Go Free Yourself

Now you don’t have to choose just one candidate. I mean, seriously, what a hassle that has been. Simply vote the McCain/Clinton/Obama ticket this November and watch all your nightmares come true.

“This nightmare ticket presents the American people with an unprecedented lack of opportunity in 2008,” Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen wrote Tuesday. “For just one vote, citizens will get four years of McCain’s brilliant temper, the incredible inexperience of Barack Obama, and the powerful two-headed monster of Hillary and Bill Clinton.”

“It will be very exciting to see what they’re capable of destroying, ” Cohen added.

Read more here.

I remember once when I was younger, during Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign, my parents came home from voting and I asked who they voted for. My mom replied that voting was a very private matter and I wasn’t supposed to ask questions like that. I felt quite chastised until I realized a few years later that she only said that because she was embarrassed, as a Republican, about voting for He Clinton.

Today, most people (particularly young people) don’t have this same kind of allegiance to a party. However, allegiance to principles still exists; I was reminded of this today during a discussion about the presidential campaign.

You see, my husband, the devoted libertarian and Ron Paul supporter, has a bit of a man crush on Obama. While he doesn’t agree with a lot of his policies (Obama’s no libertarian, that’s for sure), he admires that Obama represents a new kind of politics. Between the Same Old Failed Republicans (McCain) and the Same Old Failed Democrats (Clinton), he represents—for lack of better word—that change everyone is so crazy about. He calls for working together across the aisle to solve America’s problems, he’s a good listener, and he’s a true leader. So, for these reasons (and more, summed up by Cass R. Sunstein’s Chicago Sun Times commentary), my hubby has given up the dream of a Ron Paul ticket and switched sides. His vote is for Obama.

We have several friends, however, who would not vote for Obama if they were paid to do so. They agree he’s a good man with the ability to move people. They might even agree that he is, more or less, the lesser of three evils. But on principle, they’ll vote their liberty-oriented conscience, writing in Ron Paul or maybe even themselves—anyone who is dedicated to limited government and freedom.

As for me, I haven’t decided yet. I dragged my feet supporting Ron Paul because I knew that as soon as I did, I’d be too invested in hoping he could actually win, could actually make a difference—when I knew the reality was he didn’t have a chance. Ron Paul is the only candidate I really believe in, but writing him in seems like a pointless exercise. (Although it would be interesting to see how much of his tremendous grassroots support would write him in.) Obama is undoubtedly the best option of the three, but voting for a big government guy (no matter how charming or pragmatic) still feels wrong.

So what do we do? As libertarians, do we vote our conscience, come hell or high water? Or do we “make our vote count” by ignoring policy differences and picking the candidate we think can win and do the least amount of damage?

I’d love to hear your thoughts…who are YOU voting for?