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Poll: Which U.S. political party do you most strongly agree with?
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politics
Well I was raised in a republican family, so thats automatically what I became. Growing up around san francisco, and living on my own, I learned more about the Democratic side of life, and eventually I think I am slighty toward the right. i cant really stand politics and politicians anyway though. I think the most important thing about politics is to be open minded. That's it.
Well I was raised in a republican family, so thats automatically what I became. Growing up around san francisco, and living on my own, I learned more about the Democratic side of life, and eventually I think I am slighty toward the right. i cant really stand politics and politicians anyway though. I think the most important thing about politics is to be open minded. That's it.
I never vote for anyone.
I always vote against.
-- W. C. Fields
Just in my own family there are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Greens. Sometimes our votes cancel each other out; sometimes not. California is usually considered to be a "blue state" in national elections, but the Democrats have no monopoly on politics here. Our new governor is really middle of the road and not a poster boy for either major party.
It's easy to be cynical about politicians and political parties, but it still amazes me that people are willing to put themselves in the public eye, with reporters ready to publicize their every misstep, often making a nominal salary, to represent their parties and the people in their city, district, county, or state. Let's give the good politicians a pat on the back for what they do! Hooray!
I always vote against.
-- W. C. Fields
Just in my own family there are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Greens. Sometimes our votes cancel each other out; sometimes not. California is usually considered to be a "blue state" in national elections, but the Democrats have no monopoly on politics here. Our new governor is really middle of the road and not a poster boy for either major party.
It's easy to be cynical about politicians and political parties, but it still amazes me that people are willing to put themselves in the public eye, with reporters ready to publicize their every misstep, often making a nominal salary, to represent their parties and the people in their city, district, county, or state. Let's give the good politicians a pat on the back for what they do! Hooray!
Grew up among Republicans and thought I was one too. It was only in the last couple of years that I gave trying to make sense of Republican/conservative arguments and admitted to myself and the world that I'm a liberal. I'll be voting Democrat next year. I still love all my Republican family and friends even if they eye me suspiciously now. 
I'm not surprised by the results so far.
Not to stereotype or anything, but I see the Republican party as encouraging a lot more conformity that Dems, and much more than a party like the Greens. We Mac users know a thing or two about non-conformity (boo, beige boxes!)
I went Green myself, but I'll be voting Dem, as it gives the most hope for the ABB platform
Not to stereotype or anything, but I see the Republican party as encouraging a lot more conformity that Dems, and much more than a party like the Greens. We Mac users know a thing or two about non-conformity (boo, beige boxes!)
I went Green myself, but I'll be voting Dem, as it gives the most hope for the ABB platform
I heard today that because of very effective redistricting plans (by both parties, although currently Republicans as they are in power) has left the House with only about 30 truly contestable seats. The rest are districted in ways that the outcome, Democrat or Republican, is a foregone conclusion. It's incredibly sad really. Our democracy needs a lot of work.
Coming from an Irish background it was a given that my family is all Democrat. When I came of age to vote I realized that the party today is not the same party that my ancestors and relatives stood for. I have found myself leaning to the right since high school. Though I am registered as a republican I am not opposed to voting in different parties. A perfect example would be San Francisco's new mayor, Gavin Newson. I just try to vote for who I think is the best man for the job, party lines aside.
i cant vote yet, though i would not have voted for either candidate of the last "election". (Bush, Gore).
I was never convinced that AL Gore was any better than bush, and i never really liked him.
I after reading an article about Wesley Clark in the New Yorker, i think that he really embodies someone who is fit for the job. He was out there, on the battlegrounds, while bush was comfy in texas AWOL.
I HATE bush more than anyone in the world, and am looking forward to seeing GENERAL Wesley Clark tear him to pieces in the debates.
I guess that leaves me....liberal/independent/free thinker. Typical Berkeley, Ca teen mindset.
I was never convinced that AL Gore was any better than bush, and i never really liked him.
I after reading an article about Wesley Clark in the New Yorker, i think that he really embodies someone who is fit for the job. He was out there, on the battlegrounds, while bush was comfy in texas AWOL.
I HATE bush more than anyone in the world, and am looking forward to seeing GENERAL Wesley Clark tear him to pieces in the debates.
I guess that leaves me....liberal/independent/free thinker. Typical Berkeley, Ca teen mindset.
