I Early Voted! And I Voted For…
Today I stood in line in Lawrenceville, Georgia for 2 hours and 15 minutes to cast my early vote in Election ’08. I’d seen and heard enough this presidential election season to last me the next three presidential election seasons. As I stood there in line, I thought about the issues, the controversies, the slop, the unreal, the surreal, the joy, the passion, the sadness, and the overall tone of the primaries and general election. So when it was my turn to fulfill my civic duty, I voted the way I always voted. I voted for Bob Barr for President of the United States.
As I have said many times here, I’ve never voted for a Democrat or Republican in ANY election. I completely dislike our two-party, Hatfields vs. McCoys system. And it was very easy to vote third party prior to this presidential election. Why? Because there was no Barack Obama.
I come from a family of black activists and black nationalists. My parents were Black Panthers. My grandparents on both sides marched with Martin Luther King Jr. My grandfather was part of the Deacons for Defense and Justice in Alabama from 1965 to 1968. And I have family members who belong to the Nation of Islam led by the always-controversial Minister Louis Farrakhan. I grew up immersed in civil rights, Marxism, Socialism, and Black Power. My grandparents waxed poetically about King’s Dream. I would sit for hours as they along with my parents filled my head with the glory of the struggle. That sweet struggle for equality. The sweet siren song that calls many black folks in America. So when Barack Obama passed the threshold of “he could really win this thing” with black people, I became a supporter of him for the Presidency. My family and I would sit and just talk about how historic this is. The pride I felt was so intoxicating. Obama was like my generation’s Martin Luther King Jr. as a transformative figure in race in America. White folks were voting for him! This what King talked about! But even though I felt the pride and the history, a nagging thought just kept popping up:
He’s a representative of the two-party system that you hate!
So I went through most of this election season conflicted. I defended Obama during the Jeremiah Wright Affair (I understood his views totally because of my background). I defended Obama against questions about his patriotism. I defended Obama because he is our (black folks) history. A realization of a dream in the black community. But he’s a member of the decadent two-party system in this country. And my inner protester was going crazy. So I decided to give Bob Barr a look since I couldn’t vote my normal Green Party since they put Cynthia McKinney at the top. Just terrible but I digress.
Nothing really stood out about Bob Barr. He has some solid plans for the country but so did McCain and Obama. I watched him on CNN, Jim Lehrer’s show, YouTube, etc. He is an impressive individual. But so his McCain and Obama. But one things stuck out about him and it was his answer about racism and inequality in the “Issues” section his official website:
The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. Government should make no law that discriminates based on race, religion, sexuality or any other personal characteristic. Government laws should respect each person as an individual and treat them equally as such.
WOW! So simple. So sweet. When I went to Obama’s site, he had a lengthy 12-point plan type of response on that issue, while McCain had nothing. And when I started looking at Barr more closely, I really started to like the his simple and direct way of breaking the issues down. He made the Libertarian case very well. Of all the third-party candidates I have voted for in the past, Bob Barr is the most presidential.
So I had a decision to make, history and pride or my convictions. And it was hard my friends. So very hard. So hard that I almost voted for Obama today right there in the voting booth. But my convictions won out. I will still defend Obama against character attacks and questions about his patriotism. My inner black pride guy always says “Help a brother out”. But I just can’t vote for a member of the two-party monopoly. I… just… can’t… Even if it is history. But I can vote for a qualified third-party candidate in Bob Barr. And I did.
Bob Barr isn’t going to win. And I will support a President John McCain or a President Barack Obama. But at least I was able to vote my convictions. And feel damn good about it.
UPDATE
You want a little more as to why I dislike our two party system? Because they work together (along with the media) to effectively-silence debate outside of Democrats and Republicans in elections. And I feel real change will come when a third party candidate wins the Presidency. Not saying McCain and Obama can’t implement “change” but it’s always colored in two-party political paint. No disrespect to those who support Democrats and Republicans.
