I don't regret any of the voting I've done so far, but I definitely regret donating to Obama's campaign. I really didn't have the money to do it at the time, and like Jethro, was really REALLY disappointed in some of the things he fell short on. My district (and state) went to McCain though.
I'm sympathetic to third party voters, but it's always a strange conversation. At least there's always that one good Simpsons episode.
Voted in 10 federal and provincial elections since 1998 and stand by each vote. I still had a bit of residual adolescent conservatism and neoliberalism to shed around 1998-9 but I was already behind Gore (and against the Republicans) by the 2000 elections and thus remember it as a ghastly trauma. I particularly remember what I felt watching the "angry mob" that tried to physically stop the vote-counting: there's a particular type of anger/horror/disbelief one gets when one clearly sees goons beating up democracy. Mark Twain summed it up rather well in describing an episode he witnessed in Vienna when policemen entered the Austro-Hungarian parliament to arrest members of the opposition: "It was an odious spectacle -- odious and awful. For one moment it was an unbelievable thing -- a thing beyond all credibility; it must be a delusion, a dream, a nightmare. But no, it was real -- pitifully real, shamefully real, hideously real." It's highly coloured language and emotion, and the Austrian politicians in question were real dickheads - but I knew exactly the feeling he meant.
Back in my first election in 2002, I voted for the liberals. Not for any deep ideological conviction, but for a moment in the voting booth, I had the idea that they'd be better for the economy. Breathed a sigh of relief when the right wing lost that evening. That also started my history of never voting for a party that ended up in or supporting the government.
I have no problem with any of my votes. I once voted Communist - not because I wanted them in power, but because I felt that their voice were important in our then parliament (we no longer have a communist party, but the guy I voted for later did become minister in our current government for a different party). I voted no to the EU everytime I had the chance - I probably wouldn't do that now, not because I love the EU, but because the alternative is worse. Now I'm more center-left (Danish/EU scale) than I was, but I don't shake my head at the young me. That guy was just more idealistic.
The only regrettable voting decision I can recall is supporting Reagan in a Middle School "election." Like many here, I flirted with conservatism when I was younger. I credit that largely to growing up financially secure in a heavily Republican-leaning and racially homogenous suburban/rural area where the kool aid was all about how the poor just didn't want to work hard enough. Fortunately, when I was in high school I had the chance to meet people from a broader demographic who impressed upon me the notion that money isn't equivalent to morality.
I too voted for Boosh is 2000 and 2004. I was young and stupid and I'm sorry. Well, I'm sorry for 2004. The 2000 version of W actually seemed like a good alternative to Gore.
Third party zealots who are stumping for Gary Johnson are the funniest. You know, because they want to vote on principle, no compromise, because third parties aren't the same scam as the big two. This guy was in the first GOP primary debate! Running Libertarian is his backup plan, not his principle. Then this weekend I saw a poster of his. It had the slogan "Be Libertarian for one election". Perfect! If he can do it, so can you.
No. Also, the 2000 version of McCain was not any different than the 2008 version. Not one single bit!
Sheldon fucking Silver is gonna be my rep again. I keep voting against him every time it's an option but the man is a goddamn unstoppable scumbag zombie. This time I voted for a Republican. I voted Green for Senate because Gillebrand supported an Armed Forces Appropriations bill that allowed for indefinite detention of American citizens without recourse to h. c. and when I was like WTF she sent me a form letter. So I wrote back "NO VOTE FOR YOU!" All the judges ran unopposed. They only compete in primaries. One of them was on D and R ballot. "Democracy" in action. Those are the big ones. Also fuck the third parties in this state. People talk about third parties as cons? Because fusion voting a donation to a third party is a donation to a scammer in NYC. They run the same candidate as the big party on their side of the idiot fence and never put up their own. Fucking joke. Only the Greens and Lolberts put up independent candidates and they only contest national or state elections (because they are idiots). My biggest mistake was Presidential. Given a choice between a sleazy liar, a scumball and two jokes, I picked scumball. Anyway I duly discharged my civic duty and despite the offensively vile choice offered at almost every level of government I'm proud of this stupid fucking country. We're, well, we're definitely still here despite close to three hundred years of liars, cheats, scammers and douchebags. Depressingly few are the countries that can say they've successfully lasted even a decade under a system of government that abides by the verdict of a popular vote. Kudos to us, shitbirds that we are.
