"A vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil". Michael
Badnarik - Libertarian for President
"Vote for the lesser of two evils and the Greater Evil will still triumph." – Miss E, concerned citizen
So, we're two presidential elections down with this Little Evil vs. Big Evil mentality and the Evil Empire has won it both times. What does this teach us?
Well, hopefully a few things.
Why did Big Daddy Evil and Haliburton Co. win? "Moral Values" seems to be the hot button issue. Not terrorism, not Iraq, not the economy. Good old fashioned morality. People don't just vote for Bush because he makes them feel safer; they vote for him because he makes them feel morally superior. There is no question of Big 'E' or little 'e' evil in the Right. They think Bush is Big 'G' Good and Big 'G' God-sent.
WE MUST NOT CONTINUE VOTING FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS! These past two elections have shown that voting for someone who is 'acceptable' over someone who is 'intolerable' does not work. Some of us (myself included) will not bend from our moral ground and some of us who are unconvinced that either is the right choice may be swayed by the other side’s heart-felt rhetoric.
Let’s put it in terms of cookies:
Person A: This cookie is ok. I mean, it's a little crumbly and a little blackened, but it's a good cookie. Well, I mean, it's a decent cookie. I've had better, but there aren't any better cookies in the kitchen right now. I don't really like this cookie, but that other cookie is terrible for you! Very fattening and possibly poisonous! You should have this cookie because that other one is bad for you!
Person B: This is the best cookie you'll ever have! It's tasty, it's rich and flavorful, and best of all it's fortified with all essential vitamins and minerals! It's even lo-fat and lo-carb! I did drop it on the floor but that was an accident and I picked it right back up! This cookie is amazing! I love it! This is the greatest cookie I have ever had in my WHOLE LIFE! Jesus made it!
What cookie are you going to eat?
For the past 5 years now, I've had to deal with people giving me shit for being a Nader supporter. Inevitably, people tell me that it is very noble that I am voting not for the person I think will win but for the person I believe will do the best job. But such nobility is foolish in these contentious elections because Nader has no hope of winning.
Well, kids, neither does Kerry.
You can't put your faith in 'the lesser of two Evils.' You can only put your faith in Good. (Unless you’re Darth Vader or someone and you flip for the Dark Side.) So let’s take a step back from our "OH MY GOD THE BIGOTS TOOK OVER AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE" hysteria and try to figure out what went wrong.
I strongly feel that the 'lesser of two evils' phenomena played a big role in why Kerry and Gore lost to Prez W, the talking chimpanzee. If you want to blame Nader for either of these defeats, go ahead. But why did people vote for Nader (or any other 3rd party candidate) in the first place? After 'losing' the presidency for Gore in 2000 and thusly destroying peace, freedom, and the Yankees ability to win the Series, people still came out and gave Nader around 1% in each state where he was on the ballot and several where he was not. Why would these people do such a thing? Don’t they know the fate of the free world is at stake?
As a Nader voter, I can say, yes we did. And it's why we voted for him again.
I'm not saying you must all vote for Nader for he is the man for the gig. What I am saying is simply the "voting for the lesser of two evils" bullshit has go to stop. Whether the next Kennedy, Franklin, King, or Christ comes from the Democrats, the Republicans, the Greens, or the Moon doesn't matter. What matters is that we believe he or she is good. And that he or she really is good. (Not that there is any empirical test for this, but I think you can see what I am getting at here.) We cannot hope to unite the country behind a leader who is questioned by his own base just like we cannot hope to unite the country behind the Great Divider.
In the next four years, we must work on finding common ground with other liberals, with moderates, and with conservatives. (A note of warning – this is going to take a lot of temperance and patience on our side. Do your best.) We must work to continue to keep the actions of all parties and their members in the spotlight and to hold them accountable for them. Not in the election year – in the now. We must work to find a candidate who is Good, who can stand up to the Evil not as a little evil but as the shining beacon of hope that Bush is for his conservative base. And we must work to regain liberty where it has been lost, which is the only way to truly ensure permanent freedom.
This will not be easy and it will be a long road to walk. But freedom is never easy. If you want it, you must work for it.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Ben Franklin
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