Mildly Pro Choice?

Catholic Way ^ | 3/13/05 | Keith A. Fournier

[oldbrowser]

"Your votes will either help or hinder the winning candidate."
My vote will help the candidate I vote for, and be an equal hindrance to every candidate I don't vote for.
Let's call it a missed opportunity vote. It is similar to not voting at all, your one non vote could have helped swing the victory to an unfavorable candidate.

"You personally will be partially responsible for the winning candidate."
Doesn't follow.
I just hope you can live with yourself.

[zook]

"Condoleeza Rice, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani will not survive the GOP primaries unless there are no substantial conservative candidates."

This is the problem--there are none. There are conservatives, but not substantial ones. And they need to be more than "substantial" -- also charismatic and persuasive. Bill Frist, Rick Santorum, or others of their type won't cut it.

[Wallace T.]

The only media idol we have is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he is ineligible to run for President due to his foreign birth. It is unlikely the Constitution will be changed to accommodate him. Giuliani is charismatic and persuasive, but he is too far to the left for the South and the Plains and Rocky Mountain states. McCain is too hot tempered and could have a Howard Dean moment or two. Rice is an unknown quantity, but she has never run for public office, not even a city council seat. I just don't see her as the American Margaret Thatcher.

The conservatives need to groom a solid successor. Maybe Jeb Bush is the answer.

[Know your rights]

it might be better if you just stayed home

I always vote if there's a true conservative running (whether "major party" or otherwise).

[Know your rights]

It [voting third party] is similar to not voting at all,

Not at all ... in the former case, my voice is heard.

your one non vote could have helped swing the victory to an unfavorable candidate.

The odds of my one vote deciding the outcome are about the same as my odds of being killed by a meteorite, and I give them comparable weight when choosing my actions.

I just hope you can live with yourself.

Quite well ... which is more than I could say if I voted for a pro-"choice" candidate.

[oldbrowser]

I always vote if there's a true conservative running

The democrats spend huge amounts of time and money trying to find "wedge" issues to split the Republican vote.

You are playing right into their hands.

[Know your rights]

other things such as winning margin are significant.

True, but I think my vote does more good by adding to a true pro-life candidate's total than it would by altering the margin separating a more pro-"choice" and a less pro-"choice" candidate.

[Know your rights]

The democrats spend huge amounts of time and money trying to find "wedge" issues to split the Republican vote.

You are playing right into their hands.

God has assigned me higher priorities than thwarting Demonrats' plans.