For Americans, the next 24 hours will not only determine how our country will be led for the next four years but also, thousands of ballot questions will be determined and representatives of all types, across all levels of Government, will be decided. There’s a lot more to this than just the Presidency.
It is imperative that you actually vote and let your voice be heard. Too many have sacrificed to establish and maintain the right of the US citizen to participate in the selection of our leaders. It is a civic duty to participate and it’s the patriotic thing to do.
SSD does not endorse any candidates but does offer support of two positions; a strong defense and the Second Amendment.
We don’t care who you vote for, but ask only two things of you. Make sure you vote, and when you do, vote your conscience.
as I’ve become older and probably more cynical, I must admit that the advice to ‘be sure to vote’ rings hollow for me when I do not feel comfortable with available candidates or our political parties. in this vein, i feel that nonpartication is a completely legitimate (non) action.
I understand why we should vote, but any given vote is a choice, but none of the above is always legit IMHO.
I hope by tomorrow you would reconsider your position…
You can choose not to vote, that’s your right as an American. However, the reality of the situation is that the more people do that, the fewer the number of voters that are deciding how things go are. That’s concentrating more power in their hands to decide what’s best for you.
I understand not being totally behind either candidate; it’s been that way most of my life. the last time I voted for a President that I was totally behind was Reagan, in the first election I was eligible to vote in. I’ve never missed one since, because I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let somebody decide what direction we go and I don’t have a say in it.
“NONE OF THE ABOVE”, should be an option on the ballot. Talk about sending a message to the two party, one world view system.
Chris I used to feel exactly the same way you do – and actually did not vote for a couple elections
Until I saw Bill Clinton elected President; then I realized that not voting was essentially the same thing as a vote for Clinton; that’s when I woke up and realized my attitude was wrong and i have voted ever since
Our system isn’t perfect but as SSD pointed out MANY good people have died defending it and I feel we owe it to them to vote for the best candidate available and then hold them accountable
Ill tell you this much; if we were to lose the right to vote a whole lot of people would see firsthand why so many fought so hard to preserve it
Bingo!
Well said Larry, and Eric.
I for one voluntarily swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic – and I wasn’t even born in this country. I joined the US Army and became a naturalised citizen because I wanted to, because I believed in the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence, in the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights, in the Gettysburg Address – and in the sacrifice of all the men and women laid to rest in cemeteries in this country and overseas.
Throwing your toys out of the pram and refusing to vote because you don’t like the candidates from the 2 main parties is like refusing to eat because you don’t like what’s on the menu. Get off your ass and make yourself something different then.
There are 4 parties represented on the ballots in most states – you don’t like either of them? Write in somebody that you do like. Hell, write in Obi-Wan Kenobi or Mickey Mouse if that’s how you feel.
Just don’t sit at home whinging about it.
This is exactly what people should do. If you don’t like the candidates, find someone you do like. Write their name in. Every vote is counted, just because your candidate doesn’t win doesn’t mean your voice wont be heard. An avalanche starts with a single snowflake.
Hmm while this is idealist and nice it has no impact on anything at all. If you vote for someone obscure you are not taking a stand for that person, that vote is trash. While it may be “counted” it doesn’t count. We must be strategic when voting otherwise we are irrelevant. The two-party system has come down to force us to vote between two choices whether you like it or not. Vote for the lesser of two evils because NO ONE will ever see that you voted for some obscure third party or wrote in Mr. Fire Them All or anything like that. When you do that you don’t matter, you just wasted your own time.
If you really don’t want to vote for either Presidential Candidate; vote for a write in and vote for someone else.
At the end of the day; if more and more people do Not excersize their Right to vote, we may lose that right entirely.
thanks for the responses. i cannot and will not argue with the notion of ‘use it or lose it,’ in terms of voting as a society. and I want to acknowledge anyone who served to protect our democracy that it is a strongly deserved point of view.
on the other hand, i think i am thoughtful about candidates and elections. i have missed voting only once myself due to unexpected travel 12 years ago. Without being too particular, I’ve been apart of a few campaigns in my day and actually left my job a few years back to work full time in a Campaign I believed in. Still haven’t professionally or emotionally recovered from that one, I guess.
the advice on write-ins is thoughtful, so thank you. good luck to America today.
Cheers Chris – by the way, my comments weren’t directed at you personally, per say. They were my general feelings sparked by your comments.
I also once worked on a campaign many years ago – and I don’t think I will again… 😉
Understood and I didnt take it that way. I also think my initial post was a little off because I am really meant to be talking about the US Presidential this year, not about the act of voting. Of course, the same logic from other posters is still completely relevant.
“I am really meant” oh boy. Time to wakeup my two year old.
To side with Chris, I concur… it’s two sides of the same coin, and I want a “New Coin”.
That being said, I have voted in every election since I was 18 years old, it’s like going to church for me. I have faith that one day, things WILL improve, and we WILL get a STATESMAN…not a POLITICIAN.
Until then? Hold my nose, and vote for the idjut that does the LESS damage!
