The Case for a Third Party
PoliGazette’s Michael Merritt has decided to vote for a third party candidate, Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party.
Every time I think I know where my vote is going this November, something comes up to put my thinking in another direction. I’ve flirted with the idea of voting third party in the past. In particular, the Libertarian Party caught my eye this year, and a couple months ago they and their nominee Bob Barr become my first two political donations since I reached voting age four years ago. My fascination with them is a combination of my own political views and a disdain for the current two party system.
My Views
In order to understand where I’m coming from, you must understand how I see the world. My own thought on the matter and multiple online tests of varying accuracy have brought me to conclude that I’m socially liberal and economically moderate. But those labels are too simple, since I’m also pro-gun (I supported the Heller decision), pro-life on a personal level (after that it gets complicated), and am kind of sorta anti-legalized-drugs (still working this one out). Economically, I am mostly for the free market, but realize that corporations are not somehow inherently different from people. They’re run by people, after all. The actions of people are regulated by law, so there must be some proper regulation for businesses as well.
For the sake of full disclosure, I was briefly a Democrat in 2004, but switched my registration to Independent before the election. I voted Kerry.
2008
My choices for consideration in this election for the two major parties were Barack Obama for the Democrats and John McCain for the Republicans. I would also have accepted Hillary Clinton for the Democrats, since like some of my friends, I did not gag at the thought of her becoming the nominee (but it came close).
I had this idealized thought of a relatively clean election season, which both McCain and Obama promised, but never followed through on. I know both have lied many times to the American public in both speeches and ads, and I have previously written about these lies.
My Case Against McCain
Perhaps due to the media, I’ve always bought into the “maverick McCain” hype. Indeed, on many issues, this was true. Environmentalism, campaign finance reform, and immigration (though I disagree with him there). It’s largely why I wanted him as the Republican candidate.
McCain got more or less a free ride during the latter part of the primaries and through the beginning of the general election. A free ride in that he wasn’t mentioned much. Meanwhile, Obama was dealing with Reverend Wright, Rezko, et. al.
McCain used to be a media darling. He was the resident politican of the talk show circuit, appearing many times on Leno, Letterman, and the Daily Show. Then he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, and with two months to go to the election, the media acted quickly to find out what they could.
It’s understandable. They had three and a half years (mostly 19 months of that) to get to know Barack Obama. Palin was a new entity to them, and so the mass of activity in order to get to know her could appear at times to be a media bias against Palin.
No doubt that some in the media (and blogosphere) went too far. Questions about the birth of Trig Palin, even after they had already pretty much been proven, are comparable to the questions of Barack Obama (and John McCain’s) birth place. Curious circumstances for a while until you realize that they are without merit. Yet some people are still harping on these situations.
So I can see both sides. While McCain might believe that the media was always unfairly looking into Palin’s past, I’m more of the mind that with little time to go, the media acted quickly to inform the public about Palin, good, bad, or otherwise. Yet, there were cases where people went too far.
No, what I’m disgusted with McCain on is his complete demonization of the media. Instead of the warrior McCain and his running mate the warrior Palin facing their foe and calling them out with the facts on live television, they gave them the cold shoulder and made them out to be monsters. I don’t know if it worked or not, but even if it did, it wasn’t sustained.
My Case Against Obama
Admittedly, Barack Obama caused some excitement for me. This fresh new face, full of vigor and youth, promised a new type of politics. He called himself a Washington outsider, someone who wasn’t “one of them.” Obama, for his part, mostly appeals to me on the social side of things. Yet, I disagree with his gun-rights stance (his position on Heller was half a flip at best), his plan for universal healthcare (based on my own history with government run healthcare), and many other of his economic positions.
It was when I started researching some of his ads that “the new politician” aura around Obama came to end for me. It become clear to me that Obama was at least as bad as McCain in the case of speeches and ads. I know some will disagree with me on the severity of Obama’s infractions, but this is how I see it.
Making the situation worse is Obama’s selection of the gaffemeister himself Joe Biden. I’ve previously judged the selection of Biden (and Palin for McCain) as one of the worst Obama could have made. Biden doesn’t think before he speaks, and often comes down as condescending, though he restrained himself well during Thursday’s debate.
Independent groups have questioned Obama’s connection with figures such as Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, and domestic terrorist William Ayers. I’ve seen nothing yet the concludes that Obama is the radical Muslim atheist anti-Chirst Catholic Jew that some make him out to be, but the Obama camp’s handling of those who would say anything bad about him is in many worse as bad or worse than McCain’s.
