Please send the following to everyone you know.
Monday, February 11th 2008 — Mark Andrews
A year ago, a friend (republican) took exception with me for my unwillingness to join forces with republicans and support one of the republicans seeking the party nomination for president. At the time my response was that I couldn’t make a choice yet, since my own political party had not yet held its own convention, and therefore I was unable to know yet whom I thought would be most worthy of my vote. My friend’s unhappiness revolved around the idea that us ‘independents waste your votes and then steal them from the republicans’ and that ‘you (independents) are the ones to blame when the democrats win’ and ‘besides, your guy can’t win.’
I told him that I could never vote for the lesser of two evils, since that would just be voting for … well, you know what. My vote is precious and I can spend it only once – I will therefore spend it well, regardless of whether I am voting for a sure winner or a sure loser.
Now, a year later, after all the donations, time spent and caucus settled, his republican has abruptly quit the nomination race and his vote turns out to be wasted. He now is also disgusted that john mcCAIN seems to be the best that the supposedly ‘conservative’ republicans can come up with. I agree with this conclusion.
He says he wants to know when our party has chosen its best candidate so he can vote with us. My friend now says he never thought that he could vote for something other than the lesser of two evils. He now understands what a wasted vote is … and would be. I welcome his decision to cross over and join with me, and realize it is a difficult thing for him to do. He therefore has earned even deeper respect from me.
You republicans out there: I have an invitation for you. I believe that many of you are driven by principles that you have long believed you were holding close to your hearts. Those principles have now been long betrayed by your party (I was once a member of your party). The principles of liberty, personal freedom and responsibility (self-reliance) still live … they live in the Independent American Party, where the Constitution is still honored. Join with us and learn where you may cast a vote that is truly not wasted nor spent on imposters.
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How pathetic that a national party that thinks itself to be conservative has overwhelmingly decided that a thing like a mcCAIN is representative of itself. And, it appears, in truth … a mcCAIN actually is representative of that party.
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The reader may wonder about my grammar skills due to the abnormal use of capitalization in the preceding text. Do not wonder.
