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Oh yeah. I forgot about 3rd parties. Everyone arguing to vote for them have since stopped caring I guess.
Until there is a loud, constant demand from a broad base that persists well beyond voting periods this 3rd party BS is just 2 parties trying to waste your vote. I want 3rd parties to come in and give the establishment competition. We'll never see it happen at this rate.
The president is, and is supposed to be, just a dude – not a supreme leader. I get that it might not be politically expedient to sell them like that, but at least realize that whatever candidate wins – even an establishment favorite – they are subject to pressure from within their party.
So, join the party and push from within, or your union and push from there – or both.
If there were ever an election to not vote third party in, I'd argue it's these upcoming elections. They are effectively over the validity of the constitution itself, since the Republicans have clearly demonstrated they have no intention to follow it. A vote for Democrats isn't a vote for Democrats as much as a vote against fascism.
The system itself is incredibly flawed and the Democrats are truly spineless. I have zero hope that they'd do anything to actually fix the system's problems, but when the alternative is becoming even more like Nazi Germany I don't see how voting third party could have any benefit. With the recently increased federal voter ID requirements beyond normal registration I worry that it may be too late to have truly free and fair elections already.