If Anderson Cooper’s eyes were a city, they would be Madison. This city is about as full of liberals as it is drunk people. I think it’s important however that we maintain perspective by exposing ourselves to conservative viewpoints. To do this, I make sure to always read the work of my fellow Daily Cardinal opinion writer Steven Nemcek. Last week he wrote on why he believes Gary Johnson is the best choice for president. After reading this piece and doing some more research, I was rather impressed with Gov. Johnson. As a liberal, I do not agree with him on everything, but he does seem admirably devoted to social progress and quite capable of dealing with our economic situation. The man appears to be a very reasonable choice to lead our country. That is why I am asking everyone to not vote for Gary Johnson.
Allow me to explain. Without the support of a major political party, no one can come close to the presidency. Only one guy has ever been elected president on an independent ticket and that was Teddy Roosevelt as an incumbent. Gary Johnson as a relatively unknown independent will not win a single state. He’s about as likely to win the election as I am to do my homework for tomorrow. There are just too many people that will vote along strict party lines. All of us godless, tree-hugging, pot-smoking hippies on the left are going to vote for President Obama, no matter what. All of the heartless, greedy, ethnocentric gun-nuts on the right are going to vote for Gov. Romney, no matter what. We brainwashed radicals outnumber the sensible center, rendering futile any attempt for centrists to independently elect their own president.
This does not mean reasonable voters in the middle lack power. Independent voters decide elections. With the outer majority of votes already set, the winner of the election will be the person who can earn the trust of the skeptical middle. That’s why we can’t do anything on the internet without having to sit through a political ad. While ads are lost on those of us who made our decision long before the election started, some people actually consider their options and vote for candidates instead of parties. Those that carefully analyze each candidate and their policies before giving their vote are people we want to be deciding our elections. They are also more likely to vote for an independent candidate.
Voting third-party, however, takes the independent voter out of the equation. If the entire centrist population of the nation votes for a candidate that doesn’t have a prayer of winning the presidency, the election is decided between people with dreadlocks and people who think corporations are people. Without the threat of losing moderate voters, parties could run wild. Democrats could declare November National Contraception Month and commission $15 bills with Charles Darwin’s face on them. Republicans could deny the existence of global warming and prevent gays from marrying. I’m hyperbolizing of course... wait a second...
The fact that independent candidates do not receive the attention and funding they deserve is the unfortunate and ugly truth. In a perfect world, a man with good ideas and leadership experience could be elected president simply on his own merit. Although, in a perfect world dinosaurs would still be alive, hugs would be our currency and the third item of this list would not have been taken out by my editor. As it is, however, our votes are best cast for candidates that can win. We need the reasonable Johnson supporters to decide between Romney and Obama instead of leaving it up to us partisans. We’re not known for being reasonable.
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