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View Full Version : Gary Johnson Why I didn't waste my vote on Gary Johnson.




NorfolkPCSolutions
11-02-2012, 01:50 PM
Only after much thought and meditation did I deviate from the course I set myself upon, immediately after "waking up." The credit for my new understanding of American conditions and political thought lies squarely upon the shoulders of one whom history will record as a modern Jefferson, Franklin - or any of the other great men of American history. Dr. Ron Paul.

That fact, in and of itself could have, or should have, provided the necessary motivation to write in Paul's name upon my visit to the courthouse yesterday - it did not. With my infant son in one arm, and a silly blunt pencil in one hand, I marked my ballot for the Libertarian, Gary Johnson.

Had I been able to cast a Republican vote for Ron Paul, I would have left the courthouse in full knowledge that his election was assured. (Does anyone actually believe that Obama will win? Literally millions of mindless zombie sheep are registered as Republicans, and they have been itching since midnight, Christmas 2009, when socialized medicine was passed, to vote for whomever the GOP ran against their most despised enemy, Obama. They've been scratching until they've bled. Barring fraud, I sense no other outcome.) Instead, knowing in my gut that Obamney will be victorious, I decided to go a different route.

(I was wrong about that prediction, and I'm just chipper as woodpecker about that.)

I removed myself from the GOP. I am no longer registered Republican, and at no point in the rest of my days will I again be. I am registered as a Libertarian. I have been told I have a "liberty fetish" by men and women I respect, and even by some I love. I have been told by these same people that my vote for Johnson would be a vote for Obama. I have been told that to stand on principle, and stand on it alone - to not write in Ron Paul represents a retreat from all I profess to believe. Bullshit.

Neither I nor any one of us at RPF who wrote in Paul, or broke with the GOP and went with Johnson as I did, wasted our vote. Hell, it was worth it just to see the look on the clerk's face upon my arrival at her office, as I explained, "...to take part in the State religion. I need to change my registration and cast an early ballot, please!" The office drones ground to a halt, and the silence was as palpable as it was deafening. There was zero comprehension among them of what I meant by my statement. I recognize this election, as well as every previous election for the past ~100 years as the farce it is. So long as my consciousness is expressed, and I vote with thought and reason, my vote is never wasted.

It's the dolts who cast for Obama on the basis of his melanin levels that wasted theirs.

It's the dolts who cast for Robamney on the basis of OMFGWTFBBQ HES NOT OBAMA that wasted theirs.

By casting for Johnson, my vote will be recorded. It will be joined with thousands more, and reported as the returns come in. I want the GOP to have it made abundantly clear to themselves, as well as to the nation at large, even a foggy idea how many of their ranks they have lost as a consequence of their bully tactics, manipulations, lies, and outright VIOLENCE towards Paul supporters; men and women seeking nothing more than liberty - and nothing less than a peaceful political revolution, fought with pencils, on a battlefield relegated to the voting booth.

I want the small minded Republican sheep that post below every political news story who use nothing but insults to describe Paul supporters to choke on Gary Johnson's vote tally. If it means a second term from Obama, so be it. Four more years of tyranny under him suits me better than eight under Romney. This nation was not designed to thrive on political parties moving in lockstep, like sports teams or social organizations - even though Fox News viewers, Tea Party Patriots, and Dittoheads profess the opposite. This nation was designed to thrive on loud, vigorous, and truthful debate. A Republic founded by men who just won their liberty in bloody revolution works best that way. Our founding documents are themselves biased towards revolution. Sometimes, that debate gets messy, and rather than allow the debate to occur, the Republican party simply ignored republican ideals and the nature of our country and quashed the debate. The fourth estate was complicit, cheering as the devolution progressed...and the country slipped another notch towards tyranny.

Discovering Ron Paul and learning only a portion of what he's learned, taught me that. Thanks, Doc. You had the right prescription for a very sick Republic, and she has decided to ignore your prognosis. I, however, have not. My children, they will not. And it is that which you helped me to learn that helped me to see this election objectively, and make my voice heard in a manner which satisfies my desire to participate in it in a manner which doesn't make me want to vomit. Though I may or may not have teared up a bit as I sealed my ballot in its envelope, knowing that the medicine America needs will, inexorably, be denied her, I'll never tell.



tl;dr

:):):) I voted for Gary Johnson because fuck you, Willard Romney. And fuck you, Republican party. And fuck you, Barack Obama. :):):)

And I didn't waste a God damned thing. Eat it, TPTB.

ShaneEnochs
11-02-2012, 02:19 PM
Hurrah! +rep

phill4paul
11-02-2012, 02:56 PM
+rep

ninepointfive
11-02-2012, 02:58 PM
went for a tldr, and wasn't disappointed.

asurfaholic
11-02-2012, 02:58 PM
No liberty lover should vote for obamney

NorfolkPCSolutions
11-02-2012, 07:53 PM
Thank you all for your positive responses to my message, and for the reps. This thread has caused a bit of controversy among the mods...I'm grateful to know that it is here and available for all to read. If any of you come across anyone as conflicted over their vote as I was, please recommend that they read this.

