Please stop with the "You are throwing away your vote" meme

[Yael]

You people don't know who you are talking to when you are saying this.

I for one, don't get to vote until April when it is very likely the nominee has been coronated.

I am going to vote for John Edwards' message on our primary day.

That is not a "thrown away" or "lack of strategic" vote when you are in a horrifically late state as I am in.

It means that one day in 4 years, I am allowed a voice -- and on that day, my voice will be heard.

Just as the early state people have the benefit of having a full slate of candidates to choose from and the onus of applying strategy to their votes, in the same token, they choose our candidate for us.

Allow the late state people (who don't get this priviledge) to at least vote their heart without jumping down our throats or calling us Hitler for it.

That is all.

[panader0]

1. If you are going to vote for someone who is not a candidate

Why not choose Jesus or Daffy Duck. Just sayin'.......

[Deja Q]

2. Because Cap'n Picard makes a much better choice than Daffy, that's why.

:P

[NoPasaran]

54. Polls show McCain beating Picard by six points

If we don't nominate Kirk, say hello to another republikan pretzeldent.

[Critters2]

3. What message would that send to the frontrunners

when they're already acting like 'em?

[Barack_America]

4. Yael, I'm not going to tell you what to do...

...but I do want to point out that PA may end up being a VERY important primary.

[ErnestoG]

5. No vote is a throw away. But whether one thinks it's for a winning candidate or not...

is up to them.

[Samantha]

6. You are exactly correct

You can do with your vote exactly as you choose. Or you can choose not to vote. A deliberate choice not to vote is to abstain, often regarded as a protest vote, by those who actually took civics classes.

What is so irritating are those people who say if you do not vote you should leave this website. This website is for progressives, and there is no requirement to cast a vote to participate.

Also irritating is that meme about not voting is the equivalent of casting a vote for the Republican candidate. Many Republicans will not vote in 2008 because they object to the candidate their party has presented them with -- and so they protest it. It is only when the base of a party starts to object or protest against the slate their party is running does the Elite or Establishment begin to admit they cannot win without the base.

It is important to try to convince people to agree with your view, but if it's done in a way that is offensive, chances are they will not join your political circle.

So I think if you deliberate what you want to do with your vote and act accordingly, that preserves your ability to think independently and make the right choice.

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. It's called "Argumentum in Boogyeman"

That is the logicall fallacy which holds that if you do not agree with what I tell you to believe, something very evil will crawl out from under your bed and eat you while you are asleep. It is a very common tactic around here.

[Yuugal]

8. Can I still write in Miles O'Toole? nt

[troubleinwinter]

9. I'll vote Edwards Tues. I will vote for the candidate I support, and not for any I don't.

[DainBramaged]

10. And what will you do in November, vote your heart and throw away your vote anyway?

Your intentions and desire for ideological purity are noble, but what about the future? Can any of you answer me that?

[Yael]

12. Do you grasp the concept of a primary?

Do you grasp the concept of a primary in a late state where our results are fodder for the 11:00 news as opposed to LIVE!!! coverage from every M$M outlet there is?

Do you maybe, perhaps, see that it just may be possible that in a late state primary we vote a little differently than in the General?

I really didn't think it was this complicated, but if you are confused as to the difference between primaries and the General, let me know and I will be glad to shed some light on the topic.

[DainBramaged]

29. What was the question I asked, or can you not read?

[Yael]

33. Then start a thread about it. This has nothing to do with the General

[DainBramaged]

35. Not worth the effort, too much hate here

I'll just block your threads, they are becoming tedious anyway.

[Yael]

40. And I for one can't wait for Elad to turn my ignore list back on

I forgot all about you, but yep -- you are there!

[DainBramaged]

50. And you on mine cya

Stupid people shouldn't be allowed to vote, but it looks like Du has become the haven for stupidity.

[Der Blaue Engel]

13. Yes, I can answer that (for me anyway)

I am voting for Edwards in the primary, because it makes no difference to me which of the two corporate candidates wins the nomination, but I will vote for the Democratic nominee in the General Election, because any Dem is better than the alternative.

[tavalon]

17. One is not equal to the other

I personally will hold my nose and vote for HRC, our anointed, for the general election, for the primary, I will vote my heart.

[DainBramaged]

30. I understand that, but is reading comprehension lacking here

How much simpler can I ask the same question over and over.