I will also say this – many people voted for Ronald Reagan just because they were sick of Jimmy Carter; who knew he would turn out to be , in my opinion, the best President we have had in my lifetime
Lets give Romney a chance ( assuming he wins of course ) – the Mass State Troopers I have talked to about him say he is a great guy who always treated his security detail fantastic
With all do respect LV, the mans record speaks volumes. Three letters; AWB.
With due respect to the LAV machine, I recently met a Carabinieri officer who was in charge of Berlusconi’s security detail and he said that Berlusconi was always really good to the troopers on security for him too. I hear Putin really looks after his boys too.
Just sayin…
😉
I am an Airborne Infantryman and veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and I beg all of you to research, at the very least, the issues mentioned here. Please do not make the mistake of assuming that simply because one’s party affiliation, they truly support that party’s stance on key issues. I assume that the current president’s record in Afghanistan and Pakistan speaks for itself, and every Republican would begrudgingly agree. However, the challenger’s true stance on 2nd Amendment rights can be seen from his record. He did not become a member of NRA until the year before he announced his bid for presidency in 2007. In fact, he said explicitly, “I DON’T LINE UP WITH THE NRA.” He supported the Brady Bill, and passed an assault weapons ban in Massachusetts, saying, “THESE GUNS ARE NOT MADE FOR RECREATION OR SELF-DEFENSE. THEY ARE INSTRUMENTS OF DESTRUCTION WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF HUNTING DOWN AND KILLING PEOPLE.” I beg all of you as a veteran and firm supporter of 2nd Amendment rights, DO NOT believe what you have been told in the last few years. Info: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78767.html
Trent,
I understand Romney implemented an assault weapons ban in Massachusetts.
However, Obama said he would like to re-introduce an assault weapons ban…
Either way you cut it,
BOTH candidates are NOT to be trusted when it comes to our 2nd Amendment. Maybe one less than the other, but you be the judge.
I asked one of my NCO’s Iraq:
“Why is it that when you vote, you always end up voting for the Lesser of 2 Evils?”
And my sergeant replied: “nobody who’s really a Good person wants that much power.”
To this day, he and I are close friends and link up every Veterans Day. We are both members of different parties, but if it’s one thing we agree on, it’s that neither candidate is truly to be trusted.
Votes wisely my friend
BR1-
I’m not for a second suggesting that the President will more significantly support 2nd rights. He has made it very clear that he wants to “ban weapons used in Iraq and Afghanistan.” But he has been very clear on his position, unlike Romney, from the beginning. My point was that many in my profession tie their votes to 2nd Amendment rights more than almost any other issue. When it comes to trust, repeated lies should bother voters on both sides of the aisle.
On a completely separate note, the assertion that anyone who wants to be president is not a good person by virtue of desire to lead is difficult to understand. At what position do leaders become “bad” because of the positions they hold? At the Sergeant Major level? Battalion Commander? Chief of Staff of the Army? SECDEF? Desire, willingness, and ability to lead and accept a responsibility are rare, enviable qualities, and precisely what make leaders so special. Were George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, FDR, Eisenhower, or JFK bad people?
(And you vote for the “Lesser of two evils” during a presidential election because no one agrees with anyone else on every single issue. It’s not supernatural, or some broad, sweeping statement about politics and humanity as a whole.)
I never really understood why my dad drove around listening to that boring radio station the two old farts going back and forth about this and that until now. I never thought that it was that important until I stopped caring about myself in my own little world but one day I listened to what those two old farts were talking about. A whole new world opened up to me I served over sea I’ve seen elections in different countries and how others wish they had what it was we had. I never thought I would be like my old man till now Im seeing more of what’s going on in this world I have a child and a wife a house a good job. Those are things I need to protect as we’ll as my rights constitutionally.
I actually talked with a guy at work that has not voted since before the Viet Nam war after talking with him he decided that this is one election that he does need to vote in. I have another guy I work with that we’ve talked several times…. ( he comes to me To talk) he won’t vote for one of the guys because he’s Mormon. I just tell him theres more to it that that.
When you don’t want to do something any excuse will do.
There’s a lesson there…
Just vote. Even if you don’t like the candidates for president, vote for everything else and write-in the “President” slot someone you do like, even if it’s yourself. There’s tons of local issues on each state and county and city ballot that DO matter DIRECTLY to you! Read up, do you research, understand the positions of the candidates and the other ballot items, and do it!
I don’t vote in local elections for one simple reason – I’m an American but live in England and have done for 10 years. I vote in the Presidential election but that’s it, because I don’t think it’s appropriate to vote in a state that I legally am resident in (Oregon) but haven’t lived in for nearly 10 years.
But if you live in the US and are resident, you don’t have a good excuse – vote.
And I didn’t even plug my preferred President for the next 4 years once 🙂
I typically am not a fan of political discussion but I must say this is probably the most interesting with opinions I value much more than I have seen recently.
With that I don’t have anything to add for the good of the group.
Nice post Matt.
Apologies to Eric and SSD for potentially igniting passions here, but kudos and thank you to all who chimed in.
And thanks again to all those who defend our democracy, past and present. You are the glue holding this nation together.