I'm supporting Clark in this one, too. great guy, best chance the democrats have of taking the white house. dean may win the primaries, but he'll lose the election...
my friend pretty well runs the grassroots campaign in des moines, ia... we're hoping to get some sort of turnout for the caucus... it's coming fast. if clark can make any showing at all, and can take NH 3rd or 2nd, we'll be in very good shape.
i look forward to living under an intelligent, philosophical president again. the environment might yet stand a chance... remember that, people? the environment? it was here before the "threat of terrorism" and it'll be here a lot longer... the big man in charge is intent on letting, i'm sorry, evil little trolls from corporations own our nation's mountains, rivers, and forests...
pnw
the big man in charge is intent on letting, i'm sorry, evil little trolls from corporations own our nation's mountains, rivers, and forests...
pnw [/B]
fellow liberal, not only are they intent on owning the environment, they are intent on destroying it, for the sake of profit. And its all about the oil. This whole "War In Iraq"
OIL.
terrorists? HA! 16 of the 19 hijackers were from saudi arabia. This war is about one thing. OIL.
And its damned sick that we are killing children in iraq to get oil, when we have the technology to be less dependant on foreign oil. Its damned sick!
And the only reason we aren't utilizing that technology is becuse the president is so tied up to all the corporations, that he doesnt want to hurt his friends business by driving up the costs of operation.
pnw [/B]
fellow liberal, not only are they intent on owning the environment, they are intent on destroying it, for the sake of profit. And its all about the oil. This whole "War In Iraq"
OIL.
terrorists? HA! 16 of the 19 hijackers were from saudi arabia. This war is about one thing. OIL.
And its damned sick that we are killing children in iraq to get oil, when we have the technology to be less dependant on foreign oil. Its damned sick!
And the only reason we aren't utilizing that technology is becuse the president is so tied up to all the corporations, that he doesnt want to hurt his friends business by driving up the costs of operation.
Well, according to the nifty "figure out your party" thing on the libertarian party's website, I would vote in this order: Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian. Surprised the hell outta me... I seriously do not know who I'm gonna vote for. I do know, however, that I am NOT voting for Dubya.
edit: spelling
edit: spelling
it doesn't account for facism, so in this scale republicans do not include bush. they're still considered the people that want a leaner, more privatized government. bush is something else entirely.
pnw
But how many of the "Republicans" support him fully? Far too many. Maybe if we got rid of all the yes-men (and women!) in Washington....
2 things the US needs to solve
I vote Democratic most of the time. Democrats are by far the lesser of two evils.
Still evil, though. I'd vote Green, and would love to see some alternative parties become truly viable at the national level. But how to support the Greens, say, without simply fragmenting the Democratic vote and handing public offices to the Republicans? (For the record, I second the "open-minded" comment, and have voted Republican several times myself--although only at the local level.)
But whether you're liberal-minded like me or not, I'd say there are two basic things the US needs to solve:
1. End the 2-party dominance and give a spectrum of truly DIFFERENT policies/viewpoints a fair chance to change things.
2. End the ownership of nearly all media (which could be true "watchdogs") by a handful of big corporations.
Fix those two fundamental things, and we'll have ourselves a democracy! (Maybe even one in which the candidate who gets a half-million more votes than the other actually BECOMES president? Good ol' Electoral College.)
Sadly, they both have me stumped. And both would probably depend on an educated, involved American public with a halfway decent attention span for understanding what's really behind the headlines, and a sense of the greater good to temper their self-interest. Maybe even some open minds instead of the fear of anything "different." I feel, at times, that such people may be a minority. It's nice to see the intelligent discussion that has appeared on this thread though!
...Then, with those 2 solved, we can tackle the little stuff like world peace, health care, destruction of the environment, repression of various minorities, the national mental health crisis, and the domination of big corporations in controlling public policy
(PS, for the 2004 election, I support: http://www.kucinich.us ... or anyone but Bush.)
This Cheery Holiday Message of Doom (TM) brought to you by...
I vote Democratic most of the time. Democrats are by far the lesser of two evils.
Still evil, though.
I'd vote Green, and would love to see some alternative parties become truly viable at the national level. But how to support the Greens, say, without simply fragmenting the Democratic vote and handing public offices to the Republicans? (For the record, I second the "open-minded" comment, and have voted Republican several times myself--although only at the local level.)But whether you're liberal-minded like me or not, I'd say there are two basic things the US needs to solve:
1. End the 2-party dominance and give a spectrum of truly DIFFERENT policies/viewpoints a fair chance to change things.
2. End the ownership of nearly all media (which could be true "watchdogs") by a handful of big corporations.
Fix those two fundamental things, and we'll have ourselves a democracy! (Maybe even one in which the candidate who gets a half-million more votes than the other actually BECOMES president? Good ol' Electoral College.)
Sadly, they both have me stumped. And both would probably depend on an educated, involved American public with a halfway decent attention span for understanding what's really behind the headlines, and a sense of the greater good to temper their self-interest. Maybe even some open minds instead of the fear of anything "different." I feel, at times, that such people may be a minority. It's nice to see the intelligent discussion that has appeared on this thread though!
...Then, with those 2 solved, we can tackle the little stuff like world peace, health care, destruction of the environment, repression of various minorities, the national mental health crisis, and the domination of big corporations in controlling public policy
(PS, for the 2004 election, I support: http://www.kucinich.us ... or anyone but Bush.)
