Republican/Democrat/Other...

Political Party

  • Democrat

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Republican

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

IlluminatingBikr

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Feb 26, 2003
Messages
2,320
I have yet to see a post about political parties. I am curious to see how CPF members stand. If you would like to say why your are part of the political party that you are, I would love to hear.
 

Rothrandir

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
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US
great answers so far! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

IlluminatingBikr

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Feb 26, 2003
Messages
2,320
Well this thread is sure getting somewhere fast. I think I might help get it started.

I am mostly a republican, but I don't like to be categorized with about slightly less than half of Americans. I do not always agree with Republicans. For this reason I see why many of you have voted for the "Other" category. I do not agree with the idea that we should be taxed a lot by the government, and a few elected officials decide where a few hundred million people's money goes to. I think it would be better if people pay some money to the government, but have most of it to spend for themselves. This diversity it what part of makes America, America.

What do you think?
 

FalconFX

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Nov 1, 2002
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Davis, CA
How about a Republicrat?
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I'm a mut, dang it!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

tsg68

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Mar 1, 2003
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Breukelen, NY established 1646
I am a "Frisbitarian". We believe that the bipartisan leadership has thrown The Constitution and good ethics up on a roof where the decent people of the country can't reach 'em!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

Later,
TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

EMPOWERTORCH

Enlightened
Joined
May 1, 2002
Messages
743
Location
Coalville, Leicestershire, England
As an English outsider I cannot really comment, but I would say that I'm more Democrat than Republican. The problem is that sometimes you have a brilliant leader whose private life wasn't so good, or else you have one whose international knowledge does not include the existance of another Birmingham outside the States!
Some policies that are "Republican" i do support, whilst there are a lot of policies that I wouldn't advocate.
It is the same in our country and people aren't sure who to vote for anymore... New Labour is just as right wing as Old Tory!
In fact, the only politicians that seem to be speaking any sense are independants!
I used to support Mr Blair, but I'm not so sure now!
 

B@rt

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 21, 2001
Messages
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Land of Tulips and Philips
Try Dutch politics...
Lots of politic parties to choose from... It seems we have a party for everything... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
 

x-ray

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 1, 2002
Messages
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Location
London
[ QUOTE ]
B@rt said:
Try Dutch politics...
Lots of politic parties to choose from... It seems we have a party for everything... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah but we have the Monster Raving Loony Party (and yes they do actually stand for election) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Seriously I don't know enough about American politics to make the Republican / Democrat decision.
 

FalconFX

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Davis, CA
Well, at least our Senators are so old that they can't throw chairs at each other like Taiwan's or throw punches like Japan's... They would bore you out of your mind with filibusters, though...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

I'd hate to see the day when Congress is a free for all. But then again, work would be done quite quickly in that fashion...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

As for Republicans and Democrats, most people are fed up about their parties. The two parties are either too far to the left or right, or really don't give you a simple answer on an issue. At the very least, the 2 party system makes choices somewhat easier. But then again, when a number of people equivalent to my entire apartment complex decided the President of the United States, there's a problem... Such is the life of politics...
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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Sep 4, 2002
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Shepherd, TX (where dat?)
I voted 'other'.

I mostly think of myself as a Libertarian. However when it is time to vote for real, I usually vote Republican... simply because the Democrats are generally at least 100% against what I think is right!

It might have been very different when being a Southern Democrat wasn't actually a bad thing...
 

MichiganMan

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 31, 2002
Messages
589
Location
Saginaw, MI, USA
NOBODY agrees with EVERYthing a party stands for. This impossible standard is a willfully obtuse straw-man arguement used by people seeking to bash the political system as a whole. The secret to the existance of political parties is that people that hold certain political beliefs (ie. states rights on the right or aggressively taxing wealthy to distribute to poor on the left) inevitably tend to also hold other seemingly unassociated beliefs (ie. gun rights on the right or abortion rights on the left) Human beings being the individuals they are of course differ in certain specific stances but by and large follow relatively definite patterns of beliefs. The current two major parties do a good job of catering to one side or the other, and thereby provide collective strength to holders of those beliefs (which is the purpose of a political party)

I would argue that people who call themselves Independents merely haven't sat down and examined on which side of the spectrum their beliefs fall, chances are that they would find that 75% of their beliefs, if they can be identified, would fall in line with one party or another. Obviously a few critical issues can throw you into flavors of the right or left, such as the Libertarians or the Socialists.

So as appealing as it may be to rebelliously declare that you can't be pinned down with a boring political label, if you're almost always voting the same as a certain party I'm sorry to tell you that you are in fact, if not in name one of those people.
 

DieselDave

Super Moderator,
Joined
Sep 3, 2002
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Location
FL panhandle
MichiganMan,
You make some very good points. I think most of us fancy ourselves independent thinkers and don't toe any party line. I lean a good ways to the right but believe in abortion rights. I agree (as you stated) with about 75% of the conservative positions, 5% of the liberal positions and 20% of the time I straddle the line.
 

IlluminatingBikr

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Messages
2,320
[ QUOTE ]
Darell said:
No surprises in the vote so far.

[/ QUOTE ]

You think? I guess I was expecting more democrats, but now that I think about it, it makes sense that a lot of CPF'ers are Republican or someting else.
 

