Democrat or Republican? Does it matter? (page 2)

Medina

The Left - Right wing paradigm is a way to distract the public from real things that matter.

Please vote Ron Paul for a Dutchman.

I am very political. Nevertheless, I cite Paul Simon in Mrs. Robinson. "going to the candidates' debate....anyway you look at it, you lose." This refrain was all I heard during the Viet Nam War. Both parties supported the war. I was active on the Dems. left wing base. We could not elect a candidate. Geo. McGovern was only nominated b/c the GOP messed with Muskie's campaign, knowing McGovern could never carry even the Dem. base. He carried Manhattan and Massachusetts.

I worked for a U.S. Senate Subcommittee and saw things in person. They are very collegial with each other off-camera. There is acknowledge of problems within their own party to members of the other party. Reading the newspapers and watching TV, you would never realize that they combine with each other without controversy for most items. Most issues are regional, rather than partisan.

Basically, this is all that American political science addresses. They believe in basically the same norms. It reminds of our Revolutionary War, which was no revolution. Prominent Americans considered themselves very blessed to be English citizens. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin wrote letters declaring their admiration for what a noble king George III was. There was nothing wrong with being a king in itself. They considered themselves to have the same rights as foks back in England. England's economy pushed a different view of America. When England decided to extract more revenue, the Americans had basically governed themselves for more than one hundred years. All they wanted was the King to listen. Even after Lexington and Concord, most members of continental Congress wanted reunification. Even after the July 4th declaration.

So a bunch of elites fought with a bunch of elites to keep their special privileges. France was quite the opposite. These people socialize together, date each other, work out at the gym, etc. They can scream at each other on CNN. I bet they share a taxi home if they live in the same neighborhood.

The key group of Independents who swing elections are the ones who keep any life in the system, IMO. Note too that we never have clear alternatives. Socialism vs. Toryism. No, it is always so bland. Basically, privately, Dems also believe what most GOPs believe and vice versa.

Judge Dread

Politics is like professional wrestling.

I said it here, before Jesse Ventura admitted it.

JDW

botchtowersociety

I'm pretty much on the Farkle page. 100%. I'd vote for him.

FirstLastName

I like what my husband told me when I first started to vote cause I had agreements and dissagreements for both sides - he said "pick your pony - which side is the least bad?"

BizzyBee

Courtesy of the Rude Pundit:

It's like having a shoplifter and a serial killer in the same room and saying, "Everyone is equally evil."

designs

Yes. There are immediate effects from one mix of the Congress or Senate in terms of what you see happening or not happening in your District. Plant closures or new Plant Buildings, Military Bases expanding or contracting, Roads and Highway construction, Planned Parenthood Offices open or closed, etc.

Hell yes Vote.

Wonderment

I use to remember the good times of the 1960s. Fuel was low priced. The amount of mortgage and rent percentage-wise per householder was much lower than it has been since then, states had enough money to cover expenses and have money left. Health premiums were low and hospital care was easy for anyone to obtain without going through a screening process for financial ableness.

Then President Reagan put deregulation at the forefront as the savior of ills, and most administrations since then have followed some of those flawed policies, resulting in the financial meltdown of 2008. Now, everyone pays more than we need to. The country is broke and sustaining wars based on credit. We all are paying for those policies, and barrels of oil are being toyed with for financial gain. The states have no money for road construction, bridge maintenance, education and health support.The judicial and the criminal system with its many prisons do not work. Immigrants have become the scapegoat of our frustrations, and most people in this country don't have the guts to do what other people of other countries often do, that is, protest loud and clear, make politicians pay for their greedy behavior and upturn policies.

We have not learned from Iceland's troubles when deregulation was implemented bringing the country down financially and otherwise.

In the financial meltdown of 2008, some of the criminals of the largest financial institutions walked away with millions and millions, and we had to bail these companies out. President Obama in his campaing talked about having those responsible for our country's financial mess pay for their criminals activities, but nothing has been done. In fact, Obama hired some of the same people responsible for this mess, back into his administration. It seems like a case where "if I can't fight them and win, I might as well join them."

Back in the 1960s, there were only a couple of hundred lobbyists in place. Nowadays the number is somewhere around 40 thousand and growing. The real name of lobbyists are bribers. And it is legal to lobby (bribe) our legislators. What a mess! It matters little whether they are democrat or republicans. They have sold out our country to corporations who would sooner pollute our land than do what it is right. The 2008 financial fiasco will happen again because nothing is being done to change the status quo. The question is not if is going to happen, but when.

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a democracy where people rule. No sir! The Fed Bank does and the Corporations behind them do. This is more of a plutocracy or oligarchy than a democracy at play. They bought Congress a long time ago, and they are not ready to relinquish power without a big fight.

Have any of you seen the movie INSIDE JOB?

bohm

jefft: " Bizzy Bee, I don't think the split on selling out the country is based on speed or percentages. The only difference is who is on the list of buyers."

..but perhaps democrats would still be the wiser choice -- you could be fairly sure they would somehow manage to f#ck up the deal ;-).

Glander

I was a registered "R" for many years. A few years ago I couldn't help but see that I was not really an "R", I was a "C" -conservative. Not a religious or social C but a fiscal, anti-big government C. Now I can narrow down what I want to vote for, understanding that I can only choose from the offered menu. I see nominally intelligent people tatooing their affiliation on their forehead and then rather than focusing on their core judgements and observations of the fluid nature of governance they simply go on auto-pilot (A lot like a drone JW). To put it briefly, some people get set in their ways and let their ego and stated positions freeze them at a point in time. This comes from basic laziness and vanity.

It's a free country, so far.

Democrat or Republican? Does it matter?