Third Party Candidates

[Southern_Man 0]

If you are among those who can't stomach voting for either Obama or Romney, who are you considering voting for and why? I have not decided who I am voting for. Here in Virginia I believe our ballot includes the following candidates:

Gary Johnson--libertarian party
Virgil Goode--Constitution Party
Jill Stein--Green Party

I believe that is all, but it is disturbingly hard to even get that information. Anyway, feel free to discuss other candidates as well. I see my choice coming down to one of those three.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[Lefty 0]

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Gary Johnson--libertarian party

Hail, Johnson.

Edit: Oh yeah, the "why". Because he's libertarian and because he'd curbstomp both Obama and Romney at the debates--would be very entertaining.

Provoking a reaction isn't the same thing as saying something meaningful.
-Calvin

[muff528 3]

Pat Paulsen is not running this year!?

[Southern_Man 0]

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Pat Paulsen is not running this year!?

Roseanne Barr is the nominee of the Peace and Freedom party. They didn't make the ballet in VA (which has pretty strict ballet access laws). I would not vote for her anyway.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[Shotgun 1]

You mean you don't have Roseanne Barr and Cindy Sheehan on the ballot, like we do here in Cali?

I think Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are the only third party candidates who are on the ballot in enough states that they could (theoretically) win. Of course they won't win, but they both seem like good candidates, at least from what little I know about them.

[lawrocket 3]

Gary Johnson has my full support. It's sad how many people support him but won't vote for him because they think it's a waste.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Andy9o8 0]

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They didn't make the ballet in VA (which has pretty strict ballet access laws).

You'd have to be Desmond Tu-tu.

[muff528 3]

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They didn't make the ballet in VA (which has pretty strict ballet access laws).

You'd have to be Desmond Tu-tu.

Nice à la seconde.

[BikerBabe 0]

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Gary Johnson has my full support. It's sad how many people support him but won't vote for him because they think it's a waste.

This. I have nothing else to say.

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[Gravitymaster 0]

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Gary Johnson has my full support. It's sad how many people support him but won't vote for him because they think it's a waste.

Problem is that no matter how much you like his idea nor how good they might be, implementing them is something else without the support of both Democrat and Republican Partys. Look at how difficult it is for a President to be effective when the majority in Congress are of his opposing political party. Now imagine how difficult it would be with both partys opposing you for political gain. Not whether what you want to do makes sense. That's why they call it politics.

[lawrocket 3]

He can veto. A little gridlock in the 1990's led to a couple of "balanced" budgets.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Gravitymaster 0]

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He can veto. A little gridlock in the 1990's led to a couple of "balanced" budgets.

A monkey can veto. I thought you wanted a third party candidate who could implement his ideas? That will never happen as long as we have a 2 party system.

[GeorgiaDon 340]

NPR organized a "third party candidate debate" with Johnson and Stein. Not nearly the same as a national debate with the "big two" candidates, but at least a chance to hear them discuss their policies.

For me, both candidates have some policies to like and some to take issue with. Johnson would cut the budget by 1.4 trillion in his first budget, and eliminate all income taxes, replacing them with a flat consumption tax. No mention of how that would essentially wreck the economy and shift an enormous tax burden onto the "middle (and lower) class". Stein would base economic recovery on a massive taxpayer funded investment in green jobs, which would ) it seems to me) drive government deficit spending even higher.

Anyway, give it a listen if you're interested.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Gary Johnson has my full support. It's sad how many people support him but won't vote for him because they think it's a waste.

Due to the electoral college it can only help elect the worse of two evils if you live in a swing state.

For instance, California will go to Obama by huge margin. As a third party supporter here who dislikes him more voting for Romeny instead of Johnson won't reduce Obama's 55 electoral votes. As a third party supporter who dislikes Romeny more a vote for Obama instead of Stein won't increase his 55 electoral votes.

OTOH, a better popular vote showing for your party might lead to more people considering them viable and voting that way in local elections where they can win or some concessions thrown your way from the parties which can win elections for Federal office.

[billvon 2,382]

I like Gary Johnson. Many of his ideas wouldn't survive contact with reality, but DC does need some new ideas. Also note that third party candidates are running for senate and house positions, and those are both more important and easier to elect.