It was with a sad heart that I darkened the spot for GJ - I am 100% Paultard. I suppose I recognize now that at some point, Ron Paul understood that his was a battle doomed to fail, in a conventional sense. Losing the battle does not mean losing the war, however. He helped me learn that. I will always be grateful.

I stand on principle, and emulate the good Doctor. He would expect nothing less from any of us.

Fuck Willard. Fuck Barack. Vote your consciences, and while we're at it - fuck conventional politcal warfare. We're already at war with TPTB; we get to set the terms.

Jeremy
11-02-2012, 07:56 PM
The title makes it sound like you didn't vote for Gary because you thought it was a waste. At least that was my initial impression.

MelissaWV
11-02-2012, 08:04 PM
The title makes it sound like you didn't vote for Gary because you thought it was a waste. At least that was my initial impression.

Agreed, but maybe "Why I didn't waste my vote by voting for Gary Johnson" doesn't fit?

NorfolkPCSolutions
11-02-2012, 08:11 PM
Then the purpose of the title chosen was served. I intended to create a bit of confusion. Made you read it, didn't it?

Are you the Mod that deleted this thread? Sailing was kind enough to restore it - though, I feel it belongs in Grassroots. But hey - thanks for reading my message.

I voted GJ because he is not pure evil, and Ron Paul was fucked out of the GOP. As goes the Dr., go I. My vote was my goodbye present to the Republican party.

Qdog
11-02-2012, 08:11 PM
+rep

But I agree, the title is misleading! :)

NIU Students for Liberty
11-02-2012, 08:32 PM
I have gone back and fourth on whether to vote for Johnson, write in Paul, or take the Carlin approach and sit out. Part of me wants to vote for Johnson for the same reasons Norfolk listed above. Another part of me would rather see a more principled libertarian nominee and so writing in Paul would make me feel at ease. Unfortunately I don't believe the "none of the above" recorded vote (I live in Illinois) will have the same effect. And of course there is the thought of knowing I didn't contribute to this mess in the first place by staying home instead.

Nathan Hale
11-03-2012, 01:33 PM
I'll be voting Johnson as well, and I +rep you for doing so!

NorfolkPCSolutions
11-03-2012, 06:33 PM
I'm so thankful for all the thoughtful replies that my essay has generated! Thank you all, and thank you for the reps as well. I composed this with fear and trembling, in much the same way that I made my decision to vote Libertarian. My son did not make this an easy task - "No, son, don't grab that...don't grab that, little man," while gathering the testicular fortitude to ACTUALLY THINK about my vote. This is something that not many people do (present company excluded, obviously.)

I feel that this is precisely what Ron Paul would have suggested I do, had he been in the room with me as I was casting my vote. Not to say that I made my decision from the perspective of what would Ron do - I made my decision in the terms of, what have I learned from reading our founding documents, learning about the men who authored them, and what does liberty, itself, mean.

I will not attempt to influence one who is determined to write in Paul on election day. This is the opposite of what liberty is. Call mine a strategic vote, knowing full well that in my state, my write in vote would amount to nothing.

nasaal
11-03-2012, 06:56 PM
Thanks for the essay, was a joy to read. Yup, I don't believe one can waste their vote if they believe in it. I'll be voting Johnson and trying to get anyone I can to do the same in VA. Doesn't mean I have a problem with anyone writing in Paul. I don't even have a problem with someone voting Obomney if they truly believe in that vote they're making. I don't think we'll get Johnson to 5%, but I'd be so happy if we did.

Nathan Hale
11-05-2012, 07:09 AM
Even if he doesn't get to 5%, lesser percentages will still help the LP gain ballot access. 4% in NH gets the party "major party" status. In some states even 1% or 2% confers little benefits.

Jeremy
11-05-2012, 08:51 AM
Then the purpose of the title chosen was served. I intended to create a bit of confusion. Made you read it, didn't it?

Are you the Mod that deleted this thread? Sailing was kind enough to restore it - though, I feel it belongs in Grassroots. But hey - thanks for reading my message.

I voted GJ because he is not pure evil, and Ron Paul was fucked out of the GOP. As goes the Dr., go I. My vote was my goodbye present to the Republican party.

No, I did not delete the thread and I will also be voting for Johnson. However, I will certainly not leave the Republican Party.

Darguth
11-05-2012, 09:15 AM
+rep, closely resembles my own rationale for writing-in Gary Johnson tomorrow

ninepointfive
11-05-2012, 09:30 AM
looks like this thread was resurrected

jllundqu
11-05-2012, 10:18 AM
Proudly voted GJ on my early ballot. GOP can suck it. However, in battleground states, one should consider the Supreme Court ramifications of an Obama victory... just sayin.... the last 2nd Amendment case was 5-4 meaning we are 1 justice away from having NO 2nd amendment whatsoever.

ninepointfive
11-05-2012, 10:30 AM
the last 2nd Amendment case was 5-4 meaning we are 1 justice away from having NO 2nd amendment whatsoever.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.