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Editorial: Don't throw away your vote by going with McCain or Obama
Charleston City Paper, Charleston, South Carolina ^ | 2008-10-22 | Jack Hunter

Posted on 10/23/2008 9:04:39 AM PDT by rabscuttle385

I have many Republican friends who are disgusted that I'm voting third party this election year. They believe stopping Barack Obama from becoming president outweighs all else. Meanwhile, I have many Democrat friends who are equally disgusted; for them, seeing John McCain defeated is more important than who wins. They are all wasting their votes.

Imagine a reckless teenager who constantly runs up his parents' credit cards, smashes the family car every Friday night, is failing in school, and has serious drinking and drug problems. Now imagine that no matter how reckless and dangerous that teenager became, his parents believed his behavior was worth tolerating simply because he was "their" kid. No reasonable person would consider this good parenting.

And yet this is exactly how otherwise reasonable people vote.

No matter how bad the Republican or Democrat nominee for president is, the party faithful support their own without fail. The message to politicians? They may lie, ignore their party's platform, and betray every supposed principle, but they will never be held accountable by most voters. Like the reckless teenager, there is simply no reason for them to stop their irresponsible behavior.

The greatest power the people have is their vote, and in supporting the lesser of two evils each election, voters ensure eternal evil.

(Excerpt) Read more at charlestoncitypaper.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; US: South Carolina
KEYWORDS: 2008; conservatism; election; electionpresident; elections; gop; juanmccain; kookfringe; leftwingmedia; mcbama; mccain; mccaintruthfile; mcinsane; mcqueeg; mcrino; noobama; nosharethewealth; obama; rejectrinos; sc; stoopid; thirdparty
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To: nevergore
"Obama would be a nightmare for this country"

Obama would be a mortal wound.

221 posted on 10/23/2008 5:37:58 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Obama isn't just an empty suit, he's a Suit-Bomb trying to sneak into the White House.)
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To: rabscuttle385

Didn’t this qualify for a “Puke Alert?”


222 posted on 10/23/2008 5:39:57 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Obama isn't just an empty suit, he's a Suit-Bomb trying to sneak into the White House.)
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To: Jim Robinson

Thank you sir. You exceded my expectations!


223 posted on 10/23/2008 6:55:46 PM PDT by netmilsmom ( Obama And Osama both have friends who bombed the Pentagon)
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To: tvdog12345
People who vote for Obama are responsible for electing him.

Just as are the people who didn't vote for a viable opponent. Simple mathematics.

224 posted on 10/23/2008 8:24:43 PM PDT by PistolPaknMama (Al-Queda can recruit on college campuses but the US military can't! --FReeper airborne)
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To: rabscuttle385

Voting for the third party is in no way a realistic vote for independence at this point in the survival of our Country.


225 posted on 10/23/2008 8:35:11 PM PDT by Gene Eric
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To: rabscuttle385
Third parties are moronic.

Arguing with a 3rd party person is akin to arguing with a 911truther (and there is a lot of overlap).

226 posted on 10/23/2008 9:16:52 PM PDT by mbraynard (You are the Republican Party. See you at the precinct meeting.)
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To: Eagle Eye
[Your scenario only works if the 3rd Party voter would not have voted for either Party if the 3rd Party did not exist.]

For a statement to be true is has to be true in all cases. If it is false in any case it cannot be true. If one does not vote then there is no effect on the totals....if one would not have ever voted for either candidate, then there is no effect on the totals... You are trying to say that if one does not vote for McCain then one has 'in effect' voted for Obama....and since there is no change in Obama's totals there is no effect! Folks like you accept this 'in effect' BS idea without challenge...you need to think about things a bit more before you parrot them.

And you need to stop putting out hot air!

If the 3rd Party did not exist and the person would have voted Republican as a SECOND choice, that 3rd Party candidate has effectively help get the Democrat elected.

We saw this in Fl. when the Green Party took alot of Gore's voters, thus EFFECTIVELY electing Bush instead.

The only question would be which ones would not have voted at all and which ones the Green Party actually took from Gore.

Facts are stubborn things.

227 posted on 10/23/2008 10:13:35 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord-(Jer.22:29))
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To: Eagle Eye
You are trying to say that if one does not vote for McCain then one has 'in effect' voted for Obama....and since there is no change in Obama's totals there is no effect!

No, what I am saying is that if one WOULD have voted for McCain and votes for a 3rd Party instead, that 3rd Party has effectively helped the Democrats.

So, the fact is, if the 3rd Party draws on those voters who would NOT otherwise vote for the two major Parties, it is NOT effecting the outcome of the race.

If the 3rd Party does draw votes from those who WOULD otherwise vote in the other Parties, it IS effecting the outcome of the race.

That is the true statement, yours was incomplete and therefore false.

228 posted on 10/23/2008 10:29:26 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord-(Jer.22:29))
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To: A Strict Constructionist

I couldn’t care less what Johny Mercer has to say. Reading my daily Proverb informs me that McCain is the wrong man.


229 posted on 10/24/2008 5:57:12 AM PDT by demshateGod (the GOP is dead to me)
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To: rabscuttle385

Jack Hunter, useful idiot.


230 posted on 10/24/2008 6:04:58 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: albie

This is SOP from the DNC handbook.

Say the republican is Doooooomed and urge the faithful to vote third party.

