Who voted?

[Woodsman]

Have you voted today? Did you vote for an incumbent? Did you vote for an independent or third-party candidate? How come?

[swgprop]

Re: Have you voted today?

Have you voted today? Did you vote for an incumbent? Did you vote for an independent or third-party candidate? How come?

Voted for Brown for governor, CA incumbent. Why? Because the only alternative was:

[Woodsman]

Re: Have you voted today?

Voted for Brown for governor, CA incumbent. Why? Because the only alternative was:

Sensible decision, given the circumstances.

[Raz]

Re: Have you voted today?

Governor "Moonbeam" is too far to the Left for me even though he can be sensible. His blatant disregard for the rights of American CITIZENS with this "sanctuary cities" lawlessness would be enough to preclude my ever voting for him, regardless of who's running against him.

I'm voting Third Party or Independent across the board - like I have done for over a decade.

I will make one exception and vote for the Republican candidate to our local School Board.

[shiny!]

Re: Have you voted today?

I've been voting since 1976. In all that time I only missed one mid-term election, and that was because I was on my honeymoon. But I did not vote this time. Just couldn't bring myself to participate in the system anymore. I saw the nauseating commercials, got the sickening robocalls. It's all such an obvious lie. I felt I would be doing my soul harm to knowingly participate in the lie.

It's not just the candidates lying- lying about their intentions and about the other guy- it's the entire system. The Big Lie is that the system works for us. If our votes could really change anything, they wouldn't allow us to vote.

I'm the battered wife who no longer believes her abusive husband when he promises for the umpteenth time that this time he's really changed and things will be different. I've walked out of the marriage.

George Carlin had their number:

[vt]

Re: Have you voted today?

We need to throw all the bums out and replace them with independents who are not tied to the radical wings of either party.

[don]

Re: Have you voted today?

I've been voting since 1976. In all that time I only missed one mid-term election, and that was because I was on my honeymoon. But I did not vote this time. Just couldn't bring myself to participate in the system anymore. I saw the nauseating commercials, got the sickening robocalls. It's all such an obvious lie. I felt I would be doing my soul harm to knowingly participate in the lie.

It's not just the candidates lying- lying about their intentions and about the other guy- it's the entire system. The Big Lie is that the system works for us. If our votes could really change anything, they wouldn't allow us to vote.

I'm the battered wife who no longer believes her abusive husband when he promises for the umpteenth time that this time he's really changed and things will be different. I've walked out of the marriage.

George Carlin had their number:

Well said Shiny! and always good to hear George remind us of what's really up (and down).

Consumerism killed Citizenship decades ago. Worked so well it was weaponized and used to kill other countries. Who would have thought that would have faded due to off-shoring of production

[Woodsman]

Re: Have you voted today?

We need to throw all the bums out and replace them with independents who are not tied to the radical wings of either party.

Totally agree. McLean is in the 8th VA Congressional district so you are lucky to have a good number of independents and 3rd party candidates to choose from.

So did you pull the lever for Jeffrey Carson (Libertarian), Gerard Blais (Green) or Gwendolyn Beck (Independent)?

[jpatter666]

Re: Have you voted today?

Against all incumbents. If there had been a viable third-party candidate I would have voted for them. For the present, I'm just trying to dynamite out the deadwood.

[Woodsman]

Re: Have you voted today?

Against all incumbents. If there had been a viable third-party candidate I would have voted for them. For the present, I'm just trying to dynamite out the deadwood.

Good to hear. I do have a question, though. If we must wait for third-party and independent candidates to be "viable" before we support them, when do you imagine such viability will present itself? If these candidates are willing to take the risk in running, why not take the considerably smaller risk of voting for them, viability be damned?

[jpatter666]

Re: Have you voted today?

Good to hear. I do have a question, though. If we must wait for third-party and independent candidates to be "viable" before we support them, when do you imagine such viability will present itself? If these candidates are willing to take the risk in running, why not take the considerably smaller risk of voting for them, viability be damned?

It's a fair comment and one we've tried to work towards. Several elections back, I was voting for the independent/libertarian candidates. Last election we actively supported an independent candidate for the House.

Of course we were massacred each and every time. We're on the lookout for a viable movement or for one of the parties to return to sanity (unlikely, but it's possible) but until then we're trying to implement our own version of term limits.

[santafe2]

Re: Have you voted today?

It's not just the candidates lying- lying about their intentions and about the other guy- it's the entire system. The Big Lie is that the system works for us. If our votes could really change anything, they wouldn't allow us to vote.

Here's a quote from Thomas Paine that might help some iTulipers refocus. "For it is the nature and intention of a constitution to prevent governing by party, by establishing a common principle that shall limit and control the power and the impulse of party, and that to all parties, thus far shalt thou go and no further. But in the absence of a constitution, men look entirely to party; and instead of principle governing party, party governs principle."

Our founders would not be surprised by what is happening today. Partisan politics drove them from England. In the US party governs principle. We are becoming England of 1750. We ignore our constitution at our own peril.

[vt]

Re: Have you voted today?

As to the question of "who voted today", it seems that many who voted one way last time stayed home, a good number changed their votes, and quite a few who didn't vote last time came out to vote today.

There's a lot of volatility in the American electorate. They really don't have a real choice. Just think of what could be accomplished with an independent force that could unite us instead of divide.

[aaron]

Re: Have you voted today?

I tore up my voting card in disgust. This system is broken. By voting, we are just feeding the monster. We give it legitimacy.

We disrespect our country's Constitution and history when we participate in the current media-fascist central plutocratic puppet show.

IMHO

[Woodsman]

Re: Have you voted today?

...There's a lot of volatility in the American electorate. They really don't have a real choice. Just think of what could be accomplished with an independent force that could unite us instead of divide.

Fortunately for you, the 8th Congressional District of VA had a good set of choices in terms of third parties.

So which independent force did you support with your vote; Jeffrey Carson (Libertarian), Gerard Blais (Green) or Gwendolyn Beck (Independent)?