Towards the end of June of this year, I wrote a blog post about the various trends & drama surrounding the primaries & caucuses for the Democrats & Republicans.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/06/thoughts-on-political-campaigns-major.html
Now, I finally have the time to blog about some of the lesser-known political parties (also known as "third parties).
And this might be The Year where the so-called "third parties" get more votes in the presidential elections.
Many are uncomfortable choosing between the major party candidates this year.
Many long-time Republicans are uncomfortable with their latest nominee Donald Trump, who doesn't live by traditional conservative values, who is very impulsive in his comments, and promotes hatred towards Latino & Muslim immigrants.
Many left-wing progressives are uncomfortable with the Democrat's latest nominee Hillary Clinton, who has flip-flopped on many issues (ie. criminal justice, international trade, same-sex marriage, fossil fuels) at very suspicious timing, promotes a militaristic foreign policy, has connection with corporate donors, and was less-than-forthcoming when it came to Benghazi & her email situation.
For too long, the US American people have been pressure to only look at the Republican & Democrat nominees while ignoring the existence of the other presidential candidates.
But this year, many are taking a serious look at the other presidential candidates.
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For the Libertarian Party, we have Gary Johnson. He was also their nominee back in 2012, and at the time, I felt that his selection was a sign that the libertarian movement was gaining maturity.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/11/libertarian-movement-gaining-maturity.html
Gary Johnson was the former governor of New Mexico, and therefore had government executive experience, as well as the wisdom to pick his battles wisely. He stands his ground without needlessly alienating people who don't agree with him all the time.
This time, his running mate is William Weld, who was once the Republican governor of Massachusetts. In other words, another person with executive experience and having to pick his battles wisely, especially being that Massachusetts has long been a mostly Democrat state.
Many long-time Republicans alienated by Donald Trump's mannerisms and bigotry are now seriously considering voting for Gary Johnson.
Also, Utah, which was a long-time pro-Republican territory, due to the party's former association with religious conservatism, might be the one place where Gary Johnson could gain some serious leverage!
Many moderate Republicans repulsed by Donald Trump tend to be pro-immigration as well as now leaning towards a less punitive criminal justice system (especially when it comes to illegal drugs and other non-violent offenses). This is where Gary Johnson strongly aligns with their views. Johnson is in favor with a lenient gun policy long advocated by Republicans.
However, Gary Johnson might alienate a few long-time Republicans with his pro-choice and his pro-LGBT stance. He also wants a less militaristic foreign policy. However, at this point, many long-time moderate Republicans are so sickened by Donald Trump that they are willing to over-look their disagreements with Gary Johnson.
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The Green Party is also recycling their nominee from 2012 - Jill Stein!
She's getting bigger attention this year, due to the alienation many Bernie Sanders supporters feel with the Democrat Party power structure favoring Hillary Clinton (especially with the hacked emails showing official party chair Debbie Wasserman-Schulz blatantly favoring Hillary Clinton).
Bernie Sanders was a long-time self-described "democratic socialist" was long on the fringes of the political mainstream. However, he ignited passions among millennial voters who felt their concerns about college debt, minimum wage, and the militaristic foreign policy have long been ignored by mainstream politicians.
While many of this supporters are falling in line to support Hillary Clinton (mostly to prevent Donald Trump from being elected), others are in no mood to forgive her for what they perceived to be a condescending attitudes towards them and their concerns.
This is where Jill Stein comes to their rescue. Most of her views align with Bernie Sanders! She favors a higher minimum wage, free college, and a more lenient criminal justice system and less militaristic foreign policy!
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Some say voting for a lesser-known candidate is "wasting my vote"
They say "vote for a candidate who can win"
This "chose for who can win" is more appropriate for betting on the SuperBowl.
Elections are about choosing the best leader.
I'm not going to tell you who you should vote for. Don't just take my word for it. Do your own investigations. Do your own research. Vote for whoever you think is the best.
