Not too long ago, I shared my concerns about Donald Trump should he become either the GOP nominee or, God forbid, the President of the United States.
I can’t believe I had to type a sentence like that in my lifetime, or the one I’m about to.
I can’t believe our political system has become so stagnant that we are also electing people who came to political prominence when I was a *child* to potentially be President of the United States.
Yes, I would be talking about Hillary Clinton.
I’m not going to go into the Clinton indiscretions (other than to say that Hillary Clinton as president terrifies me about as much as Trump, just in slightly different areas), because while it’s terrible, it’s not the core of our political issues right now.
The current problem is that our two-party system is failing.
We are not a democracy, we are an oligarchy now. Sure, anyone can run, but the exposure a candidate gets is completely dependent on how much money they can pay for airtime. People are only going to vote for names they recognize, and unfortunately that means those who are wealthy.
And that’s how we’ve ended up with two of the most abhorred people of all time as our Presidential nominees: conservatives can’t stand Clinton, liberals can’t stand Trump, and there’s a good many of us in the middle who can’t stand either one.
See, when I shared my hesitancy (er, terror) about Trump, some people assumed that meant I would automatically be flipping party votes and choosing Clinton instead.
That would be a big, fat no.
But… BEKAH. You’re really going to waste your vote on a third-party candidate?
… no.
I mean, yes, I am going to vote for a third-party candidate, but I’m not wasting my vote, for the love of all things holy and good. (Sorry, that last bit was my attempt to not cuss on my blog.)
My vote is worthless if I’m using it to just blend in with the crowd.
Somewhere along the way, the Democrats AND Republicans decided to start bullying their voters, and the main way they do this is by spreading around that anyone who is thinking of voting outside of the main party lines is “wasting their vote.”
It’s a fear tactic, people.
This year, especially, there are enough people who are not comfortable with the Democratic or Republican nominees that a third-party could actually have a shot at winning. (The hitch, of course, is that enough people need to vote for the same third-party candidate.)
Really, we all need to stop voting for the lesser of two evils, and start using our votes to leverage the types of candidates we want.
If we’d been voting that way all along, we wouldn’t be stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. (Or maybe we would. Never underestimate the power of idiots. That’s the INTJ motto, pretty much.)
And to all of you who keep telling people that they’re wasting their votes choosing someone other than the Democratic or Republican nominee:
Don’t be a bully. Let them do their research and vote the way they think is best.
And just because I know some people are going to ask: yes, I’m voting Libertarian this year. And maybe forever. I’ve always been a ‘closet’ Libertarian, and since the Republican party is going to shambles, I think it’s time to officially change my allegiances.
Candace Gauger
June 23, 2016 - 9:33 pm ·This is why I’m an independent. I don’t care for Trump and I absolutely do not want Hillary any where near capitol Hill, even if it is to serve coffee at some function. No way on this poor Earth do I want her considered, but we see what it is now.
We can vote third party, but here in Tulsa, and I’m sure the rest of Oklahoma, we won’t see them because they won’t put anything but Demon-scrap and the other shameless party (Sorry, but both parties liberal and conservative have pushed to refusing to state the names properly. Petty? Yes, but it shows the truth of their behaviors.) on the ballot. Trust me, at this point, I’d write-in my cat, Caffeine with my other cat, Anukhet, in because both could do a far better job that those two yahoos currently running now.
Too many years of apathy from the voters have brought us to this point. Time to sit back and let them see the fruits of their non-voting.
Rebekah Loper
June 24, 2016 - 4:21 am ·Actually, the Libertarian candidate will be on the ballot in all 50 states this year.
Candace Gauger
June 24, 2016 - 10:47 pm ·Who is their candidate? I’m not kidding when I say I would write in my cats for prez and VP.
Rebekah Loper
June 25, 2016 - 4:15 am ·Gary Johnson. Not my perfect candidate, but quite a better option than Clinton or Trump. You won’t have to write him in, either, just fill his spot in. 😉
Candace Gauger
June 25, 2016 - 10:21 pm ·Cool. I’ll do some research on him in the mean time. 😀
Patricia Lynne (@plynne_writes)
June 24, 2016 - 5:17 pm ·This so freaking much! I don’t like Trump or Clinton so I will most likely vote 3rd party. I think it’s BS that none of the 3rd parties ever get a chance to be on TV for the debates. If that actually happened, things might actually change instead of staying the same.
Rebekah Loper
June 24, 2016 - 7:57 pm ·I’m incredibly frustrated that most of the debates are locked behind subscriber gates anyway – I have never and will always refuse to pay for cable. It’s very frustrating! Knowledge is definitely locked behind dollar signs these days. :/
homedreamer07
June 24, 2016 - 5:53 pm ·Yes. We’re so deeply divided as a nation, I think we desperately need a third party anyway. Partly bc there’s so much on either side I can’t stand alongside with any more.
Rebekah Loper
June 24, 2016 - 7:58 pm ·We do desperately need a third party. And maybe even a 4th and 5th. Anything to break the monopoly that both the Republican and Democratic parties have latched onto.