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To Vote or Not to Vote

Posted on 09/18/2014 8:50:20 AM PDT by jstaff

With the mid-terms close by I am hearing more and more that I should just not vote for Tom Tillis or any other Republican incumbent that defeated a Tea Party challenger in their primary. I should not support the Rovians. Mitch McConnell should be defeated by a Dem to teach him a lesson. I must be a closet liberal, American Constitution hating Democrat to even consider such a thing. Some with that view pop up on FR regularly to tell me to stay home on election day to teach the moderates R's a lesson by letting the D's win.

For what it's worth, I consider myself a social and fiscal conservative. I believe in the Constitution and the importance of the rule of law. I am also a pragmatist on election day. I firmly support the idea that when the best is not available we need to choose the least bad option, holding our noses if we need to. To simply not vote is to concede the debate to the other side, something that I am not going to do. While I can understand, if not approve, this idea on an emotional basis I just don't understand it on a logical, rational level.

In my view, anyone who claims any sort of conservative label and stands loudly and firmly behind the idea that we should just let the libs take charge does so for one of only four reasons:

1. They are ignorant. They just haven't noticed what is going on around them.

2. They are stupid. They see everything that is going on, they don't like it, but they just don't have the intellectual ability to figure out what is causing it.

3. They are fools. They know what is going on around them, they realize it is bad and they know what is causing it. They take an emotional approach to decision making, however, because their fav didn't win the primary and this is their way getting back at the bully who gave them a big boo-boo.

4. They are liars. They are really playing for the other side and this is just another tool they use to discourage us from voting.

If there is a reasoned, non-emotional argument to support the stay home approach to elections I would very much like to read it. Until I do I will continue to encourage everyone to forget this all-or-none attitude. Everyone makes choices in their life, every day, that reflect a personal compromise between what they would like to happen vs what they can realistically make happen. You do the best you can do for yourself at the time. There is no reason that electing the leadership of the entire nation should be treated differently.


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To: Responsibility2nd

You’re on the bus whether you think you are or not.


21 posted on 09/18/2014 9:12:27 AM PDT by clintonh8r (It's possible to love your country and hate your government. I'm proof of it.)
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To: Paladin2

I have the same opinion, but about Cochrane. Any recent polls out from that race, btw?

I think that the train on ditching McConnell has left the station. Grimes is reduced to running ads where she waves a gun around pleading with voters that she’s not Obama. That means she’s desperately targeting Conservative Dems (still a lot of those in KY), not ticked off Conservative Tea Party members.


22 posted on 09/18/2014 9:12:40 AM PDT by tanknetter
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To: All

Only one Republican (Joseph Cao, LA) voted for Obamacare. Every other Republican in the House and Senate, RINO and non-RINO) voted AGAINST Obamacare. Had the Congress had more Republicans, RINO and non-RINO, at the time there would be no Obamacare today.

So don’t tell me about your “principles”


23 posted on 09/18/2014 9:14:50 AM PDT by Signalman
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To: Redleg Duke

I’m writing in too. What do you say to that? Huh?


24 posted on 09/18/2014 9:16:03 AM PDT by Crazieman (Article V or National Divorce. The only solutions now.)
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To: jstaff

You are correct but many here will disagree with you. If I have 2 choices and one person is a bat sh*t crazy liberal muslim sympathizer and one is a less than perfect republican. What to do?

Let me see which one is going to more damage to my already crippled (by a bat sh*t crazy liberal muslim ) country and which one is going to do less damage?


25 posted on 09/18/2014 9:16:30 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: jstaff

Why blame Freepers for the utter stupidity of the GOP? They have spent the last 40 or 50 years nominating losers. They would rather have a Democrat win than a real conservative who might put a stop to their pork. They’d rather gobble Democrat leftovers than have an honest Republican like Sarah Palin put an end to their criminal doings.

They eagerly help the Democrats to cheat at the polls and invent millions of votes—without a peep from the Republican leadership. Romney worked very hard to defeat the conservative candidates in the primaries. And then he sat back and gave it to Obama, despite widespread cheating at the polls that was evident before election day was over, and which even the MSM was forced to mention. What, more votes than the entire population of several cities? Never mind, Obama deserves it!


26 posted on 09/18/2014 9:16:38 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: jstaff

The voter needs the ability to cast one complete vote. Right now the voter has only one-half of his voting power. Complete voting power in each election for an office would allow a voter to cast one vote, either for or against one of the candidates.

For each candidate, the negative votes would be subtracted from the positive votes, and the candidate with the more positive net vote (or least negative net vote) would win.

Faced with a choice of unfit candidates, this would allow the voter to vote against the worst candidate, rather than for the least onerous one (the ‘lesser of two evils’ dilemma).

