>>>>>>>>>Devil's advocate is your way of living ;-) I remember you saying you didn't vote for Obama and took it to mean you voted for McCain. Maybe you threw your vote away.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>C'mon Mike, everyone's vote is their own...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I wasn't suggesting otherwise. It's just that voting for someone other than the two serious candidates is, in fact, throwing your vote away.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Not if a majority does it, it isn't.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Good point. And when was the last time that happened?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I have my utopian moments but a change in our two party system isn't one of them.
>>>>>
>>>>>Why not?
>>>>
>>>>I didn't mean I dislike the idea. I just don't consider it at all likely. The two party system is deeply entrenched here.
>>>
>>>And I suppose it's likely to stay that way unless you change from a 'first past the post' voting system......
>>
>>First past the post?
>
>Where the guy with the most votes wins. Period. I think that tends to lead to a two-party system even when it didn't start out that way - based on the logic you mentioned earlier that voting for a middle-ground candidate is seen as a wasted vote.

But that's the thing, Viv. Third party candidates are not even perceived as middle ground. They are perceived as fringe candidates.