Don't want Trump or Hillary?

[Ringel05]

Who knows, maybe we'll end up with a viable 3rd party.

The establishment has the system too rigged for a 3rd party to ever be viable.

Exactly but what we may be looking at is a modern version of the Political Crisises of the 1850s and 1890s. Who knows what will happen.

At the heart of the morass is this ----- the Perpetuation of the Same Old Thing absolutely depends on the People throwing up their collective hands and going "oh well, there's nothing I/we can do so I'll continue to drone on and play the game".

The Same Old Thing absolutely requires that kind of complicity. Without it, it never gets to BE the Same Old Thing.

I agree 100% but at least we occasionally have political "revolutions" when a large portion of the body politic finally becomes fed up with the status quo. Not that they always succeed or last once they occur and in this instance it's yet to be seen whether this "revolution" will cause any changes or not. I'm not holding out much hope as both parties are so heavily entrenched (with the majority of the voting public's approval) and one of their most strident mantras is "don't throw away your vote!"

And beyond that Duopoly construction there's the problem of the Electoral College, meaning that anyone who lives in a lock-red or lock-blue state cannot cast a vote for anything but a third party that has any meaning at all. That red or blue candy is getting your state vote regardless whether you vote for him, against him, or just stay home. It makes not a whit of difference.

So you can go cast a vote for Johnson or Nader or Perot as a protest but as long as the sheep rule, the sheep rule and it generates no more effect than "oh isn't that cute, somebody voted for Nader, now let's return to the big screen where Tweedle Dee is closing ground on Tweedle Dum, isn't that exciting, kids?".

Which brings us to the Media that plays a vital role in perpetuating Same Old Thing..... which is why it's absurd to call the MSM "liberal media" --- perpetuating the SOT is as conservative as it gets.

When both the Trump and Sanders camps started to berate the apparatus as being rigged all the pundits suddenly came forth and and started talking about "rules are rules", never once addressing the fact those rules are in place to protect each party's control and are indeed unfair.

 

[g5000]

Yeah, the system was rigged. And the media put Donald Trump on the air every two minutes for nine months to tell us how rigged it was, while the other candidates were lucky to have their names spelled right in the weekly newspaper no one reads.

PRODUCER: Trump just said Africans eat babies! Let's get him on the air RIGHT NOW!

DIRECTOR: He's still on the air talking about the crazy shit he said yesterday.

 

[Pogo]

So voting for a third party propellerhead because you don't like Trump or Hillary is idiocy.

No, it's exercising what little, begrudging, piddling voice you have left. Why would you intentionally vote for some candy you don't want? Because the alternative would be worse? That's bullshit. Plus, as already noted, if you're in a locked state, the EC system ensures that your vote for a D/R means absolutely nothing anyway.

That's why I voted for Nader in 2000. My state was going for Bush regardless what I did. It's literally a drop in the bucket, but it's all the System gives us. Why would I not take it?

Did you vote in the primary? If not, you are part of the problem. You let this happen.

I always vote in the primary and NONE of my primary votes "let this happen". And unfortunately I don't get to vote for "Superdelegates" That part of the system is rigged, and it's a sham. Last time out I voted in the Republican primary because I wanted something approaching a real choice. That didn't work out either, but there's no way my Huntsman vote "let Mitt Romney happen".

 

[g5000]

So voting for a third party propellerhead because you don't like Trump or Hillary is idiocy.

No, it's exercising what little, begrudging, piddling voice you have left. Why would you intentionally vote for some candy you don't want?

My vote has to be EARNED. Don't assume that because I refuse to vote for a propellerhead I am voting for Trump or Clinton. I'm not.

When you vote for someone, you are telling them, "You are doing something right." I steadfastly REFUSE to send that message to a propellerhead or to Trump or to Clinton.

 

[g5000]

Did you vote in the primary? If not, you are part of the problem. You let this happen.

I always vote in the primary and NONE of my primary votes "let this happen". And unfortunately I don't get to vote for "Superdelegates" That part of the system is rigged, and it's a sham. Last time out I voted in the Republican primary because I wanted something approaching a real choice. That didn't work out either, but there's no way my Huntsman vote "let Mitt Romney happen".

The "superdelegates" are elected officials. They are governors and congressmen and so forth. So you do have control over who gets to be a superdelegate.

As for voting in the primary, you are in a tiny minority. Most people don't vote in primaries. They let this whole Trump and Clinton thing happen.

 

[Ringel05]

So voting for a third party propellerhead because you don't like Trump or Hillary is idiocy.

No, it's exercising what little, begrudging, piddling voice you have left. Why would you intentionally vote for some candy you don't want?

My vote has to be EARNED. Don't assume that because I refuse to vote for a propellerhead I am voting for Trump or Clinton. I'm not.

When you vote for someone, you are telling them, "You are doing something right." I steadfastly REFUSE to send that message to a propellerhead or to Trump or to Clinton.

That's nice....... Here's the problem with that, some States have open primaries, some don't and some that technically are listed as open primary States are an illusion as they have other rules that negates open poling for Independents like in Texas. In Texas you can vote as an Independent but must declare Republican or Democrat for that year then you are restricted to only vote for candidates presented by either of those parties. Texas does not allow for write-ins, the RNC, DNC apparatus is fixed to benefit the apparatus, people are starting to become fed up with it.

 

[blackhawk]

 

[initforme]

I like this thread as this is the most pathetic presidential time I have witnessed in my life....and I'm 77 years old. Frankly our political system needs an overhaul....big money has all the control. The little guy will take it on the chin for sure while the super wealthy lick their chops. Welcome to a middle class less america. Its part of a well conceived idea.