing your vote away. It means nothing if a third party gets .002 percent of the votes. The obsession with third party seems to border some sort of mental illness. Sorry, but how many times has Mr. Keyes ran only to lose? I use to like the guy.

By: michael

michael — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:25:56 +0000

Hey Andy,

Its been a while since you left a gear post. When you have the time I would love to see a pedal board, guitar, or recording set up.

By: shane

shane — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:21:09 +0000

on the test, i scored 58% for barr and 53% for mccain… guess that means i’m going to stick w/ mccain. (though, obviously, none of the would really speak for me…)

don’t get me wrong, i’m not a fan of the “only two voices” but i’m pragmatic… it’s going to be hard for any 3rd party to score president before the fill some house or senate seats. i’ll vote 3rd party for those positions (and local positions), but i’d rather have that big vote count for the one that’s closest…

and for anyone flirting w/ an O vote, here’s a reasoned plea to vote otherwise…

By: Johnny

Johnny — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:46:27 +0000

A third party vote is not a vote for Obama any more than it is a vote for McCain. Your vote is for the one for whom you voted. In the absence of an acceptable candidate, a withheld vote is not a dishonor, either. If you are offered the choice between Nero and Titus, the proper response is “neither.”

By: Jenni

Jenni — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:31:45 +0000

This is excellent. Did you know there’s a third party debate tonight at 9:00 pm ET in Washington, DC? C-SPAN may not carry it live, but you’ll be able to listen to it online in their archives, I think.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:21:16 +0000

I’m not sure Webb would accept our nomination… he’s the only public figure that seems to be okay with not voting at all…

By: jason

jason — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:24:05 +0000

Maybe just a single vote with space for a short essay on why you voted for this candidate instead of the candidate you really liked. Kind of like a true/false test where you have to explain your answer. I am so tired of politics right now. I wish we could just fast forward a few weeks and get this mess over with.

By: Jud

Jud — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:03:09 +0000

We really need some kind of “ranking vote” system, where we designate a first, second, and third choice. That way I can vote for the third party candidate who most closely matches my own views, and still express in some form that I prefer one of the “major 2″ candidates over the other.