[tavalon]

51. Well, when you start getting the answers you expect,

then I guess you will have asked it simply enough.

[kelligesq]

23. My vote for John Edwards will not be wasted and neither will Yaels - You

You never heard of writing in your candidate if not listed in the general election or drafting the candidate - Iguess not.

My vote for John Edwards will not be wasted and neither will Yaels

I'm going to continue to vote for John Edwards on Feb 5

John Edwards has framed the issues all along - Single Payer healthcare, not

Universal, lobbyists out of the elections, America taking care of and giving a

chance for affordable college, taking care of our Vets, bringing home our

people from Iraq within a year without permanent bases in Iraq, restoring

America and every issue until Obama and Clinton "borrowed" his populist stance.

But "borrowing" words is not a commitment to carry them out whichever

one gets the nomination for the general election.


That is why continue to vote for John Edwards on Feb 5

The more delegates he collects even though he has "suspended" his campaign (I

suspect because of the MSM essentially boycotting coverage of him and the

failure of the feds to match funds until March) the more power John will have to

extract a written committment from either or both candidates to adhere to John's

and our populist issues on their dem platform


You have been led around by the nose by the corporate media

[DainBramaged]

31. That is not the question I asked, but thank you for the speech anyway

How about I use signing next time?:wtf:

Oh, and NOBODY leads me around anywhere, trust me. But I see sheeple all over the thread.

[depakid]

34. I'll bite

I don't intend to enable cowards who won't stand up to Bush and the far right- nor will I vote for or support ANY candidate who repeatedly betrays traditional Democratic values.

You know the type- the kind that's turned the Democrats into milquetoast Rockefeller Republicans.

If you know another way to hold these types accountable- I'm all ears....

[DainBramaged]

37. With the way people treat each other here (and our candidates)

traditional Democratic values got thrown in the shitter months ago.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DainBramaged]

49. How 'bout a big red x for you

You aren't worth a reply

[quickesst]

11. My opinion..

If one votes for a candidate that has even a 1% chance of getting the nomination, three cheers for you, your loyalty, and convictions. If you cast your vote for a candidate that has 0% of attaining the nomination, you are accomplishing nothing but satisfying your personal ideals, but at the expense of every other voting Democrat in the country. It may not seem like much, but like everything else, it eventually adds up to a lot. Thanks.
quickesst

[Der Blaue Engel]

14. How is it at the expense of anyone?

Why do I owe you or anyone else my vote?

[quickesst]

25. That's my opinion....

and you're free to disagree. If you don't care whether we end up with a Democrat as president, or another Republican, it's your choice. I care, and if my candidate loses, I will vote for the Democratic nominee, if for no other reason than to cancel out a repug vote. Doing that helps. Doing nothing hurts. Can't see it? Your row to hoe. Mine's firmly planted. Thanks.
quickesst

[Der Blaue Engel]

26. You're not reading all of the responses on this thread

I and others have repeatedly said:

I WILL VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION.

I believe both Obama and Clinton are more than capable of winning against a Republican, and I have no distinct preference as to which it is, therefore I am making a vote of conscience in the California primary to let them know whose message resonated with the people.

So what is your argument with me, exactly?

:shrug:

[Yael]

41. But how and to whose expense?

You levied the accusation -- you should have the decency to explain it.

[Yael]

15. And what if I don't care which of the other two gets it?

Seriously -- I have no dog in this hunt at all. You all just let me know when the choice is made and I will be happy with that.

Who is that hurting?

[mac56]

16. my thoughts exactly

I said very much the same thing to a friend today. Of course I'll vote for the Dem in November: I'd be a fool not to. So let them have their little tea party. Tell me who they nominate, and I'll vote for him or her. But that's pretty much all they're going to get from me this time around.

[tavalon]

18. They will "nominate" the one they picked from the start. We were foolish to think it a contest.

And I do believe she will be the one in the White House, not McCain. And it will be acceptable, not great, but acceptable. The only question I still have is who her running mate will be.