[lawrocket 3]

A POTUS can implement his ideas if he can articulate a vision and take it to the people.

"We can't" is another common issue. We can't. We won't be able to. So don't try.

Welcome to America.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Gravitymaster 0]

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A POTUS can implement his ideas if he can articulate a vision and take it to the people.

"We can't" is another common issue. We can't. We won't be able to. So don't try.

Welcome to America.

I really can't understand why people think a third party candidate would be some magic bullet who would be able to get both parties together and get his ideas implemented when a candidtae from either Dem or Rep can't. Ours is an adversarial system and as far as I'm concerned, the less they do, the better. I like having a President from one party and a congress from the other. That's part of the checks and balances a free society must have in place.

[GeorgiaDon 340]

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A POTUS can implement his ideas if he can articulate a vision and take it to the people.

"We can't" is another common issue. We can't. We won't be able to. So don't try.

Welcome to America.

There is an awful lot in the way of structural barriers and voter inertia to overcome to get a third party candidate into the white house. Perhaps an alternative path would be to aim for a state governorship or two, or to try to establish a block of seats in Congress. That wouldn't have the clout of the presidency, though that is probably considerably overrated anyway. It's not as if the president can impose much of anything on Congress. On the other hand, the states seem an appropriate laboratory for experimentation. If a couple of decent-sized states could be run on Libertarian principles, for example, and not have the wheels come totally off, voters nationally might be less intimidated by the new ideas. At the same time, some real world experience at actually governing might help some of these parties to hone their ideas so they could work in the real world.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[lawrocket 3]

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If a couple of decent-sized states could be run on Libertarian principles, for example, and not have the wheels come totally off,

That’s kind of the problem. No matter what a state tries to do as far as personal and economic freedom, there’s still the federal government with its floor of taxes, regulations and requirements.

To some extent we see states that are “more libertarian” versus “less libertarian.” But it’s pretty impossible to see what can be done unless the federal government downsizes.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[CygnusX-1 42]

There is no chance for a third party candidate to win. Even if they did win the popular vote, do you think for a second that the electoral college won't just vote in their favorite candidate? Until we abolish the electoral college, there is no chance for a third party candidate.

[billvon 2,382]

>I really can't understand why people think a third party candidate would be
>some magic bullet who would be able to get both parties together . . . .

A suddenly popular third party would unite (to some degree) the other two parties in opposition to the new party. It's human nature.

>I like having a President from one party and a congress from the other.

Or three parties. A republican senate, a democratic house and a libertarian president. Even better in terms of checks and balances.

[lawrocket 3]

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>I really can't understand why people think a third party candidate would be
>some magic bullet who would be able to get both parties together . . . .

A suddenly popular third party would unite (to some degree) the other two parties in opposition to the new party. It's human nature.

I think that we are well overdue for a party realignment. There is a growing libertarian segment of the population. Both Democrats and Republicans have significant distaste for their own candidates and parties. (Who out there likes Obama more than dislikes Romney? Who out there likes Romney more than dislikes Obama?)

A strong third party showing can be the impetus to a realignment. A new party against the Democratic-Republicans (which was an actual party.) A bloodless revolution of sorts.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Gravitymaster 0]

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>I really can't understand why people think a third party candidate would be
>some magic bullet who would be able to get both parties together . . . .

A suddenly popular third party would unite (to some degree) the other two parties in opposition to the new party. It's human nature.

>I like having a President from one party and a congress from the other.

Or three parties. A republican senate, a democratic house and a libertarian president. Even better in terms of checks and balances.

Then they can spend all their time fighting with each other trying to gain dominance. It's human nature.

[rehmwa 2]

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A republican senate, a democratic house and a libertarian president. Even better in terms of checks and balances.

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There is a growing libertarian segment of the population. Both Democrats and Republicans have significant distaste for their own candidates and parties.

yes

and hell yes

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Nightingale 0]

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Gary Johnson has my full support. It's sad how many people support him but won't vote for him because they think it's a waste.

This. I have nothing else to say.

This.