Lesser of two evils?
By Bethany1202
@Bethany1202 (3431)
United States
November 4, 2008 10:55pm CST
I wanted to vote Libertarian, but I didn't. I didn't because I knew either the Democrat or Republican would win. (I predicted Democrat, and I was right, although I voted for McCain...)
Do you ever feel elections are the lesser of two evils? I think it's getting worse as time goes by... Have you ever wanted to vote for a party that wasn't quite so popular, but you decided to vote for someone else because you knew it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway?
4 people like this
13 responses
@grandpa_lash (5225)
• Australia
5 Nov 08
One of the things I love so much about the Australian system is that I can vote Green but give my preference to Labour. If Green wins (unlikely) then my vote goes to the party I think is better of the two main parties, so it's not a wasted vote. And if enough people do as I do, the Green vote becomes significant, and gives the major parties a wake-up call, that the Greens are saying something important.
If you had the same system there, I wonder how well people like Nader and Barr would do in real terms.
Lash
3 people like this
@grandpa_lash (5225)
• Australia
5 Nov 08
Ooops, I meant "if Green wins (unlikely) then all is well, but if it loses then my vote ...."
Lash
2 people like this
@Bethany1202 (3431)
• United States
5 Nov 08
That actually sounds much more fair, in my opinion! I wish it were like that here.
@cassandralynn (1084)
• United States
5 Nov 08
Yes, I exactly feel like that, that it's like voting for the lesser of two evils.I may be a bad American because I didn't vote today, but it came out as I predicted as well, Obama won. I voted last election but I was really annoyed that in the state I live in only includes Democrat and Republican as candidates on the ballots, no Independent, no Libertarian,no green party,nothing else! The last election 4 years ago taught me a lesson, that my opinion about who I want doesn't matter when the party I want to vote for isn't even on the stinken' ballot! 4 years ago I made the choice of the lesser evil, this year I didn't.
P.S. I couldn't find my voters card today, so that's another reason why I couldn't vote..LOL
2 people like this
@cassandralynn (1084)
• United States
5 Nov 08
It's obvious that you didn't even read my entire previous post. First I didn't really see a point voting in this years election when I knew that they were not going to include any other party's besides the Republican or Democrat on the state ballot, I was wanting to vote Independent so I wasn't going to even bother looking for my voters card when I wasn't even allowed vote on the candidate I wanted to vote for. It doesn't matter if the candidate I voted for won or not, it's still my choice who I want to vote for regardless. If you don't like what me or anybody else has to say in this discussion then you can always chose to ignore it instead of breaking MyLot rules by harassing me and implying that I'm a satanist, which I'm not and if you're truly a child of God you should know better to be judgmental of me or anybody else here. And I think it's ironic that you chose a interest of being "open minded" on your profile when your obviously do not demonstrate this in the least!
2 people like this
@eddie42 (270)
• United States
5 Nov 08
you didn,t vote well you have nothing to say about what happen to this country are the fact that you didn,t have anything to do with obama winning the election do you.prediction are for satan it has nothing to do with god and his plans.well maybe because you couldn,t find your card is why you didn,t vote rather then to say what you said.oh but i forgat this is freedom of speech you can say what you like.be blessed
@luanndawkins (17)
• United States
5 Nov 08
Eddie42 you are out of line. You need to apologize to Cassandralynn. With that said, I have to say that you should have gone ahead and voted Cassandralynn, there were independents on the ballot and you could have voted for one of them. And you don't have to have your voter card, your drivers license is plenty. But, since the election is over we have some lemonade to make, so someone get the sugar and someone else the spoon, and I will get the pitcher, we got the lemons last night!
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
5 Nov 08
Well it depends. I personally have always voted for the person I thought was best for the job. McCain was not my choice during the primaries, and that led me to study every single third party candidate running in this election. After that, I determined he was closest to my views. Had I considered Bob Barr to be more in line with my views, I would have probably still voted for McCain as I thought it was more important that Obama not win.
