identify themselves as republican or democrat (meaning stay independent) and pick the candidate that you agree on more issues with?
2006-11-07 05:51:05 · 15 answers · asked by Mark 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Elections
I completely agree with you. I think people focus too much on being for or against certain political parties and less about being for or against a particular candidate based on that candidate's stance on certain issues.
2006-11-07 05:54:39 · answer #1 · answered by Joy M 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I disagree. Party affiliation is most important. One candidate, no matter how much you may like him personally or agree with him on the issues, only has a small amount of power to affect things. What matters is which party controls the Congress or the White House. So if you think the Republicans have been doing a great job running all three branches of government the last six years, by all means vote Republican. But if you think enough is enough, vote Democratic. It doesn't matter what the name of the Congressman or Senator is that you are voting for. All that matters is his party affiliation this year. Because that will determine which party will control the Congress.
2006-11-07 06:12:44 · answer #2 · answered by rollo_tomassi423 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Party politics is part of the problem. People who feel tied to a political party and always vote that way (so the party can "keep the seat") will eventually lose out because many of the party's policies will hurt them.
If more people only voted for the candidates who's policies represented them, real and beneficial change would occur because the candidates would be forced to represent the people who elected them, rather than serve the big corporations and minority special interest groups who paid them.
Voting republican/ democrat/ tory/ labour/ lib dem etc because you've always done so hurts real democracy.
Besides, politicians HATE independent voters prepared to ask awkward questions and vote with their conscience. It makes them have to work. Bonus
2006-11-07 05:59:59 · answer #3 · answered by Cardinal Fang 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I vote, I try to keep it strictly independent,so that I am not voting for whose personality I like best, but that I'm voting for the person who has the same values and goals as myself. In the last presidential election I voted Democrat, I liked what Gore had to say. I must admit that I did not like George Bush at all. He was arrogant, and I could see through his smoke screen, but he still ended up winning. Or did he really? People like G.B. make it very difficult to vote on issues, but I've decided since the last Pres. election to stick with the issues instead of the person. We asa a nation need to look deeper into our souls and decide what is really important to us and then vote. The hell with who the candidate is.
2006-11-07 07:11:02 · answer #4 · answered by sicilia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I agree with you.
I am pretty much a liberal and I would vote in a hearbeat for a republican who stood for things I believe in. I don't see why that has to be such an issue-I understand views and different ways of thinking but sometimes you just have to vote with who you think will make a difference especially the state the US is in right now.
2006-11-07 06:01:10 · answer #5 · answered by Willow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No I don't. Because I know where the parties stand on the issues. To think someone is going to call themselves a republican and then vote against the party on a regular basis is naive at best. (same the other way.) They need their party's support to keep their seat.
2006-11-07 05:56:22 · answer #6 · answered by capu 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it's a legitimate issue because we deserve to know about the person we chose as the next leader of our nation. I personally don't want an anti-America, racist, person leading the nation and I feel that anyone who attended the Church pastored by Rev. Wright had to have been repeatedly exposed to that kind of rhetoric and may have those beliefs.
2016-05-22 07:57:10 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about "smartest" but to me it's the only thing that makes sense.
It takes more effort, though, than Party Sheep voting, so not everyone is willing to do it, unfortunately.
To Texas Trey - IMHO no, if you truly looked at the issues first, instead of the party affiliation.
2006-11-07 06:02:28 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not the smartest but making a decison on the issues that matter to them versus just choosing a side blindly.
2006-11-07 05:54:43 · answer #9 · answered by dundalk1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is so easy now to find out how a candidate votes that it is almost criminal to vote along party lines instead of checking out the candidate.
Even people who aren't incumbants have websites where you can find out how they stand on the issues.
2006-11-07 05:58:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