ISideWith.com keeps adjusting as candidates change positions and party platforms become clarified. I went from 97% agreement with the Libertarian Party last winter to 100% today, without changing my own answers.
Here's the party ranking in order of agreement:
Libertarian: 100%
Republican: 52%
Constitution Party: 48%
Green Party: 27%
Socialist: 22%
Democrat: 14%
Here's the Presidential ranking list in order of agreement:
Gary Johnson: 97%
Donald Trump: 40%
Jill Stein: 22%
Hillary Clinton: 10%
Last winter, I was around 90% in agreement with Johnson, Mr. Trump 60%, and Mrs. Clinton 23% (if I recall). Because I didn't change my answers, it appears Johnson has drifted even closer to my positions, while the other two have drifted further away from me.
Even if Mr. Trump was still 60% in agreement, I would still never vote for him. You might argue that on balance he'd set an agenda that is more to my liking. But that leaves out his monstrous rhetoric and volatile personality. I do not trust his judgment.
That's a moot point now. Mr. Trump's now just 40% in agreement. How could I vote for that, especially if I'm not required to vote, and more especially, if there's someone on the ballot who's very close to total agreement with me? Even if Mr. Trump didn't scare me, I'm not voting for taking the country in the wrong direction.
Now regarding Mrs. Clinton: I have grave concerns about her ethics, honesty, and judgment that would prevent me from voting for her even if we were in majority agreement. But leave that aside. We're 10% in agreement. How can two people raised in the same country be so far apart?
You can disagree with my values and philosophy. But considering they are what they are, you would insult your own intelligence if you tell me that voting for Johnson (or Daryl Perry), or not voting at all, will help Mrs. Clinton win or help Mr. Trump win. There are no 2nd choices after Johnson.
You may be angry with me because I won't say that Mr. Trump is less bad than Mrs. Clinton, but somebody else would be equally angry that I won't say Mrs. Clinton is less bad than Mr. Trump.
That's a subjective judgment. We've all read what we've read about both candidates, and we haven't all read the exact same things. We come to our own conclusions. Based on what I know or think I know, I think they're equally unfit. And even if I did think one is less bad than the other, both would still, in my view, be harmful to the nation and world in unpredictable ways.
Most importantly, my one vote won't decide who wins my state. So if i vote, I might as well vote for what I want and who I want, and add to the tally of a political party I actually agree with.
James Leroy Wilson's one-man magazine.
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
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When people tell me that I'm wasting my vote by voting for Johnson, a third party candidate I reply to them. "Gee, all of these times I've been doing it wrong!" "I never knew that people were supposed to be voting for the people that were likely to win the election, but for what I thought was the best person for the job!" That usually shuts them up.
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