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I have been bouncing the idea around in my head for some time now. I used to say that I voted the person, not the party. I thought that I was above the idea of party politics and that I was an "informed voter" (i.e. deciding each case on its individual issues).
Recently, I read the article mentioned in my original post and kind of made me examine my position; how I really vote.
Regardless of what I said or the pedestal I put myself on, my track record showed that I pretty much (about 90% of the time) voted party lines. Just so you know, I was a Democrat until 1998, when I changed my voter registration.
The background to the question is:
1) Do other people think the way I do?
2) Can I back up my voting record. Did I really have a reason to vote the way I did?
3) Curiousity. To see how people respond, to elicit dialogue.
As to the example, it was the first one that popped in my head, nothing deeper than that.
Anyway, the idea of the bigger picture made sense. I am never going to agree 100% with any candidate. However, historically, a Democrat politician will mostly vote to the left and a Republican politician will mostly vote to the right. My ideology is more in tune, now, with the right, so by voting party lines, I run a greater chance of getting my "side" advanced.
It was not an attempt at coyness; I didn't want my beliefs to be the subject. I knew my beliefs would come out at some time (like right now), but I didn't want a bunch of inane comments about me. I honestly wanted to know if there are other people that believe in the ideology of "Party Trumping Person".
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"Life is a jest and all things show it
I thought so once, but now I know it"
John Gay
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