DieselDave

Super Moderator,
Joined
Sep 3, 2002
Messages
2,703
Location
FL panhandle
The current totals make sense and reflect the fact CPF'ers are correct 18 out of 23 times whether it be politics or torches and 13 out of 44 they are waiting for another choice. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

Willmore

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
435
Location
Hamilton, NJ
MichiganMan,

So, if we agree with one parth 75% of the time, we're just supposed to close our eyes and bear it for the other 25% of the time? I'm not entirely happy with that prospect.

I would like, just once in my life, to be able to vote *for* a candidate. I'm getting tired of voting against the worst evil.

I'm a fiscal conservative, but a liberal in the more social areas--sex, religion, etc. Who do I vote for? I'd like to vote republican as they generally don't try to suck power into the federal government and tax more and more heavily to support it, but they have this huge religious thing going (for about the last 16 years) that's just repugnant. I'm certainly not willing to side with the democrats as they keep throwing up candidates like Al Gore--great administrator, but not leadership material.

So, I pick 'other' as in 'none of the above'.

Why do we still have political parties? These things have been around in one form or another for hundreds of years (not only in the US, obviously). Why do we have them? What purpose do they serve?

Here's a wild idea. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Referendum voting. Congress draws up laws. *people* vote on them. The executive branch enforces them. The judicial branch prosecutes those who break them.

Now, political parties and PACs are about the same thing. They exist to have opinions on *specific* topics and to provide 'educational' material on issues/bills relating to it. You can proxy your votes out to them or you can just view their recommendations. If you proxy out your vote to them, they can claim 'members' and use that to sway the formation of laws, etc.

The tools to view all of the information and perform a vote can be done over the web (yes there are a lot of technical hurtles to clear to make that work, but none of them are unsolveable). PCs in public libraries would serve for those who have none. Cafe's would once again, become meaningful centers of political discussion.

Oh, in the case of multiple proxys, you'd assign them a priority or some other combination scheme. That way, you could be a Republican member of the Sierra Club or some other ironic thing. A pro-nuke green peacer, etc... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

You could, also, click the democrat or republican proxy button and never login again. So, the politicians might like it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Greta

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Joined
Apr 8, 2002
Messages
15,999
Location
Arizona
[ QUOTE ]
...but they have this huge religious thing going (for about the last 16 years) that's just repugnant.

[/ QUOTE ]

THANK YOU!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif ... I thought it was just me! Seems somewhat hypocritcal to me to not want big government running your life but then to turn around and quote the Bible for every aspect in your life and to leave your life in the hands of "God". Sorry but I feel that God helps those who help themselves... and who can think for themselves... and make decisions for themselves... etc etc etc.

Perhaps I'm not wording this right but I think you get my point.
 

Empath

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Joined
Nov 11, 2001
Messages
8,508
Location
Oregon
The basic descriptions of the major parties when I was younger was that democrats were basically radical, and republicans were basically conservative. The republican party found the broader term "liberal" to be more offensive due to the expanded connotations. They've very effectively succeeded in eliminating the term radical. I can't say more liberal definitions found in 'liberal' are inaccurate, but it is a political ploy.

The primary differences between the parties are embedded a little deeper, and isn't always obvious subjectively. Each party attempts to mask it's true nature by adapting platforms that they think will embrace the most acceptance, while still remaining unique and in opposition to the other party by contrast. Like most other nations, our politics are in actuality based on an economic system and the classes resulting from an economic system.

Republicans are in actuality aristocratic, favoring advantage for the entrepreneur and wealth seekers. Democrats are in actuality socialists, favoring solidarity and such. Neither exclusively makes for good government, but struggles, checks and balances, and frequent changes run a constantly varied compromise that seems to be quite effective in maintaining not only a healthy economy but also a freedom available only by 'government by the people'.

Aristocrats cannot be supported by only aristocrats. They must exploit the common worker in order to survive, either through forced labor or similarly substandard wages, or by providing sufficient wages to enable the common worker to participate in the monetary flow. Socialism cannot support the communal goals without the entrepreneur's innovations and aristocratic goals. The constant virtual revolution of democracy helps insure that both, like it or not, provides both stimulus and restraint.

All these other platforms are subterfuge to gain votes. Aristocrats are far outnumbered by the common worker, and must call the least attention to their underlying goals. The common worker far outnumbers the aristocrats, but the ability to reach such aristocratic level by encouraging and enabling their ability and incentive for innovation and effort raises the number of the aristocratic hopefuls.

The last thing a party would want at election time would be for the excesses of the true major objectives and differences to become obvious.

How do you catch a republican? You bait the trap with money.
How do you catch a democrat? You bait the trap with money.
The primary difference is the republican wants to use the money; the democrat wants to spend the money. The republican needs the democrat, otherwise he can't use the money; all he can do is hang it on the wall. The democrat needs the republican, otherwise he can't get the money, otherwise he'll just admire it hanging on the republican's wall.
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

Flashaholic
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Messages
11,041
Location
Shepherd, TX (where dat?)
I do believe that Empath has hit the nail DIRECTLY on the head!

I do find my voting in many cases to be for the lesser evil.

BUT! I do not think a direct up and down vote by each individual would be good for the USA. Because just as soon as people find that they can vote themselves 'goodies' it is ALL OVER!!!
 
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