MN Senate election debacle

Moot · Jul 3, 2009

LDB said:
Look at the bigger picture. In this situation at this time that was a very ill advised and wasted vote because it most assuredly swung the election from undesirable to untenable.

Leo, there is an even bigger picture to look at. Dean Barkley got 15% of the vote. How many Minnesotans, both Democrat and Republican bought into the wasted vote theory and voted for a nutjob or a slug? Had the people voted for the candidate they truly believed would best represent them in Washington, Barkley may have won. He was a former U.S. Senator, albeit only for a few months. I don't know the breakdown of his 15%, but my guess would be close to 50/50.

I do understand where you are coming from, I just disagree. I will cling to my silly idealist notion that the best way to a strong third party is to support that party by voting.

In 1980 a vote for John Anderson was a vote for John Anderson. Of course the Democrats claimed a vote for Anderson was a vote for Reagan. Not that it mattered. The peanut farmer and Walter Mondale were not going to get a second chance. By the way Norm Coleman barely defeated Walter Mondale in the 2002 senate race.

cheri1122 · Jul 3, 2009

IMO, the only wasted vote is the one unused.
And Leo's argument is a self fulfilling prophecy: as long as people think that a third party can't win, third parties have little to no chance of winning.
If we want things to change, we have to change how we do things - duh!
The chasm between diehard Republican vs Democrat is only deepening, seems like, and it's time to bridge the divide with a third party - one who can draw from the best on both sides.