Wow, so many others who voted for Nader here. I thought I was the only one! I can't say I regret it though. If I was in a swing state I'd have voted for Gore, but being a Californian I figured I might as well vote for someone even if it is consequence-free. Nader was overly idealistic and wouldn't have accomplished a thing in office, but here was a guy who'd been targeted by corporate powers for dirty tricks and they just couldn't dig up any dirt. I'll probably never have the chance to vote for an honest man again. Anyway, like I said... consequence-free.
I think Aeon221 would make an appropriate emperor. After all, he is _extremely_ short and very angry.
I went to a Bill Clinton rally in 1992 and spent the whole time thinking about the girl I went with instead of listening, to the point where I can't say for sure it wasn't a Ross Perot rally instead. I really have no idea.
Rick Snyder for MI governor, because his opponent was the Lansing mayor that I considered to be an idiot after a decade of living in Lansing.
The vote I regret most is Nader over Gore. The overly centrist sell out campaign Gore ran really rubbed me the wrong way; sure, I was in solidly Blue Oregon, but I'd have voted Nader even if it was close. Mostly my change of view stems from Gore turning out to be more progressive post-election than I'd realized. That, and I'd figured Bush would be an ineffective schmuck in office. :-/
It depends what the baseline is. What would an actually compotent President have accomplished with the political capital from 9/11?
Well, a compotent conservative would have accomplished more than a temporary tax cut, and either not fought or won the Iraq war.
Biggest mistake was easily Schwarzenegger. My dad also voted for him, and we didn't even know it till after he was elected that we did it for the same reason: we thought it would be fucking hilarious if a Terminator was elected governor. Although I suspect a lot of his votes came out of the hilarity factor.
One assumes that a compotent conservative is actually pieces of a conservative in a sugar syrup. My only election mistake was in a mock election in elementary school, I picked Mondale over Reagan just to be contrary. Every other election I've picked the right guy. Not necessarily the winner, but the right one.
Was Schwarzenegger not a good governor? I didn't follow his term all that closely; I just caught the news when he did something outrageous, like call the Democratic legislators "girly-men".
I feel like Scwharzeneggar was a "placeholder by default" governor. He did propose some fairly conservative policies but then either withdrew them under pressure or failed to get them through CA's sticky political process. As a result he governed ineffectively but did not worsen the pre-existing trends. CA did get into a worse position under Schwarzenegger, but it was aimed in that direction before the Davis recall anyhow. Basically, due to inability to actually get stuff done, Arnold tread water for the 6+ years he was governor. Meanwhile, Rome burned.
If we're having a forum contest for who supported the craziest of the crazies, may I submit my name into the running? The election was a few months before my 18th birthday, but in 1992 I was wearing a hat and button for and telling everyone about Bo Gritz. In 1996 I donated to and voted for Ross Perot. In 2000 Harry Browne. In 2004 John Kerry. In 2008 I didn't vote (but supported Obama). In 2012 Obama. I regret nothing! But that isn't to say I didn't have some strange ideas in my youth. Let me tell you friends, the road from winger conspiracy theorist Christian kill-a-commie-for-mommie New World Order UN-troops-are-poised-to-invade type to liberal-leaning-moderate with a healthy dose of facts has been a long and lonely one. My family still contains Texas secessionists and Obama-will-bring-in-1000-years-of-darkness types; but my parents are at least rational (even if we disagree on some topics/persons).
Sharpe made a pretty good summation of the non-governator, but I'd add that he also was ahead of his Republican counterparts in other states on anti-union rhetoric. He managed to have every union (police, teachers, nurses...) riled and pissed off by the time he left office. It contributed to the Republicans getting hammered really badly in th state in 2010. At the same time much of the rest of the nation was having a tea party the Republicans lost every state office they held in CA. There are other trends in action that brought that on, but lets not deny Arnold his due. Edit to clarify: I meant non-legislative elected state offices. Of course they still have a long-term minority presence in the assembly and senate.
Man at first I thought this said "Your Biggest Erection Mistake" and I was like WHOO THAT'S A TOUGH ONE. But I guess I would say Harry Browne, who was the Libertarian candidate in 2000. (I should make clear that this is an answer to the actual topic, not what I thought the topic was.) I didn't like either Gore or Bush and I vote Libertarian in those circumstances. In retrospect, Bush was the worst president in living memory and I should have voted for Gore.
Well, my one vote would not have mattered even if I had lived in Florida. But yes, Gore won California.
