A Pox on One of Their Houses
A lifelong Libertarian voter is driven to break for a major party in the 2020 presidential election
In the year 2000, I turned 18 and cast my first ever presidential vote for Libertarian Party nominee Harry Browne, a charismatic guru of self-help and investment advice. In 2016, I voted for the surprisingly credible Libertarian ticket comprised of two former Republican governors, Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. In between there was another vote for Johnson, a vote for visiting Libertarian Bob Barr, and a vote for whoever was on the ballot in 2004 (Michael Badnarik, according to Wikipedia). My vote is, in other words, a very gettable one for the Libertarian Party. This year I will break my streak to cast my first vote for a Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden.
This decision has less to do with the Democrats or the Libertarians than it does with the Republicans. The Democrats nominated a moderate centrist with a 50-year career in public service. The Libertarians nominated an obscure psychology lecturer at Clemson. In a normal year, I would vote for the Libertarian.
But this is not a normal year.
In 2020, I cannot in good conscience proclaim, “A pox on both their houses!” and vote third party. One of the major parties has become far more deserving of…
