You do realize there are more than 2 .. running for president

[Xue Sheng]

There are others running for president but sadly the two big parties changed the rules after Perot so it is really hard for them to get known and most are so brainwashed that voting for one of them is just throwing away their vote the vote for one of the big 2. I am not saying vote for anyone including the 2 we all know but there are others

Who else is running for President?

Gary Johnson, Jill Stien, Rocky Anderson, Virgil Goode

Here something to think about.... enough people "throw away their vote" and one of the others running may stand a chance or it may give another party a fighting chance the next time or it might actually send a message to the big two that people are fed up and not as gullible and as easily distracted by shinny objects as they believe

 

[Bill Mattocks]

If Gary Johnson gets 5 percent of the overall vote, the Libertarian Party will have access to federal funds to campaign with next election cycle. That crosses the threshold and allows the Libertarian Party to participate in the elections as a 'real' (albeit small) party, taking their place next to the GOP and DNC.

If for no other reason, that would be a good reason to vote for Gary Johnson. You want to see some real change, vote to see a real threat emerge in the form of a viable third party.

 

[WC_lun]

I have already sent in my absentee ballot. I didn't vote for Johnson, because I honestly did not think he was the best canidate for the job. I do hope that he gets 5% of the vote so that the Libertarian party gets campaign funding. It might be what is needed to stop this current atmosphere in Washington DC. I certainly do not think a third party getting campaign funding would be harmful.

 

[Gemini]

Of course, every election has lesser known candidates. Usually, they're lesser known for a reason, but sometimes they offer a breath of fresh air. This year, one might wonder given the Republican candidate is the weakest I've seen since I have been old enough to vote and the democratic candidate has already proven extreme incompetence at the position. (Just personal opinion) Unfortunately this year the lesser known candidates don't include Harold Ford Jr. Maybe in 2016.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Look at the history of political parties in the USA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_parties_in_the_United_States

While the US has been a primarily two-party system since the 1850's, there have been plenty of third-party candidates that earned electoral college votes, the most recent being:

1972 John Hospers (Libertarian) – 1 electoral vote
1968 George Wallace (American Independent) – 46 electoral votes

The two-party system is not something I spent a lot of time thinking about when I was younger; after all, I considered myself a Republican, and a GOP versus DNC balance seemed like a good idea to me.

However, the past several election cycles - basically all of my late 30s to my early 50s - have been gridlocked, and as the GOP stopped representing my beliefs and became more radically right, I also became aware that there not only precious little compromise, there isn't any need for it in a two-party system. As both parties have learned to stop cooperating with each other on everything large and small that does not serve both their interests, the government has likewise and simultaneously stopped being representative of the people. Look at the approval, or should I say the disapproval ratings of the President, and then of Congress. The public despises both, and when they don't, it's purely split on party lines, not on personal beliefs. The GOP and the DNC are no longer about ideas, they are about being AGAINST each other.

When more than two parties are involved, things get complicated, but it can also have some really beneficial effects. For one thing, real compromise is not only possible, it becomes essentially mandatory. Groups form coalitions and the coalitions shift and change as beliefs, needs, and situations do. I don't think that's a bad thing.

So although I am NOT a Libertarian, despite the fact that some of my beliefs dovetail with Libertarian positions, I say bring 'em on. It's time for the traditional parties to die, or at least for them to be seriously challenged to the point where they not only have to compromise, they'll want to.

It is time for the two do-nothing-except-hate-each-other system the parties have goes bye-bye.

 

[WC_lun]

I will say that it is way past time that the congress people we send to Washington DC need to start doing the job they were elected to do and run government, instead of being pigs at the trough of special interest groups in order to be re-elected for a job they aren't doing.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

View attachment $561773_10150938961159364_1711069977_n.jpg

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I've been, quieter, this time around, but Johnson's got my vote. He won't win the election, but that's not the point. You take back your country 1 step at a time, and step 1 is getting past the nuisance lawsuits the GOP and DNC keep filing to deny people real choice. 5% takes a big step towards doing just that. He won't win, but if he can get just 5% (which IS! attainable), this is a win for The People. For no other reason but that, I'll vote for him. Obamney doesn't need my vote. Johnson does.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I'm with you on this, Bob. I hope that a lot of people step into the voting booth, take a deep breath, and pull the lever or write in Gary Johnson's name and consider it not a protest vote, not a 'send a message' vote, but a vote for movement towards actual, real, change.

 

[zDom]

I was already starting to think about Johnson since I am so sick of both the Dems and Repubs.

I voted for Perot and felt guilty about Clinton getting into office.

Screw guilt. I am going to vote my conscience even if it means Obama getting back in. Or Romney, for that matter.

At least I am saying with a vote for Johnson what I want to say: you plutocrats from the Big Two parties SUCK. You want my vote? Offer a candidate who doesn't suck.

 

[arnisador]

If Gary Johnson gets 5 percent of the overall vote, the Libertarian Party will have access to federal funds to campaign with next election cycle. That crosses the threshold and allows the Libertarian Party to participate in the elections as a 'real' (albeit small) party, taking their place next to the GOP and DNC.

If for no other reason, that would be a good reason to vote for Gary Johnson. You want to see some real change, vote to see a real threat emerge in the form of a viable third party.

Agreed! I'd like to see this happen, but re-electing Obama is just too important.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Obama doesn't need my help to get reelected. He's got the Dead vote.
Romney doesn't need my help either. He's got 'control' of the machines that are counting the votes.
Romney's anti-rights positions and Obama's anti-Constitution positions put them both in opposition of my own positions.
(Yes, hyperbole, sarcasm and exaggeration is condensed in the above comments.)

But BS aside, both Obama and Romney are threats to America. The continued stranglehold the DNC and GOP have on our system is a real threat.
Regardless of who wins, that threat will remain. To counter that threat we need a strong 3rd party.

Now if we could just shake up Congress who actually pass the laws the CIC rubber stamps......