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44 Responses to “I Early Voted! And I Voted For…”
Good for you T,
You stood by your principles just like all those Nader voters from 200 who still claim that there was no difference between the two parties. (/snark)
What a waste, I would have respected you more if you had voted for McCain with a justifiable reason but to claim you voted for (Nadar) excuse me Barr because he is not of the two party system is assine. All those people you referenced in your third paragraph fought and possibly died for your chance to vote, they fought for your vote to mean something and you decided that it would mean, what??? a childish protest against the two party system.
GROW THE F*** UP!!!!!
This is an election that will change the direction the country is heading in and you decide to sit on the sideline, good one bro. And I say this all as one “still” pissed off Hillary supporter who has come to the realization that it takes more guts to get over my anger and do what is best for my country and have my vote mean something, you I guess would rather pout about the two party system.
Once Again, GROW THE F*** UP!!!!!
Lovitar, spare me the rage and the whole “wasted” vote angle. I've been doing my third party vote for a long time and have heard your type of rhetoric for a long time.
You “YOUR VOTE IS WASTED” folks are hilarious. Those people in paragraph three fought for, struggle for, and died for black folks right to vote. Not vote for a particular color or party. But VOTE.
End of story.
Another thing, why is my protest vote “childish” while your anger at Hillary Clinton not getting the Democratic nomination isn't? She isn't in the race. She's moved on. And your still pissed off? While I vote for a current and qualified third-party candidate who has legitimate plans and I'm the childish one. Look in the mirror friend.
WHAT? I thought you supported Obama?? Bob Barr- THE Bob Barr who said the recession was all in our heads and that we ought to stop whining about it???
Um I won't tell you who to vote for, because nothing pisses me off more than someone giving me political advice— but Bob Barr???
yes, VOTES, votes that mean something, votes that help set this country on a better path. Whether you believe that McCain or Obama at least it means something.
Bob Barr???, particularly in Georgia, please protest your ass away on the wrongness of the two party system – work, organize and fundraise to your hearts content in order to have a legitimate third party, but to throw the value of your vote because you don't believe in the two party system “BOO, HOO” “BOO F***ING HOO”.
My God dude grow up, I gave up on tantrums when I turned 11, doesn't mean I don't feel strongly about things, doesn't mean i don't want my own way, but what it does mean is that I work constructively to accomplish my goals instead of throwing a fit because i didn't get my way. My 7 year son is beginning to learn that all a temper tantrum gets you is a headache and nothing else, you I see haven't learned that lesson.
Good luck with quixote voting pattern, you're really making headway there.
Loviatar, if I wanted to give an example of a blog tantrum, it would be your comments here.
Yes the Bob Barr that said recession was in our heads and I did not like those words at all. But my issues go deeper than that. I've voted for many a fringe character. Heck I was a member of the Green Party for awhile. And yes I did support Obama. BUT in my entire voting life, I have railed against the two-party system. MY ENTIRE LIFE. Sometimes I see both the Democratic and Republican parties as the same. And I can't lie, as I said in my post, the I was so very close to voting for Obama. But I just couldn't because it goes against what I believe. I know I've written posts here praising Obama. Heck I'll still praise him. And if he wins, I would be proud. But I can't and won't vote for Democrat or Republican at this stage of my life. I can't and I won't. Yes, I have problems with Bob Barr. But I have problems with McCain and Obama as well. They all have said stupid things. But in the end, I'd rather vote for the third-party candidate that said stupid things than the major party candidates that said stupid things.
P,
you know why. As I said I am one pissed of Hillary supporter, I didn't like the way she was treated during the primary and I made up my mind I would not vote for Obama. I discussed it with my mom and we decided we wouldn't vote this election. We live in NJ/NY so we figured it wouldn't matter anyway. However, recently we started talking about the election and the stark differences in the vision (hate that word) that the two candidates have for our country and we decided we needed to set aside our anger and vote.
We needed to vote dammit, people died for me and T-Steel to have the right to vote and they died to have our vote mean something and whether I believe in the two party system or not the differences between the two candidates mean I can't let my personal angst keep me from participating. Its called maturity.
