What I want to know is what this quote does or should mean when people toss it out there in some conversation. I feel like I’ve seen two basic uses:
It’s just used to signify a distaste for both of the major candidates in a presidential race and a preference for someone else, or
It expresses deeper dissatisfaction with the two party system, where one guy is just as bad as the other.
Are my observations correct? If so, I think usage #2 should be much more widely popularized, so that one day the phrase will be used in political conversation by people who don’t even know its origin.
I believe it is the second one. Kang and Kodos are both murderous alien slugs that would lead the American nation to ruin. Voting for one over the other had no impact other then instilling a sense of victory for one side.
All similarities of the above scenario to the current election are purely coincidental
The reference is to the 1996 Halloween episode of The Simpsons. Space aliens Kodos and Kang kidnap and replace Clinton and Dole. Homer exposes the aliens – but they point out that one of them is going to get elected anyway. The episode ends in a post-apocalyptic wasteland of captive humans slaving away under the command of Kang, to which Homer responds, “Don’t blame me; I voted for Kodos”.
Of course, the best line of the entire episode (although far less usable) is “Oh, no! Aliens, bio-duplication, nude conspiracies… Oh my God! Lyndon LaRouche was right!”
And then there’s the comment on third-party candidates:
From the sky comes a scream, as Homer is crashing right into the
Capitol. A few footsteps later, he comes running down the stairs.
Homer: America, take a good look at your beloved candidates. They’re
nothing but hideous space reptiles. [unmasks them]
[audience gasps in terror]
Kodos: It’s true, we are aliens. But what are you going to do about
it? It’s a two-party system; you have to vote for one of us.
[murmurs]
Man1: He’s right, this is a two-party system.
Man2: Well, I believe I’ll vote for a third-party candidate.
Kang: Go ahead, throw your vote away.
[Kang and Kodos laugh out loud]
[Ross Perot smashes his “Perot 96” hat]
Dole: Abortions for none.
Crowd: Booooooo!
Dole: Abortions for all.
Crowd: Booooooo!
Dole: Abortions for some, and for the rest, tiny little American flags.
Crowd: Yaaay!
As for the OP, personally I think it’s more of a comment aimed at those who insist retroactively that the world would be totally different if their candidate had been elected.
In my experience, people tend to use it more as a general expression of personal blamelessness and a wee bit of apathy, not necessarily in political contexts and certainly accompanied by a shrug.
It’s a way of mocking the claim that one isn’t to blame for the outcome of a choice he was against, even though it’s very likely that his own decision would result in an outcome that would have been the same or worse.
Interestingly enough, just after I posted, and before I saw your post, I did some googling - that was the oldest example I could find.
[sub]Stephanopolos: Uh, Mr. President, Sir. People are becoming a bit… confused by the way your and your opponent are, well, constantly holding hands. Kang: We are merely exchanging long protein strings. If you can think of a simpler way, I’d like to hear it.[/sub]
The oldest use I remember is on the Watergate-era bumper sticker, “Don’t blame me, I’m from Massachusetts”. MA was the only state to go for McGovern, for those of ya.
Not long into the current administration, “Don’t blame me, I voted with the majority” started to appear.
One thing, (well, at least one,) that’s always bugged me about this sketch…
How exactly do Kang & Kodos get away with “You have to vote for ONE of us - it’s a two party system!” when it’s just been revealed that neither of them are truly the nominated candidate of the Republican or Democratic party?? (By this point, Homer would actually have enough credibility to testify that K&K replaces C&D after they were candidates, not before they were nominated.)
I know it’s nitpicking, that the end of the sketch is supposed to be funny and work as metaphor (that presidential candidates, and in fact the political parties themselves, are rampaging monsters who don’t care about America,) but I always thought it would work like this:
“Like HELL we do!!” After some kind of a struggle, Kang and Kodos are killed. (Using a tactical nuclear strike if necessary.)
Emergency conventions are called (if necessary, after the election) to come up with replacement nominees. Or maybe they decide to do it Al Gore vs Jack Kemp to save time, and each of those picks a running mate to replace him.
Ross Perot gets about 2% of the popular vote and no states, as per usual.