Instead of publicly demonizing such people, Obama appear to prefer to work quietly, as several publications, including our own, have noted. Now, the jump some have made from questioning his jugment to “Ayers. Obama. Put 1 and 1 together.” has disturbed me as much as someone suggesting that John McCain believes the vile that pastors such as Pat Robertson and John Hagee put out. But I am disgusted with the seemingly true reports of Obama’s “stifle them” campaign. Maybe it’s because I hold the first amendment close to my heart, but I don’t like it.
What to Do?
So, both McCain and Obama have disheartened me greatly. They both lie, and both treat the first amendment with their own brands of contempt. What do I do in such a situation? Do I hold my nose, vote for one of them, and hope for the best? Do I just not vote? Do I hope the situation gets better so nose holding is required?
The first two seem unacceptable to me. If I’m going to vote, I don’t want it to be half-hearted. And I don’t want to stay home on election day. Lastly, the situation could get better, but I don’t have high hopes for McCain or Obama doing a 180 in the next three weeks or so.
So the fourth option is to go third party. But with whom? The Green Party kind of scares me, as does Ralph Nader. They’re too far on the extremes, though there are worse leftie parties out there. The Constitution Party similarly scares me, with its extreme socially conservative views that would make even many Republicans faint. Many of them, and definitely their nominee, are a bunch of “9/11 truthers”, which kind of makes me sick.
That seemingly leaves the Libertarian Party, but they’re not perfect. The advocate the kind of unfettered capitalism that I don’t like. They’re also strictly non-interventionist, and even with my dislike of the Iraq war, I don’t think all intervention is bad, especially when it has a solid reasoning behind it.
Then there’s Bob Barr. Is he really a convert to the libertarian way? Or is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing, switching to the Libertarians because he was voted out of office while still a Republican? After all, he was the author of the Defense of Marriage act, not exactly the libertarian’s favorite law. I also don’t support the act. The Libertarians have also gained my ire in some cases, as in a recent newsletter they mentioned John McCain’s “100 years” statement, one that even Barack Obama has abandoned.
Yet, they haven’t pulled many negative strings with me. I also agree with them on the breaking out of the two-party system. I also wouldn’t mind a change up of ideas in Washington for once.
So a vote for them is a possibility for me. I know all the arguments against it, of course. “You’re wasting your vote.” “A vote for Bob Barr is a vote for Obama.”
I disagree with both. About the first one, I’d say this: A vote for anybody is democracy at work and a vote for nobody is democracy at work. Both types of political action are ways to state your preference. Or maybe none of the options strike you as ready to lead.
The second statement is just as incorrect because by definition, a vote for somebody who isn’t McCain isn’t a vote for McCain. It’s just that simple. I’ve stated my disdain with both candidates already, so by definition voting for anybody else is not voting for McCain. It does take votes away from McCain, but I don’t buy that they automatically get translated into votes for Obama. As I said above, a vote for anybody is democracy at work, and there could be multiple reasons to vote outside the system. You may want to protest against the two major options, or you might just agree with the third option. Either way, a vote for the person is a vote for that person. Whatever effects it might have on the ‘likely-to-win” options are secondary.
Conclusion
So I face a major decision on November 4th. The next few weeks will likely solidify that decision. I expect that after the third debate, I’ll know what I want to do.
Update
It’s amazing how things can change in a matter of hours, isn’t it? Mere hours ago, I was pondering my options for the future, given John McCain and Barack Obama’s contempt for their critics.
Yesterday, Sarah Palin brought up the Obama-William Ayers connection , saying Obama was “palling around with terrorists.” Then hours ago, Politico had a report about Obama’s return volley in the form of the Keating 5 scandal, which McCain was embroiled in some years ago. Our own Michael ver der Galien discussed this development in another article.
Both are misleading at best. But both are the types of things I thought I’d never see from both campaigns. And thus, my support for them is lost. On November 4th, my vote goes to Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr.
Vote for the Libertarian Party candidate, Bob Barr. He was against the bailout, believes in the US Constitution, and wants to reduce the Government’s intrusion into our lives, both economically and socially. Send them a message that you are tired of lies and the status quo.
One thing to note. The president doesn’t make the laws. He only provides guidance on what he wants and then he approves or denies the bills. A third party president would work as a the constitution was set up to be a checks and balance system.
