This has been one of the most difficult election cycles ever in my opinion. So many bad things are happening all at once in our country, and the stakes are very high for our next President. He is going to inherit a huge mess. I am unimpressed with what Bush has done during the crisis, and am convinced that either of the candidates could handle this better than he has so far. He has set the bar so low for the next President that whichever guy gets the job, it will seem like we have elected a genius.

I have also been unimpressed at the way that both McCain and Obama have handled the current crisis. It's not that they don't know what to do that bothers me...even financial gurus who are paid big bucks to think about our economy don't know how to handle this crisis. What does bother me is how they have only now started to focus on this crisis instead of smearing each other into the ground campaigning. I have been very turned off by their behavior in the past few weeks.

It seems that everything our government touches right now turns to dung, so I have decided to place my vote with Bob Barr next month because he is wanting the government to stop expanding its powers so much. I know that none of the third party candidates are going to even get a smidge of the votes in the U.S. three weeks from now, but I can honestly say that no matter if it is Obama or McCain being sworn in come January, I will not be glad about it. They both tout change, bipartisanship, etc., but they don't walk the walk when it comes right down to it. By voting for someone that is neither Democrat nor Republican, I think I will be standing up for the true change that needs to come to America.

McCain was never my first choice (I am a Rudy fan), but he beats the fool out of the mobster style & socialism never mind extreme taxation that awaits us with Barry, I will no way no how throw my vote away & miss a chance to vote against him.

Voting 3rd party in some states can change the outcome of that state's election.

Youtube ..of Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat talking about how 3rd party ..Ron Paul might change the vote in his state.
YouTube - Ron Paul To Be The Decider In Montana

I would love to see Judge Judy in there, but, I'm giving my vote to McCain. I believe in his things enough to support him.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I agree forrestlayne about changing the outcome of the election in some states. I would hate to think people would want to just throw away their votes - this election is too important.

For me personally, I do not feel I am throwing away my vote. I am making a stand on what I believe in and who I believe in rather that who I don't believe in. I am tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. If everyone continues to be afraid to step outside the box, then a 3rd party won't ever have the chance to rise up and remix our political system for the better.

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams


I am leaning toward voting for Chuck Baldwin.
My first choice was Ron Paul. He also has endorsed 3rd party candidates, finally when pressured he said Chuck Baldwin is the closest to his own views concerning the country.
There are things that I disagree with Chuck Baldwin about but on the direction of our country I like his views.

A Wasted Vote
"In the first place, a wasted vote is a vote for someone you know does not represent your own beliefs and principles. A wasted vote is a vote for someone you know will not lead the country in the way it should go. A wasted vote is a vote for the "lesser of two evils." Or, in the case of John McCain and Barack Obama, what we have is a choice between the "evil of two lessers."

Albert Einstein is credited with saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. For years now, Republicans and Democrats have been leading the country in the same basic direction: toward bigger and bigger government; more and more socialism, globalism, corporatism, and foreign interventionism; and the dismantling of constitutional liberties. Yet, voters continue to think that they are voting for "change" when they vote for a Republican or Democrat. This is truly insane!

Take a look at the recent $700 billion Wall Street bailout: both John McCain and Barack Obama endorsed and lobbied for it. Both McCain and Obama will continue to bail out these international banksters on the backs of the American taxpayers. Both McCain and Obama support giving illegal aliens amnesty and a path to citizenship. In the debate this past Tuesday night, both McCain and Obama expressed support for sending U.S. forces around the world for "peacekeeping" purposes. They also expressed support for sending combat forces against foreign countries even if those countries do not pose a threat to the United States. Neither Obama nor McCain will do anything to stem the tide of a burgeoning police state or a mushrooming New World Order. Both Obama and McCain support NAFTA and similar "free trade" deals. Neither candidate will do anything to rid America of the Federal Reserve, or work to eliminate the personal income tax, or disband the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Both Obama and McCain support the United Nations. So, pray tell, how is a vote for either McCain or Obama not a wasted vote?"

forrestlayne---that was very well spoken about the "wasted vote" issue. I have a friend who is a big fan of Ron Paul, so I will tell her to check out Chuck Baldwin before November 4 to see if he fits her as well. Glad to know I'm not the only one on here marching to the beat of a different drummer.

Carrie,
I'm with you on this.
The only way to get any change in this country is to get rid of everyone who is in office now. I know this can't happen, but I can wish.
Congress and the 2 candidates running for Presidency have already proven they don't represent the people who elected them. Look at the bailout. Most of the country wanted nothing to do with it, but it was passed any way.
Judy

I think it would be a wasted vote.

As for voting for the 'lesser of two evils', well they're the only two actually in the running. A vote for a third-part candidate is a wasted vote considering they (the third party) doesn't even have enough clout or determination to even make a stand in Washington to get them actually into the debates. A third party candidate would have to prove to me they were really in the race by being bold enough to demand and get into the debates so we could actually see what they stand for.

Plus where are their political ads?

Well said mom2twins2.

My opinion, not that it matters to anyone, yes you would be throwing away your vote if you voted for a 3rd party.

I understand there are some people that do not like either candidate because they do not fit their beliefs. How is it better to vote for someone who has no chance of winning the Presidential election? Some people say they don't want to vote for the lesser of the two evils. Isn't voting for a 3rd party candidate the same thing - settling for the lesser of the 3?

