Thursday, November 16, 2006

The Libertarian Effect

I've always been mixed on my opinion of the value of voting for independents in major elections.

On one hand, voting for an independent can sometimes lead to a worse outcome than just voting for the party you usually support (e.g. a vote for Perot was a vote for Bill Clinton). But, on the other hand, sometimes both major party candidates are worthless so why not make a political point and vote for something new (e.g. Dewine and Brown)? I guess the pragmatist in me says, "Why waste your vote? Isn't a bad Republican better than a good Democrat?"

According to this article from realclearpolitics.com, votes for the Libertarian Party in Missouri and Montana cost the Republicans the Senate.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm one of those people that vote libetarian whenever there is a choice. I quit voting against someone a long time ago. I'm also a believer that there is a need for three thriving political parties in this country and until we get it we will be suseptible to the chicanery of current system.