The Democrats and Republicans will want to make a law that will be passed instead of by making their party look good.
Another thing to note is that Russ Perot (while not winning the election) still had a significant impact on the laws passed. People write off the third parties in the polls and results because the numbers are so low, but if you think about it, McCain is at 40%, he is only pulling in 2 out of 5 people. To register 5% in the polls, that’s 1 out of 20. The media is disregarding 1/20 of the population by ignoring the third parties. If 1/20 people are voting 3rd party, it would be like 2-1/2 complete states which are not represented.
5% is a huge number and it shows discontent with the current policies. So, even though the candidate is only raking in 5%, he is representing those views and the other parties will have to listen before they lose control of the supporters.
On top of all that, when McCain or Obama get into office, You can claim innocence because you were not one of those who voted the losers in office. When they screw up, you don’t have to fee responsible for the problems they create.
oh, and I forgot to mention, you did a very nice job on this article. I enjoyed reading it and I think you were fair and honest.
I could very well vote third party if I were American - and then probably Libertarian. Not because I would agree with all of their policies, but because I could sympathize with them and because I would believe that the two major parties lost the right to govern due to their mistakes in the past - another argument: you guys need competition in politics. Not just between Republicans and Democrats, but between them and others.
It’s not a wasted vote, as long as you vote for what’s in your heart. A wasted vote is holding your nose and voting for the lesser of the two evils. I could never vote for either Obama or McCain, so it’s third party or a write-in.
If for no other reason to vote 3rd party, (or specifically Libertarian) Michael is right on here:
Not because I would agree with all of their policies, but because I could sympathize with them and because I would believe that the two major parties lost the right to govern due to their mistakes in the past - another argument: you guys need competition in politics.
All I hear from both Democrats and Republicans are how the other guy can’t get the job done, disbursed with scaremongering tactics for reasons for why things are where we are today (economy, US standing in the world, Markets, etc). At least from 3rd party folks, or specifically Libertarians, they put all their cards on the table for all to see, and foolish or not, you hear what they think needs to happen to get the job done.
You’re just wasting your vote totally.
There is no benefit to voting third party. It’s like trying to help the system that fails in other countries (multi-party systems; just look at Turkey). America is BLESSED to have a two party system.
What a waste. I thought you were smarter than that.
Your "case against McCain" btw is incredibly weak, incredibly weak. Just because Sarah Palin got angry with the media doesn’t mean McCain demonizes the media.
Even Liberal journalists don’t think McCain demonizes the media, I know cuz I talk to them on the phone everyday. And they agree that the media has been unfair to McCain since the primaries.
You know you could also stay home, and it would be like voting for third party. If you’re trying to play it all high and mighty "my vote is valuable" screw that, it’s not like McCain or Obama will change their policies if third party gets more votes. What a waste.
Jon,
A third party doesn’t have to be in a position to win for your vote to be valuable. If they get over a certain amount of votes, they’re guaranteed a place on the ballot the next election, without needing petitioning, and they’re guaranteed federal matching funds.
Third parties have also been using their runs to challenge unfair ballot and media restrictions in court, and in many cases, they’ve won. In other cases, they’ve forced the courts to give reasoning which sets important precedents.
If they get enough support in polling before a debate, they also have a better chance of getting in—so people shouldn’t be holding on on telling pollsters they want a third party candidate either.
If we can get all these barriers to start to break down, we can pave the road for a viable third party in the future. As someone who’s worked within a third party, I can say there are several people in Congress who have expressed a desire to leave and join a third party, but are scared that it will be political suicide because of the harsh laws which penalize third parties and lack of organization.
Third parties don’t need to win; breaking down these barriers will allow a viable third party to win in the future.
On the other hand, Michael,
I think your case about McCain is weak also, you don’t like them because they’re angry at the media?
There’s other reasons which I’ve noted in other articles. Such as the misleading accusation on Ayers when there is no evidence of him as a radical.
It’s the same with Obama bringing up Keating, since there is no evidence of McCain as corrupt. Both are questions of judgment, but McCain and Obama are hardly radical or corrupt. Far from it, I think.
As for wasting my vote, I anticipated this attitude from some commenters. I could stay home, it’s true. Or I could do my part to send a message, how small it may be, to the two parties. I have no delusions about Barr winning; I know he won’t.