If you could summarize who you are voting for and why in one or two sentences (max), what would it be?
Here’s mine: I’m voting for Obama because I generally agree with his energy and foreign policy, his support of civil liberties, and because I believe he will be a better leader than McCain — and frankly, having Palin a heartbeat away from the Presidency is frightening.
I am voting against Hussein because he is a liar, associates with communist bomb throwers, had a slumlord help him buy a house he couldn’t afford, votes in favor of late-term abortions because of political expediency and cannot be trusted because he is clearly hiding something.
I’m voting for Obama because I believe he will screw us over the least.
Nader; Obama is a great person but he has too much responsibility to the people that gave him money and put him in this position. Nader is running to stop corporations and their lobbyists from running the country, which I think is by far the most important issue, especially considering that Obama voted for the bailout bill.
Obama. Nader’s a good pick, but he’s not going to win.
I’m a left libertarian / social democrat / whatever you want to call me…those are my views …
I’m a Libertarian. I’m voting for Barr. I’m not voting for someone because I think they’ll win. I’m not voting against the person I don’t want to win. I’m voting for the person I think will do the best job. That’s the whole point.
“A vote for the lesser of two evils is a vote for evil.”
I’m thinking of voting for McCain, based on the assumption that yet another term of republicans in office will further worsen the economic crisis and hopefully result in a buyer’s market.
@ Dave: I suggest you do not vote for Obama if you think he associates with communist bomb throwers. I have reviewed the evidence, and Bill Ayers does not appear to have been more than an acquaintance of Obama’s. Further, Obama was a child during the time period that Ayers participated in acts of terrorism.
Personally, I am sorely disappointed and will look elsewhere for examples of communist politicians.
I will be putting my vote in for one of the third party candidates. I understand many see it as a wasted vote, but if we don’t start voting for other people than all we will have is our wonderful two party dictator.
Chambone
Obama, because I think he will do more than McCain to advance the progressive stance.
http://burnthevote.com
Atheists are rationalists. Thus, the ONLY choice in Obama. Nader will never win (it will decades after the GOP collapses for real viable third and fourth political parties to establish). Let’s just face it. McCain is a senile dumbass that has made the ultimate fuckup with his suckup to the the Christian right. Obama’s mama was an agnostic and he didn’t vilify or persecute her. I’ve seen him specifically mention that Americans have the right to believe what they want to believe (provided the obvious social contexts). I don’t always agree that people should be allowed to wallow in their ignorance, but it’s the only fair solution. Obama is the ONLY choice for rational minds and he knows the Constitution and will restrain power to the wisdom of the founder (who had very radical rationalist perspectives on religion). This is NOT a Christian nation, that shitty slogan was dreamed up by political strategist jerk wads.
Also, I suck at grammar on Sunday mornings.
@Dave, not only that, we have DOCUMENTATION to prove it’s not a xtian nation: http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/treaty_tripoli.html
Obama. Because I’m a woman.
We all have an excercise to vote. However why do we excercise our right to not vote. If eventually everyone just stopped voting then the public would notice and thats when the questions would begin. Our system is flawed. Lets be candid, with our level of technological expertise we have no need for the electoral college. I think that if voting was simply determined on the PEOPLES votes and their votes alone then a whole lot more people would be inclined to vote. Myself included.
I’m undecided, but will probably vote for Obama — McCain will most certainly not be getting my vote. I’m a Libertarian and that’s how I usually vote, but Bob Barr is the worst kind of cuckoo that’s been slipped into our nest. Since I live in an overwhelmingly red state, though, my vote won’t count in the presidential rate at all, so the issue’s kind of moot.
Heh. And by “presidential rate” I meant “presidential race”. :P
I’m voting for Obama. The *only* politicians who can get anything done without compromise are dictators.
Obama, because he’s half white.
I agree with Dave@#10 (even though it was more than two sentences). :)
For everyone else that wants to “make a point” by either
1. Not voting
2. Voting for a third party
3. Looking at it like your voting for the lesser of two evils
Let me be clear: Your point will not be heard. No one will know what your point is. If you choose not to vote, your point will not be distinguishable from someone who doesn’t give a shit.
Also, it will not change the fact that either Obama, or McCain WILL become president.
