If the VP is a member of the Senate, then he should be subject to the rules of the Senate regarding all manner of things. Somehow, I don’t think Messr. Cheney would be too keen on that idea.

Most people aren’t qualified to comment or promote any current US policy, be it candidates, lobbyist, advisors, etc. And most of those people who do are extremely dangerous. We get so caught up trying to decide who the lesser evil is that we forget that voting for them just encourages them to do the same things we hate them for doing. If you want McCain/Obama to stop this madness, vote third party and send a message.

The VP’s powers are Legislative, except when he takes over as President.

That said, there is no reason why the VP can’t be in both branches until something happens to the President.

They should ignore everything but Philosophy, history, rhetoric and economics.

Libertarians, in general, are like conservatives in that we are less likely to get graduate degrees because, generally, we’re more concerned with making money in the real world.”

You seem to be arguing that we should be anti-intellecual because many academics aren’t libertarian. It seems you are confusing cause and effect. Its more likely that liberalism is the result of the education, not the cause of it.

” Don’t believe me? Tucker Carlson and Matt Welch are both college dropouts.”

Making my point about anti-intellectualism. Tucker Carlson’s lightweight understanding of any issue shows everytime he is on TV.

I have travelled extensively in Asia, where education is honored, and northern and central europe where it is a central pursuit. Believe me, the anti-intellectualism in the US is a part of the social fabric unlike anywhere else in the world.

1) My chances of my single vote being a determining influence on a national election are infinitesimal, so if you compare voting to nearly any other activity, ALL votes are “wasted”.

2) I’d rather vote for what I want and not get it than vote for what I don’t want and get it. Voting is expressing a preference, not betting on a horse race.

3) My vote for a third party candidate can help their party to get on a more equal footing with the major parties: it varies by state, but a few percentage points in a statewide election can ease the unfair “bipartisan” ballot access requirements which cause third parties to spend ridiculous amounts of time and money petitioning instead of campaigning.

4) Bigger third party turnout can draw media attention and improve the chances for other voices to be heard in the media and in debates.

5) Even if a third party candidate never wins a major election, their role as a “spoiler” (as perceived by the Ds and Rs) can force the major parties to consider the agendas of the third parties. The Socialists never won a presidential election, and yet look where we are today.

I still don’t get why people are voting 3rd party. At this point it’s just a wasted vote.

I sincerely hope you are being sarcastic. At this point any vote for the major party candidates, in my opinion, is tantamount to treason. These men are not leaders, they are politicians. We MUST validate 3rd and 4th party candidates (by voting in large numbers for them) so we can find the LEADER this country so desperatly needs.

1) Academics are almost uniformly anti-libertarian. Their entire job exists because of corporatists (in the philosophical sense) entitlements. However,

2) Intellectuallism in it’s purest form is great. We all love Friedman and Hayek. More traditional conservatives love WFB. But,

3) The Friedmans of the world are heavily outnumbered by the MacKinnons, Chomskeys, and Foucaults.

4) Libertarians, in general, are like conservatives in that we are less likely to get graduate degrees because, generally, we’re more concerned with making money in the real world. Don’t believe me? Tucker Carlson and Matt Welch are both college dropouts. Name two prominent liberals who dropped out to pursue more real-world careers. Now consider the number of prominent liberals compared to prominent libertarians.

5) Bobzbob, in an earlier thread, railed agianst “the oil companies” because of some standard lefty reason. For most of these people, anti-intellectualism doesn’t mean despising a both theoretical and practical understanding of the world. It only boils down to denying the most recent version of the Chosen One’s rhetoric. It’s been the same with Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry. Clinton and his Republican Congress were pretty great in hindsight.

6) I certainly agree that Palin is out of her league running for VP. However, if Palin is out of her league for VP, Obama is way out of his league for Pres. I’m voting for Barr, because I’m not registered in a battleground state. I’m not an Obama hater, but I can’t honestly make one good arguement for him being president. He’s made no progress on libertarian issues, so I’d defer to divided government. Being President of the Harvard Law Review only means that he was in the top (some lawyer help me out here) X % of his class. In absolutley no way does it qualify him to run a laundromat, rather or less be President.

7) If there was a legitimate libertarian politician, would you people be railing against them? I’m sure some would, because many of you are fucking idiots, but I think most would be rooting for them. I sure would. I’d be rooting for them to call the Dem a commy-sympathizer and the Rep a closet-homo. What do I care? I want my people in office. That’s what democracies are about.

8) I normally hate the “well where have you travelled” arguements because studying in Paris doesn’t teach you much about France or especially the the rest of the world. But Bobzbob’s insane idea that anti-illectualism is unique to America is especially offensive. I don’t consider myself an especially well-travelled person, but I’v been all over Mexico and Western Europe, and I think I got pretty acquainted with the former Yugoslavia when I was a soldier. If I’ve learned one thing in my travels, it’s that humans are the same
everywhere.

I would like like to continue my inane meandering, but I have to meet with some lawyer in 6 hours. Also, the Cubs still suck.

9) I should probably conclude somehow. I guess the best way would be to encourage college kids to ignore everyone but their science, math, business, and economics professors. That’s no more that 1/3rd of total classes at universities . . . so anti-intellectualism wins!

I still don’t get why people are voting 3rd party. At this point it’s just a wasted vote.

#21: Palin’s not a moron; she’s a relatively capable executive / administrator for Alaska. It’s just that, as a candidate for Vice President of the United States of America, she’s way out of her league.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosniaks

I’m voting based on what they’ve done in the past, not what they say they’re gonna do in the future. Neither McCain nor Obabama will be getting my vote.