In Defense of Third PartiesMike Lucido, Doug Mathews, and Alex Peak September 2008 Any member of a third party will tell you around election year the most common phrases heard are: “I’d vote for you, but you aren’t going to win” and “I agree with you, but I don’t want that other party to win.” Third parties are cast aside out of fear. Nobody wants to take a chance. Alternative parties and grassroots organizations are the creators of change. Without the activity of these two groups, black Americans would still be slaves, and women wouldn’t be voting. What if the supporters of the abolitionist Liberty Party said “I’d vote for you, but I don’t want that other party to win”? What if Dr. King had said “What is the use, I can’t win?” Where would we be? If no one had ever challenged the system, it would have never changed. Why not take a chance like so many Americans have in the past? With either McCain or Obama, we will still be in Iraq and Afghanistan, we won’t come any closer to ending the deficit or saving the environment, we will still be fighting an endless drug war, and gay marriage will never become a reality. Have we become so apathetic that we would knowingly continue failing policies and accept the illusion of change? Our government is a product of our vote; we can change that product by changing the way we vote. By voting for alternative parties, we send a powerful message to the powers that be that we demand real change. Mike Lucido served as the Vice President of the College Libertarians of Towson, 2008. Alex Peak served as President of the College Libertarians of Towson, 2004–2006; Membership Chair, 2006–2007; and Vice President, 2007–2008. |