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...I have but one question, and you may answer if you like or just keep it as a rhetorical question.
The backstory: I read these boards a lot and there are many people complaining about how they don't like either Obama or Romney. Evidently, this is an epidemic, rather than just a few centrists spouting off.
The question: Why don't y'all investigate the other candidates for President, and vote for the one who most closely matches your ideals? If you hate the two-party political system, why not vote for a "minor" candidate? There are always a half dozen, or so, "minor candidates". You have the power to help abolish the two-party political system. Vote for someone else, other than Obama or Romney. If the minor-party candidates gather a significant amount of the vote, even if they don't win, they will cause the Republican and Democratic party leaders to realize that they're doing something seriously wrong. This country didn't always have just the Republican and Democratic parties. There were Federalists, Whigs, and even Teddy Roosevelt's "Bull Moose" party. These days, there's the Constitution party, Green party, Libertarian party, Socialist party (*shudder*), etc. There are options.
A good portion of people base their voting decision out of fear, we have to keep Obama/Romney from winning or they will destroy the country. That is what our democracy has become, some are fear mongers and some are the fearful. But in reality it will be the same BS no matter which one gets the nod.
...I have but one question, and you may answer if you like or just keep it as a rhetorical question.
The backstory: I read these boards a lot and there are many people complaining about how they don't like either Obama or Romney. Evidently, this is an epidemic, rather than just a few centrists spouting off.
The question: Why don't y'all investigate the other candidates for President, and vote for the one who most closely matches your ideals? If you hate the two-party political system, why not vote for a "minor" candidate? There are always a half dozen, or so, "minor candidates". You have the power to help abolish the two-party political system. Vote for someone else, other than Obama or Romney. If the minor-party candidates gather a significant amount of the vote, even if they don't win, they will cause the Republican and Democratic party leaders to realize that they're doing something seriously wrong. This country didn't always have just the Republican and Democratic parties. There were Federalists, Whigs, and even Teddy Roosevelt's "Bull Moose" party. These days, there's the Constitution party, Green party, Libertarian party, Socialist party (*shudder*), etc. There are options.
Why not examine those options?
Probably because no one has ever been elected President who didn't come from one of the two major parties of the time.
...I have but one question, and you may answer if you like or just keep it as a rhetorical question.
The backstory: I read these boards a lot and there are many people complaining about how they don't like either Obama or Romney. Evidently, this is an epidemic, rather than just a few centrists spouting off.
The question: Why don't y'all investigate the other candidates for President, and vote for the one who most closely matches your ideals? If you hate the two-party political system, why not vote for a "minor" candidate? There are always a half dozen, or so, "minor candidates". You have the power to help abolish the two-party political system. Vote for someone else, other than Obama or Romney. If the minor-party candidates gather a significant amount of the vote, even if they don't win, they will cause the Republican and Democratic party leaders to realize that they're doing something seriously wrong. This country didn't always have just the Republican and Democratic parties. There were Federalists, Whigs, and even Teddy Roosevelt's "Bull Moose" party. These days, there's the Constitution party, Green party, Libertarian party, Socialist party (*shudder*), etc. There are options.
Why not examine those options?
Your suggestion may work quite well in 2010 or 2014 but not this time. When we have a Presidential election splitting the votes among a host of third party candidates will result in a man being elected with nothing close to a majority. Then can he say that he has a mandate with no more than say 45% of the popular vote.
Are you willing to split our Congress into 5 parties so that nothing can be done without say three of them getting together to vote? What happens when the three can't get along and you have to form a new grouping? Our system has worked very well all these years but going to presidential government, like now, to parliamentary government all of a sudden, especially like now just isn't going to work.
Have you missed out on the fact that Democrats want to see what you say happen this time in order to take votes from Romney? I think you have. I have thought about this for a long time and just never see it working in the system our Founders created and our later people have worked out. Yes, we are in all kinds of trouble but what you suggest means that a man who has certain votes "bought" already because of entitlements has to win.
Have you noticed that most of the third parties in the past were parties of the great idea or of the great personality? When their platforms get popular enough one or the other major party takes it over and they die. You suggested the Federalists and Whigs who opposed each other in the early days. Then one of them became the Democrati-Republican party and on and on till the Republicans of Lincoln took over with him. Third party government results in parliamentary government and we would have to change, in midstream, from presidential. In other words we would have to change the Constitution if there is still any of it left.
Nope, I don't think what you suggest is wise right now.
I see signs for Ron Paul all over the place. But he won't be elected. They just give us the two to make us think we have a "choice."
I haven't seen any Ron Paul signs this year but most of the people around where I live know that Paul withdrew long ago. Is he going to be on the ballots anywhere? I doubt it other than his home state with all the die hards.
If a person would otherwise stay home instead of voting for either of these two, I think it would be a good idea to write in another persons name that you would want for president. This might start a trend that would make the two parties realize they need to leave their primary open to suggesting other names.
I once asked for a write-in ballot in the primary and was told that my only choices were on the ballot because it was a party primary. The political parties need to be more open to suggestion.
It's not this guy or that guy. It's this group or that group. The candidates are often just the song-and-dance men (like Bush Junior was). You have to look at who the single candidate is backed by, controlled by, beholden to. I would never vote for an individual Republican, no matter how worthy, because he or she is beholden to the national party, which I think is a terrible group for the public good of America; and I like America.
Americans seem to make the "great man" theory primary. Get rid of Sadaam, end of problem. Hitler was a monster. Kill bin Laden. Now, these individuals are well gotten rid of, but they couldn't do what they did without a whole lot of support from other institutions, groups, and people.
Same with a presidential candidate (although I hope more benign). In some cases, like George W. Bush, simply a sock puppet for less congenial people behind him, pulling the strings.
I see signs for Ron Paul all over the place. But he won't be elected. They just give us the two to make us think we have a "choice."
I still see more Ron Paul bumper stickers than I do Obama, or Romney.
There is no target associated with Ron Paul stickers, unlike Obama or Romney bumper stickers. Your car may be vandalized if you have a Romney sticker on it. You may get flipped off if you have an Obama bumper sticker.
Ron Paul won more than they want you to know.
The fix was in, long ago. Our votes did not matter. It was just a charade.
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