[quote=greekfire]Renterclint: No, a vote for those not in the establishment is not a wasted vote. A vote for Hillary Clinton, Bob Barr, Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, Allan Keyes, etc., is basically a big middle finger to the establishment. The two party system is totally rigged, as you probably know already.
The Republicans will say that a vote for Ron Paul is a vote for Obama; while the Democrats will say that a vote for someone like Ralph Nader is a vote for McCain. This is how the two parties have continued to trap a lot of voters over the years, but not me.
Obama and McCain aren’t as different as the media will have us believe that they are. They are very similar. I respect your desire to research the candidate’s positions. I recommend that you research not only the candidate’s stated positions (and voting records), but that you also research the Constitutional positions on these issues. Check out Ron Paul’s ideology and voting record and compare it to the Constitution and you will will find no equals…Ron Paul, you will find, is the true champion of the Constitution.
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Calling BS here: yes, voting for one of these candidates–much as I would like to vote for Ron Paul–is a wasted vote if you believe that one mainstream candidate is better than the other, which I obviously do. Nader contributed to the failed candidacy of Kerry as much as the gaming of the electoral college. Until the game theory guys figure out how to implement a 3rd party, we are stuck with a zero sum election model. If you can generate an argument for one candidate over the other amongst Ds and Rs, vote on it, because the outliers are really just buzzing flies detracting from the real, high stakes game going on at the grown up’s table…
