I cannot tell you how annoyed I am becoming with people who say things like, “You know, a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush.” It is infuriating, insulting, and annoying to hear that over and over again. The fact of the matter is that I wouldn’t vote for Gore, even if there wasn’t a Nader. So how is casting my vote for Nader taking a vote away from Gore?
I think this shows just how firmly people are wedded to the two-party system here in America. People have been told for so long that there are only two choices, Dem and Repub, that everyone now believes it. And worse, people actually try to DEFEND that position. Supporting a third party seems unDemocratic to a lot of people. To others, supporting a third party seems like something foolish that people should be talked out of. Conform! That is what people want third-party supporters to do. Conform!
But the US wasn’t built on conformity. Democracy thrives on non-conformity. The best thing for this nation, and for democracy, is to have more than two major parties. Give people real choices, with parties and candidates who hold truly different philosophies. Let the people choose what is the best. Don’t force-feed us two candidates who are really just two sides of the same coin. Some of us would like a different coin, or a different object all together. Give us that choice, realistically. That’s all that we want.