Sadly, politicians are not likely to let voters have the right to vote against them.


27 posted on 09/18/2014 9:17:23 AM PDT by Carl Vehse
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To: Responsibility2nd

In the meantime - I’ll stay off BOTH buses.


No you won’t. You’re on one or the other whether you like it or not.

Unless you hunker down and starve in a cave some where.


28 posted on 09/18/2014 9:18:00 AM PDT by laplata (Liberals don't get it .... their minds are diseased.)
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To: clintonh8r

You’re on the bus whether you think you are or not.

________________________________________

Yeah. Kicking and complaining. I certainly didn’t choose the GOP Bus Lines. I certainly did not and will not PAY for a ticket, nor will I endorse or recommend them.

And while the GOP is driving a 1962 model dilapidated school bus with the dems driving million dollar motor coaches; I will continue my efforts to get off the GOP bus.


29 posted on 09/18/2014 9:19:43 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: jstaff

If you can’t convince by reason, then personally attacking those that disagree is surely going to sway their opinion, eh?


30 posted on 09/18/2014 9:20:10 AM PDT by MortMan (All those in favor of gun control raise both hands!)
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To: laplata
See post 29.
31 posted on 09/18/2014 9:21:07 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: jstaff
Just one CORRECTION needs to be made:
To continue voting FOR people who constantly LIE TO US and STAB US IN THE BACK by FUNDING EVERYTHING the ILLEGAL ALIEN IN CHIF and his Administration and the 'RATs want ~ is bering a USEFUL IDIOT of the left.
32 posted on 09/18/2014 9:27:28 AM PDT by Yosemitest (It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
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To: jimmygrace

I fully understand the sentiment and there are some candidates I simply couldn’t vote for but the idea of killing off the GOP and handing full unchecked power to the democrats is downright suicidal.

My state is swamped with RINOs but those RINOs have made us a right to work state. They’ve made us into an open carry stand your ground state. Those RINOs have permanently ended affirmative action in college admissions. Sure they could be better but if democrats ran things, none of those things would have happened and would be guaranteed to get considerably worse. After all, these are the same democrats who attempted to seize control of the state constitution 2 years ago and hand it off to the union for rewriting.


33 posted on 09/18/2014 9:28:52 AM PDT by cripplecreek ("Moderates" are lying manipulative bottom feeding scum.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

You’re not getting off the bus whether you admit it or not.

And you are not persuasive at all.


34 posted on 09/18/2014 9:28:58 AM PDT by laplata (Liberals don't get it .... their minds are diseased.)
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To: cableguymn

As the GOP sinks conservative candidates they do sink themselves at this point.

Imo the GOP must have some agreement between them.


35 posted on 09/18/2014 9:31:32 AM PDT by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: laplata

So. I’m being held hostage on your Repug Party Bus?

How’d that work out for you in the 2008 and 2012 elections?

And even if the Repugs gain control of the Senatein November, do you think there will be any chance at real reform?

Hey. Karl Rove needs a refill on his ice tea. Better run there boy. Your party needs you.


36 posted on 09/18/2014 9:37:43 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: jstaff

I will be voting a straight Republican ticket in order to protect our republic. The left is determined to destroy it and replace it with their version of centralized government.

We have a bill in the Senate to limit free speech, and of course the constant attacks on the 2nd amendment, so be very careful as your vote will have a direct impact on whether this country survives.

This is really serious, no time for histrionic games.


37 posted on 09/18/2014 9:39:18 AM PDT by buffaloguy
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To: clintonh8r

Really name me one Republican Candidate of the last 25 years that wasn’t a DAMN RINO. Keep in mind the Republican Party is also for Big Government, always has been, and is just as corrupt as the Democrats.
We sent all those Tea Party Types to D.C. in 2010 and they all rolled over on the Debt Limit issue.
You have to wonder if all of D.C. is total lost cause.


38 posted on 09/18/2014 9:47:10 AM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
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To: laplata

Neither are you, GOPe shill.


39 posted on 09/18/2014 9:49:50 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
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To: jstaff

Very nice post but, as usual, the crowd that insists that we are better off with the Dems in charge than the GOPe are out in force.

They have the goal of defeating the GOPe in this election cycle. They do that in four ways:

1. By withholding their vote from anyone to the left of Ted Cruz.
2. By voting for a write-in candidate.
3. By voting for the Democrat.
4. By encouraging others to do one of the above.

It is #4 that most concerns me. If they are successful in convincing enough otherwise good conservatives that teaching the GOPe a lesson is more important than gaining Ted Cruz and Mike Lee a much bigger voice in the Senate then we are in real trouble.


40 posted on 09/18/2014 9:51:11 AM PDT by InterceptPoint (Remember Mississippi)
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