In 2000 or 2004 if I'd liked a third party candidate I probably would have voted for them since I wasn't completely against either of the major candidates those years.
2 people like this
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
5 Nov 08
I used to think that the system of voting that you have was a good one but the older I get and the more I see the benefits of preferential voting the more I have learned and changed. I now fully support the Australian preferential system and believe it is the best and fairest system.
Grandpa_lash has explained it very well and I have come to see how great it is to vote the way I feel and know that if they guy I vote for does not make it my vote is not wasted as my preference then goes to one of the major parties. This way I can protest at what both parties are doing and if I am really lucky my guy gets in, if I am unlucky then my major party preference gets my vote so I cannot lose.
Well I can as I have always ended up living in electorates that vote for the parties I do not like but that is another story.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
5 Nov 08
I have felt that I was voting for the lesser of two evils a time or two in the past but not this time. I am very pleased that Barack Obama won the election.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
6 Nov 08
I am a democrat , period. But if there were a pro choice Republican, is that a contradiction in terms?,I would vote for him/her. I am in the middle leaning left. This time, I didn't care either way. This year it wasn't the less of two evils , both would be better than Bush. it was a win-win for me. The McCain that I liked, The man that I couldn't believe was a republican when he spoke, wasn't the man who ran.before the campaign,he seem to be more free to be the funny , free thinking man I would see. I feel the same way I did when after Dole lost to my beloved Clinton, he all of a sudden he had a sense of humor and was loose. I thought if we saw this side of him, it would have been a closer race. But for some reason,I wasn't afraid , like I have been before, that if McCain won I would automatically become a second class citizen. I felt like the McCain that went against Bush would reappear. But the voters weren't convinced. I am happy Obama won.It is all good.
@Ithink (9980)
• United States
6 Nov 08
I have never voted before because of the feeling that is just voting for the lesser evil. This time I voted as I just could not have standed to see Palin as VP and possible P if something happened to McCain as president. It was just to scary for me not to vote.
I have never thought It would a difference and then my best friend got to me.. lol
@ElementalDragon (156)
• United States
5 Nov 08
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole voting thing is supposed to be who you think would do a better job in the office, not who you think will win.
I don't vote because the choices typically seem to me to be two evils and a variable amount of unknowns. Voting on a lesser dislike or voting in ignorance. I can't endorse anybody under those sorts of conditions. If I had to, I suppose I would make a decision one way or the other, but odds are if I was forced to, I wouldn't really have any choice in the matter.
And maybe I'm holding up higher standards than I really ought to expect out of somebody who is in politics, or of anybody that's human, perhaps. After all, humans are not perfect, and sometimes I wonder if the standards I am expecting are too close to something superhuman.
@kdhartford (1151)
• United States
6 Nov 08
I usually vote libertarian in local and state elections, but since National politics is really grounded in the Democrat/Republican divide, I vote for the lesser of two evils...this time McCain. My guess is that we will have to suffer two years of unchecked Democratic power and then the house will most likely go to the Repubs, just like after the first Clinton midterm election. So, if they Democrats try to reach too far too fast, there will be a correction.
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
5 Nov 08
Sounds like your fighting the old delima of voting against something instead of voting for it.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
5 Nov 08
i agree this race was a lesser of two evils and i knew obama was gonna win and i just didnt know who i wanted to vote for.. i was gonna do a write in but i ended up not getting to vote due to feeling like crap and not being able to stay in line for hours.. i didnt like any choices this race.. hope next one is better
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
5 Nov 08
Democracy or really it is a republic is not perfect, but much better than the alternatives. There are any number of dictators ready to take power if you do not want to vote. Then you probably will not even be able to complain.
I am glad this American election is finally over, how long has it been going on, one year or two? lol Seems like a long time anyways.
1 person likes this
@Bethany1202 (3431)
• United States
5 Nov 08
Yes, I did vote, and I will continue to vote in our flawed system. There isn't much else I CAN do...
I am glad it's over also!
