Why don't we stop voting for parties and start voting for candidates?

Question

We we're founded on a nonpartisan form of government. (ie George Washington curse) I am neither Democrat or Republican, I am simply American.
"They serve to Organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force--to put in the place of the delegated will of the Nation, the will of a party; often a small but artful and enterprizing minority of the Community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public Administration the Mirror of the ill concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the Organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common councils and modefied by mutual interests. However combinations or Associations of the above description may now & then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the Power of the People, & to usurp for themselves the reins of Government..."
http://mysite.verizon.net/aahpat/pol/gw.htm

Answer 1

Ive been doing it for a long time , that's why I'm voting for Ron Paul even though I'm a libertarian and he is a republican

Answer 2

The only hangup I have is that a vote for a Tea Party member could take a vote away from a Republican. The Tea Party and Republicans are more in step with each others ideals than Democrats and the Tea Party. I don't want TP and R's sharing votes with each other, this could lead to another Democratic win.

Answer 3

Why don't people like you dedicate yourself to one of the major parties and work toward reforming it. Right now the right wing or Conservative Wing of the Republican Party has created a monster by combining fundamentalist Christians and economic cheap-skates to make a far right Party that has no regard for the political center in America.
Rove and Bush with many friends called Neo-Con's ran the American people like warring parties and tried to destroy the Democratic Party. But it backfired! Not without great pain for the Country as a whole however.
The Iraq War is killing America right now because there is no way to win the War and the right is still strong enough to stop any efforts to actually reform our effort in Iraq.
For example, Bush and the Neo-Con's have hated the United Nations from the beginning of the Bush assault on our Constitution and our reputation in the World as an honest broker and guardian of Civil Rights in the World.
The despoiling of the Geneva Convention rules of Warfare and Conduct during Warfare by the Bush Administration is going to stain America until all the Executive Department illegal activity is exposed and whipped off and out of the Laws that govern America.

Answer 4

This crackpot idea of voting for the individual would be a disaster. You would very soon have a political system much like the current Italian system, many parties, none a majority. Only when you form a coalition can you do anything. The problem is now that voters do not punish parties for bad government. If next year the Publicans are punished for the sins of Georgie then the system will have worked.

This country is huge with great diversity of people and regions. The only way to bring enough leaders together is to have political parties.

George Washington was a great man but he had no clue what the U.S. would become. If he were to return he would not recognize 300,000.000 people. An economy in the trillions, the huge cities and vast farms and businesses. We cannot be taking advice from him, great as he was, he has little relevance.

Answer 5

I vote for the politician that comes closest to my political viewpoint and who I think is capable of doing the job. Since I am a conservative then most of the time I vote Republican. Not because I am on board with team Republican but because they usu sally have a right wing prospective.

Because the Democrats usually support liberal ideas it is certainly understandble that libelras would vote Democratic most of the time.

It is common sense not a conspiracy.

I have voted for two Democrats at the State level; Brad Henry for govenor he ran against an excellent Republican but he had already done such a great job I could not vote him out. I voted for David Walters because I could not put a check by Henry Bellmons name, no matter his party.

Answer 6

Most of us DO vote for the candidate, not the party. It just happens that the candidate is saying the same thing as the party is saying.

I'd like to know everything about every single candidate for every single office, but there are too many. For the few I don't know about, I will vote along party line because the candidate supposedly shares my basic views.

That's the beauty about voting in America. I can vote for someone on the basis that I THINK he wears pink socks, even if he doesn't.

It must work pretty well, because we have the longest running current form of government in the world, and we're the wealthest society in the world.

Answer 7

I don't know exactly why this is, but issues and party affiliation didn't always line up quite so closely as they do now. Perhaps now people just like to have a general idea of the issues a candidate probably stands for so that they don't have to look into the actual person.

As for me, I believe that this country and progress in general in the world is bigger than both party and individual. Thus, I vote based on a candidate's ethics and issues, not his or her party. Because of that, it just so happens that I have lately been finding myself voting straight-ticket democrat because the neocons and fascists are in power in the Republican party.

Answer 8

That is from George Washingtons farewell address in 1796, and he was NOT in favor of parties. If you note, what has happened is exactly what he predicted over 200 years ago!

"It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble
the public administration. It agitates the community with
illfounded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity
of one part against another; foments occasionally riot and
insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and
corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government
itself through the channels of party passion. Thus the policy
and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and
will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful
checks upon the administration of government, and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is
probably true; and in governments of a monarchial cast
patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon
the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in
governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose; and there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a
free country should inspire caution in those intrusted with
its administration to confine themselves within their
respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise
of the powers of one department to encroach upon another.
The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers
of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever
the form of government, a real despotism." GW

A real despotism is what we do have!.

Answer 9

I'll go you one better, how about this:

The government was supposed to be of, for, and by the people, so why not run it like jury duty and the draft? You take ordinary citizens, (in this case those who are over 21 and on the existing voter roles, ( - hey if they do not want to participate in their own goverance. . ), and they go into a pool, and every two years we "draft" enough citizens (and alternates), to serve as our senators and representatives, (10% of the previous terms senators and representatives will remain to serve as advisors on Protocol and Roberts Rules of Order during the 2 year session for which the new draftees will serve).

Prior to begining service the draftees will be vette'ed and screened, and those fit to serve will be chosen, those unfit will be excused, (Criteria for exclusion of service will be set by the congress. and approved by popular vote. Term of Service. Congress will be in session full time except for Sat, Sun. & Mondays of each Week, all Federal Holidays, 2 weeks at Christmas, One week at Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day, plus 2 weeks in Mid February, and the first 2 weeks in June.

Junkets & Trips for individual Senators and Congressmen must be reviewed and approved by the full senate, and congress, and only with fully and complete agendas submitted for approval before hand.

There will be 104 senators and 104 representatives, and no electorial college.

While we are at it the IRS will be disassembled. The Federal Income Tax and State Tax will be set at 4% and 3% respectively, and both Federal and State Governments will NOT operate on deficiet Budgets. Each Year the State and Federal Budgets shall return a minimum 2% to the coffers of the state & federal General Funds.

As a part of the legislative agenda, every year until the books are cleaned, 4 months of the 2 year session will be set aside for congress to repeal and void old laws still on the books - which allow criminals to use arcane and out of date statutes to avoid /escape prosecution. The death penalty will be reinstated in all states, and retained at the federal level. Capital crimes will be limited to 2 appeals and death sentence appeals cases shall be tried and sentances carried out with in 2 years of original sentancing.

All State & Federal Employees shall be on the same Social Security Programs as the rest of us, no more "Special" programs and Pension set ups. No more retiring on full pay for life.

Federal Judges shall be elected by popular vote by 1 representative from each State Supreme Court. Any State may submit one Candidate.

Well that's enough of this fantasy, thanks for the fun ; ; ; good luck.

Answer 10

I always do vote for the candidate. The problem with the dems is that the entire party seems to have been hijacked by a radical socialist agenda.

Until 2004 I never voted party line, but in 2004 and 2006 I could not find one democrat that I could vote for. I used to vote primarily democrat, and as Reagan said, I never left the democratic party, the democratic party left me.