Voting against your "party"

[northhunter]

I realize I'm one of the newbies but I have a question. Does anyone else ever find themselves voting for someone that's not from what you consider your political party? I consider myself a republican in most things but have voted for Democrats in local and state politics on occasion as well as for U.S. congress. My reason for doing so is I either knew the person fairly well and thought they would do the best job or the Republican running was just a suit with a name. Anyone else ever do this?
Please hold the sarcasim down to a dull roar.

[DosEquis]

I have voted for Chuck Hagel in Nebraska and he is republican. Though the opinion section of our local paper is really cutting him down for his position on Iraq. I have also voted for my republican congressman a twice and against him once. I have also just not voted because i didn't like any of them.

[Pro Street]

I don't really affiliate with any party, so not really

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by northhunter

or the Republican running was just a suit with a name.

Sometimes a suit with a name is better than an idiot in a suit with a name.

[Diamond Cross]

I'm not affiliated with any party myself.

[motivez]

I'm not affiliated with a party either, but I've voted for people on both sides of the isle. It really depends on the person and what they're running on, really.. as well as their opponent.

[Diamond Cross]

For me, it's issues ansd character that are important when voting. Much stuff you hear is just rhetoric, but here's an example of what will cause me to not want to vote for a candidate:

They speak out againstbills and legislation that would give homosexuals equality, but himself is a secret homosexual. It's one thing to be openly homosexual and oppose those kinds of things, but it's another entirely to be secretly homosexual.

Extremism in any shape or form is also something I won't vote for.

The bigeest issues for me are inidividual rights and liberties and I won't vote for somebody who will trample them under the ground.

In short, at the very least I'd like somebody to vote for whom I can respect. I'm tired of piss-poor candidates. There is no such thing as voting for the "lesser evil" anymore.

[lew]

If you're the type of person that strictly votes party line in every election solely because you belong to that party - then you're everything that's wrong with our country.

[goldenponderbob]

Get to a place beyond party affiliations, then look back.

Perhaps, from that place, you'll be able to see the mess
they (meaning both majors) have left and continue to leave
behind.

Weren't the Dems elected to majority positions in congress
for the express purpose of extricating us from Iraq?

Wasn't that what all the fuss was about last November?

So what did we get, a non-binding resolution!

What the hell good is that?

Last I heard Bush/Cheney were intent on ignoring it.

Which means they aren't running for anything.

If the Dems had any balls they'd give them something
to run from (just my opinion).

From the segment of the government with express responsibilty for
spending on issues such as war, they have abdicated less than a
month into power.

You can't run the Iraq disaster without dough.

The dems have the dough.

Okay, Nancy, Go You Girl! . . .Not!

So much for party affiliations.

From where I sit, it's all ferlilizer.


'

[DosEquis]

Originally Posted by goldenponderbob

Weren't the Dems elected to majority positions in congress
for the express purpose of extricating us from Iraq?

Wasn't that what all the fuss was about last November?

So what did we get, a non-binding resolution!

What the hell good is that?



'

Charles Schumer was on the Daily show last night and John Stewart asked him that exact question, and basically said the same thing you did. Schumer said that the resolution was only a first step to get the issue into debate in effort to get more republicans on board. He said they would need 60+ senate votes to do anything productive and since they only hold a 1 seat majority they need more Chuck Hagel's and others on board.

Schumer also acknowledged that the Dems won largely because of Bush being such a failure and said their overall platform message was still unorganized. He said if dems do not get it straight by 2008 they will lose again.

[7960]

I vote for the person. When an election is good people to vote for I vote against the worst person.

[6SpeedTA95]

I do this on a pretty regular basis especially on a local level. Not so much on a state level right now because the democrat party has had a hundred years to mismanage this state, we're finally turning the boat around....

On a local level I vote dem probably 50% of the time. On a national level since moving a couple years ago I've voted R in the last election because I know my rep. When it comes for senate I will definately be voting for coburn again but I dont know about jackoff.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

I do this on a pretty regular basis especially on a local level. Not so much on a state level right now because the democrat party has had a hundred years to mismanage this state, we're finally turning the boat around....

Yes, I vote both ways frequently, my state's the exact opposite of Speed's, the GOP has been in control for decades and we have national scandals and the only Governor to be convicted oa felony while in office, YAY Ohio!

[6SpeedTA95]

Originally Posted by tbone

Yes, I vote both ways frequently, my state's the exact opposite of Speed's, the GOP has been in control for decades and we have national scandals and the only Governor to be convicted oa felony while in office, YAY Ohio!

I've become convinced that a single party in power for too long basically turns out the same way...we all get screwed...

In Oklahoma our roads, schools and key infrastructure is in bad shape. Crime is fairly high our state due to its income tax and poor education system fails to attract many high paying jobs.

The good news? Starting with governor keating and now a democrat governor Henry the state has and is making huge strides. Roads are improving, infrastructure and education is getting better and taxes are getting lowered. How long will it stay this way? I dunno but we're on the right track now that teh house/senate are more balanced.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

I've become convinced that a single party in power for too long basically turns out the same way...we all get screwed...

Yep. Neither party has all the answers, there has to be a balance and cooperation.

The idea that one ideology is 100% correct about everything and shouldn't have to compromise is why we're in some of the situations we're in today, and hopefully Democrats will recognize that working together beats going it alone, and compromise will help move the country forward.

[Donkey®]

No party affiliation here and I REFUSE to vote "the lesser of two evils."

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

No party affiliation here and I REFUSE to vote "the lesser of two evils."

So you look for the 'more of two evils'?

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by motivez

Yep. Neither party has all the answers, there has to be a balance and cooperation.

The idea that one ideology is 100% correct about everything and shouldn't have to compromise is why we're in some of the situations we're in today, and hopefully Democrats will recognize that working together beats going it alone, and compromise will help move the country forward.

In the long history of politics, american politics in particular, the liberal position basically always wins out over time when matched with a conservative one, its only a matter of "Are the American people ready?"

[Diamond Cross]

Bullshit.

The majority of Americans are independandt moderates who just want to be left alone to live their own lives as they see fit. It's the height of sheer arrogance to say something like that "most American's are liberal/conservative.

[Donkey®]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

So you look for the 'more of two evils'?

No. I don't choose ANY evil. I would rather waste my vote on not voting than be forced to use "MY CHOICE" on two fuckos.