I have identified as an independent voter ever since I took responsibility for my own research about candidates and what party affiliation means. I'm a young man, so I've only been able to vote in one presidential election. Obama's second term election year, I voted for Gary Johnson, which considering my upbringing, was a pretty big deal for 21 year old me. This year I was deciding between Jill Stein and Gary Johnson because the DNC, in it's corrupt and money hungry ways, didn't elect Bernie Sanders to run for the Democratic party.
I did not, however, vote for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson. I voted for Hillary Clinton.
Not because I especially like Hillary Clinton or think she would be an especially great president,
I did this because I realized that everything President Obama had done for the progression of society in the last 8 years was on the line. We were so close to losing all of this to Trump and his, frankly, despicable running mate Pence, that I didn't want to chance it.
You should not have chanced it either, my third party friend.
Let's take Pennsylvania for a first example. Trump had 49% of the vote and Clinton had 48%, a close call, Johnson and Stein together had just under a measly 3%. This doesn't sound like a big deal at first but once you realize that if just half of the third party vote had gone to Clinton, she would have won that swing state. The same thing is true of Florida, another huge swing state that had a 49% (Trump) and 48% (Clinton) spread. This is massive. To my hugely limited knowledge of the political election process, Clinton would have only needed Florida to win. There are other swing states that are blue heavy (that Bernie certainly could have won), but those two are easy examples.
I understand that people do what is referred to as 'voting your conscience', and that a lot of people want to defend this and the people that voted this way. Voting your conscience basically surmounts to someone saying
"Well gee willie, I sure do hate Trump's racism, but by golly, Jack, I can't stand those darn Clinton emails either. Guess I'll just vote for Jill Stein, she's kinda similar to Clinton but without the bad reputation around her, right?"
Okay, I know that isn't the only reason people voted for third parties, but it certainly did happen. Really, what is probably more close to the truth in most cases is that some people just liked a third party better, which is great. As I said, I'm a supporter of third parties, especially of the Jill Stein kind. However, politics shouldn't be all about finding that one party and latching on to it no matter what. Sometimes you have to look at the whole chessboard.
As of right now, the third parties in the United States don't make it in the elections. That's just a severely disappointing fact for Americans. It isn't good, and it's not how it should be in my opinion, but it is that way. Unfortunately, voting for a third party is throwing your vote away. Whether you like it or not, that's what you are doing. Voting for a third party doesn't make a point, or disrupt the system. The corrupt politics in the United States only care about the votes they get, not the votes they don't.
If you are on the left leaning side of politics and decided to vote for a third party candidate this year, out of spite for the DNC or otherwise, I'd like you to take a close look at how this has played out. We didn't gain anything positive from not electing Clinton into the Whitehouse. Instead, by voting for a third party and not seeing the whole picture at play, you've helped the presidency of this great nation go to someone who will try to undo every good thing we have accomplished in the last eight years.
To summarize my thoughts; Voting is not about you personally, or how it makes you feel to vote. Voting is about doing what is best for the country at large, in your opinion, and doing what you feel makes the most and best difference in your life and the lives of others. Voting for a candidate that you know will not win, or even come close, does none of these things. You as a citizen of the Unites States have a duty to be not just a voter, but an educated voter who makes a difference.
I did not, however, vote for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson. I voted for Hillary Clinton.
Not because I especially like Hillary Clinton or think she would be an especially great president,
I did this because I realized that everything President Obama had done for the progression of society in the last 8 years was on the line. We were so close to losing all of this to Trump and his, frankly, despicable running mate Pence, that I didn't want to chance it.
You should not have chanced it either, my third party friend.
Let's take Pennsylvania for a first example. Trump had 49% of the vote and Clinton had 48%, a close call, Johnson and Stein together had just under a measly 3%. This doesn't sound like a big deal at first but once you realize that if just half of the third party vote had gone to Clinton, she would have won that swing state. The same thing is true of Florida, another huge swing state that had a 49% (Trump) and 48% (Clinton) spread. This is massive. To my hugely limited knowledge of the political election process, Clinton would have only needed Florida to win. There are other swing states that are blue heavy (that Bernie certainly could have won), but those two are easy examples.
I understand that people do what is referred to as 'voting your conscience', and that a lot of people want to defend this and the people that voted this way. Voting your conscience basically surmounts to someone saying
"Well gee willie, I sure do hate Trump's racism, but by golly, Jack, I can't stand those darn Clinton emails either. Guess I'll just vote for Jill Stein, she's kinda similar to Clinton but without the bad reputation around her, right?"
Okay, I know that isn't the only reason people voted for third parties, but it certainly did happen. Really, what is probably more close to the truth in most cases is that some people just liked a third party better, which is great. As I said, I'm a supporter of third parties, especially of the Jill Stein kind. However, politics shouldn't be all about finding that one party and latching on to it no matter what. Sometimes you have to look at the whole chessboard.
As of right now, the third parties in the United States don't make it in the elections. That's just a severely disappointing fact for Americans. It isn't good, and it's not how it should be in my opinion, but it is that way. Unfortunately, voting for a third party is throwing your vote away. Whether you like it or not, that's what you are doing. Voting for a third party doesn't make a point, or disrupt the system. The corrupt politics in the United States only care about the votes they get, not the votes they don't.
If you are on the left leaning side of politics and decided to vote for a third party candidate this year, out of spite for the DNC or otherwise, I'd like you to take a close look at how this has played out. We didn't gain anything positive from not electing Clinton into the Whitehouse. Instead, by voting for a third party and not seeing the whole picture at play, you've helped the presidency of this great nation go to someone who will try to undo every good thing we have accomplished in the last eight years.
To summarize my thoughts; Voting is not about you personally, or how it makes you feel to vote. Voting is about doing what is best for the country at large, in your opinion, and doing what you feel makes the most and best difference in your life and the lives of others. Voting for a candidate that you know will not win, or even come close, does none of these things. You as a citizen of the Unites States have a duty to be not just a voter, but an educated voter who makes a difference.
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