If your referring to the republicans, I can see where you are going with this. ..........Even if that party/candidate more closely reflects my views.
Brett,
I can completely understand and even appreciate the conflict you find yourself in. To use a kinda comedic circumstance, it's like being horny beyond belief, you walk into a brothel and there are only 2 girls. One has one form of STD and the other has another form of STD. Your choice is to pick the girl whose STD is the least threatening or at best the most treatable but either way you get an STD and all the risks that come with that. I guess the fear is you can't get over is just walking out and using the 3rd option being your hand!
OK, we've had our laugh and we all need that from time to time but in an odd kinda way (really ODD!), this is situation the American voter faces. It's ironic that I hear what you are saying from tons of folks who hold very similar views as yourself but in a weird twist I hear almost the same thing from folks who vote across the political isle from yourelf. Neither side is very happy.
I watched a piece on TV the other night about the current Obamafest and Joel Stein, a young LA Times op-ed guy was interviewed. He openly admitted his love of Obama and the rock concert feel but then turned around and openly admitted that he knew in the end his hopes would get smashed as the real Obama once elected would come out. As he said, 'in the meantime, I'm gonna enjoy the thrill of the ride!" I sat there literally with my mouth in my lap as I watched this guy. I was just stunned and having been around active politics for 35 years including a stint as a Libertarian Party State Delegate in the mid-90's and a member of Congressman Larry McDonald's (Democrat-Georgia) Home District advisory group in the late 70's and until his death in 83' and local option sales tax oversite review board I've heard and seen a lot.
What you just described was exactly what I was facing in the 1984' elections and I decided then to as we said earlier to, "use my hand!"
I started then looking at 3rd party candidates and write in's and in those days it was a wasteland desert, let me tell you! In 84' I wrote in Donald Duck but in 1988' I voted my first vote libertarian for Ron Paul for whom I had met via Congressman McDonald not long before his death. I've also considered the Constitutionalist Party, There was a Patriot Party in the early 90's running known and vocal tax protestors for office and there was also a Natural Law party that had some good merits. Also there was the populist party on the scene as well.
The late Harry Browne in the mid 90's thrust the libertarian efforts further as he was a very dynamic persona and was a great orator and compelling speaker. It was like mixing the straight ahead facts and principles of Ron Paul with the public presence of Reagan and Bill Clinton whom I consider almost equal in their ability of oratory. And as such the vote totals of the libertarian party moved upward to the point that the public could no longer consider this political thought irrelvant although still in infancy none the less.
Now in 2008' what concerns the 2 major parties are a 3rd party effort. Perot showed in 92' that a 3rd party can challenge the 2 mainstays and less we forget, Lincoln and the republicans in 1860' were in most respects a 3rd party effort so it can happen in the right conditions. Bloomberg has em' scared because as yet he's not showed his hand as to what he will do and now Ron Paul who continues on and has pulled nearly 10% total popular votes and he even beat party favorites Rudy and Fred in total delegate votes. Libertarians at best in elections have in the past taken about 3% to 4% which is considered good and here comes this upstart Paul and has nearly tripled that! It's not Paul getting elected that worries them, it's the fact that a libertarian who let's be honest is a 3rd party in Republican name only has managed to beat out the high profile names of Rudy and Fred and has pull in triple the normal vote totals just in primary season in an obvious party that doesn't like him or even want him there.
Add to this, Ron Paul whether knowing or unknowing used the internet model of Howard Dean who IMO showed the future of politics and political campaign when he came from no where using the grassroots internet to come play with the big dogs and he was clearly the outsider establishment guy but I think the DLC machine was rejoicing when the GOP hacks used that scream soundbite which marked the end of the Deam campaign. However Howard won big when he was named head of the party much to the displeasure of the DLC but sadly Howard has caved and played nice. In otherwords, Howard Dean used a failed outsider campaign to fault to the top of the party leadership. What would happen if Ron Paul was able out of nowhere to do the same? Don't say "No Way!" as Howard completely proved "The Way!"
We know where McCain stands so the anti Iraq war public and the true limited gov't crowd won't go there and it's pretty clear that Hillary will maintian course in Iraq and that Iran is in her bullpen warming up along with protecting Bill's Kosovo/Balkans solution so the true antiwar democrat types flee to Obama in the Primaries. But what happens when the truth begins to emerge about Obama and war during the general election and Joel Stein all but admitted this the other night on TV? Where do the anti Iraq war disaffected go then? Maybe Cynthia McKinney and the Green Party! Where do anti-empirical types look to cast their votes? What if Bloomberg or anyone else fails to come forward? Will Ralph Nader announce tomorrow on Meet the Press with Tim Russert like he has in the pass? I'll be watching!
What happens if the cards fall just right and in the general the real dirty laundry starts to fly? It's already cranking on McCain not only with the NY Times piece but now we have these further issues to contend with.
This is a bit minor:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/02/21/fec_poses_fresh_problem_for_mc.html
But in light of the earlier lobbyist allegations this is a bit more concerning.
Renzi is one of 24 co-chairmen for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign in Arizona. McCain seemed surprised when asked about the indictment Friday at a campaign stop in Indianapolis, choosing his words carefully, shaking his head and speaking slowly.
As for Obama, I can't believe Hillary and the Clinton machine are through with him by any stretch.
So you see, there is reason to think that a real 3rd party effort could emerge out from no where to really contest in the general and just purely for arguememt sake, let's say it is Ron Paul as a libertarian and he pulls in 25% of the vote leaving most likely McCain and Obama to divide up 75%. It's probable to suggest that neither would get a clear majority so we'd have a President with no real clear mandate and that in itself is a victory IMO. Neither party would be green lighted as to their agenda or at least that's how I see it. At the same time a true voice of limited gov't would now have a seat at the table of discussion and both sides would have to come to that voice in the hopes of building a consensus or the other and better effect would be that both republican and democrat party would join together and ram rod policy down America's throat showing their true colors and in that sistuation more Americans would join the ranks of limited gov't thinking and in 2012' election you just might see a whole new menu to pick from!
Politics is a longterm chess match, not a 2 minute drive to kick a field goal and win. Wish it was but it's not. It's a process that takes years to steer and develop IMO and as watched over the years the discontent is out there and growing. And this is a good thing because after every election cycle there are a few more voters who voted for someone because they said one thing and then once in office went completely opposite. In 2006' voted made republican Congressman and Senators pay by turning them out after 12 years of broken promises. And it's not hard to see that many promises made by those newly elected democrats are now themselves being trampled under foot. These numbers will continue to grow and I'm a patient man because through it all over the last 30 years the ranks of the disaffected and disncontent grow and if this were a stock, earnings per share would be accelerating as would the share price! At the same time, those same trends for the democrats and republicans are tilting in the oppiste direction so I'm feeling pretty good right now looking ahead!
And before AV8 ask me the 64 questions of why I used Ron Paul so much, it was all subliminal.
VOTE FOR RON!
VOTE FOR RON!
VOTE FOR RON!
