Waste No Vote

Michael Badnarik 

There is a new force in American politics, and his name is Michael Badnarik (pronounced bad*nah*rik). In 2002, Badnarik was working as a software engineer in Texas. He gave up his apartment, put his belongings into storage, and hit the road, traveling across the United States on a personal quest--telling people that they do have an alternative to the corrupt, corporate-controlled Democrat and Republican parties: The Libertarian Party.

You've just read the beginning of my post...and here is the rest of it.

In May of 2004, Michael Badnarik was one of several nominees to be considered for the Libertarian Presidential Candidacy. The other candidates had considerably more financial resources, as well as more experience in the world of politics. Still, Badnarik won the position, and since then he has set himself to the task of aggressively pursuing the office of President of the United States of America.

I find it quite interesting that, when asked about third-party choices for the 2004 Presidential election, most people will mention Ralph Nader and nobody else. But check this out: Ralph Nader is only on the ballot in thirty-five states, whereas Michael Badnarik is on the ballot in forty-eight states.

That gets your attention, doesn't it?

Another thing that adds to Badnarik's strength as a Presidential candidate is his popularity among both conservatives and liberals. Where Nader has to rely heavily on undecided Democrats, Badnarik is pulling in voters from both wings. Republican voters, who feel betrayed and embittered by the Bush Administration’s fascist, warmongering behaviors, have begun to show support of Badnarik as a viable alternative. In addition, Badnarik has shown no hesitation with regard to campaigning for the minority votes. He accepted an award from The American Muslim Alliance in Orlando, Florida, demonstrating his popularity among Muslims and Arab Americans. And, just a few weeks ago, Badnarik rode in the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco.

When interviewed by Chris Bull with regard to his participation in the parade, Badnarik said, “I believe everyone has individual rights. As President, it would be my job to protect the life, liberty and property of Americans, and I mean all Americans. A San Francisco Gay Pride parade is diversity in the best sense. I never forget that everyone chooses to pursue happiness in their own way, and government should stay out of the way.”

People who think voting for a third-party candidate is spoiling the election for a Democrat or Republican candidate need to bear the following things in mind. First, a third-party can't “steal” votes from another candidate. No candidate owns votes--each individual American owns one vote, and it is every individual's right and responsibility as an American citizen to cast that vote in a responsible manner.

Secondly, the Democrats and Republicans have held our nation in a corporate-conrolled death grip for far too long. With every passing year, the rights of the individual citizen are diminished, and the gap between lower and upper class Americans grows wider. If you vote for a Democrat or a Republican, you are telling them that you approve of their methods, that you are happy with the way things have been going, and that you don't mind losing your constitutional rights and having your hard-earned money taken away and given to wealthy executives and foreign powers.

If you vote for the lesser of two evils, you are still voting for evil.

Michael Badnarik (and the Libertarian party, for that matter) is for smaller Federal government with increased personal freedom. In our current world, where politics-as-usual has given us “No Child Left Behind,” a seriously flawed Medicare reform, the egregiously unconstitutional U.S.A. Patriot Act, and an unwinnable, immoral, illegal, and unconstitutional war in Iraq, the policies and platform of Badnarik and the Libertarian party have powerful appeal to American voters.

You may be wondering how Badnarik has been faring in the polls. Personally, I'm not a fan of polls. They simply aren't accurate. No poll in the history of our nation has ever predicted a landslide victory, and since most polls taken in the 2004 Presidential election season haven't included Michael Badnarik, numbers obtained by them would be even more misleading. However, I will tell you what I know. According to the polls conducted (the few which have included Badnarik), Bush and Kerry have been within four percent of each other, with Badnarik holding approximately five percent.

What does this mean? Nothing, really. Like I said, polls are meaningless. They are something that was invented as a way to increase media hype over election coverage.

There is, realistically, little chance that Badnarik will win this Presidential election. However, there is a good chance that he will win at least five percent of the popular vote, and possibly more. If a third-party candidate were to win five percent of the popular vote in a Presidential election, while being denied his legal right to participate in the debates, it would be an unprecedented and historic event.

Some people may ask, “Why should I cast my vote for somebody who isn't going to win? Wouldn't I be wasting my vote?” No. Wasting your vote is casting your vote for somebody who doesn't represent you or your values--somebody who you know, based on a long history of past behaviors (both as an individual politician and as a political party) will give priority to the demands of corporations and rich executives over your rights and needs as an individual. Casting a vote for a third-party candidate is not wasting your vote; it is investing your vote...investing your vote in the future of our nation.

I have emailed Michael Badnarik's campaign headquarters, requesting an interview with him. If he should grant me the honor of such an interview, I would guarantee him two things: 1.) He would be treated with the respect due any Presidential candidate, and 2.) I would ask him good, thought-provoking questions that he's never been asked in other interviews.

If he accepts my invitation for an interview, I will post an article with the resulting information on this blog.


Click here to watch a debate between Michael Badnarik and David Cobb.

More of My Articles Along This Vein:
The Two-headed Monster (U. S. Politics)
The So-called Debates
Close the Door Or You'll Let In a...