It's not a difficult decision for me, and again, I won't lose any sleep over it. As an added bonus, Harry Browne is the only candidate who really gives a damn about the separation of church and state . Although a religious man himself, you will never find Browne following George Bush and Joe Lieberman around the country speaking out in favor of the mixing of faith and politics . . . Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison were elected President in 1876 and 1888 respectively, despite the fact that fewer Americans voted for each man than for his opponent. When you look at Democrats and Republicans, you look at how many electoral votes each candidate has secured.
Third parties are another matter.
Ross Perot didn't receive a single electoral vote in 1992, but he did received nearly one-fifth of the popular vote. As a result, the media and the public have taken the Reform party very seriously ever since. The attention Perot received in 1992 carried over into the next election. In 1996, Perot was not included in the Presidential debates, but millions of Americans still voted for him. But if you vote for Al Gore, you won't win either.