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Vote for third party?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by anthonythegamer, Jun 9, 2016.

  1. Now, the choices are boiled down to just Trump and Clinton; I see just two awful choices. It's like choosing between which terminal illness you want. Many people I know, agree with me on this. However, those same people don't realize that there ARE other options out there. The third party options.

    We have the libertarian party, we have the green party, and we have the constitution party. People should at least think about these options. Besides, Bernie supporters could easily be welcomed into the Green Party.
     
  2. Libertino

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    The only thing Bernie supporters voting for a third party will do at this point is guarantee a Trump victory.

    Unfortunately, third parties serve little purpose in elections other than as "spoilers". As long as the two major parties continue to have so much support and funding, there's not much hope for third parties.
     
  3. Glowing Eyes

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    This is the reason I'd vote Hillary if I could. I'm not a big fan of her (though I don't hate her like most people seem to) but she's the only real alternative to Trump. I've started looking into some third parties and they're pretty decent (my way of saying good to politicians) but don't seem to have a chance at winning an election anytime soon.Because of this, I have to look to the enemy-of-my-enemy and that would be the Democratic Party 'cause I have very little respect for the GOP.
     
  4. thepandaboss

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    Yeah, I'm voting Hillary. But third party candidates, let's be honest, don't stand a shot. Not even the Liberitarians. It sounds nice on paper but, guys, let's not have a repeat of Nader and Gore.
     
  5. BMC77

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    Voting 3rd party is one idea I'm toying with. BUT I am only toying with it because it would probably not be a vote for Trump in my case. I live in WA, and the last time a Republican Presidential candidate won WA was in 1984 (Reagan's second term.) So...in theory I could vote 3rd Party, and rest secure knowing that Clinton would still win WA.

    My only concern, though, is that this has been a strange year...and so Trump might actually win WA...

    If I were in a swing state, however, I'd be a lot more cautious about voting 3rd party.
     
  6. Plattyrex

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    Hilary is the most vile, disgusting waste of a human being I have ever seen run for a political position, and Trump is an insane facist pig, so yeah. I would absolutely vote 3rd party if I could vote.
     
  7. thepandaboss

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    Like...worse than Ted Cruz? Or even Carly Fiorina...? I really don't get where you're coming from.
     
  8. I would definitely take Fiorina over Clinton. Clinton wants to overuse our military to the point where we'll have more enemies than allies in the world.

    ---------- Post added 9th Jun 2016 at 01:35 PM ----------

    Many people are saying that they'll have no chance with 3rd parties because people don't vote for them, so those same people won't be voting for them. Do you guys see the issue here?
     
    #8 anthonythegamer, Jun 9, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 9, 2016
  9. Argentwing

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    Even if it means a Trump win, I can't in good conscience vote in a way that promotes the cycle of corrupt, vampiric politics. Voting for the lesser of two evils is still enabling evil, and in the end it is little less harm. We have to take our country back even if it means really bad things happen before we are successful.

    Sort of related but I don't feel that either of the favored candidates is better or worse than the other. What Trump lacks in actual skills (and the fact that he's awful in all his own ways), Clinton lacks by being buddy-buddy with all the institutions which work against the American people. A choice between them is just choosing the manner of your punishment.

    I would encourage everyone able to vote for non-major party candidates they actually believe in, not just going one way to keep the other one out.
     
    #9 Argentwing, Jun 9, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2016
  10. BryanM

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    I would never vote third party unless there was some sort of doomsday scenario or if the electoral college was retired and national popular vote is what counted. In the current system, third parties only serve to play spoiler for the two major parties, and taking political science into account any vote that does not go towards the winning coalition is technically a "wasted vote". Strategic voting is a necessary evil in the current political landscape.
     
  11. Lance

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    Third party votes are basically throw-away votes in my opinion. Until the time comes when they get more spotlight and inclusion in the election process, I see them as being there for disgruntled people in order to have a "good conscious" vote. :shrug:
     
  12. Libertino

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    Of course we see the issue, we just don't see the solution. Getting a third party into power would require a complete overhaul of our political system, of 170 years of precedent. It's not that it can't be done, but it will require more than simply voting for whom they believe in. The biggest issue is the money. If big money stops funding the big parties at the rate it does, maybe we can go somewhere.
     
  13. baconpox

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    I know they won't win, but if they get a high enough percentage of the vote they'll show up in the debates and on ballots, so they could become a viable option in the future. Because of this, I'm supporting the libertarian party.
     
  14. BrookeVL

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    I'm leaning heavily towards Jill Stein....
     
  15. onlythebulls13

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    Green party all the way.

    I do not agree with the idea that the third party vote is a vote for trump. Thats such a ridiculous argument. It wasnt ralph nader that got bush in the white house it was the hundreds of thousands of people in florida that switched from the dems to the repubs. It was the supreme court appointing bush. It was supposedly liberal pundits like chris matthews that voted for bush which put bush in office.

    Jill Stein is a fabulous candidate, a strong woman and a great progressive.
     
  16. BMC77

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    Re: Gore/Nader situation...

    Saying Nader made Gore lose assumes that everyone who voted for Nader would have voted for Gore. That may be true. Again, it might not. We'll never know for sure.

    What I can say, having lived through that election, Gore was not very inspiring. I think I voted for him, but only did so in the end because he was better than Bush, and could realistically win. After that election, there was talk that no matter what could have happened, that candidate would have been a 1 term President. As it turns out, of course, Bush was 2 terms--but I think he could have lost in 2004 if the Democrats had come up with someone better than Kerry.

    Likewise, there is no way to say what would have happened with other "spoiler" independents. Maybe Carter would have won if it hadn't been for Anderson, but people were so fed up with Carter it's just as likely they'd have voted for Reagan, instead. Likewise Perot voters might have gone with Clinton rather than Bush.
     
  17. Austin

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    I'm probably voting for Jill Stein now but I'm waiting for Bernie's next move.

    I just watched a video where she talks about ranked voting and it seems like a great idea. Why don't we have this?
     
  18. BMC77

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    Well...it says in that video why we don't have ranked voting.

    But to put it quite clearly: it's not in the best interests of the two major parties. If there were ranked voting, they could no longer carry on "business as usual", which includes selling fear as a reason to vote for that party.
     
  19. Some Dude

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    For those saying they want to vote for Jill Stein, they should know that she has almost no government experience. The highest position she ever held was as a town council member in a mid sized town. In the practically impossible chance that she could win, she would be dangerously unqualified.

    On the other hand, Hillary Clinton has plenty of experience as both a senator and Secretary of State. Not to mention the fact that she has very similar stances to sanders on many issues.

    Not to mention the fact that a vote for Jill Stein or another third party candidate will realistically accomplish nothing, while a vote for Clinton will help her defeat Trump
     
  20. Pret Allez

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    I'm not sure that Nader actually cost Florida. The Socialist Party, Socialist Worker's Party, and Worker's World Party all ran a candidate in the state, and all of those parties scored more votes than the 500ish vote difference between Bush and Gore. Also, Pat Buchanan even admitted he got tons of votes meant for Gore because voters misunderstood how to fill out butterfly ballots in Palm Beach County (citation).

    Anyway, I'm going to vote for the real Ralph Nader of this election: Jill Stein.
     
    #20 Pret Allez, Jun 9, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2016