You wasted your vote!!!!!!?!!!!?!!!!!

[Lymeade-Lady]

How do you (or would you) respond when someone asks who you voted for and then screams "You wasted your vote?"

I need a good answer as I have each part of my family firmly entrenched in their party thoughts (though both would have voted for Ron Paul if he had been nominated.) My family (the 2 I talked to) gave me this. And this is the non-confrontation people! It made me want to not talk politics, but how can I influence anyone if I won't talk!

So, what do I say? I'm sure it will come up again and again and again until I convince them or they are satisified they've convinced me.

[Kludge]

I see no difference in either candidate with a chance of winning. The best I can do is attempt to send a message that I was not satisfied with either choices. I had no legitimate vote to waste.

[torchbearer]

If the mentality is... if the person you voted for "can't win"
then the only people who didn't waste their vote was for the person who won.
So anyone who votes for McCain is wasting their vote. He's going to lose. Why would you vote for him?
Obama is going to win, vote for him to make your vote count.

See how retarded that sounds? What is the point of winning if you lose your freedom in the process?

[klamath]

How do you (or would you) respond when someone asks who you voted for and then screams "You wasted your vote?"

I need a good answer as I have each part of my family firmly entrenched in their party thoughts (though both would have voted for Ron Paul if he had been nominated.) My family (the 2 I talked to) gave me this. And this is the non-confrontation people! It made me want to not talk politics, but how can I influence anyone if I won't talk!

So, what do I say? I'm sure it will come up again and again and again until I convince them or they are satisified they've convinced me.

what state are you in?

[Pennsylvania]

//

[Lymeade-Lady]

Texas--which is going to McCain anyway--that's who they want--but how can I reform the Rep party if I am disgruntled with their candidate and vote for him anyway! I can say this b/c I went to my county precinct meeting. I'm working on it.

No, I'm not going to be sarcastic--I feel like I'm not influencing anyone. I guess it's hard b/c I thought like they did a few years back and now I think differently and I can't really explain why.

[Cleaner44]

How about:
I voted for the best candidate available and you voted for the lesser of two evils so who really wasted their vote.

[Dr.3D]

If the mentality is... if the person you voted for "can't win"
then the only people who didn't waste their vote was for the person who won.
So anyone who votes for McCain is wasting their vote. He's going to lose. Why would you vote for him?
Obama is going to win, vote for him to make your vote count.

See how retarded that sounds? What is the point of winning if you lose your freedom in the process?

But, but... but.... isn't this a horse race and I get a prize for voting for the winner? :rolleyes:

[LittleLightShining]

Texas--which is going to McCain anyway--that's who they want--but how can I reform the Rep party if I am disgruntled with their candidate and vote for him anyway! I can say this b/c I went to my county precinct meeting. I'm working on it.

No, I'm not going to be sarcastic--I feel like I'm not influencing anyone. I guess it's hard b/c I thought like they did a few years back and now I think differently and I can't really explain why.If you're active in the party they won't ask you who you voted for, will they? I've been very active here and though they know I have no love for McCain I can't see them asking me who I voted for. They'll just assume I was a "good Republican" and fell in line.

[Lymeade-Lady]

Does anyone hear that? How do I help open their eyes? How do I convince them that there candidate is really no better?

[Lymeade-Lady]

But, but... but.... isn't this a horse race and I get a prize for voting for the winner? :rolleyes:

Nope--you get the BLAME when he messes things up!

[LibertyEagle]

Hey, Lymes isn't all bad...otherwise I would never have discovered natural health or RP!

Except it is LYME, not Lymes. :)

[klamath]

Texas--which is going to McCain anyway--that's who they want--but how can I reform the Rep party if I am disgruntled with their candidate and vote for him anyway! I can say this b/c I went to my county precinct meeting. I'm working on it.

No, I'm not going to be sarcastic--I feel like I'm not influencing anyone. I guess it's hard b/c I thought like they did a few years back and now I think differently and I can't really explain why.