They did this BS during the 2004 campaign USING THE CONSTITUTION PARTY. The DNC paid money to run constitution candidate commercials in blue zones.


231 posted on 10/24/2008 6:10:35 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: fortheDeclaration
We saw this in Fl. when the Green Party took alot of Gore's voters, thus EFFECTIVELY electing Bush instead.

Aha! You are one of those who believes that a candidate OWNS votes! Yes, in your own words you said it!

That, my FRiend, is the fallacy of 'effective' non voting.

The FACT is that Bush and Gore got a lot of vote out of the 'anyone but the other guy' attitude. When offered a choice these voters make an affirmative statement and vote for someone that actually refelcts their philosphy.

The current two party system wrangles the weak minded into thinking that they have no choice or that they will 'effectively' elect the wrong guy by voting third part.

Those that promulgate that notion help undermine the USA by effectively coercing voters out of their true choice. Ever thought of yourself as an enemy of the democratic process for trying to strangle other voters' choices?

Think about it.

232 posted on 10/24/2008 6:59:52 AM PDT by Eagle Eye (I AM JOE THE PLUMBER!!!)
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To: Eagle Eye
Aha! You are one of those who believes that a candidate OWNS votes! Yes, in your own words you said it! That, my FRiend, is the fallacy of 'effective' non voting. The FACT is that Bush and Gore got a lot of vote out of the 'anyone but the other guy' attitude. When offered a choice these voters make an affirmative statement and vote for someone that actually refelcts their philosphy. The current two party system wrangles the weak minded into thinking that they have no choice or that they will 'effectively' elect the wrong guy by voting third part. Those that promulgate that notion help undermine the USA by effectively coercing voters out of their true choice. Ever thought of yourself as an enemy of the democratic process for trying to strangle other voters' choices? Think about it.

What you need to think about is the fact we have a winner take all system and that IF one WOULD have voted for a major Party and instead chose to vote for a 3rd Party, that 3rd Party has EFFECTIVELY taken vote away from the Party that would have had those votes-period.

Now, the FACT is that either Obama or McCain is going to be President, so if one chooses to vote for a 3rd Party candidate, and would have voted major Party had not that 3rd Party existed, the 3rd Party has EFFECTIVELY help elect one or the other candidate.

That is the legacy of 3rd Parties in this nation, helping elect candidates from one of the two major Parties.

233 posted on 10/24/2008 11:19:04 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration (O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord-(Jer.22:29))
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To: demshateGod

Hope you like Obama, just don’t complain to me or anyone else.


234 posted on 10/24/2008 1:36:37 PM PDT by A Strict Constructionist (Can we avoid"Tobacco Road" on the "Road to Surfdom"?)
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To: fortheDeclaration
That is the legacy of 3rd Parties in this nation, helping elect candidates from one of the two major Parties.

And you still blame the voter instead of the candidate!

I'll bet you blame the consumer when a store goes out of business or a product is discontinued.

Your attitude is just like the MSN attitudes that blame veiwers for not watching their programs or consumers who refuse to buy certain newspapers.

Third parties don't cause runners up to come in second; the candidate and his campaign do it themselves. If they cannot earn votes it is THEIR problem, not the third party's problem.

Once more and read my lips: voters do not OWE their vote to anyone and no candidate OWNS any votes!

235 posted on 10/24/2008 2:02:29 PM PDT by Eagle Eye (I AM JOE THE PLUMBER!!!)
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To: Eagle Eye
And you still blame the voter instead of the candidate! I'll bet you blame the consumer when a store goes out of business or a product is discontinued. Your attitude is just like the MSN attitudes that blame veiwers for not watching their programs or consumers who refuse to buy certain newspapers. Third parties don't cause runners up to come in second; the candidate and his campaign do it themselves. If they cannot earn votes it is THEIR problem, not the third party's problem. Once more and read my lips: voters do not OWE their vote to anyone and no candidate OWNS any votes!

And read my lips, if you vote for a 3rd Party candidate, you are EFFECTIVELY voting for one of the Major Parties, weather you want to admit it or not since the REALITY of the situation is, only one of the TWO Parties is going to win.

So, you started this discussion saying that voting for a 3rd Party DOESN'T effectively elect anyone, but have been shown wrong on that.

Now you want to shift the argument to the 'purity' viewpoint that the Major Party doesn't represent your views.

That is fine, but it doesn't change the reality that one of those Parties IS going to be get elected.

Democrat Majority Senate Leader Reid won a close election in Nevada and the Libertarians got something like 5% of the vote, EFFECTIVELY electing Reid, so they really 'taught' the GOP a lesson!

That seems to be the only reason for a 3rd Parties REAL existance, to punish the Party closest to them ideologically for not being doctrinally pure enough.

So, go waste your vote on Barr or Balwdin and feel good about your purity while we Republicans vote to keep the socialists from gaining total power.

236 posted on 10/25/2008 4:53:54 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration (O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord-(Jer.22:29))
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To: A Strict Constructionist

I’ll complain to you all I want. Quit squeezing the toothpaste from the top.


237 posted on 10/25/2008 2:12:23 PM PDT by demshateGod (the GOP is dead to me)
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To: demshateGod

I much prefer to squeeze bottoms.


238 posted on 10/25/2008 5:23:49 PM PDT by A Strict Constructionist (Can we avoid"Tobacco Road" on the "Road to Surfdom"?)
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