Good man steel. I am also voting for Barr on the 4'th. I am doing so, because I just do not agree with Politics of either of thee jive turkeys.
-PBL
Last time I checked Loviatar, they died for the right to vote. Don't add your own qualifiers.
T,
You're right. I'm going to to drop it.
You have your pride on casting a “protest” vote during what will probably be the most important vote of your lifetime and there is nothing I can say to change your mind.
Once again, good luck with your posterity votes.
The most important vote in my lifetime… You could be right. But the future is a devious thing…
I can honestly say that if Bob Barr wasn't there, I would have most likely voted for Obama. Because I just couldn't stomach voting for Cynthia McKinney in my old party of the Greens. Voting for Barr felt much better to me than my previous third-party votes because he has legitimate plans for this country. He isn't fringe in his thinking. And yes, I have issues with some of his policies. But he is a REAL candidate that is as legitimate as McCain or Obama.
I just don't see how we will ever have truly viable third parties while we keep the current political structures that seem to lead inevitably to them and have for the majority of our country's existence. And I wouldn't object to coming up with some way to have proportional representation if we could do it without winding up with the disaster that you get with a parliamentary system with so many parties that nothing can get done.
By the way, it was not Bob Barr who said that the recession is in our heads. That was Phil Gramm.
T-Steel, thanks for voting! Someday I’d love to vote for a great third-party candidate but I view this from a process (and pragmatic) viewpoint. For America to reach the point of having viable third-party candidates we need to elect officials now who will make changes to move us forward as a country. To begin with we need to have better (and civil) discourse among the political parties. Obama has for years talked about Dems and Republicans and bringing America together. But perhaps the most pressing issues we need to address are the economy and our standing in the world. At this point in time no third-party candidate has the same capability as Obama to deal with all this.
Having said that I think it is vital that Americans support third-party candidates (including voting for them) to keep ideas flowing in America and to let politicians know that Americans want a better way. While the two-party system may suppress third-party candidates (I think any party tries to suppress other parties) I think Obama is most accepting of others’ viewpoints, including that of third-parties.
So my vote is one of pragmatism to address the immediate and pressing concerns our country faces (especially if we enter into a deep recession). Obama seems to have a way of taking the best ideas (even if they are not his) and putting them into action. But in order for America (as a whole) to reach that point we have some work to do. That is why votes like yours, which remind the average citizen and politicians that other ideas are viable and have a good following, are absolutely essential. Voting for a third-party candidate is not a vote I can do this election due to my own values, but I value your vote and what it represents, both that it is your right to vote as you choose and that it is how you would like to see the country managed. That is the whole point of our great country. Thanks again, T-Steel for your vote. I know it wasn’t easy, but it is the right vote for the right reasons.
I'm not a big fan of the two party system. I would like to see a fiscally conservative/socially liberal third party, but as it is third parties are just spoilers.
I lost a lot of resect for Barr when he thought it was a good idea to strip citizenship from children of illegal immigrants. Not a lot of thought of the long term effects of that one. Also…witch hunting…weird
ClarkAspen, I'm pretty sure I heard Bob Barr say that statement as well. But I could be wrong. Will investigate.
Thanks StockBoySF. No it was not easy. Heck I'm even having some minor second thoughts but hey, life isn't easy. I will always respect the vote of an American citizen. Whether they vote for someone I like or dislike.
T-Steel: no second guesses. You did good.
Way to go T!! I did the same thing. I think what is most telling are all the people who want to throw the “spoiler” vote charge out there. It seems to me that every 4 years people go out and vote for one or the other, and usually it seems to be the lesser of two evils. All you have to do is look at all those Bush supporters in '04 screaming “4 more years!!”. And in the end, you still find a bunch of people still ticked off and mad about the current state of affairs.
Some people will scream “Just grow up!”, and that's fine, they are entitled to that opinion. But what's going to happen is that in four years all of the same arguments will come to the surface. For everyone who wants to call a vote for a 3rd party a wasted vote, I would say this. If everyone of you would instead vote for a 3rd party instead of screaming at those of us who do, we might actually let the politicians in Washington know that we're tired of their crap.