There is no way in Obama is going to win Texas so it doesn't matter how you vote. In the earlier days of the campaign I remember arguing with a blogger about RP. He agreed with RP on everything but decided not to vote for him based on his belief that RP couldn't win. I told him that if that was his reason for not voting RP then he just as well not vote at all this year because the Republicans were never going to win. I wish I still had his blog address as a nice "I told you so!" would be kinda fun:D

[LibertyEagle]

Does anyone hear that? How do I help open their eyes? How do I convince them that there candidate is really no better?

If it was me, I'd leave it alone. They're too close to it to see it about McCain. Just start talking about the issues, AFTER the election is over.

[Lymeade-Lady]

Except it is LYME, not Lymes. :)

Your totally right--I don't know why I wrote it that way--maybe the Lyme killed those brain cells! It took me about a year to figure out that there was no s, but that was years ago!

[LEK]

The whole idea of a representaive form of government is to vote for whom you see fit. This mentality (wasting your vote) literally eliminates a choice. You are forced via propaganda to follow what they have led you to believe is logical, loyal, and right.

You MUST vote your conscience.

If you are a Christian - make the righteous choice and honor God. He'll take care of the details and the results.

[mediahasyou]

like your vote mattered...:rolleyes:

[heavenlyboy34]

Say, "I canceled out your vote, didn't I?" ;) (if you're a good smartass)

[micahnelson]

My Response:

To whatever extent my vote alters the elections, to that same extent I am responsible for what happens to our government in the next 4 years. If my vote doesn't alter the election, then why does it matter to you how I voted. If it does, I don't want the evil that is perpetrated in the name of liberty to be on my conscience.

[angelatc]

How do you (or would you) respond when someone asks who you voted for and then screams "You wasted your vote?"

I need a good answer as I have each part of my family firmly entrenched in their party thoughts (though both would have voted for Ron Paul if he had been nominated.) My family (the 2 I talked to) gave me this. And this is the non-confrontation people! It made me want to not talk politics, but how can I influence anyone if I won't talk!

So, what do I say? I'm sure it will come up again and again and again until I convince them or they are satisified they've convinced me.

You could just tell them it's none of their business who you voted for.

If you had a 48% chance of being electrocuted, a 48% chance of getting a lethal injection or a 4% chance of freedom, would you vote for freedom?

[ShowMeLiberty]

You could just tell them it's none of their business who you voted for.

If you had a 48% chance of being electrocuted, a 48% chance of getting a lethal injection or a 4% chance of freedom, would you vote for freedom?

^^ This.

Or.... A vote for freedom is never wasted.

[Lymeade-Lady]

If you had a 48% chance of being electrocuted, a 48% chance of getting a lethal injection or a 4% chance of freedom, would you vote for freedom?

I like this!!!

[tonesforjonesbones]

I would say "the only wasted vote is one that is not cast" tones

[Kludge]

I would say "the only wasted vote is one that is not cast" tones

Of course, there are far worse votes than those wasted.

[nickcoons]

People who make the "wasted vote" argument seem to confuse "voting" with "betting".

When you place a bet, you have zero influence on the outcome, but you gain if you bet on the winner (who would have won whether you bet on him or not). A vote, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. A vote influences the outcome, but you do not gain simply by voting for whomever won.

If you were betting on a horse race and the odds were 1000:1 for the horse on which you bet, then I might say that your bet is wasted. But I have no idea how this mentality made its way into the election process, because voting and betting are nothing alike.

[moostraks]

The whole idea of a representaive form of government is to vote for whom you see fit. This mentality (wasting your vote) literally eliminates a choice. You are forced via propaganda to follow what they have led you to believe is logical, loyal, and right.

You MUST vote your conscience.

If you are a Christian - make the righteous choice and honor God. He'll take care of the details and the results.

awesome post...I could not have said it any better than this!!!!!!

[Andrew-Austin]

If they didn't give any kind of rational for why they think your vote was 'wasteful', then you can just casually say the same thing right back to them. Say their vote was wasteful, and invite them to explain why they think it wasn't.

