Party Affiliation

[venaja]

I can safely say that my political awakening has only accelerated. I am now approaching true moderatism, the point at which all parties begin to look equally distasteful. The right is distasteful because I strongly disagree with some of their views. The left is distasteful because I strongly disagree with some of their values. (And by values, I

Comments

[tckma]

I have that bumper sticker! Well, not the same one, but it says the same words on it.

I know I said Independent, and by that I meant No Party Affiliation, as I think that's what you meant by it too. The Independent Party is actually a political party.

[tckma]

I went from Republican to No Party because:

A) I was fed up with the Republican Party.
B) Here in Massachusetts, you can register with a political party for the express purpose of voting in their Presidential Primary, then change back to No Party, and I wanted to vote in the Democratic Primary last year.
C) Point B became a moot point when Wes Clark dropped out of the race, because he was the only Democrat I liked.

[astroprisoner]

I've registered Libertarian here in MA because so long as enough people have that registration, the Libertarians remain a "major party" which means they don't have to go through the whole petition process every time they want a candidate on the ballot.

I don't agree with everything the Libertarian Party says, but I sure do like the idea of having alternatives on the ballot.

[tckma]

Largely why I voted Bandarik. I knew that because I live in the bluest of the blue states, unless I voted for Kerry (whom I cannot STAND), my vote was a throw-away vote. I don't really agree with the Libertarians, but at least they are another option.

[descant]

I WANT that bumper sticker. I've seen the quote dozens of times, but I never knew where it came from.

There is an Independent party, but I'm guessing that you mean no party affilation in context of your entry.

Honestly, whichever party you register for doesn't really matter. Each party has its own faults, and none will match exactly your viewpoints and values. Fly free, dahlin. There ain't no better way.

[astroprisoner]

I don't trust that man. He smiles too much.

I don't trust him because he suffers from very serious skin cancer, and lives in Arizona, but doesn't wear a friggin' hat when he's outdoors in the sun!

If a man doesn't have the sense to make a very simple lifestyle adjustment to protect his own health, how much can I trust him with the complex needs of running the country?

[ernunnos]

Good eye. He's an idiot on many other issues as well.

venaja, I think you should register Democrat. Because Arizona already has enough Republicans, and I want more people with sense voting in Democratic primaries. The Democrats got pounded hard enough in the last election that they may be up for a shift in attitudes.

If we can get Democrats who are pro-gun in - a real possibility in Arizona - it'll make it that much more difficult for other Democrats from the coasts to get anti-gun legislation passed on a national level.

[venaja]

Oo, a most devious plan.

[crasch]

Since both parties seem equally bad, I think you should register for whichever party controls your district. Then vote for whichever candidates you like the most. By registering with the dominant party, you will be able to influence party elections, which in turn will determine who will most likely win the general elections in your district. As a political force, the LP is a waste of time, except maybe in New Hampshire.

[venaja]

Also a devious plan. You schemers.

[smjayman]

I wish I could disagree with your statements on the Libertarian party, but they are true. That said, if they got into power and government started receeding TOO much, I'd just switch parties to something that made more sense.

FWIW, I doubt very seriously that we'll ever be able to REDUCE government, I only hope to SLOW it. That, in and of itself, is a difficult task.

[venaja]

If the country ever got to the point where the current Libertarian Party would get into power, I'm afraid a descent into anarchy would be unavoidable. :)

[smjayman]

Nobody but a small, vocal minority wants LESS government. So no worries about that. Most people don't care one way or the other, and that means the government will grow, largely unchecked. I view the government as an evoloving organism, and therefore acts in its own best interests. Often those don't really coincide with the best interests of everybody in the country, and that's the disconnect that I seek to fight as a "libertarian."

[venaja]

I completely agree with you as a small-l libertarian, but I still feel there is a wide gap between that and true members of the Libertarian Party. I think it would be nice if the country voted libertarian, but if it were to vote Libertarian, it would be going a bit far (in my opinion).