...

 MM> Sadly it is a race between dumb and dumber this November.
 MM> Since it is first past the post, third candidates such as
 MM> Gary Johnson and Jill Stein will not get much votes because
 MM> people will be fearful of the spoiler effect. However in
 MM> states such as Arkansas, California, New York and Utah you
 MM> can vote whoever you want and not have to worry that your
 MM> vote can make a difference. I even got flack for voting for
 MM> McCain in 2008, but a vote in California does NOTHING to
 MM> affect an election.

 You need to explain that. How does a vote *NOT* make a
 difference?

 MM> Also, by voting for Gary Johnson or even Jill Stein we can
 MM> help break the party orthodoxy. Maybe the 2016 Democratic
 MM> Party nominee will stop raiding marijuana
 ...
 MM> To be fair, 5% makes a difference this year.

 Not to the winner. In 2000 Nader got enough votes to put Bush in
 the White House. Look at it any way you want, if Gore had won
 it's practically a certainty we would not have invaded Iraq.
 That's hundreds of thousands not killed.

 That's on Nader's head. Bush really was that bad.

 The Libertarian party should start making alliances with the
 party most willing to be accomodating. Last election in Toledo
 the libertarian candidate dropped out and said all the right
 wing candidates agreed those with the least chance would drop
 out in favor of the one with the most chance of winning.

 Aside from the fact I doubt his supporters thought they were
 just supporting the "conservative with the best chance", he lost
 anyway. Face it, if you are going to support the conservative
 with the best chance you might as well vote the extreme right
 wing republican. If you run a candidate with no chance all you
 accomplish is to hurt the major party candidate most like yours.

 OTOH, if you want a real chance to have a real impact, then
 change your strategy. Don't try to run your own candidate,
 emulate the third parties in the palimentary democracies. Make a
 deal. Get some of what you want instead of all or nothing which
 winds up nothing.

 Get your heads screwed on straight, deal with the fact that you
 won't get your president, or you will remain irrelevant.



BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

... "These are the tines that dry men's souls!!!
--- Via Silver Xpress V4.5/P [Reg]