Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Louise Does NOT support John McCain. End of message.

Louise...you are one of a kind.

I don't know who I'm voting for at this point. All of them have serious, disturbing flaws. It's kind of depressing.

I support NONE of the announced Presidential candidates.  At this point, I'm inclined to leave my Presidential ballot BLANK, or enter a write-in.  The worst thing a citizen can do, though, is to fail to vote at all.  Failure to vote will simply be misinterpreted as apathy, encouraging more of the same kinds of candidates.  Write-ins and blank ballots, by contrast, are obvious protests against the offered candidates.  If enough people enter protest votes, it will eventually encourage office seekers to attempt to tap in to that dissatisfaction. 

Hi Steve,

As far as I know, if one does not fill out the whole ballot, it is booted out of the system.

Steve, the problem is that there are not enough people who really care to offer a third option.  Yes, we always have independents or write ins that pop up a few months before a Presidential Election.  That never will change anyone's mind.  What probably needs to happen is for those people to come up with a third party and make it viable by establishing it years ahead of the election process and continuing to add to it.  Independents come and go but never seem to be interested in creating a new party system.

Louise: 

That's simply not true.  A voter cannot be compelled to cast a ballot for any office, and many, many ballot lines for particular offices are left blank.  Here in Maryland, for example, there are numerous minor elected positions (e.g. certain County officers, local judges, school board members, water commission members, etc.) where I've typically never heard of any of the candidates and have absolutely no idea about their relative merit.  Rather than contribute random noise to the electoral process, I refrain from casting a ballot in such elections, leaving the choice to those better informed than I.  We've lately moved to a computerized ballot format, and just prior to casting it, the application presents to the voter a review of his ballot -- including blank entries -- and offers him a chance to make corrections.  Once satisfied, the voter indicates as much and the ballot is cast, blank entries and all.  I have to believe that ballots with blank entries are every bit as acceptable in other jurisdictions. 

Louise, Steve is correct.  In all types of voting procedures whether they be with machine, paper or even a committee vote, each participant has the right to ABSTAIN."  There is only one instance that I can think of which might require a vote and that would be in the Senate when the VP needs to break a tie.  I am not even completely sure that he also can elect to Abstain.

There is a third party.....the Libertarian Party. But aside from a few people like John Stossel, it's members are quiet and unknown. They aren't active on the political scene at all right now. I'm sure that money is the issue for any 3rd party trying to become a player in the election process. It takes a lot of money to buy votes and lobbyists, and a 3rd party is fighting an uphill battle against two very rich and ruthless opponents who don't want to share the bounty.

I believe their may be more than just the Libertarian Party.  I just can't remember now.  You did cite the problem though.  People in 3rd parties do not get active until the last minute.  They need to not only descent on the process of the other parties but they need to become active in offering solutions.  It is interesting that whenever a Republican or Democrat choose to leave their own party, they never opt to form a new one.  They just remain independent.  Probably because they then can offer their vote to the highest bidder.

   I believe that we are in a very crucial time, an extremely dangerous time.  With Islamic extremists bent on destoying Israel, America, any country with democratic values and freedom, we must at least, think carefully and decide which candidate can best protect our freedom.

    Looking at Obama, I see a definite threat to our country should he become our nation's leader.   Someone to be so ridiculously naive as to believe anyone could sit down and rationally have a discussion with Amadeshinad, should be committed, not elected president.  My son in law was born in Iran, but raised here since he was three.  One of his Aunts who still lives there, is allowed to visit here once every few years. The stories she tells are horrific. His grandmother passed away in the hospital last summer, and even tho the family is NOT Muslim, they must abide by the laws of Islam.  The grandmother, wrapped in a sheet, was taken from the hospital to the burial site and dumped into the ground as her two daughters stood crying. They dared not ask for a casket or box, they would have been shot on the spot. Rape victims are stoned to death.
       Obama claims not to be Muslim,....no he is an active member of Black Racist Church. A church that proports to be Christian, but in truth has an Islamic agenda. Obviously, Barak embrasses the ideologies of this Rev. Wright, as he has continued to attend and listen to this man's vicious attacks on America.  In Sept. of 2001, his sermon, which I'm sure all here by now have heard, says it all....about him and about his congregation.

          So hopefully, the race for president will be between Hillary and McCain.  To me, McCain is the better of the two......but either way it goes, at least we will not have an anti-American, not to mention racist as our leader.......Dear God, I can't even imagine it!!!

       Colin Powell, is one of my heroes!! Why couldn't he have run?  Besides being a great candidate (and I'm sure he'dbe a great Pres..), African-Americans would be happy!!!  Right now they are blinded by the fact that an African-American can be President........they know nothing else about him, and that is a tradgedy!

       Please don't be apathetic, or waste your vote on a Libertarian, or not vote at all.  Think about saving our country from the hands of someone who hates everything our country stands for. CHANGE, is his cry......what does he want to change????

   An I'd just like to add that I am a Roman Catholic, and I don't give a rat's petuti what McCain's minister says about my Religion.  That  nonsense does, in no way, indanger our National security, our freedoms, our American way of life that I cherish!!!