Posted on 01/27/2008 1:24:59 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
That’s the sum of it. If you can’t bring yourself to vote for the offerings in your primary, or if the eventual nominee is somebody you can’t stomach, don’t sit out, and don’t vote for the Democrat. Write in Fred Thompson’s name.
Why?
By doing so, you send a message that can’t be mistaken or spun. It is a message that says:
“I am a Republican who wanted to vote for a conservative GOP candidate, but wasn’t able to do so. I can’t vote for a Democrat, but I can’t vote for any of the Republicans, either. So I’m writing in the name of the candidate I wish I could have voted for, because he is the kind of candidate I could support.”
They have to learn that if they want conservative votes, they have to nominate candidates conservatives would want to vote for.
This strategy is the only one that offers any hope of changing the leftward move of the GOP in the future. Sitting out won’t do it - they can spin the reasons why you sat out. Voting Democrat won’t do it, they can spin it that the GOP candidates weren’t liberal enough. Even voting “None of the Above” won’t do it, because that doesn’t specify what you want instead of none of the above.
I’m pretty sure that if this notion starts to get traction, Fred Thompson will publicly oppose it. Don’t worry, and don’t listen to him. This isn’t really about Fred Thompson. It’s about the future of the Republican party. Fred ran because he hoped to influence that, but he failed. Now it’s time for the rest of us to take a crack at it.
So remember: Just write in Fred Thompson’s name when it comes time to cast your vote. (There’s nothing stopping you from writing it in for other offices, either).
And ignore all the squalling that you have to vote GOP because it is marginally less evil than the Democrats. Given the rate of decay we’re seeing now, even that won’t be true (if it really is even now) in a couple more election cycles.
I see defeating the left wing of the Republican party as much more important than beating the dems at this point in time. If this is the leaders of the Republican party then the party does not deserve to sit in the White House.
In my view writing in Thompson would not necessarily lead to the GOP takeover of government. But it seems certain to me that if we tell the GOP that we will continue to vote for whomever they give us, that they will continue giving us increasingly less conservative candidates. Why should the GOP change its ways if we tell them through our votes that we approve of the direction they’re taking us?
This is no criticism of you, FRiend. We don’t have any good choices right now, so I understand the lesser-of-two-evils approach. I’m simply explaining why I believe refusing to go with the GOP flow is also a valid action.
Dumb idea. Good idea for the Clintons, tho
A RINO could be induced to veto some of the most egregious Democrat passed bills. A DimRat president would sign every piece of crap a Dem congress sends to him.
Apparently the republican party was too stupid to learn that lesson and has again fielded a group of unacceptable candidates. It' the republicans who are choosing to place a democrat in the White House by their fielding a list of bad candidates. It's not enough to say so and so is better than a democrat...can't the republicans field someone better than the lesser of 2 evils?!
And it’s a good idea for the amnesty-pushing, Harriet-Miers-pushing, big-government-spending, gun-grabbing, Constitution-shredding GOP establishment if we continue to give them a blank check and let them know that we’ll stay on the GOP plantation no matter what. And hey, that will be good for the ‘toons as well.
Enough is enough.
I didn’t take it personally...I just thought that we can’t depend on a refusal to participate having a good outcome - as it eventually did during the Clinton admin.
Problem is, we did have some real conservatives running and they couldn’t get themselves elected. It was hard to lose Fred but now I’m going for Romney because I don’t want McCain or Hillary or Obama.
I understand your point and that’s how I felt when Fred quit - that I’d quit also. But I’d hate myself if Hillary got elected....just like I hated myself for voting for Perot and then we got Bill. Never again for me. Maybe Mitt will choose Fred, and Fred will accept, for VP and these decisions will be easier to make.
Which led to a defeat for KERRY/GORE!
I didn’t say you were. See post #48, it’s too early is my point.
Why? Why dont you just stay home on election day? If your going to write in a name of a person that is not running for president, then you are not taking it serious. People that write in Fred (whom I supported and sent money to) or Savage, or Hunter or Mickey Mouse or anyone else that is not running for President is making a mockery of a right that many good men died for you to have.
Vote for a CANDIDATE, not for people you like but are not running for President!
I get so frustrated at people that "Perot" their votes to put Democrats into office. Your vote affects me, my family, and my Country. Please take it serious, its not a game.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it will only help al qaeda and Iran and destroy everyone’s life savings and futures if hillary or obama somehow wins. You can’t just fix that after 4 years
Any vote not for Romney is a vote for McCain.
And when there is only one candidate running, just different cloths?
No thanks, I voted for Thompson here in South Carolina. Now I’m backing Romney
Prove it.
Any vote not for diet Coke is a vote for diet Pepsi.
Like Bush would have vetoed the amnesty bill? ya, right
I intend to vote for Fred in the primary. Quite possibly in the general.
My vote will NOT be silenced!
Congratulations. There were alot of republicans in California who felt the same way and now we have Arnold and a state government thats never been bigger.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.