I voted for Bob Barr, and like T_Steel, I too will say that he isn't the perfect candidate. But like T_Steel, what impressed me the most with him is his simplicity and straightforwardness. And the worst thing that I can think of is voting against someone and not for someone. I've done it before and it has always come back to bite me in the rear. I'm not disillusioned, Barr isn't going to win. But I, like T_Steel, feel very good about who I voted for.
T_Steel, I'm not going to question your motives. It seems to me that you voted after considering all of the alternatives on the basis of serious thought about what issues were most important to you, and nothing more could be asked. But one thing I'm curious about… did you decide before going into the voting booth (or whatever), or after?
Voting is a)a civic duty and b)a a personal thing. No matter who I may decide to vote for in an election, I thank all those who voted. All of us listen, read, and we then have to make a personal conclusion and participate in our democracy. So whether someone in the end votes for Barr, Obama, McCain OR if they have the good sense to write in the name of someone not on the ballot who they feel achieves real greatness — like writing in the name “Joe Gandelman” — I salute them.
I don't begrudge you for voting a third party. But Bob Barr is nutjob. He was an extremist during the Clinton scandal and then found a conscience while protesting the Patriot Act.
Ron Paul has stood for libertarian principles forever. Bob Barr is an opportunist looking for attention.
I just don't see the “principle” in a vote for Barr. Why not write in Ron Paul? It would be as meaningful in the outcome as a vote for Barr.
Ricorun said: “But one thing I'm curious about… did you decide before going into the voting booth (or whatever), or after?”
I don't understand the after part of your question but I can tell you the following:
I was confident that I was going to vote for Barr while driving to the early voting location. While in line for 2+ hours, I, dare I say, flip-flopped constantly. I was beating the crap out of myself the entire time. When it was time, I got “in” the booth and just kind of stood there. And I was close to voting for Obama there. But I just took a deep breath and voted Barr. That's it in a nutshell.
Hardest vote I've ever made in my life.
Too bad we don't have instant runoff voting in this country, imo it's the best way to defang the 2 party system. With IRV you can rank your votes; if a 3rd party is your 1st choice and it doesn't get the majority of votes, then your 2nd choice becomes viable, and so on. It removes the whole “being held hostage to the 2 party system” and any sense of “throwing ones vote away”. If we had IRV then we'd genuinely have an opportunity to see how many people would choose to defect from the D's and R's. At any rate T, you voted your conscience and that's the standard each of us has to shoot for… and thanks for sharing your reasons with us. I wish we had early voting here in MI, but we don't, and I don't qualify for an absentee ballot… not until the next presidential election. So that means this coming November 4th I'll be going down to my polling place and voting… for Barack Obama.
I agree 100% with Joe Gandelman's comment and if he hadn't written it, I would have written something like that. I have very few qualms about people voting so long as they vote – my preference is that they try to inform themselves as best as any of us can but even then…it's our right – our privilege.
Thanks for sharing your story – I really enjoyed reading it.
T_Steel (to me): I don't understand the after part of your question but I can tell you the following: I was confident that I was going to vote for Barr while driving to the early voting location. While in line for 2+ hours, I, dare I say, flip-flopped constantly. I was beating the crap out of myself the entire time. When it was time, I got “in” the booth and just kind of stood there. And I was close to voting for Obama there. But I just took a deep breath and voted Barr. That's it in a nutshell. Hardest vote I've ever made in my life.
I guess I didn't phrase my question well. But I was wondering when, relative to when it actually came time to vote, did you decide. And you answered that in great detail.
Many times in my life, be it for various candidates or issues, I have waited until the privacy of the voting booth to decide. I can't say I'm that conflicted this time around, but you never know. Either way, I find it hard to imagine that many of us don't go through that process when it comes down to crunch time. After all, even if you've studied the issues till the cows come home there's always that lingering doubt, when when it comes down to brass tacks, that maybe you've missed something. I don't know how anyone can avoid it. Unless you're an expert on every last detail of every issue or candidate you're required to vote on, there's no good way to know what ramifications will entail from the decision you make on any given level. And even then, you have to be pretty arrogant to believe you're an expert on every last detail. In the end, the best you can do is the best can you offer. And I hope everyone offers the best they can.
