Have you ever regretted your vote for a US president?

[MrWonka]

Whatever can and has been said about Trump, he does not represent the status quo.

Right, he's even worse.

 

[antiquity]

Yes..i voted for Obama in 2008.

 

[maquiscat]

In 1980, I voted for John Anderson, I did not like Carter, and was unsure of Regan.
My regret is that it was a valueless vote.

That is false. The only valueless vote is the one you cast for someone other than who you believe would be best. If more people actually voted who they think would be best, instead of who the think might win of.the big two, we'd most likely see more third party votes in elections.

Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk

 

[Phys251]

This seems representative of most “yes” votes, someone more left leaning voting for someone more right leaning.

In other words, on the occasions when you guys cross the aisle, you generally realize you did the right thing.

 

[MrWonka]

This seems representative of most “yes” votes, someone more left-leaning voting for someone more right leaning.

Yes, you see most left-leaning people are younger and more open-minded. Less tribalistic. Willing to give the other side a shot out of curiosity until they get truly burned by it and learn their lesson. The blowback from Trump over the next decade will be astounding.

 

[X Factor]

Because the only way they change is to force them to. By remaining neutral you're not forcing either side to change.


So destroy the Republican party, and then the Libertarian party can take over as one of the two parties.


Right, you're damaging both sides equally. So why should we listen to you?


You just said that you're upset Trump won too.


It's still the lesser evil. You just don't think of it as such, because you're not given the illusion of a third choice.


You're the one who is hurting yourself here. I'm just trying to help you understand how leverage works.


What makes you not an adult is whining about imperfect choices. If you'd grow up and make a choice, you'd find that over time your choices would improve.

Just like going to work every day sucks on that day, but over time you save up and you can take a nice vacation or retire.

What’s also an illusion is the notion of “bipartisanship” as you have just illustrated. It is not possible to appease or really even deal with someone who wants your destruction.

 

[Ikari]

Because the only way they change is to force them to. By remaining neutral you're not forcing either side to change.

Dems and Repubs push in similar directions, towards bigger and more obstructive government. I do not like that. If I want to "force them", then I have to quit playing their game and support candidates outside of their system. Which means voting third party. And if enough people can aggregate on that side, then pressure can be exerted on the OneParty.

So destroy the Republican party, and then the Libertarian party can take over as one of the two parties.

Voting Democrat is not going to destroy the Republican party. The Republican and Democratic parties have both existed simultaneously for decades. Obviously if merely voting Democrat would destroy the Republican party, then the Republican party would already be no more. But it's not, it still exists, so voting Democrats isn't going to get me where I want to go anyway.

So instead you have a party that doesn't share my political ideology, that pushes the Republic in a direction I don't want to go, and through support of which will not even kill the other side of this OneParty beast. And yet you keep telling me I should vote for them. It's crazy talk.

Right, you're damaging both sides equally. So why should we listen to you?

You're already not listening to me. So why should I come over to your side in the vain hopes that all of a sudden you're going to listen to me then?

You just said that you're upset Trump won too.

Of course, he's a **** President, possibly the worst we've ever had. Voting Democrat wouldn't have changed that.

It's still the lesser evil. You just don't think of it as such, because you're not given the illusion of a third choice.

It's not a lesser of two evils if it pushes in the direction that I want to go and it aligns with my goals.

You're the one who is hurting yourself here. I'm just trying to help you understand how leverage works.

I'm not sure you quite get it yourself.

What makes you not an adult is whining about imperfect choices. If you'd grow up and make a choice, you'd find that over time your choices would improve.

Just like going to work every day sucks on that day, but over time you save up and you can take a nice vacation or retire.

No, what you're doing here is something completely different. It would be if I said "I don't like poison, I don't want to consume it, the results are bad" and your argument is "Well arsenic is worse, so you should eat cyanide because then you're not supporting arsenic".

You don't seem to understand and are unwilling to listen. Republican or Democrat, they both work against my political ideology. There's no reason for me to support either or play in their rigged games knowing I'm going to lose on some hopeless and ridiculous assumption that I'm at least going to hurt one side by doing so.

 

[X Factor]

Yes, you see most left-leaning people are younger and more open-minded. Less tribalistic. Willing to give the other side a shot out of curiosity until they get truly burned by it and learn their lesson. The blowback from Trump over the next decade will be astounding.

This from the ****er who advocates the full destruction of the party he doesn’t like. :lol:

 

[Renae]

Attaching poll. If your answer is yes, who and why?

McCain, I felt ashamed for voting for him, but learned from that and write in when I dislike the candidate now.

 

[X Factor]

In other words, on the occasions when you guys cross the aisle, you generally realize you did the right thing.

Would it be fair to say that no president could actually be too far to the left for you?

 

[LincolnRossiter]

Attaching poll. If your answer is yes, who and why?

Not that it matters much, but I now wished I'd just bitten the bullet and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. I wrote in John Kasich. I was registered in Washington State at the time, so it wasn't like there was much risk there. And I, like most people on all sides whether they admit it or not, didn't think Trump had much of a chance.

 

[X Factor]

Not that it matters much, but I now wished I'd just bitten the bullet and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. I wrote in John Kasich. I was registered in Washington State at the time, so it wasn't like there was much risk there. And I, like most people on all sides whether they admit it or not, didn't think Trump had much of a chance.