I don’t necessarily think a vote for a third party is a wasted vote, but when it comes to an election as important as this one, please look at a post on this blog from Oct 9th entitled: “The McCain/Palin mob thinks Obama is a terrorist”.
I DO NOT want idiots like that deciding who becomes the next leader of the free world. It’s fine if someone chooses to like McCain over Obama, but if their decision is based on lies and rumors, it would kill me if their power in numbers overpowered voters who are actually educated, but choose to make an idiotic point by doing one of the three things above.
One final thing… if you are thinking about doing one of the three things above, election day is the WORST time to get your point across.
Please, let’s get the better one of the two people that even have a chance of winning into the White House… THEN you can write letters to congress looking for change, looking for more support of third parties, etc…
If the worst guy gets in the White House AGAIN, then wouldn’t your point be even harder to get across?
@Jack: If smart people stopped voting, the only ones voting would be the stupid ones.
I couldn’t agree more with McBloggenstein.
Standing up for a principle is fine – UNLESS it gains you absolutely nothing or, even worse, plays into the hands of your opponents, as I believe will be the case if you don’t vote. (At least have the decency to vote blank if you insist on this kind of approach).
I’m not American, so of course I won’t be voting. All the more, it fills me with sadness and dread to see that on average 35-40 percent of American adults can’t be bothered to cast a vote. Parliamentary election in most other democratic countries have a much lower ratio of non-voters.
Granted, a lot of it is due to the federal nature of your voting system. Many of you want to change the system or at least draw attention to it. But that is for another day. Please cast your vote on election day, or you’re letting complete idiots have that much more influence on the result. Do you really want that just to make an impotent statement which the targeted politicians don’t give a shit about anyway?
Besides, it’s hard to take your complaints about the government seriously if you couldn’t even be bothered to use a couple of hours to vote.
Please have the decency to vote.
I am a Libertarian, and until I saw those videos you posted on Oct 9,I was going to vote Bob Barr. I am no longer supporting Barr. He is a little too right wing for me, and his social stance is too conservative. So long as social freedoms are preserved, economic freedoms can be argued over, but once they are gone, you have 1984. Also, Economic freedoms can always be split down the middle in dollar value amounts, but splitting social freedoms goes something like this:
Party one: I think wee should eat all the kittens!
Party two: We Should not eat any kittens!
Party one: We’ll compromise, We will only eat half the kittens!
Party two: No! Wait! Put that Kitten down!
@McBloggenstein:
“Your point will not be heard.”
I suppose voting for Obama along with millions of other people will make my vote be heard? Hm. Maybe in a battleground state, but not in most states. Actually a vote for a third-party candidate is heard the loudest because it’s the option least chosen.
Election day is the best, in fact the only time you can really be heard. You can call and send letters all you want, but the politicians don’t have to listen to you.
I agree with what Candlemann said, especially the quote: “A vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil.” Obama will be influenced by the same lobbyists and corporations as McCain. Did the democratic congress stand up to Bush? Did they vote against the bailout bill? Will Obama be any different? McCain and Obama aren’t as different from each other as you might think; both parties have a vested interest in appearing to be very different, and both have an interest in keeping out third party candidates. Until a significant number of people stand up and vote against the major parties, America will continue its decline as it is bought and sold by the people with the money.
I’m voting for Obama, even though the CFR owns both candidates and will win no matter what anyway. Also, because I am not ignorant like McCain supporters.
Dave, how can you believe that $#17?
I don’t live in the US, but like over 88% of the entire damn world I’m hoping Obama takes it and utterly amazed anyone’s even considering voting the McAncient/Nutjob ticket.
I’m not sure whether to laugh at Metro for missing the sarcasm there or cry because it’s actually an easy mistake to make when there are so many people who belief that trash. =(
I’m voting for Obama—primarily because I’m voting *against* the dangerous ignorance represented by McCain, Palin and the howling mobs that follow them.
Consider this election a referendum on sanity.
@Lynn
Well put.
Not sure, but I’m leaning Liberal at the moment. Failing that, I’ll vote Green, just because I’d like to see them get a higher profile. Not that it really matters, as once again my riding is likely to go heavily for the Tory incumbent.
What? That’s not the election you were asking about? Sorry, never mind….
(BTW: Obama/Biden, if only because I don’t like living next door to countries run by people who are completely fucking insane).