Go T! I'm also planning to vote for Barr on November 4th. When I blogged about my reasons for doing so, I got some similar reaction to the first commenter here.
Et tu, T???
Just kidding,
I went to social tonight- just 6 suburban women. NONE are voting for McCain — 2 or 3 are voting for Barr. Its a little shocking that he's got so much support, when he's barely on the radar, and is a conservative Republican masquerading as a Libertarian in my book. But vote your conscience. – Its Obama for me- I want to make history, and I want every minority kid to dream that they can do it too. Ok maybe its bleeding heart- but so what.
Loviatar- I understand perfectly how you feel about Hillary. She was trashed by the media and by her party. And I look at Palin and I think– you are not even in the same league. Will we get another chance with this amazing woman?
T Steel- What plans of Bob Barr's do you like specifically? I haven't heard positive things about him, but I admit I haven't really heard that much about him period.
For me it is an easy decision. McCain's choice of Palin , his capitulation to the right wing and the prospect of a conservative SCOTUS did it for me.
I'm not 100% behind the Democrats, but I really liked Obama's speeches to the black community, and the fact that he kept Sharpton, Farrakhan and Jackson out of his campaign and constantly rejected opportunities to play the race card or the victim. He's upstanding, honorable and a great role model for our youth.
Once he beat the Clintons, I felt he could beat McCain and the GOP smear machine- not by fighting, but by reconciliation. More and more Republicans are rejecting the far right's my way or the highway way of thinking— and after the past 8 years it feels great.
kritt11 said: “Its Obama for me- I want to make history, and I want every minority kid to dream that they can do it too.I want to live in the country that elected a competent African-American as leader of the free world. Ok maybe its bleeding heart- but so what. It would give me the same feeling I used to get listening to Bobby Kennedy.”
Your words are not lost on me at all. I've been preaching up Barack Obama to my three children. My oldest (11 years old) always talks about Obama this and Obama that. Got his website as her homepage on her computer. So the history is not lost. But as I said, I had to be true to myself. But I can tell you this, if Governor Sarah Palin was at the top of the Republican ticket, I would have had a much easier time voting for Obama. As much as a like Sarah Palin's overall persona (I serve on the PTA with women like Sarah Palin), I just think see her as POTUS at this time.
McCain, Obama, and Barr do not “scare” me as Presidents.
See? I took the evening off an missed out on this great thread. Well you can get all of your anti-American comments ready for me, as I will be casting the same vote on Nov. 4 up here in New York. Nobody gets to define the value of your vote for you, and when they try to with the “wasted vote” or “spoiler” comments, they demonstrate that they don't really understand the fundamentals of Democracy. If you want to cast stones at anybody, toss them at the 1/2 of the country who don't vote at all.
What about the Supreme Court, T-Steel?? Its already a lot more conservative than 8 years ago, when I would say it was centrist.
Palin scares me because I get the feeling she is just winging it. Plus her “you are the real Americans- the hard-working God-fearing ones” really hacked me off. So what are the rest of us- the slothful, faux Americans who want the government to do everything but wipe our tushes for us? I don't like the reason she is on the ticket- which is to lure angry Hillary voters (yes I was one but no dice here!) and get the angry base out. Her palling around with terrorists crossed the line also.
Jazz-
Vote your conscience- that is all any of us can do. But I still have not gotten an answer to my question about what the attraction is to Barr-other than as a protest vote against the 2 party system.????
November 4th we can change history!
T-Steel,
You have my utmost respect for voting for a third party candidate and standing up to those who would tell you that you're wasting your vote. All this talk about third party candidates being “spoilers” is faulty logic in that it presupposes that votes that go to third party candidates somehow “belong” to either the Democratic or Republican candidate.
