Why you should for the Party rather than the candidate.?

Question

Everyone always says not to vote for your party, but rather for the candidate, but I don't agree with that idea. Firstly, that is what political parties are for, to differentiate candidates into groups based on similar ideals and opinions. So whatever party you are affiliated with is likely the one who's candidates you'll agree with the most. However, I'm a Republican and let's say for whatever reason there is a Democrat that I like more so than any of the Republicans in the race. I would still vote for a Republican candidate that I like less than the Democrat, because the Democrat that I like would likely have liberal cabinet members, sign liberal bills from Congress, appoint liberal government officials, Justices and so on. Now I may like that particular Democrat, but as a whole, I disagree with the Democratic Party’s ideals. Because I voted for a candidate that I like rather than the Republican that I like, I am stuck with a large part of the government that I do NOT like. And Congress and the Supreme Court have much more power than the President does. When you vote for a Presidential candidate, you are voting for more than just a President. That is why I tell people to and why I defend voting for your party, not the candidate.

Answer 1

Nobody should ever put the party as a priority before the candidate being voted for.

Of course, since republicans are nobodies, that's what they've been doing.

Answer 2

I sort of agree with you (but from the other side). I look at the GOP and I don't like any of their stands: the war, the huge tax cuts for the wealthy, the criminal ignorance about the environment, abortion, blah, blah, blah...Anyway, you get the idea. But there are some folks in the GOP I would consider: McCain has always seems to be a guy who would reach across the aisle to get something good done for the country; Arnie seems far more like a Democrat than a Republican; Rudy... perhaps.
But yes, like you, generally I vote straight Democratic Party. And have for 36 years. I have only voted once for a Republican and that was in 1976 when, for the GOP primary, I switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP to vote against Ronald Reagan in the North Carolina primary. He was running against Ford and I voted for Ford. The day after the election, I switched back. (Reagan became a decent president. So what do I know?)

Answer 3

In theory, you have a good point.

However, our forefathers NEVER intended the country to have 2 political parties. Thier intention was for a balanced democracy which included many parties.

The reality in this day and age is that without funding from either the Dems or the Pubs, a candidate has little chance of success. Our system is so polluted by special interest money that the difference between the two parties grows less and less everyday.

When elections roll around, all the cantidates talk about new ideas and reforms to the current laws. Thier rhetoric is meaningless.

A true American wouldn't support EITHER party, until they can agree on reforming the payoff system from lobbyists. Until that happens, no American citizen is being fairly represented.

Answer 4

I tend to vote along party lines, also. Sometimes, in local races, they won't even have a Republican candidate. Oops. I'm Republican, too. I don't usually announce it to the world. Anyhow, I also would vote Republican regardless of what any of the Democrats have to say. The Democratic Party supports many ideas that I find repulsive, so I would have to vote Republican 1. to be loyal to my party, and 2. to be loyal to my ideals. A vote against Democrats is a vote against what they stand for, in my opinion. So, I agree. I think a vote for the other party would encourage them to continue down the road they are on.

PS this isn't to you...If anyone has a problem with what I said here, please let the Asker know. If you send me threatening and angry emails, how will the Asker know you don't share the same view?

Answer 5

As shown by most of the above answers, most people do not understand how legislatures are organized.

At the start of each legislative term, the presiding officer of the legislature is elected on a strictly party-line vote (for the most part). That presiding officer then gets to appoint the chairs of the committees. Those chairs largely control what legislation even gets to the floor. As such, the most important vote that any Representative or Senator casts is their vote for presiding officer.

It does not matter what brilliant ideas my Representative has about certain issues. If his party does not think that issue deserves a high priority, his ideas are dead in the water. Likewise, it does not matter if my Representative can barely add two plus two. If his party has good ideas, they will push those through.

People who vote for the "person" rather than the party is why all Representatives are able to shift the blame for the failure to get anything done in D.C. (or in state government) as it is always the fault of the other Representatives. When you vote based on party, you can hold the entire party responsible for its failures in power.

Answer 6

blind ambition is a fools endeavor

you hypothesis is sound, but the problem is with the parties of which you speak ... they are both corrupted and morphed by power, and don't follow strict party lines

not to mention they are bought and sold by lobbyists and special interest groups ... the truth is our system was never meant to be run by only 2 parties

if what you say is true GW Bush would have resembled a conservative member of the GOP ... and he has been a far cry from that ... he's acted like a neo-con liberal with a little 'god talks to me' twist

and what about the 21 democrats that crossed party lines and voted to condemn moveon.org ... quite a conservative thing to do

and whats more the GOP seems to have been hijacked by some kind of unholy alliance of big business and Christian conservatism

so put your faith in the ideal if you like ... I simply don't trust them to follow through

Answer 7

People like you got us where we are today. Lets just vote for whoever the party picks, what a stupid idea. If you are not smart enough to listen to the candidates and make your own decision as to whom you feel is most qualified to represent you, without any party influence at all, then you should not even be allowed to vote.
Blind sheep like you are what these politicians thrive on because they know you will support whoever they throw out there.
The only reason these parties still exist are so that we have another way to look at the person next to us and think of them as the enemy. this keeps the common man arguing with eachother while they never actually address the real issue of pathetic and uncaring leadership playing them like puppets.

Answer 8

I now don't vote on person because the people who hold the power in the Democratic Party are the ones I hate. Nobody who belongs to that party can no longer have my respect or my vote.

Answer 9

Someone call a shepard. I mean come on, you agree with a different candidate but still choose your party? The only person you are betraying is yourself, just because a candidate is from the same party doesn't mean they are going to support all the ideas of that party.

Answer 10

You are part of the problem if you believe these idiots from the major parties (Dem/Repub) are working on your behalf. What has happened to social security money, why does the national debt growing... Keep voting for the "Party" and you will have to prove you have health insurance before you can be hired! At least, the very least....think about it!