Ron Paul: Vote Third Party

I have new found respect for Ron Paul. He is doing the right thing in calling for his followers to vote against the two parties that are running this country into the ground.

Libertarian-leaning congressman Ron Paul is urging voters to reject John McCain and Barack Obama and support one of the third-party candidates for president.

Paul, a Republican who abandoned his White House bid earlier this year, is gathering some of the candidates, independent Ralph Nader among them, on Wednesday to make his plea.

Send a message now to two parties that busy only mouthing words of "change." How can you change a system that you've created. The people who run America aren't interested in change. Politicians always talk about "changing" things but always do the bidding of those whom write the checks.

"The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two party system," Paul said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. "This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment, principled candidates."

And don't be fooled by this nonsense about spoiling by the third parties. You can't spoil something that is already rotten.

Some Republicans have been concerned Paul could siphon votes from the party in the same way Democrats accused Nader of doing in 2000 when he ran under the Green Party banner.

But when Nader ran in 2004 as an independent, he garnered just 0.3 percent of the vote from 34 states. The Constitution, Green and Libertarian candidates received even fewer votes. Nader claims he has enough signatures to get on the ballot in 45 states this year.

You can bet that a year from now when the economy completely tanks people will want to hang the Republicans and Democrats.

Nader predicted the gathering of third-party candidates would "raise the eyebrows" of pundits who are skeptical of the viability of independent presidential campaigns. The candidates will agree on several common issues they believe are being ignored by the major parties.

"This is the beginning of the realignment of American politics," Nader said.