Your criticism of our two-party system is completely fair. It's not simply that Democratic and Republican Party platforms are lacking…it's that the Democratic and Republican Parties have gamed the system in their favor, writing ballot access laws that make it much harder to get on the ballot as an Independent or third party candidate than as a Democrat or a Republican. Then, to make matters worse, Democrats and Republicans don't even obey their own ballot access laws. If a Libertarian or a Green comes up even a 100 signatures short out of 50,000, they fail to achieve ballot access. However, on at least two occasions (2004 in Illinois and 2008 in Texas), one of the two party candidates failed to be nominated within the period of time as specified by state law, and the Democrats and Republicans simply overlooked the law and placed the candidate on the ballot anyway.
Frankly, the fact that Democrats and Republicans refuse to follow their own ballot access laws (the very ones they use to prevent Independent and third party candidates from getting on the ballot) is something I find to be hypocritical, undemocratic, and downright disgusting.
Any Democratic or Republican Party supporter who wants to somehow defend those kind of actions, I'm all ears.
I voted Libertarian in 2004 and was considering doing so again in 2008, but I just couldn't bring myself to vote for Bob Barr, whose pro-War on Drugs and pro-Defense of Marriage Act days are still too not far enough behind him. Barr has made some important steps in the right direction, and he has done a great job of criticizing the Democrats and the Republicans, but frankly, if I'm going to vote Libertarian, I want a candidate that speaks out unapologetically against the War on Drugs and unapologetically against self-righteous politicians who would legislate their own versions of morality on the rest of us.
Instead, I have already cast my ballot (via absentee ballot) for Charles Jay (President) and Thomas Knapp (Vice President) of the Boston Tea Party, which splintered off from the Libertarian Party back in 2006. Obviously, they have no chance of winning the election, but then voting isn't supposed to be about bragging that you voted for the guy/gal who won.
Interestingly, there seems to be quite of few of us at TMV with libertarian leanings or at least libertarian sympathies. I'm curious how many other people at TMV intend to vote libertarian or for some other third party candidate. Could TMV be one of the first truly “multiparty” blogs in the blogosphere?
T_Steel, you voted your conscience. That's NEVER a wasted vote.
You know, the Republican Party was once a Third Party. And they abolished SLAVERY.
People seem to forget that Third Parties have done more for equality than any two-party system.
Is it just me, or do supporters of the two-party system always fall back on the “But this is the most presidential election in your lifetime” argument. They trotted it out in 2004. They repeated the argument in 2004. Loviatar is reviving the argument now in 2008. And God knows, they'll be arguing the same thing in 2012, 2016, 2020….
Anything to make you think that you vote for a third party candidate is a wasted vote and that their vote for Democrat or Republican is somehow meaningful.
kritt11 said: “What are you telling your son about why you voted for Barr instead of Obama. I made sure my 16 year old knew why I was picking Obama. Hopefully, I'm raising a little Democrat here– or at least not a conservative Republican!”
My son is five years old so it will be lost on him but I get your point. My wife told our daughters (11 and 10 years old) why I voted for Bob Barr. She said something to the effect that “your father likes and respects Obama but doesn't like or respect the political group he represents”. My daughters response:
Daddy always gotta be different!
You gotta love the children. LOL!
As a new Libertarian voting for Barr, thank you. The two party system is flawed, but that is not my reason for voting Barr, I studied the issues in depth, and logic dictates that libertarianism is the only model of government that will be acceptable in the coming tech revolution. Otherwise we will face an orwellion future, do not fool yourself, big brother is here, how much power are you willing to give him? Both Dems and Reps represent more government control over our individual lives, more government spending on top of our already ludicrous budget. 10 TRILLION in debt and counting, can we really expect to prosper oder such a crushing national debt, where is that money going to come from, there are only about 300 million of us living here. You want to freak out, try looking at where all that money ends up.