Don't let them dump the burden of proof of you next time, betting on the winning horse McBama for the sake of winning is pretty questionable. Having them explain "I'm voting for candidate A over candidate B because of x issue" sets you up with an opportunity to debunk their rational.

I sometimes put myself in the same dilemma, humble people always put the burden of proof on themselves since they are more open to introspection.

[1776Patriot]

Just wondering if most will be voting for Baldwin then, or writting in Ron Paul regardless of a wasted vote or not.

[Dr.3D]

People who make the "wasted vote" argument seem to confuse "voting" with "betting".

When you place a bet, you have zero influence on the outcome, but you gain if you bet on the winner (who would have won whether you bet on him or not). A vote, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. A vote influences the outcome, but you do not gain simply by voting for whomever won.

If you were betting on a horse race and the odds were 1000:1 for the horse on which you bet, then I might say that your bet is wasted. But I have no idea how this mentality made its way into the election process, because voting and betting are nothing alike.

Well, there are people out there who feel like they are 'winners' even when they are the losers. Take ebay for example. People will keep bidding up the price on something so they can be the 'winner', even though they end up paying more than the item was worth. It's about being a 'winner'.

Like in sporting events. People will root for a team hoping it will win so they can be 'winners' along with their team. This is the common mentality these days.

[Dr.3D]

Just wondering if most will be voting for Baldwin then, or writting in Ron Paul regardless of a wasted vote or not.

Writing in Ron Paul would be a wasted vote because he isn't running.
Writing in Chuck Baldwin wouldn't be a wasted vote because he is running.

[Reason]

How about:
I voted for the best candidate available and you voted for the lesser of two evils so who really wasted their vote.

:)

[noxagol]

I voted to give the ring to Frodo while you voted to have Wormtail take the ring to Mt Doom instead of Sauroman.

[Thanehand]

If you had a 45% chance of lethal injection, a 45% chance of electrocution and a 10% chance of freedom, wouldn't you choose freedom?

[Gideon]

I actually mailed four of these (one for each adult in my family), although the other three were written more legibly.

http://www.hchq.biz/mia_photos/rp_write_in.JPG

[acptulsa]

There's a passage in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that would adapt well to this situation.

You could say I wasted my vote. Certainly I didn't pick the winner, though it isn't like I was betting on the race. But I did vote my conscience, and I voted for good people. And when this national nightmare gets worse, I will be able to eat my dinner with good appetite, because my stomach isn't queasy and I have no lump in my throat.

Actually I think you do know what I mean. And if you don't, you will.

[fatjohn]

How do you (or would you) respond when someone asks who you voted for and then screams "You wasted your vote?"

I need a good answer as I have each part of my family firmly entrenched in their party thoughts (though both would have voted for Ron Paul if he had been nominated.) My family (the 2 I talked to) gave me this. And this is the non-confrontation people! It made me want to not talk politics, but how can I influence anyone if I won't talk!

So, what do I say? I'm sure it will come up again and again and again until I convince them or they are satisified they've convinced me.


YOU've wasted your vote!
That's what i would say.

[Roxi]

How do you (or would you) respond when someone asks who you voted for and then screams "You wasted your vote?"

I need a good answer as I have each part of my family firmly entrenched in their party thoughts (though both would have voted for Ron Paul if he had been nominated.) My family (the 2 I talked to) gave me this. And this is the non-confrontation people! It made me want to not talk politics, but how can I influence anyone if I won't talk!

So, what do I say? I'm sure it will come up again and again and again until I convince them or they are satisified they've convinced me.


say NO, I voted on principal, and ethics... you threw away your vote, because your one vote didn't make obama/mccain win, but your one vote to a third party candidate would have at least made a statement in protest of what choices we have this year. By voting for one of the evils, your only reinforcing your condonement of their bad behavior





edit: after reading some of the answers i see there are some way better answers than mine, but too many to quote and give credit... u know who you are :)

[Philmanoman]

Im usually an ass...I tell them...

I threw my vote away on purpose...DUH!!!! :D