It's beginning to look like we'll have a plethora of people to choose from this November. Be they Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Green... Barack Obama (although the Democrat convention has not yet taken place and Hillary is still hopeful that Barack may yet meet his maker and pave the way for her ascension to the throne), John McCain (although he does actually need to live long enough to see the election in order to actually have too many people vote for him - of course, knowing many Americans, he can probably pass away in October and still receive some votes from those folks not paying any attention), Bob Barr (still we're uncertain how many states will even let him on the ballot. All he will say is that they're currently working on being on the ballot in all fifty states), and Ralph Nader (the man who can't seem to get enough of this action every four years or so).
If we were voting strictly on the basis of who would make the best candidate for a great caricature, I think Bob Barr would be a shoo-in. He already looks just a little bit like a cartoon. If we were voting on the basis of tenacity, I'm thinkin' Nader would be the best candidate. I'm pretty sure he's the only person to be on the ballot in national elections...what is it - forty times now? If we were all suffering from massive insomnia, McCain would be our man. They'd just put him on TV right around bedtime and we'd all be snoozing before you know it. But if what we're looking for is the excitement of a rickety roller coaster ride?? Barack Obama - all the way. It's like getting on the ride and wondering, "Is this thing going to make it? Has anybody been on before? What are the twists and turns?? We just don't know!! How exciting!!
So, yes. A plethora of choices and still not a good option out there. It's kind of like going to a restaurant and having them offer you a choice of liver, pigs feet, pickled eggs, or some funky dish straight from China (still including the beak and feet on the bird). None of them will probably kill you (at least not immediately) but none look too attractive, either.
My husband has been arguing with me a lot recently about Bob Barr. I think he might be even be considered a fan of his. And not to say that Bob Barr is not a good man... or that he doesn't line up with me on the issues. For all I know, he may line up with me on almost everything. But I keep telling my husband that the man doesn't have a prayer in the world of actually getting in on a libertarian ticket. Now, he tells me that it's because people think that way that they won't vote for him, thus fulfilling the prophecy... and that the Republican party needs to be shown that they cannot turn on conservatives like they have and still keep their base. He's right -- but I think that an Obama administration might be overkill as punishment to the Republicans. I don't know...
Then I hear talk about Hillary supporters defecting to senator McCain because they're upset that Hillary isn't taking the Democrat nomination. The only thing that helps me hold out hope that this could be true is the fact that McCain is almost as liberal as Hillary. I've half wondered if he will ask her to be his running mate in order to sew up those votes. Sadly enough, an announcement of such would not surprise me much.
So here's my dilemma - and somebody help me with it if you will. I can vote for McCain and hold my nose shut tight the entire time. I really dislike the man, but if I'm stacking him up next to a Marxist like Obama, he's definitely the lesser of the two evils. I can vote for Bob Barr, but if I do this I have to live with the fact that I've wasted time, energy, and gasoline because I might as well have stayed home. Are there people out there who are considering voting libertarian who have never considered it before? If so, what makes you think about doing so?
2 comments:
I can’t understand why more people can’t see it. McCain is the Frog Boiler!
What do I mean? There is an old allegory about how to boil a frog. It is said that if you drop a frog into a pot of boiling water it will immediately jump out.
But if you drop a frog in water that is slightly warm and turn up the heat gradually then the frog just sits there and lets itself be boiled alive, without attempting to jump out of the pot, without even knowing that it is indeed being boiled alive.
This allegory has been applied again, and again regarding the American people’s reaction to liberalism/socialism. And it is pretty clear who is who if you apply this allegory to this year’s election.
So let's vote for the candidate who will make the frog jump out of the pot so we can have a true conservative in 2012. Otherwise we will all get gradually boiled alive.
After all it took Carter to get us Reagan.
I agree with your sentiment about the frog being boiled alive because it's done slowly... McCain is a Frog Boiler, exactly. I can't, however, bring myself to vote for Obama based on the fact that McCain is liberal-light. I think Obama is a pretty dangerous individual...
I'm irritated with the Republican party for giving us such a sad pool of people from which to choose initially and I'm irritated with Republicans for choosing McCain out of the pitiful pool.
Still can't do Obama, though...
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