The question is, can anyone convince me that more taxes and less constitutional liberties is a good thing for America? Can anyone convince me spending 10 billion a month policing another country, where our mere presense only serves to incite other humans who suffer, due to our intervention, to habor anomosity towards us, how is that good for the Nation? Do you really wangt more war, Obama and McCain do, well do ya'? Do you really want the federal gov to own your home, they do, well?
Look if you really are into letting the granny state run your life, great, if you really like paying taxes so that American money can funaled all over the globe, good for you, vote McBama. If you think pre WWII Germany had it right with it's fiat monetary system, it's fearmongering, and it's police state, great, vote ObaCaint. If however you believe in personal freedom, the Constitution, balanced budgets, less war, and logic, then you should vote Bob Barr.
Thanks for your time
[...] 23rd, 2008 By T-STEEL, Site Administrator I’m sorry Obama supporters. I’ve let you down and now I’m in protective [...]
TS- Sorry I meant the 11 year old daughter- just read your initial post wrong. In our house I am known as the Big Cheese, and my daughter and I were laughing about how her dad would never dare to vote for a Republican and admit to it at home!
Hopefully the choices will be better next election and the right wing will lose its dominating effect on the GOP, allowing a McCain to campaign as who he really is.
I too will vote for Bob Barr on November 4. I attended the Libertarian National Convention in May. I was a delegate at the convention. It took six rounds of voting and candidate elimination before we selected Bob Barr as our nominee. Libertarians are split in their opinions of Bob Barr, but we still believe he is a far better choice than either McCain or Obama.
I am amazed that some of you believe that a vote for Barr is a vote stolen from Obama. I hear it said much more often that a vote for Barr is a vote stolen from McCain, thus helping Obama. Some McCain supporters are scared to death of a possible Barr spoiler for them.
I must concede that I believe that Obama would be far worse than McCain because Obama is a socialist who favors redistributing and spreading the wealth. And it irks Republicans when I tell them that because Obama would be worse than McCain, that I want Obama to defeat McCain in a crushing landslide! Only then will Republicans get back to the ideas of less government and more freedom.
I still won't vote Republican even then. I will always vote Libertarian.
As in other elections, I was listening to the rhetoric being spewed by McCain and Obama and really getting turned off against both of them. One day I heard Bob Barr on Glenn Beck and did some research of my own and compared all 3 of the candidates web sites to each other. Barr came out the clear winner in my book. I understand that NO candidate is perfect and there are a couple of issues of Bob that I disagree with, but I can safely say that I disagree with a majority of Obama and McCain on their issues.
I cast my vote for Barr on Tuesday morning. It's time that We the People end this stranglehold that the 2 Party System has on the American Citizen. But I'm not going to stop there, it's time that the media (no, I did not say liberal/conservative media) stops its biased coverage of the 2 major parties and covers all the parties that are on enough state ballots that mathematically have a chance at winning, ESPECIALLY the polls that have A) Barack Obama, B) John McCain and C) Undecided/Other. There are millions of voters that have decided not to vote for A or B, but where is their answer on the poll? “Other” does not offer a true choice.
Thanks TS for thinking for yourself instead of joining the sheep! I can't agree more with GMSilvia. LOVIATAR needs to grow up and see what great good the 2 big parties have done for us.
The 2 party choice currently is a joke: Enormous overspending or Ridiculous overspending. Lots of War or Even More War. Socialism or Communism. Bought and owned by Exon or by Qwest. Both are partially paid for by hedge funds and wall street.
I would recommend to anyone interested in keeping this country from joining the ranks of the third world to Vote for the candidate who will get us out of foreign military actions, chop spending, and what we do spend, make it count! Oh yeah, and a candidate who will not ignore the constitution would be really nice!
I'm voting for Barr and proud of it.
Mr. Steel… Having noticed your letter on the Bob Barr Campaign website, I wanted you to know that I wrote there the following:
Jack Gannon Says:
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Mr. Steel has written an ‘absolutely beautiful’ letter. It’s about conviction, and doing what’s right for our country in the long-run. You must read it. It will make you proud to be an American. It sure did so to me!
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