So you are disappointed with Barack Obama, but feel like you have to vote for him simply because he’s better than McCain? First of all, this reasoning is already flawed. The reason you don’t want to vote for Obama is precisely because you feel he is not better than McCain, or you wouldn’t be having this dilemma in the first place.
We all know where the “anyone but Bush” slogan got us in 2004, so there is no reason to think that such a manner of thinking will produce different results in 2008. So what can you do in a system that gives you the “freedom of choice”, but leaves you with only two? Choose the less visible but more appropriate choice three; vote for Ralph Nader.
For those of you who say “Nader will not win, so why vote for him?”, ask yourselves what voting is really about.
Is it about choosing the candidate with the best possibility of winning? Or is it about choosing the candidate which best represents you and your vision for this nation? The definition of “vote” is the “formal expression of preference for a candidate for office or for a proposed resolution of an issue”. Nowhere in this definition does it state that this preference is due to a candidate’s probability of winning.
The elections are not a popularity contest. He will not win simply because no one will vote for him, and not because people necessarily don’t agree with his policies.
To not vote for someone based only on what you’ve heard and not on what you know is really irresponsible.
Isn’t that throwing your vote away?
For environmentalists, Nader spearheaded the clean air and water act in the late 60’s and early 70’s.
For everyone else, Nader is responsible for making seat belts a common feature in today’s cars, as well as being responsible for nutrition labels that health conscious people probably couldn’t do without.
What have the two main candidates done for anyone during their time? If we want to talk about experience fighting for everyone, there’s only one candidate that has the track record to prove it.
Nader helps everyone, not just the middle or upper class.
Which class does not breathe or drink? Which class does not eat or drive?
Give this man a chance, buy his documentary “An Unreasonable Man”, or download it if you are so unwilling, anything to keep you from really throwing away your vote this year.
Unfortunately you won’t see him on television or on the debates, so a little extra effort has to be made to get acquainted with him and his policies.
This year lets actually vote and show the world that we know what we are doing, instead of simply showing the world that we know how to pick a “winner”.
Carlos Cueva-Alegria is a graduate Pacific-Asian studies student.
