Again, Why Vote Republican?

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[L]azyfair commented on my "Hope or Despair for the future of the United States of America":

Much of what you say is true in regards to the growth of statism and centralized power. But it is in no way a phenomenon of the left. Republicans and conservatives have taken every opportunity to embark on their own pet statist sprees whenever it has fit their agendas, which has been sadly all too often. Republicans are no more an answer to our current statist woes than Democrats. As you know, power is the disease - the left/right false-dichotomy is a dementia induced symptom that blinds.

It is true that Republicans impose their conservative values in many ways, and seek power to do so. Need I mention their opposition to legalizing dope, prostitution, pornography, and abortion. But these are conservative values. They are not generally fascist, totalitarian, statist, nor socialist, as are the leftists who now control our government. As a freedomist, I would much rather live under a Republican president and Congress than the current regime which is increasingly moving us toward a tyranny. For a vast distinction, compare the policies under Reagan and the two Bushes to what Democrats are now doing—the imposition of a full blown state-socialism on the country.


But why support Republicans instead of Libertarians, or some other party more in line with freedomism? Because third parties not only have no chance of winning a presidential election, but most likely will ensure the election of a Democrat. Might as well hope for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.


Consider the 1992 presidential election in which Ross Perot, the third party candidate, had 18.9 percent of the vote, George H. W. Bush, 37.4 percent, and the winner, Bill Clinton, 43 percent. He was in effect elected by the votes Perot took from Bush.

Best to work within or with the Republican Party to change it in the freedomist direction.