# Democrats/Liberals: Would you vote for Palin in a primary? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 22, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089 "2010-12-22T18:25:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/21 "2010-12-22T23:09:39Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > This would be more true in a swing state than one that is solidly in one camp or the other. I might be more effective here in Arkansas; save for Clinton, it usually votes for a Republican President. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/22 "2010-12-22T23:43:29Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > If I voted, and if I voted in primaries, I would prefer to vote for Palin in a Republican primary because she’d be more likely to lose against the Democratic candidate. > > But I don’t vote. And I especially wouldn’t vote in a primary because to vote in a Repub primary, I believe you need to be registered as a Repub. And I would never do that. It depends on the state. Virginia, for example, doesn’t have party registration at all, so you can vote in whatever primary you want, though you may only vote in one party’s primary for any given office. Why don’t you vote? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/23 "2010-12-22T23:45:59Z")
No, I wouldn’t do it. Because: 1. I think that tactic is kind of slimy, and 2. While I’m pretty certain she’s unelectable, I’m not willing to take that chance. ---
**Author:** ![HawksPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@HawksPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HawksPath)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/24 "2010-12-22T23:50:14Z")
I’m not sure if I’d help vote her in, but I think that our electoral and presidential system is serious trouble and maybe electing her would get everyone serious on fixing the problems or maybe it would just quicken the decline. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/25 "2010-12-23T01:52:05Z")
No, unless by some bizarre twist of fate Palin turned out to be the _least_ objectionable choice on the ballot. Under all normal circumstances, I’m voting against her as early and as often as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/26 "2010-12-23T05:18:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There’s no way to be sure the Palin is unelectable. For that reason, I would not vote for her. Here too. Not only do I think it’s acceptable, Washington State has changed our primary system to preserve our right to do so. With that being said, no I would not. The Presidency is way too important a position to be playing political games with. I wouldn’t count out voting for whichever Republican to which I’m least averse though. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/27 "2010-12-23T06:52:04Z")
The chance of Palin winning the general Presidential election seems extremely small but would surely be extremely disastrous if it came to pass. (As someone else mentioned, utter disaster _might_ be what America needs by now, but to think that way is to think like the Unabomber.) > [@](#): > > … but why don’t you vote? Voting in most national elections can be considered irrational! If your vote costs you $10 in inconvenience, and has only a 1 in 100,000 chance of affecting the outcome, then voting is, mathematically, a wasteful use of your time unless the benefit to your family of the favorable outcome is at least a million dollars! (This ignores Kant’s categorical imperative, but then so does much of what we do.) As an ex-pat I _could_ register to vote, but only in California. If a Demo needs my help to carry California, he’s not carrying enough of the other 49 states for California to affect the outcome. (And I get enough erroneous threatening letters from the Calif. Franchise Tax Board as it is, without registering to vote as a Californian! :smack: ) ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/28 "2010-12-23T06:56:56Z")
I thought about it but I quit before I could do it. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/29 "2010-12-23T13:45:04Z")
Vote for Saruman to prevent a win by Sauron? Vote for Sauron to prevent a win by Saruman? If I’m stooping to that level of Evil, I’d feel I was already tainted, so it really wouldn’t matter. The other side would have already won. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/30 "2010-12-23T14:06:58Z")
I’m unaffiliated, so I can’t vote in the primaries. If I wasn’t, however, sure, I’d register Republican for a term just to vote for Palin in the primaries. If nothing else, it’s out of morbid curiosity to see how far she could get. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/31 "2010-12-23T15:18:35Z")
No way. I don’t even click on Palin news links because I don’t want to contribute to the news agencies’ belief that she’s relevant and/or interesting. You know, if you walk past a corpse that’s fallen out of a 30 storey building you’re going to want to look, and then you’re going to wish you hadn’t. Same thing with Palin. I tend to lean left, but that doesn’t mean I think ONLY a Democrat should be The Prez. Frankly the only reason I vote Democrat lately is because I’m voting AGAINST a loony. What I want is a difficult decision between two good candidates when the real election happens. That way I get a president I like. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089/32 "2010-12-23T16:06:18Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I’m unaffiliated, so I can’t vote in the primaries. > > If I wasn’t, however, sure, I’d register Republican for a term just to vote for Palin in the primaries. If nothing else, it’s out of morbid curiosity to see how far she could get. I am very curious about how far Palin could get without sitting down for some thorough interviews with someone besides Fox and carefully scripted sessions in “friendly” situations. I’m convinced she thinks she can get all the way to the Whitehouse without the “lamestream media” or doing debates. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-liberals-would-you-vote-for-palin-in-a-primary/565089.md?page=1)