Well, in the primary I voted for Ron Paul (even though, according to you, I was still wasting my vote since he had no chance of winning the state). My reasons were that I thought he was the best suited to the presidency, I couldn't in good conscience vote for McCain, and my hope that a strong showing for Paul would encourage the nominee to pick a more conservative running mate.
The effect I'm trying to achieve by voting third party in the general election is the same as the Nader voters in 2000. I do not believe the Republican nominee to be a true conservative, and I am prepared to live with the short term consequences of an Obama presidency for the sake of the long term goal of restoring the Republican Party to true conservatism. I am neither voting against McCain nor voting for Obama. I am voting for conservatism, both in the nominee I select on my ballot and the larger picture of the potential consequences.
As any worthwhile parent can tell you, when you allow bad behavior to continue without consequence you only encourage more bad behavior. The further you let it go, the more difficult and more painful the correction.
A vote according to one's conscience is NEVER a wasted vote.
“I couldn’t in good conscience vote for McCain, and my hope that a strong showing for Paul would encourage the nominee to pick a more conservative running mate.”
While I’m not trying to put words in your mouth, would it be fair to say that you chose to vote for Paul in order to send a message to McCain as to the characteristics you considered appropriate for a VP?
“The effect I’m trying to achieve by voting third party in the general election is the same as the Nader voters in 2000.”
It would it be fair to say then that your purpose in voting is to do all you can to defeat McCain (the GOP)? If you really wanted to send a message in the strongest possible terms, why not just vote for Obama?
“I do not believe the Republican nominee to be a true conservative, and I am prepared to live with the short term consequences of an Obama presidency for the sake of the long term goal of restoring the Republican Party to true conservatism.”
What purpose would it serve to ‘restore the GOP’, if the net result is to ensure continued GOP defeats? It would seem that your real opponent is not the GOP but the fact that most of the electorate would not vote for the type of candidate your propose for the GOP nominee.
“As any worthwhile parent can tell you, when you allow bad behavior to continue without consequence you only encourage more bad behavior.”
So, who manifests the ‘bad behavior’, the GOP or the electorate? Are you saying then that you’d like to teach the electorate a lesson through an Obama presidency?
BTW, please don’t construe my questions as attacks but as an honest attempt to understand your positions.