Forums → WEPR → Third Party Debate

nice they try. to bad they can't get elected.
(yea officially they can... but lets go whit reality here oke?)

I missed the debate. I'll watch it on YouTube at a later point.

Honestly, I'm voting Gary Johnson.



I know I can vote for the lesser evil and try to play a tiny role in getting someone who's views are at least a notch closer to my ideas. But, I would rather vote for good than evil, even if it's apparent doing the right thing will result in failure.

I know my vote won't really matter much, but hell, we need more people to make a statement so we might actually break free of this Conservative/Liberal trap we're in.

My recommendation is that unless you live in a swing state vote third party. If you live in a swing state it would be better to vote for the lesser evil.

Right now getting a third party in isn't really achievable. This is why it would be better for the deciding states to vote one or the other. Though for the rest of the country, getting enough third party votes could send a strong message and help pave the way for a third party.

Vote for whoever you want to. Call it a lesser evil or anything. Be cynical or jaded. Be armchair critics. But remember that this attitude of viewing all government and state authority as anachronism, atrophy and ossification will only do you harm in the end in a vicious cycle of never trusting the government even by a jolt on any issue.

I'm not swayed by any third party candidate. There will never be a candidate whose views magically coincide with mine. But that doesn't mean I feel coerced into a Liberal/Conservative trap and condemn the whole system. If a candidate's general views overlap with mine, I'm going with him or her.

How I see it, people will vote for Romney or Obama just so that they may keep the greater evil out of office. But think of it this way.

When you vote for Obama or Romney, you're still voting for us to keep this system where liberals and conservatives have a monopoly on our government. If you vote 3rd party, you're voting for real change.

So do you want to vote for Romney/Obama, while also voting to keep us stuck in this system? Or do you want to vote 3rd party and vote for real change (at the cost of allowing a "greater" evil to gain a higher lead)?

(at the cost of allowing a "greater" evil to gain a higher lead)?

I feel like the core of Nemo's point is solid. Don't vote for the lesser of two evils if you believe there's a non-evil option.

I would like to add to it. He did not explicitly state it, but I would like to state the following: If you DON'T consider your preferred mainstream candidate, Obama or Romney, some form of an evil, it's because you're stupid.

I did watch the third party debate. It was HILARIOUS. Definitely not voting for any of those creeps. I should start a "Voting is for Chumps" campaign.

Calling Obama and Romney supporters stupid is in itself parochial and insipid and assuming other partied are flawless and not evils.

I didn't call Obama and Romney supporters stupid. Allow me to clarify.

Supporting one over the other is not stupid. There are strong arguments to be made for either. However, LIKING either of them is stupid. If you think Obama is better than Romney, it's because [well-reasoned political view here]. If you think Obama is good and Romney is bad, it's because you're stupid. See the difference?

No they aren't mutually exclusive. I supported Obama after consideration and switching from my previously old school conservative views. I like the policies he supports in general, and I like the man himself as far as politicians go.

Your original post implied that people who didn't view either of them as wicked in some way a moron. Well, I differ. I don't think people who treat politicians solely with cynical skepticism are any better than people who trust them completely.