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Wotan

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Remember that our votes and the votes we directly influence will not have an actual effect in terms of votes. The numbers are far too small.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that while we have virtually zero political influence, we have a good amount of intellectual influence (and that's the sort of influence we should be working to expand). There are those who write articles for papers and those who work at news media outlets and famous and lesser-famous pundits who pay attention to what intellectual leaders say.

So when we, or somebody like the TOS or the ARI endorses a candidate, they are not pulling for votes in any direct or even indirect way. They are using a high-profile event to make a point. It's not important who they endorse therefore, but why they endorse them. Hence, questions like, "what about if so and so got elected?" or "a vote for so and so is throwing away your vote so why do it?" are pretty meaningless. But implied in an endorsement is an intellectual framework of some kind, and that is what you want to spread around. The election is but a carrier for the payload of philosophical points to be made.

(Note that Ayn Rand herself, in the Nixon/McGovern timeframe, probably was popular enough at that point in time to make a small electoral difference. Small, though--and even then it might have been wishful thinking).

So who we vote for doesn't matter. Who we say one should vote for--and why--does matter.

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I think that knowingly wasting your vote on someone who can not possibly win is irrational, even if it is for symbolic purposes, if you can expend some mental effort to see which of the viable candidates is better (or less bad) for your life. In this case, there is clearly a difference between Obama and Romney/Ryan that anyone can see if they put in a bit of thought without being too rationalistic.

The fact is that we live in a real world, whose features include the fact that we don't always get everything we want from a situation. But we still have to act to help produce an outcome that serves us best among the only real inevitable options before us.

So, for example, we would all love to work for a company that has all the right values as far as Objectivism goes. But suppose there is only one company that has a leader or philosophy that is quite Objectivist in every sense, and yet this company has no chance of growing very much or even surviving in its market (for any number of reasons) -- say, smart phone manufacturing (competing against Apple etc). Would you join them (even for symbolic purposes) when there are other companies that have a high chance of success, will pay you much better etc, except for a few things they believe in that you don't think are good compared to the "Objectivist" company (maybe they have a "green earth" policy in their manufacturing process or they donate millions to Obama!)?

[i think it also sounds a bit irresponsible to say "I know Romney is better than Obama and I know he will win in my red state, so I will vote for someone else or maybe I will just write 'Ayn Rand' in the box -- symbolically." You can't just be dependent on others creating an outcome you prefer if you can do something as well; that just seems dishonest to me. Sounds like a parasite.]

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  • 2 months later...
Still ... I've got $20 says they'll make a gain this year.

Anyone?

More than 524,000 popular votes for President?

523,713 to be precise. Easiest money you ever made!

(But I have inside information.);)

Sure, you're on.

As a follow-up, Gary Johnson got 1,191,420 votes (1%). So, WhYNOT got this right, and I lost.

Come 2016, I'm going to suggest a double-your money bet against an improved Libertarian performance :)

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Throw your vote away. Always!

Never be "practical" or "realistic." Never vote for evil or "the lesser of two evils." Never vote for tyranny.

Vote for freedom 100% of the time. Find the most economically capitalist, socially libertarian, and politically pro-freedom candidate you can -- and then loudly, proudly, defiantly, aggressively vote for him! Cast your vote in steel! And be sure to spit in the voting monitor's eye when you do so!

Your attitude and philosophy should be: no nonsense, no bullshit, no apology, no surrender, and no retreat. Take care that you don't regret your vote later on; take care that you don't have to rationalize, excuse, and explain it away.

Don't ever politically advance and morally sanction slavery. Don't you dare!

Always bear in mind that if you vote for the right-wing conservatives, or the left-wing progressives, then they will socio-economically prosper and politically strengthen. No-one will know or care that you secretly favor liberty. How could they? You're casting your vote for welfare statist totalitarianism!

However, if you self-assertively vote for individual rights and freedom, everyone will know. The conservatives and progressives will both take note -- and then adjust themselves in a capitalist, libertarian, and freedomist direction. This will happen both after the current election, and during the next campaign.

The powers-that-be will work for and actively court the liberty bloc. They'll tailor their positions and beliefs towards you. They'll noticeably alter and uplift their whole legislative behavior.

So don't be a traitor to yourself and to mankind. Don't be a communist or fascist monster from hell.

But if you do make the decision to perpetrate an act of political raw evil and vote for slavery -- in the pathetic belief that "It's just this one time" or "It's only because this election is so damn important," and you think your one pitiful impotent vote among millions will make a difference -- then recognize that as a result the freedom groups and parties will necessarily decline and the slavery folks will ascend.

And who's fault will that be? Your fault! You need to vote for freedom now and forever and always!

If not you, who? If not now, when?

If you decide to walk into a voting booth, try not to be a complete and total scumbag and retarded monkey from hell. Try not to be a complete and total destroyer of yourself and the world.

what is your answer to the two party system currently in place
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what is your answer to the two party system currently in place

It's not a two party system. That's why he can vote for a different party than Dem or Repub. If it was a two party system, the logical reaction would obviously be to boycott it because it's rigged and voting is pointless.

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  • 5 months later...

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