What do you say to people who tell you"I don't vote the Party-

I vote the man" or "Parties are what is wrong in America"

problem?



Bush Lied. People Died. Media Cheered.

for the most part, plus i would correct them that lots of women are candidates these days

I think the best voter is the one who votes for the individual, not the party. It forces the parties to find better candidates if they want to win.

I'm not going to address the "parties are what is wrong" statement because I don't necessarily support it, although I can see some justification for that position as well.

The Republican party is currently being run by thugs and thieves. When one puts an (R) behind ones name, one becomes an enabler. If you live in a state that has become so badly poisoned by propaganda that Democratic is equated with pure unadulterated evil, you may RUN pub.. but you must switch affiliations as soon as possible to allow for a change of leadership in Congress.

Years and years ago, I could go along with that, but nowadays, there is so much partisanship, that a vote for an individual is a vote for a party. Perhaps we should be voting more and looking for more Independents to get in the race.

Who come election time either doesn't vote or votes "cute" writing in names etc - and then spends the next 2- 4years bitching

the one who is "undecided" right up to walking into the voting booth and sometimes leaves without voting

That seems to be their stock answer to any political question or discussion; classic case of whether or not they could be friends with the person running for office

I think it is am immature way to approach things

If I voted for every democrat, I'd eventually end up helping to elect the likes of Lieberman or Biden.

When at all possible, I vote for the progressive democrat. If the dem is too corporate-compromised/too much of a warmonger, I'm forced to vote green or write-in.

Pigs would have to fly before I'd vote GOP, though.

I would ask them who they voted for in the last 4 elections.
Congress, President and Governor.
Then look at the parties they belong and base further response on the result.
Many times I find they voted one party every time. They just don't want to admit they are for one party.

Just because you are for one party does not restrict you from voting for another candidate. If it did we would have elections where you had one vote, selecting the party of your choice and you would be stuck with all the candidates from that party. But we are allowed to vote across party lines for any candidate we choose. That is why the system used to work, the people selected the best candidate for the job, not some machine.

Occasionally, I vote for a Republican at the local level. We want the best government we can elect. Sometimes that comes in the form of a Republican.

Fortunately, at the national level, I've never been torn...the Dem has always been the better candidate.

to sell our candidates. It's not THAT hard to be better than most of the scum with the (R) suffix.

position to include their view. Either that or explain to them why the Dem position is best for the U.S.

Party politics are for people that refuse to think. People who vote straight ticket Dem are not thinking any more than the brianless fucks voting stright Repug.

Persoanlly, I will not be voting for ANY Dem that is not openly opposing the war. That goes for both Chuck and Hillary, my senators.

I've been a registered Dem since 1965 but I owe the party nothing. Political parties are a means to an end. Vehicles that move towards what the voters want to see achieved. If they fail to do so then they don't deserve my vote.

Politicians don't lead. They follow the votes and the money. All one has to do is watch the formerly pro-war Democrats (and some Republicans) lining up to denounce the war now that the polls show that it's politically expedient to do so.

For the most part I look at politicians as a vile lot of opportunists.

If I could find a pro-choice, pro-environment, pro-socialized medicine, anti-war, pro-right to privacy, anti-school voucher, pro-business regulation, pro-civil rights Republican, I'd vote for her.

Issues are what matter. I would ask, once my "friend" expressed a preference for a certain "person," exactly what position that person had taken on the issues that matter to her. If the positions matched her political ideals, I'd say she made a good choice.

If, on the other hand, she had no clue what her preferred "person's" position was on key issues, I'd invite her to look more closely.

-Laelth

if we refuse to be unified, and they are always unified, they will always triumph

is that what they want?

is their self-pride in their independence of mind more important than winning back the senate, the congress, or the presidency?

seems a little self-absorbed to me (but i leave off the crack about self-absorption unless it's the internet where you have to make a ruder, stronger statement just to be heard, in person, you can just quietly ask the questions and leave them to answer the questions themselves)

It is the man that makes the Party not the other way around...

"When was the last time you voted for a Democrat?"

"Umm. Ninteeeeeeeen sevennnnnty...something."

They are Reagan Democrats. They'll come back to us, but as soon as we make things better, they'll jump ship for the repugs and they're "lower taxes" ploys again. Wishy-washy self absorbers, all.