I’ll admit it. I didn’t think Trump had a chance, either.

 

[MrWonka]

This from the ****er who advocates the full destruction of the party he doesn’t like. :lol:

Yep, because I've seen first hand how destructive it is. That's why it should be eliminated entirely and replaced with a better one like the Libertarian Party. They're wrong a lot, but at least they're not evil.

 

[Phys251]

Would it be fair to say that no president could actually be too far to the left for you?

Hmm. What do you think?

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

I'm not sure. I didn't vote for Trump, but sometimes wish I had when I see what kind of people his opponents are. I value the GOP and don't like it when someone cheapens the party. I get REALLY annoyed at people that act like you're supposed to become a Democrat just because you see Trump's liabilities.

Jeezus H Christ on a crutch, that's some nonsense right there.
I would not expect YOU or ANYONE to just "become a Democrat" just because a conservative president has screwed the pooch.
If you're conservative, you're conservative, and goody for you. Conservatism is NOT a bad thing to this liberal, it's the counterpoint and the other bookend, it's the loyal opposition, it's the other rudder on the ship of state.

If you're a conservative, I expect you to be a good conservative, just as I should be a good liberal.
That's it...that's all, nothing else.

And even if you decided that conservatism is not your cuppa anymore, that does not automatically make you a liberal.
Liberalism is not just a political ideology, it is a mindset, just like conservatism.
You might indeed develop a liberal mindset and certain liberal values but the liberal political ideology may still be foreign to you.
And by the way, it is HARD to be a good liberal, there's just as many minefields on this side as there are on the conservative side.

 

[X Factor]

Yep, because I've seen first hand how destructive it is. That's why it should be eliminated entirely and replaced with a better one like the Libertarian Party. They're wrong a lot, but at least they're not evil.

You lie, as usual. You just don’t want ANY political opposition at all. I used to think certain political commentators were going overboard to say you cannot bargain or really try to understand leftists, you have to defeat them. You illustrate that they may have a point. You cannot bargain with someone who wants your destruction.

 

[Phys251]

And by the way, it is HARD to be a good liberal, there's just as many minefields on this side as there are on the conservative side.

More minefields, I'd say. For instance, in recent times both parties have had their share of bad politicians, but the Democratic base does a much more effective job of actively weeding out the bad. The other side stands by their man.

 

[X Factor]

Hmm. What do you think?

I’m sure there is a point that would be too far. The reason I ask, though, is that generally you’d support a lefty president advancing a lefty agenda, right?

 

[<alt>doxygen]

Not that it matters much, but I now wished I'd just bitten the bullet and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. I wrote in John Kasich. I was registered in Washington State at the time, so it wasn't like there was much risk there. And I, like most people on all sides whether they admit it or not, didn't think Trump had much of a chance.

I almost always went third party or write in when I've lived in a non-swing state. The last 2 states have been VA and FL, so it was hold the nose time.

 

[KevinKohler]

Trump is just the otherside of the Corporate-State coin. Just more of the same establishment nonsense except with no controls.

Trump will likely go down as the worst President we've ever had.

Which means I made a good choice. Seems to me, the only way to make 3rd party candidates viable, is to make members of the 2 parties unviable.

 

[Phys251]

I’m sure there is a point that would be too far. The reason I ask, though, is that generally you’d support a lefty president advancing a lefty agenda, right?

Wait a minute. That's not what you asked me earlier. You asked:

Would it be fair to say that no president could actually be too far to the left for you?

Based on what you have seen in my thousands of posts before this one, do you think that that is the case?

 

[LincolnRossiter]

I almost always went third party or write in when I've lived in a non-swing state. The last 2 states have been VA and FL, so it was hold the nose time.

Yeah I've lived in NOVA for a while, but while I was active duty I was able to maintain legal residence in my last stateside permanent duty station (Washington), and I did so for tax purposes. I live in the VA 10th and supported and donated to my local Congresswoman and some other state folks, but had to vote in WA. Since switching my registration I get lit up by pollsters and PACs, and who not. I guess that comes with living in a swing state.

 

[Helix]

So a business man looked out for his very own best business interests back in 2008? As for since, most former Presidents have benefitted from the expertise, may that be fundraising or writing books, or giving speeches. I fail to see the problem, at least not yet.

You can say "Ok, if you put it that way"...

Not yet is key. I'm just pointing out that there's probably a significant financial history there that has been pretty well shrouded, and Russian oligarchs aren't always scrupulous. I find financial crimes to be a whole lot more likely than a pee pee tape. Either way, something seems fishy.

 

[Bullseye]

I voted for Jimmy Carter - TWICE. What was I thinking? :lamo

 

[Ikari]

Which means I made a good choice. Seems to me, the only way to make 3rd party candidates viable, is to make members of the 2 parties unviable.

3rd party viability is rather tricky, I think. A lot of it, particularly on the national level, comes down to the rules for things like campaign contributions and participation in debates that limit the visibility of third party candidates. But in the end, they cannot become viable ntil people start voting for them, so if I don't vote third party I'm not helping them obtain a more visible state. Of course, everything has to be aggregated to appropriate levels, and it's a ways off for third parties. If we restored proper political competition, I think we'd see better participation by the third parties and overall a more healthy political environment. So it behooves us, as a Republic, to have an open and easily accessed political system wherein we can have true political competition and through which The People can better control the government.