If only this was an ideal world.
For the record, I’m a Gary Johnson kinda guy – who, like Rep. Ron Paul and Sen. Rand Paul, is a Barry Goldwater kinda guy. And as a former governor with an impeccable record as a fiscal conservative, Johnson’s certainly qualified for the POTUS job; far more qualified than Barack Obama is even after four years of being IN the job.
And, frankly, I’m not a Mitt Romney kinda guy. Despite his claim to being “severely conservative” in the GOP primary, there’s nothing in his record to indicate that’s the case. To the contrary, there’s every indication that, if elected, he’ll govern from the middle – much like Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.
As such, if I lived in California or Utah or Texas or New York or my home state of Maryland…where Romney and Obama are respective “locks”…I’d vote for Johnson in a heartbeat.
Alas, I live in a true swing state. So casting such a heartfelt protest vote needs to be taken a whole lot more seriously.
In fact, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that as goes Nevada, so goes the Electoral College. And if Obama wins, we don’t just get four more years of Obama; we get four more years of socialist-leaning Obamaphiles embedded in every corner of our federal government.
Like Joe Biden. And Eric Holder. And Hillary Clinton. And Timothy Geitner. And Janet Napolitano. And Kathleen Sebelius. And Leon Panetta. And Ken Salazar. And Hilda Solis. And…the list goes on and on and on.
But even more importantly, can you imagine who a second-term Obama would appoint to fill one, maybe two…and maybe even three Supreme Court vacancies?
Actually, we don’ t have to wonder. We already know what he considers suitable to sit on our nation’s highest bench; the likes of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Sorry, I can’t live with that. More importantly, my kids can’t live with that.
So despite my severe reservations about Gov. Romney’s self-proclaimed severe conservatism, this choice should be a no-brainer for anyone living in a swing state like Nevada. The stakes are just too high. In my opinion, this is the wrong race in the wrong place to “make a statement.”
The reality is this: Either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney is going to be President of the United States…and Nevada could be the decider. As such, I’ll be voting (on Election Day, not early!) for Mitt Romney.
As for my Libertarian and Ron Paul friends in Nevada who find a Romney vote a horribly bitter pill to swallow, allow me to suggest once again a spoonful of sugar:
Find a Romney supporter in another state, like California, that Obama has sown up. And informally “swap” votes. Ask them to vote for Johnson in their home state while you vote for Romney here in our swing state. That’s the only way to have your cake and eat it, too.
