Party Difference
 

Question for those on both sides of the border...
Do you feel that politcal parties have lost their defining features, that set them apart years ago. Is it time for new pariies and new titles ?

I don't think it's so much that they've lost their defining features as it is that they've become so narrow that there is no room for any healthy disagreement between members of a party.

I could start calling a potato an apple, but that's not going to change how it tastes.

i dont think a 3rd party will sprout up anytime soon.

the 2 party system is very very very deeply entrenched and both parties will fight any attempt to change the status quo.

look at the committe assigment system in congress as an example of this entrenchment.

the system definatly could use an overhaul! recently, here in Canada, there was a party vote to take place and anyone from the party who voted against the issue was to be expelled from said party. where is the democracy in that and forget about representing the people who elected you. If a system fails to perform it's stated or intended function lets not change the function but change the system.

Hehe ... you said FUNCTION

I believe the major parties still have differences, but sometimes political expediency trumps ideology (on both sides).

Look at our last two presidents. Clinton backed down on universal healthcare, gays in the military, adopted welfare reform, things of that nature - all of which are not true to Democratic positions.

Bush, it seems, is doing just the same in reverse: he has increased non-defense discretionary spending by 18% since he took office and has not vetoed a single spending bill, according to the Cato institute - not very Republican policies.

The biggest difference these days can be seen in demographics, really. Most Christian fundamentalists and a majority of rural citizens vote Republican, while minorities (with a few exceptions like Cubans) and those in an urban setting tend to vote Democratic. The policy of the two parties usually reflects a desire to maintain their 'coalitions'.

i dunno, i think we can use a party overhaul. i tend to prefer candidates that are more opinionated and willing to say something, even if i don't agree 100% in what they're saying.

on the cover, the parties seem to have big differences. i read the platforms for 2000 recently, there's some scary shit in both, but it's all marketing. in practice there don't seem to be many differences at all.

Interesting that you should bring this up.

In the latest "Limbaugh Letter" (Rush's newsletter, quite entertaining), the title article is "Whatever happened to limited government?" and he hammers on Republicans that are voting for "Big Government" programs. A funny quote from the article:

I think he hits the nail on the head. By attempting to look more "compassionate" than Democrats, Republicans are in fact becoming Democrats. In an effort to look less like flower-power tree-huggers, Democrats are becoming Republicans. They're both meeting in the middle and becoming the "Let's Just Keep Ourselves in Office" party. The need for a legitimate third-party (or second party, to the Republicrats) is becoming much greater.

Hmm. Interesting. I don't know how I feel on this. I guess because I am very far to the left I have a problem with the two parties meeting in the middle but if they do it right, wouldn't it be better for the country. You know, compromising. I mean, Rush sounds like he is saying it is our way or no way! Which I would love it to be my way or no way but really that isn't helping.

Most mainstream political parties in the western world have been taken over by managerial types and corporate bean counters with cattle prods watching to zap into line any surviving ideologues who say anything the least bit inspiring.

All else is spin..

The difference is "We're Right .They're Wrong"

holy shit! rush is channeling garofalo! i swear to god i heard her say the exact same thing on an interview one time. the world is a strange place.

Both parties have lost touch with the people they are supposed to represent. It's all about buying votes by blocks of people. Pork Barrel spending in districts discounting the taxpayers hard earned dollar. It's all about getting re-elected and nothing about the business that needs to be attended to. God Damn Hypocrites.

Both parties are playing to the middle to get elected but while in office they are enacting some of their more conservative or more liberal policies. Kind of slipping things by when they can. The thing I hate about politics right now is the absolute hatred of individuals by the supposedly politically educated.

I mean I disagree with Bill Clinton's stand on many things (not the least of which is his character) but overall I give him credit for a successful two term Presidency.

I disagree with Bush on several things but overall give him credit for taking a stand and staying dedicated to what he believes is the right course.

The insults hurled at the leaders of the "other" party are ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is that the people hurling the insults actually believe them.

We (the American people) make it too easy for politicians. They know they only have to cater to a fraction of the voters because the majority stay home on election day. So long as they garner support from their core (whether liberal or conservative) and can convince some of the fringe voters (moderate Republicans & Democrats, Independents, Greens, etc) that they're the best candidate they're in. If they had to convince the people who don't ever vote the ball game would be different.

We need to force more people to vote. No I don't mean we need to send the National Guard to their homes to walk them to the polls, but there have to be ways to get the rest of America to vote.

I think this is somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most voters don't believe their vote counts for anything so fewer of them show up on election day. The politicians see this and realize that most people don't seem to care what goes on so they focus their attention on the special interests, lobbyists, and largest donors, therefore reinforcing the average voters' belief that politicians don't care about their constituents. When a politician does show an interest in the average American, he or she is accused of pandering. It seems almost like a no-win situation for all involved. But that's how cynical we've become regarding our political process.