Hot Button: Truckers’ choice for President

Third way? Among our polling on the presidential choices this year there was a large current of dissatisfaction with the major political parties. “Bring on the third party,” Overdrive reader Joe Dunne noted under a post to our Facebook page. “The Democrats and Republicans have screwed this great country into the ground. They’re all openly corrupt and rotten to the core, yet we keep voting them back in.”

Overdrive’s online polling of readers indicated a strong preference for Mitt Romney over President Obama – but with a sizable group (13 percent overall) preferring a third-party candidate or, well, none whatsoever.

Asked who had his vote for president this year, Overdrive Facebook fan Mark W. Arnold quipped, “Willie Nelson!”

“Jerry Garcia!” said owner-operator Don Lanier.

Owner-operator Jeff Clark: “Is it too late to vote for Condoleezza Rice? I listen to her every chance I get.”

Jokes and wishful thinking aside, a majority of respondents hoped the Republican candidate’s election might at least jumpstart the slow recovery from last big recession. Romney “is the grass on the other side of the fence,” said Jason Haggard, pretty well summing up a lot of the comments on Overdrive’s Facebook page. “It may not always be greener, but in this case we might have something to start a lawn with.”

Find dispatches from readers on both sides of the political fence below.

Billy Fannin: The Obama Administration’s energy policy shaped my opinion. When Bush was in office everyone blamed high fuel prices on Bush and his buddies – I guess President Obama’s got a hell of a lot more oil buddies than Bush: I just paid $4.15/gal for diesel.

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Zachary Bell: Mitt Romney, Gary Johnson or Ron Paul – I’ll take any over Obama (and vote for them as well). Romney is my first choice, but that’s only because he’s the most popular alternative.

Rob Gibbs: I like [Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan]…. He is a strong speaker, and I feel he will be good where Romney needs a little push.

Mike Huellinghoff: I like the [Vice Presidential] choice Romney made. OMG – Obama Must Go!

Linda Kay: [Romney] appears to be sincere about being a President, not an entertainer that sings, drinks beer with everyone and appears on talk shows nonstop. His passion [is] to bring our divided country back together with more values and by creating jobs.

Don Lanier: I believe Obama will help stem the tide of killing American jobs, and he will help the middle class once the do-nothing Congress is dealt with. As long as a stalemate is in place, no one or no President can achieve anything – we all lose.

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Jim Mesthene: Massachusetts had a cool law that said the state could not charge you more for a service (license, deed, registration, title) than it cost to provide it. Romney’s first act as Governor was to repeal that law, raise fees … and claim he didn’t raise taxes. Be forewarned.

Zharman Prior: I think [Paul] Ryan will do great in 2016 because it is not happening this year. It doesn’t matter who “Mittens” runs with. He could get Jindal or go create a Palin stunt double – it makes no difference whatsoever. The majority of the country is in love with my main man President B. Hussein Obama.