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Post by andrea1994barney on Apr 12, 2010 6:09:43 GMT -5
Okay so this is my discussion for the week: Politics
so are you a republican, a democrat, independent or none.
And why?
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Engesa Green once more
Meteor
Once upon a time there was a suggestion that we should all write our names on our profile. I'm Ebbe.
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Post by Engesa Green once more on Apr 12, 2010 8:35:15 GMT -5
I think we should widen this to : liberal, conservative, socialist. and not just the amarican parties...
I consider myself quite liberal with the exception that everyone is entitled to have chances for a good life. that everyone is entitled to a good life is in my head essential for being liberal since everyone should have the same chances according to liberal belief. this results in the state needing to give everyone free healthcare and free education. that is what i think.
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Post by zAkAtAk on Apr 12, 2010 8:39:18 GMT -5
Liberal Democrat.
I only say that because every single survey I have taken has given me this response. Political parties are dumb.
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Nakor
Star
Non-Prophet
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Post by Nakor on Apr 12, 2010 11:23:37 GMT -5
None of the above. I've noticed that when you ask the average US citizen their political affiliation they will tend to answer with either democrat or republican (or alternatively either liberal or conservative). I haven't posed the question to enough people to get a solid, accurate number of any sort, but it seems to be a majority who pick one or the other. After all, it only makes sense, right?
Up here in Canada -- or at least here in BC where I am -- it's totally different. Ask a hundred random people their political affiliation and you're likely to get a resounding "none of them!" The fact is the majority of Canada thinks ill of all the major parties, and generally doesn't want to be associated with them lol.
Yet, I think this is healthy for the political climate. You see, it means that none of the parties has a guaranteed political base. There is no guaranteed 40% for each side, with 20% of regions acting as the swing vote; most of the country is a swing vote, and so the politicians are required to act in such a fashion that they can earn the entire country's vote, not just those areas that become important. In short, Canada has no 'red state/blue state' phenomenon. (Then again each electoral district votes seperately... we don't force the entire province to vote the same way like the US does. I always thought that was silly; if a state has 6 votes, then split it into six electoral regions by population, and let each vote their rep in.)
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Post by andrea1994barney on Apr 12, 2010 15:26:53 GMT -5
Liberal Democrat. I only say that because every single survey I have taken has given me this response. Political parties are dumb. Those surveys are dumb. But couldn't agree with you more, when someone asks me I tell them I'm with the Andrea party. What I mean is not all Democrats see in the exact same way, same for republicans, and whatever other parties their are.  |
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Post by andrea1994barney on Apr 12, 2010 15:30:33 GMT -5
None of the above. I've noticed that when you ask the average US citizen their political affiliation they will tend to answer with either democrat or republican (or alternatively either liberal or conservative). I haven't posed the question to enough people to get a solid, accurate number of any sort, but it seems to be a majority who pick one or the other. After all, it only makes sense, right? Up here in Canada -- or at least here in BC where I am -- it's totally different. Ask a hundred random people their political affiliation and you're likely to get a resounding "none of them!" The fact is the majority of Canada thinks ill of all the major parties, and generally doesn't want to be associated with them lol. Yet, I think this is healthy for the political climate. You see, it means that none of the parties has a guaranteed political base. There is no guaranteed 40% for each side, with 20% of regions acting as the swing vote; most of the country is a swing vote, and so the politicians are required to act in such a fashion that they can earn the entire country's vote, not just those areas that become important. In short, Canada has no 'red state/blue state' phenomenon. (Then again each electoral district votes seperately... we don't force the entire province to vote the same way like the US does. I always thought that was silly; if a state has 6 votes, then split it into six electoral regions by population, and let each vote their rep in.) I'm pretty sure it is because your provinces are way bigger than our states, if they did that it wouldn't make much of a difference. i don't like the electoral college at all, people have won popualr vote but have lost the election because of the electoral college. I'm an American and don't choose a party, just because I think it is stupid. |
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bleabot
Moon
Set phazors to dance, Mr. Warf.
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Post by bleabot on Apr 12, 2010 15:36:37 GMT -5
I'm economically liberal. I'm socially liberal for the most part, but there are just a few issues that I'm pretty conservative on.
As for parties, I usually don't affiliate myself with any party because the party system is ridiculous. Two parties (well, you can always have a Green or independent run, but they never win...)? Not right at all.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2010 16:31:21 GMT -5
well, the election test last year told me, based on 50 questions, to vote for the party called SLP, which means Social Liberal Party.
So yeah, that's kind of contradictory, but I did vote for them, as I believe they are the middle road, which is in my mind the best.
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Post by andrea1994barney on Apr 13, 2010 21:05:00 GMT -5
well, the election test last year told me, based on 50 questions, to vote for the party called SLP, which means Social Liberal Party. So yeah, that's kind of contradictory, but I did vote for them, as I believe they are the middle road, which is in my mind the best. Don't think that i have ever heard of that before. |
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Nakor
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Post by Nakor on Apr 14, 2010 1:10:36 GMT -5
That's probably a big part of it, but I still think it would be a good change for America to take. A 51/49 split in a state with 6 votes shouldn't be a guarantee to win all 6 votes. I know popular vote is an ineffective way to split it, but making the votes individual by region (by population) is an improvement.
