Masse: I wouldn't vote
Martin Masse wouldn't vote (although he would be tempted to cast a ballot for Ron Paul, if he could)
Martin Masse - November 3, 2008
Being eligible to vote in the American presidential election would make no difference for me, since I would not use my right to vote.
I cannot in good conscience support any of the two would-be tyrants running for the major parties. Both represent the corrupt Washington establishment and want to grow government in one way or the other. None has any understanding of the current economic crisis or offers any rational solution to get us out of this mess. None wants to dismantle the global empire that the U.S. has become. None will respect his vow to uphold the constitution. There is no point in voting for the lesser of these two evils.
I would vote for Ron Paul if he were running on a third-party ticket. He may have no chance to win, but the "Ron Paul Revolution" is the only positive development to come out of American politics in decades. Showing support for the ideas he proposed would have been worth taking half an hour to go and drop my ballot in a box. But apart from some states where his name will appear, it won't be possible to vote for him.
The Libertarian candidate, Bob Barr, ran a poorly managed and uninspiring campaign, and should never have been selected as this party's nominee. The Libertarian Party should use the little clout it has to educate the public with a radical message, as Ron Paul has done, instead of using a former Republican hack to try to look mainstream.
Given all these choices and the infinitesimal impact that one vote has anyway, my main motivation would be to symbolically withhold my support from a system that gives to one man gigantic powers to impact everybody's life. At least, by doing nothing, I do not contribute to propping up the legitimacy of this immoral system.
Martin Masse is publisher of the libertarian webzine Le Québécois Libre.