I’m voting Labour. Helen Clark’s done a good job the last nine years, the only reason National’s popular right now is because the public’s gotten bored with the same faces, and John Key wants to destroy so many of the institutions that make this nation great by selling them off for scrap to pay for sending combat troops to Iraq and Sudan.
and yeah, don’t throw your vote away. The problem with actions like that is that only people who would vote Democratic would support it, the kind of people who vote Republican don’t see anything wrong with the system.
Voting third party is fine in principle, but your current system means they won’t get anywhere and both major third parties are more on the Democratic side than the Republican side, so they’re sucking votes off the better candidate.
Voting Libertarian is something I would not support. There are reasons why economic freedom should be limited, and we saw a lot of them in New Orleans a few years back and on Wall Street these past few weeks. Not to say there shouldn’t be economic freedom, just that the government needs to be bigger than just an army and whatever it takes to support it, and some of the things it needs are emergency response capabilities and oversight of the markets.
I think the best course for Americans right now is to vote Obama, then write to their congressman and senator asking them to introduce an electoral reform bill getting rid of the electoral college system and using a popular vote for the president. Something about libel and slander on the campaign trail would be nice, too.
Third parties still aren’t a realistic possibility for a while yet, if ever. I can’t really see a way to get sane political parties having even a decent share of the power. America’s just too big and too much power is associated with the hands of one man. In NZ, we have only one house of parliament, and the coalition that has more seats gets to form the executive branch. We use MMP, so more parties get in, then they form multi-party coalitions to gain power, so several political views end up being expressed. On controversial votes parties or individuals may cross the floor, so even views the coalition doesn’t hold as a group may be expressed. It seems complicated, but it works, minorities get a say and neither of the two larger parties gets power.
Obama/Biden, ’cause I want the smartest motherfuckers in the room.
Obama/Biden because they actually realize the importance of (early childhood) education!
I’m gonna write in Paul
Obama/Biden – Screw McSame/Failin!!!
John McCain’s entire campaign is run on ignorance, from picking that dumb ass Palin, to lying through his teeth every chance he gets, to being a crook, etc. When I look at him, I just want to punch him in the face!
Irrelevant tangent: How do I get my own egotistical picture in the comment space, instead of the standard graphic? Do I have to register somewhere?
I’m a lifelong Republican that will vote for Obama. Anyone who actually believes that the world is 6000 years old is incapable of rational thought. Anyone who would selects someone who believes this way to be Vice President has extremely poor judgment. Neither are qualified for the office.
I’m voting for Hitler. Oh- wiat he’s dead. Ok I’m voting for the Fascist corporations that Hitler left us. That’ll show’em.
Though I always did want a cheerleader for President.
I hope the nerds and the majority of us unpopular folk come out to vote that bitch down. Her and Grampa
Oh and as far as stupid people voting. Thomas Jefferson said “Withuot education Democracy becomes tyranny”.
We are now and have been for many years on the cusp of that happening to our Country.
Obama. He’s not perfect, but he’s a step in the right direction.
I’m voting for whichever ticket doesn’t have a YEC on it.
Obama. lol @ the trolls.
Obama because he’s intellectually and emotionally smarter than anyone we’ve seen in decades, and he represents more of the nation than just the rich, white, christian man.
Believe it or not, I didn’t like Sarah Palin at first (I know! Silly, huh?). Luckily I found this site: Teen Moms for Palin
Obama, because I voted for Bush in ’04 and will not make the same mistake again.
@Torlek
Doh! I got Poe-d!
In the broader application of the law, anyway.
what a choice; a has-been and a never was. Vote for my dog Bert the Basset and put a real dog in the White House instead of these two who’d give dogs everywhere a bad name.
Why is it that politicians in America,are cowards and afraid to stand up and say “No I am not religious – and I don’t and never will believe in any of it”!
I firmly believe that a LOT of these so called “Christian politicians” are merely lying about their so called “Faith” and in actuality “use” their lie,as their modus operandi to gain the power they crave.
Dave is correct when he says that Atheists are rational people.
Religion is insanity – it was and always will be a croc of shit.
wazza … they’re all a bunch of dickheads from Auntie Hellin to John (where’s my brain) Key .. don’t get me started on Winston (Uncle Tom) Peters and that Moron Rodney hyde.
A bunch of fuckwits one and all.I feel ashamed to be a Kiwi.