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Post by andrea1994barney on Apr 14, 2010 6:32:17 GMT -5
Well generally if a person wins a state it isn't close. Like California is pretty much full of actors and famous people and most people living there are Democrats, the kind that only vote Democrat no matter what so everyone pretty much knows who is going to win Cali. That is one of the reasons parties are dumb, I mean they re good for organization but people don't realize not all democrats think the same way as eachother, same for all parties known to man. This is why I don't claimto be part of any party. The voting system will be crap until people realize these things, Obama got alot of votes just because people didn't like Bush so they voted Democrat which is stupid.
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Post by Rob on Apr 14, 2010 7:28:50 GMT -5
I'm a registered Democrat but I vote solely based on individual issues. I chose Democrat because most of my stances on the issues line up with theirs (and I wanted to vote in the primaries). I won't only vote Democrat in the end if I disagree with things, though.
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Post by Lex on Apr 14, 2010 12:35:02 GMT -5
Liberal Democrat.
I usually side with the Liberal or NDP parties here in Canada. Not old enough to vote yet, just old enough to voice my opinion to those that can.
Keeping in mind that in Canada, our Conservative party is more of centrist leaning slightly right, whereas our Liberal party is centrist leaning slightly left. Our NDP strongly leans left. In comparison, the American Republican Party is insanely right-wing and the Democratic Party is more of centrist.
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Nakor
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Post by Nakor on Apr 14, 2010 14:00:32 GMT -5
Well generally if a person wins a state it isn't close. Like California is pretty much full of actors and famous people and most people living there are Democrats, the kind that only vote Democrat no matter what so everyone pretty much knows who is going to win Cali. That is one of the reasons parties are dumb, I mean they re good for organization but people don't realize not all democrats think the same way as eachother, same for all parties known to man. This is why I don't claimto be part of any party. The voting system will be crap until people realize these things, Obama got alot of votes just because people didn't like Bush so they voted Democrat which is stupid. That's the perfect example of the other half of my argument on political health -- why people should not be affiliated with a party, unless of course they're actually active within the party. There's no need for anyone to answer "I'm a democrat" or "I'm a republican." The best answer is "We'll see which side seems best (or least terrible) when the next election rolls around." Canada's multiple party system has a bit of an edge there too. I can admittedly understand the Bush hating, which of course led to the dem's victory. When Canada wanted the Liberals out -- and now -- the conservatives got a lot of those votes, but some went to the NDP and Bloc and resulted in a minority government. So unlike in the states where Republican hatred resulted in an extreme Democrat victory, Liberal hatred in Canada split the government four ways, and now parties have to meet in the middle to an extent to get policy through. |
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TheIslander
Planet
From a Land Surrounded by Sea.
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Post by TheIslander on Apr 14, 2010 16:40:51 GMT -5
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Post by andrea1994barney on Apr 14, 2010 17:03:45 GMT -5
I'm a registered Democrat but I vote solely based on individual issues. I chose Democrat because most of my stances on the issues line up with theirs (and I wanted to vote in the primaries). I won't only vote Democrat in the end if I disagree with things, though. Yeah, my parents registered Democrat so they could vote in the Primaries. When I turn 18 I'm not sure what I will register as, do you have to be part of a party? |
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Post by Lex on Apr 14, 2010 17:13:03 GMT -5
I'm a registered Democrat but I vote solely based on individual issues. I chose Democrat because most of my stances on the issues line up with theirs (and I wanted to vote in the primaries). I won't only vote Democrat in the end if I disagree with things, though. Yeah, my parents registered Democrat so they could vote in the Primaries. When I turn 18 I'm not sure what I will register as, do you have to be part of a party? No. |
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Post by stephen5000 on Apr 14, 2010 20:22:57 GMT -5
That seems weird to me how most people in the U.S. register to belong to a particular party, especially due to the general lack of major parties. Once you "belong" to a certain party, I would think that some people have (mental) difficulty voting against that party.
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Post by andrea1994barney on Apr 14, 2010 20:59:31 GMT -5
That seems weird to me how most people in the U.S. register to belong to a particular party, especially do to the general lack of major parties. Once you "belong" to a certain party, I would think that some people have (mental) difficulty voting against that party. Haha not really, when ou register for Democrat, Republican, or whatever you have to vote in their prmary, Democrats usuallly have more canidates. That is why most people register Democrat so they have influence on who they really don't want to gt elected, then in the main election they vote for whoever. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2010 8:03:38 GMT -5
well, the election test last year told me, based on 50 questions, to vote for the party called SLP, which means Social Liberal Party. So yeah, that's kind of contradictory, but I did vote for them, as I believe they are the middle road, which is in my mind the best. Don't think that i have ever heard of that before. Probably because I live in Belgium, not the US  As for the US system, I think the problem is that you have these two big sides, democrat and republican. This doesn't allow for new ideas, new movements or radical ideas, which are very important imo. And it also leads to the fact that anything Democrats say will be shat upon by Republicans and vice versa. |
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