RedEye wrote:Still- with both parties controlled by their extreme elements, what did we expect? What makes things worse is that some states allow dingbat parties (miniscule parties that don't have either a chance or a clue).
What these parties do is siphon off the desperate-for-something-else voters and solidify the party Iconoclast position.
I'm talking about the Green, Socialist, Libertarian, Independant, and all the other dingbat parties that show up every presidential election. These parties take the people who really want change, and give them someone to vote for that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning nationally.
This is why I ditched the Libertarians. They kept doing this "Make a statement! Make a statement!" bullshoi. Then one day, I wrote the party bigwigs and said, "You want to make a statement? How about a flying-the-colours Libertarian Senator on The Hill? Or Governor? That'd be one HELL of a statement. Get some yarblockos and go for the Prize, already!"...
And of course, I never heard another word back. And I never saw an in-so-many-words Libertarian Governor, Representative or Senator. We were shut out of the White House by the Electoral College, but there was absolutely nothing keeping us out of the Capitol Building or the state capitols.
No, they gave us Congresscritters and Governors who ran as "Independent," or some of the more conservative ones like Ron Paul jumped ship and ran as Republicans. Probably because they were tired of "making a statement" and wanted The Prize, too.
Now I hear the Libertarian Party is in trouble, and sinking fast because people are abandoning it. That's kind of a shame because they had some great ideas, like bringing the troops home and keeping them there. ALL the troops, close down the foreign bases and take care of the homefront.
I voted Green back in 2000 because I couldn't stomach either Bush, or Gore's running mate Lieberman, and I'm not sorry. Ralph Nader was the Consumer Advocate for California when I was growing up and he did some wonderful things for the people. I was voting my conscience and I sincerely believed he'd be a good President.
I spent a year messing around with other little fringe parties, like Cascadian Independence (really fringe — we want Oregon, Washington and Northern California from Redding up to secede from the Union, British Columbia secede from Canada, and form the nation of Cascadia). Yeah, not a chance in hell, but I liked what they were saying and wanted to let them know that. Google on 'em, they have some good ideas. Plus, (pipe dream time) if Cascadia ever did happen, we'd be the sixth richest economy in the world. Yeah, show desperately poor people a chance at a better life, you bet they'll jump. Maybe someday it'll happen.
Anyway...I've registered Democrat because I'm tired of being shut out of the Presidential campaign, and there ain't enough currency notes on this whole bloody planet that could make me hook up with the GOP.
I'm registered and voting Democrat in this race but I have to admit, my "otherwise" politics are still wavering between Libertarian and Green. I believe strongly — powerfully — in the Constitution and would like a moderately-Night Watchman government, so that's where the Libertarian comes in. (And that's another reason I like Obama — he's a Constitutional lawyer)
I also believe strongly in not just protecting, but nurturing the environment and promotion of human rights, and I don't think those are antithetical with trade and the economy. That's where the Green comes in.
I guess I'm best described as a Libertarian Moderate with Liberal leanings.
Im fixin` to do the same thing.
I've heard Barack talk on television, I want to hear that in the same room!