Seth McFarlane recently tweeted, “Remember: This November you can help elect President Donald Trump just by voting for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein! Happy Election Year!”
This is demonstrably wrong, but more than that, it promotes fear politics that swing ballot boxes in all different directions.
Libertarian nominee Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein both fell below the 15 percent mark to appear in the televised presidential debates alongside big ticket party nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Gary does not have a statistical chance to win. When Johnson’s name is not in a few of the polls that decide whether or not he would share the debate stage with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, did he ever have a chance to begin with?
Unfortunately, this is one of the peddled fears and feelings that have been around for decades. The “voting for anyone other than us is wasting your vote” sentiment is in no way new or true. By casting your ballot for someone for president, you let your voice be heard in this representative democracy.
Now that is the idealistic way for the system to run. However, the actual system tends to be much darker and uglier than anybody would like to admit. The DNC scandal that broke a month ago and other tips and hints from party officials have left the people knowing that there is no longer a balance of power existing between the government and the governed.
Clinton and Trump have both made great strides to alienate voters this election season. They are desperate to get the electorate on their sides, but nothing seems to be working. According to Five Thirty Eight, the disapproval numbers for Trump tops over 50 percent with Clinton’s disapproval number reaching close to 40 percent.
These numbers are staggering and display a bigger trend than people may be willing to discuss. Trump is disliked because of his routine offensive remarks that mire him in controversy, and Clinton is disliked thanks to her constantly being steeped in controversy since her days as the First Lady. There will be no clear winners in November, only losers.
Almost half of the population feels disenfranchised one way or another, and Johnson may seem like their saving grace. However, even his run is less than ideal with one large problem looming over him: He is not on a big party ticket.
Johnson has a high number of young supporters, and disenfranchised ‘Bernie or Bust’ supporters have flocked to Stein. Part of Johnson’s appeal is his third-party status, could very well be the reason he will not win in November.