I go back and forth on whether voting for a third party is wasting a vote. For me, I've never been sincerely confronted with it. I can imagine it happening though. There are some Democrats, for example, who I don't think are really Democrats at all, and if one of them headed the ticket, and I thought they might sell out my party or not represent the views of my party, I don't know what I would do.

I'd have a hard time voting for a third-party candidate though, and I've certainly tried to argue friends out of voting for them on the ground that it was wasting their vote.

I've never really been comfortable with that argument though. I've "wasted my vote" a few times in my life if that means voting for a candidate that didn't have a prayer. For heaven's sake, I voted for Mondale. Talk about a vote of conscience. As another example, my parents live in a state that is so Red that it pulses with the color. I'd never imagine telling them not to vote, even though their vote for Obama is meaningless on the electoral map.

My vote for Mondale and my parents' votes for Obama are important to us, though, and it's hard for me to say why these votes matter and those for a third-party candidate don't.

Before I voted third party, I would ask first, what will be the impact of my vote locally? I'd be less inclined to vote for a third-party in a swing state if the choice between whether it was a Democrat or a Republican were in office made a difference to me. Since I see differences between the parties on a number of levels, that would probably seal the deal for me in a swing state. In a non-swing state, I'd have less concern and be more willing to take a chance if I disliked the person fronting my ticket. John Anderson comes to mind here, because Carter (from whom he drew the most votes) was going down anyway. I voted for Carter, but I had friends who voted for Anderson.

Second, I would ask whether voting for a third-party candidate had a chance of being noticed so that the party for which I normally would have voted might change its course in the future. John Anderson again comes to mind, because I think that the support that he got from middle of the road voters led to the Democratic party eventually moving more towards the middle, which is where I reside.

Third, I'd consider the spoiler effect. This would be particularly important if I lived in a swing state.

Fourth, I'd want to be sure that the person that I was voting for was better than those who I was essentially voting against.

This has no importance to me. I hate political ads, and I don't think that they are a great way to select a candidate. To be fair, however, I do think that the top two candidates are subjected to such a rigorous review during the campaign cycle so that you do know more about them, warts and all. Before I voted for a third-party candidate, I'd have to do a lot of research.

I have never voted for a third-party candidate. The one time when I was faced with the choice between a Democratic candidate that I disliked and a Republican candidate who stood for things that I didn't, it was in a local race. I didn't vote. I don't know whether that was the best choice that I could have made. I don't even remember which race this was, except that the Republican candidate, as I recall, did win. I felt guilty about not voting, although apparently not enough that I remember the specific candidates or even the race. It was either governor or mayor, and it was in the early 1990s. All I remember is thinking that I couldn't cast a vote for the Democratic candidate, because I just didn't think he or she was the right choice and I was absolutely infuriated that the party had selected this candidate to front the ticket. I probably wouldn't make the same choice today.

In the end, I guess the answer is in your hands. I think it is our responsibility to vote in a way that we think best serves the country and in light of the direction that we want our country to move.

The only vote that is truly wasted is the unintelligent vote, where you haven't examined why you are voting for a candidate and what it means.

For me, I am not voting for the lesser of two or three evils...I actually believe in the same things as my candidate and I want to make a stand with him against all this waste and rampant corruption in Washington. In my state (Georgia), Barack Obama stopped campaigning here because he conceded that it will probably go to John McCain. I honestly don't care if McCain wins or loses my state without my vote. I think that voting for either Obama or McCain would be a waste of my particular vote because I don't ally myself with either of their parties, and I don't believe they have the best ideas for the future of our country. The only way I can have faith that our country's future can be better is to hope that there are others like me who will start standing against the Democrats and Republicans, and stand FOR the American people. One voice might not make a lot of noise, but what change can we hope to make from silence?

You aren't in a swing state. So, the issue of being a spoiler is taken out of the mix.

You are, in fact, in the absolutely best position for voting your heart. You don't have to care whether your vote might lead to the party with which you are naturally affiliated winning or losing.

You just need to vote on your principles.

Frankly, given what you said before, I'd go for it. I'd look seriously at third party candidates.

I envy you on a certain level. I do like living in a swing state, because I like thinking my vote has power. But the thought of being free from the two-party system is attractive too.

I admire the fact that you are exploring other candidates in the context of your race.

I would love to see a change in the two party system.

As it is now, you end up with an inevitable two party split full of people who can't stand the people with them, but know better than to strike off on their own for fear of splitting up their chances at actually winning.

Instead of "United we stand" it should be "line up next to the people you hate the least"

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

The sad part is that as long as people chose to only vote the two-party way.. things will not change.

Funding, getting into the debates, etc is all based on the percentage of votes that a third party got last year. The third party groups have to reach a certain min. to gain more entrance into the system.
That is why there is more of a push to get more people to vote for a third party.

Most third party cannot compete with the massive funding from the federal government, or the funding from the DNC or RNC. The system is very much "controlled" by the two parties.

Just because someone's a third party candidate doesn't mean they're a better candidate. Maybe we'd be better off with three or four candidates each time. Or maybe, like the Academy Awards, the vote would be split and we end up with the Marisa Tomei of candidates as the winner.

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Reading is Fundamental.