[UpInArms]

19. you and me and hopefully, millions of others

:grouphug:

and to those that flame you or this thread - I am grateful - because I have found the "ignore" feature and I shall never have to listen to those that would silence us - I (and others) can silence them instead

:hi:

[Yael]

46. And I for one can't WAIT for them to flip the switch back on

:hug:

[Tresalisa]

20. Hear! Hear!

:kick: I just sent in my absentee ballot for Dennis Kucinich today. Everyone has the right to vote their conscience! :applause:

[newmajority]

21. I would never tell anybody how to vote

But I do ask you to consider the following question:

What if John Edwards decided to "suspend" his campaign, because he realized he not only had no realistic chance at the nomination himself, and decided to step down so that another candidate could beat the status quo's presumed nominee?

Obviously Edwards can't come out and say "Vote for Obama and stop Hillary NOW", nor am I putting those words in his mouth. But after considering what his message was about, I would think he would want his supporters to consider their votes carefully and apply them however they would best bring about the needed changes in this country.

I do know that 4 or 8 more years of the same is not going to help anyone, and that's what we would get from Hillary.

By all means, vote however your heart tells you to, but consider the impact. Which may vary depending on what state you live in.

[zalinda]

39. YOU STILL DON'T GET IT

We don't give a flying fig who ends up as the nominee. They are BOTH the same. Edwards was our choice, and the choice we make in the primary. Now, go beg for votes somewhere else.

zalinda

[Yael]

42. Sadly, they don't

Myopic, isn't it?

We are happy to let them choose. Happy to accept their choice -- but that isn't good enough? We can't stand for ours?

Whatever.

[cascadiance]

22. I voted for Howard Dean after he dropped out... I'll vote for Edwards this time!

Frankly, I really don't care which corporatist gets elected. They don't represent me any more.

[Yael]

47. Well stated. Thank you

:hug:

[TexasObserver]

24. Agreed. It's your vote. Vote it however you wish.

It's a simple concept. Your vote is yours to use however you wish. I'm disappointed John is out of it, and I'll choose someone, but that's my choice and I've been here many times before after my first choice has left the field.

Every voter has a right to use his or her vote to express their heart, and they should. No one has a right to bully you over your vote, and someone telling you it is wasted is doing that. It's only wasted if you stay home. Anyone who wants to see their vote in the column for Edwards should vote it there. It's your vote and no one else's.

[The River]

27. I'd Rather My Vote

get "wasted" on a symbolic cause that I truly believe in
than cast it for a "lesser evil" just because it's expected
or some other "evil" might win.

Oh 8' is going to be a train wreck.

[nancyharris]

28. It is true that your vote for Edwards is not a waste.

Voting is never a "waste". However, It is also true that your vote will not count (toward awarding any delegates). You are not sending a message to anyone but yourself. No one, least of all Edwards, will care if you vote for him or not. He has withdrawn from the race.

[kelligesq]

32. Actually it appears that voting for Edwards on Feb 5 has recvd approval from his campaign -

His blog front page (for members only) is featuring the

"Vote for John E on Feb 5 - give him the power"

which was borrowed from someone who posted it here on DU.

[Yael]

43. Yes -- I heard that. He specifically asked that all results be filtered

to remove any head counts for him, Biden, Kooch, etc before they are brought to him -- because all he has ever cared about is how Hillary stacks up to Barack.

:crazy:

[Lilith Velkor]

36. I wouldn't worry about it

The only ones who get bent out of shape about that are those who are too stupid to tell the difference between the primary and the general.

[Yael]

44. I honestly didn't expect that, but

with the level of maturity I have seen here the last few days, I should have expected it, I guess.

[southern_dem]

38. agree

I've decided to go a different route, but your vote is your vote. You vote for whoever you think is the best choice. Don't let anyone tell you it's wasted, dumb, etc.

[Yael]

45. Thank you and best wishes to your candidate!

[liberalla]

52. I'm voting for Edwards on Tuesday.

There's no one else I want to vote for in the primary.

Jeez, I can't believe some of the posts on this thread!

[cgrindley]

53. No. You really are planning on throwing your vote away

your voice won't be heard. You'll be voting for someone who isn't running. At least vote for one of the people who is still running.

[radfringe]

55. my 2-cents

the only way you would throw your vote away is by NOT voting.

Voting is an expression of your views. people who do not vote are essentially slapping duct tape on their mouths.

so your candidate doesn't have a snowball chance in hell of winning - if you like him/her - then - damn it - show it with your vote or write-in the name

do you think the record numbers of people voting in the primaries has gone unnoticed by the party leaders? by the candidates?

[RestoreGore]

56. If the Democratic "picks" are so strong, no one should be upset about your choice

And it is your choice.