No Wasted Votes in Nevada

by Liberty and Power

Got into yet another discussion with some classical liberals this weekend who are reluctant to vote LP because they see their votes as"wasted." I wish I'd seen this Boston Globe piece on the impact that Badnarik is having in Nevada. It looks like he may help Kerry steal the state because of widespread dissatisfaction with Bush's policies among conservatives and libertarians. Lest we forget the lessons of 2000, 3rd party votes aren't wasted votes, and could potentially send the Republicans a big unpleasant message.

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Pat Lynch - 9/30/2004

I must admit I'm with Mark on this. We have two choices - support Bush, which we know will get us zip, or vote LP and send a message. They may try to "take us down" or they may come around and appease us. Either way, it's a reaction, and one I'd prefer to blindly voting for a man who's more like LBJ than any we've had since.

M.D. Fulwiler - 9/29/2004

Well, if the LP is going to go down (and I don't think it is---rumours of its impending death have been greatly exagerrated), I'd be delighted if we took either Bush or Kerry down with it. Anyway, to those Democrats and/or Republicans who want a fight I say "bring it on"!

Kenneth R Gregg - 9/29/2004

It may be that the LP will have an effect on the outcome of the election in Nevada. Bush, his relatives and his sock-puppets have been coming and going through Nevada (I'm in Las Vegas) pretty regularly and it's pretty obvious that his handlers are concerned about getting a loss here. If the LP succeed in taking the NV electoral votes from Bush, the GOP will make an effort to take the LP down in whatever ways it can in the future.

A success here may make a failure in the long-run. I see the LP in one of the weakest positions that it has been since, well, the last presidential election. A good push by the GOP may well leave the LP in a deeper hole than it ever has been, and may not be able to climb out.

The long-term effects of a short-term success may be far and away greater than the temporary one.

Just a thought.
Ken Gregg
kgregglv@cox.net
http://classicalliberalism.blogspot.com/

Max Schwing - 9/29/2004

I agree, you shouldn't forget the last election and the role 3rd party-votes played, but you should also not underestemate the danger of playing on such lines.
The LP could also send a state flying to Bush, as it could give Kerry the opportunity to claim a state.

I'd have to do a lot more research on the swing states to come up with a better analysis, but I believe that the LP could do it both ways.