I’m either conservative or libertarian. I didn’t say Republican, though I registered that way to vote for Reagan. Neither major party has offered a legitimate conservative to vote for since the Gipper. Hence in 1992, along with 18.9% of American voters, I helped remove a Republican from office by voting for Ross Perot securing victory for a Democrat.

1992 posed a dilemma for conservatives: vote your conscience, and help install someone who is diametrically opposed to your views, or hold your nose and vote for the lesser of 2 evils, letting the candidate you actually prefer twist in the wind.

If winning were everything, the answer is vote for evil. But where’s the advantage in winning when you succeed in electing a loser?

Here’s the damage you do when you follow the “lesser of 2 evils” dictum: Suppose a truly conservative candidate who’s young enough to run in the next election runs on a 3rd party ticket. 33% of voters prefer them, but know that they don’t stand a snowball’s chance because 3rd parties never win. So most of the 33% vote Republican, leaving their candidate 4% of the vote.

In the next election, the candidate runs again. They have to raise funds and campaign, but can only demonstrate a measly 4% of voter support from the previous election - even though a third of voters actually preferred them.

By abandoning your candidate of choice, you help ensure their demise in future elections, self-perpetuating defeat.

That’s been my election nightmare for 20 years: no way to win, no matter what. If I don’t vote, I’m unpatriotic. If I vote my conscience, it helps the opposition. If I vote for the lesser of 2 evils, I’m still voting for evil. Oh that Pat Paulson were still on the ballot!

I don’t enjoy having to decide whether my conscience can live with violating my conscience or the consequences of sticking to my conscience.

In retrospect, Ross Perot was right: you can hear the “giant sucking sound” of jobs whirling away in the NAFTA vortex. Since he was right, I was right. So voting my conscience isn’t really unconscionable.

Mike VanOuse

Lafayette