Quote:
|
Originally Posted by onesnowyowl
I'm a Democrat. Registered as a Dem when I first registered to vote back in 2000, and voted for Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. I generally vote Dem except in local elections, where I sometimes vote for the Pacific Green Party candidate. This fall I'll be supporting my local city councilor in his run for Congress (he's the Pacific Green Party candidate), largely because the Democratic incumbent, Peter DeFazio, will win by a landslide anyways.
My first question when assessing a candidate is quite simple: are they pro-choice or pro-life? I absolutely will not consider voting for a candidate who is pro-life. That is my ultimate dealbreaker.
|
Interesting post. So you have a core issue that resonates with you and strongly influences your voting. Here's a wrench in the works: What if all the candidates in a given election were pro-life including the "perfect" candidate that meets all your other criteria?
I also like voting for the 3rd party/independent types, especially in local elections. I really liked the Green guy way back in the gubernatorial elections in Cali after the recall. Can't remember his name though.
Actually, I really hope to see more and more representation by 3rd party folks all over the place in November, especially in Congress.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
I'm going to weigh in because I'm guessing it's just a matter of time now that the Canadian government will be dissolved. (It's quite embarrassing, really, what the Liberals have been doing, well, *not* doing...I won't get into it.)
I vote by party, which is most often on par with ideology and platform. I vote NDP both provincially and federally. What I find is that whenever federal leader Jack Layton criticizes either the Liberals or the Tories (or both), I think, "Hey! That's what I'm talking about! Someone's gotta set them straight; they're messing things up and dropping the ball. You tell 'em, Jack!" Or.... "Damn, Jack, I wish I thought of that! They are messing things up and dropping the ball. You tell 'em, Jack."
And then I get a little s  d, thinking, "Damn, Jack, if only you guys had a little more clout!" And so I vote for them.
I basically wish for the day that the NDP is the opposition party at the very least. That would satisfy me. That's more clout than they have now. |
Baraka, is that a Canadian thing or perhaps a Parliamentary style thing? That is, to vote your party. I get the same sense with British voters and Israeli voters.
Which opens up an interesting point: voting in the US vis-a-vis voting in other places.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by MSD
The best I can say for this election cycle is that Obama appears to have learned from the 1994 elections that gun control is political suicide. I'm fairly amicable toward his social and foreign policies, but on many issues I see from the '90s that one party in the White House and the other in Congress is ideal.
I look forward to voting for Obama/Richardson in November, but realize that if it turns out to be Obama/Clinton or something like it, that I may end up walking out of the voting booth without casting a vote for president. I cannot justify voting for McCain, and "my" party, the Libertarian party, has found the last straw by nominating Bob Barr. I don't see myself voting for anyone but Obama and a VP who is moderate or liberal (in the classical sense of the word) on gun control and immigration.
|
MSD, is the Veep a deal breaker for you? Who would you like to see with Obama other than Richardson? Are gun control and immigration your core issues like pro-choice is for onesnowyowl? Are they "non-negotiable"?