This Cheery Holiday Message of Doom (TM) brought to you by...
I'm not an american, but I'm for the Canadian NDP Party, which is the main social democratic party in Canada, sure Americans were taught that socialism is bad ever since the early 1900s, but in Canada, there's rarely ever been problems with a social democratic government. The two most famous people who ever graduated at the university I go to were both very famous (atleast in canada) members of the social democratic party. One of them, Tommy Douglas, formed the first Socialist government in North America when WW2 was still going on, his party wanted change for his province, wanted his province (canadian equiv of state) to get out of debt due to the great depression, as well as generate hundreds, if not thousands of new jobs (since the population wasnt that large). He was successfully and he was the father of free universal healthcare, which many countries have since adopted. The other famous member tried to push for Unemployment Insurance for years (welfare) since thousands of people were starving at that time. They never became the leading party in Canadian government but sure changed Canada forever.
My university tuition was paid for by the provincial government (NDP), which saved my parents since they wouldnt be able to afford it anyways due to Mad cow scare up here in canada and stupid droughts. I dont know how it was paid for but for some reason I'm concidered 'special' by the gov.
My university tuition was paid for by the provincial government (NDP), which saved my parents since they wouldnt be able to afford it anyways due to Mad cow scare up here in canada and stupid droughts
. I dont know how it was paid for but for some reason I'm concidered 'special' by the gov.
Re: 2 things the US needs to solve
I don't know about the other candidates, but my man Howard Dean has already stated that he intends to reverse the media ownership consolidation that is going on.
And, yes, I think he can squarely face Bush in the general election and win. See:
Link 1
Link 2
Both show that even Republicans see him as a threat.
I don't know about the other candidates, but my man Howard Dean has already stated that he intends to reverse the media ownership consolidation that is going on.
And, yes, I think he can squarely face Bush in the general election and win. See:
Link 1
Link 2
Both show that even Republicans see him as a threat.
Re: 2 things the US needs to solve
EXACTLY ! This is something that has been bothering me for a while... how can you call a country a democracy if you can only chose between two parties ? Especially when both have pretty much the same policies, just favoring different industries ?
The result being two candidates basically saying the same thing (we'll make things better) and having to spent huge amounts of money to differentiate themselves for the lack of real solutions.
--
Ok, sorry, I am a bit bitter because my own country (Switzerland) took some beating today, ending 40years of political consensus by granting some trouble-maker a seat as a minister...oh well, democraZy, I guess.
EXACTLY ! This is something that has been bothering me for a while... how can you call a country a democracy if you can only chose between two parties ? Especially when both have pretty much the same policies, just favoring different industries ?
The result being two candidates basically saying the same thing (we'll make things better) and having to spent huge amounts of money to differentiate themselves for the lack of real solutions.
--
Ok, sorry, I am a bit bitter because my own country (Switzerland) took some beating today, ending 40years of political consensus by granting some trouble-maker a seat as a minister...oh well, democraZy, I guess.
I'm definatly liberal...still debating what party to affiliate myself with.....I'll be voting Democrat in national elections, just cause its the only way to stop the conservatives from killing us all.
I actually think that the two-party system is probably the best fit for America. It ensures that progress will be made in congress (whether its for the better or worse is another matter), and it ensures that we won't have our own version of Hitler come to power (didn't Germany have like 30 national parties when he was elected??). This is really one of my greatest concerns, seeing as how 50% of Americans don't even vote, and 50% of those who do vote don't even put thought into who they are voting for. It seems that it would be way to easy for some no-name to come in, get 10% of the vote and win! (Bush got a few hundred thousand votes less than Gore and look at the outrage......my scenario would cause complete civil war).
So, the fact that the two-party system isn't going anywhere (at least in the forseeable future) doesn't bother me too much....
...then again,
"a little revolution every once in a while isn't such a bad thing"......
I actually think that the two-party system is probably the best fit for America. It ensures that progress will be made in congress (whether its for the better or worse is another matter), and it ensures that we won't have our own version of Hitler come to power (didn't Germany have like 30 national parties when he was elected??). This is really one of my greatest concerns, seeing as how 50% of Americans don't even vote, and 50% of those who do vote don't even put thought into who they are voting for. It seems that it would be way to easy for some no-name to come in, get 10% of the vote and win! (Bush got a few hundred thousand votes less than Gore and look at the outrage......my scenario would cause complete civil war).
So, the fact that the two-party system isn't going anywhere (at least in the forseeable future) doesn't bother me too much....
...then again,
"a little revolution every once in a while isn't such a bad thing"......
I'm not American but I guess I'd be a democrat - although both American parties are quite right-wing compared with European parties. Over here I'd vote Liberal Democrat. I used to be a Labour voter until Blair turned it into Tory-lite.
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