would you feel like a traitor if you voted against your party?

[Dancing Fire]

 

[diamondfan]

no, because I am not a dyed in wool anything I vote for people and issues not a party.

 

[partgypsy]

My allegiance is to my country above any political party. So, I would vote for the candidate that best serves the country. So no, I wouldn''t consider myself a traitor (to my country). I am a registered Democrat, but have at times voted for Republican candidates for local office, mainly for reasons I thought they were either more experienced or better at handling money issues than the alternative candidate. Plus big issues like going to war, abortion, etc are not decided at the local level.

 

[HollyS]

Of course I wouldn''t feel like a traitor. . . to my country or to ''my party''. First of all, the Republican party is not ''my party''. I vote for people; I vote on issues; I would never go to the polls and pull that one lever that casts my vote for everyone running as a Republican. And I have a problem as well with ''yellow dog'' Democrats that would vote their party regardless of who''s running for which office. It means you''re not capable of thinking the whole process through, and perhaps you shouldn''t vote at all.

I may be known as a Republican on these threads, but I''ve voted for Democrats many times. And cast my vote in Democratic primaries for people I wanted to see make it to the fall''s general election, because they deserved to be the candidate left standing for their party. Not every Democrat is a socialist in diguise, just as every Republican isn''t a member of the religious right. We have far too many stereotypes associated with both parties on these threads.

 

[purrfectpear]

The only reason most of us have a "party" is because the voting system says we have to register as something.

I think the percentage of people who vote a straight party ticket is quite small (thank goodness)

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I think that if you vote solely along party lines, you aren''t using your own brain. Those who think for themselves can''t possibly agree with every single thing one party stands for.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 9/15/2008 7:37:48 AM
Author: part gypsy
My allegiance is to my country above any political party. So, I would vote for the candidate that best serves the country. So no, I wouldn't consider myself a traitor (to my country).

Ditto!!!


Is that how you are feeling Dancing Fire??

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 9/15/2008 9:51:51 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 9/15/2008 7:37:48 AM
Author: part gypsy
My allegiance is to my country above any political party. So, I would vote for the candidate that best serves the country. So no, I wouldn''t consider myself a traitor (to my country).

Ditto!!!


Is that how you are feeling Dancing Fire??

i don''t need to vote cuz Ca had already been decided.

 

[partgypsy]

North Carolina is a pretty strong red state but I''m still voting. Plus there are other races besides the president to vote on.

 

[miraclesrule]

I dont'' belong to a party...and I like that just fine. I will vote against a party this year.

 

[starsapphire]

No, I vote person, not party.

 

[LaraOnline]

It seems from casually observing US politics (admittedly from a very long distance) that many ''ordinary'' people enlist themselves with a particular party, even from a very young age...?
Is this an aspect of your enrolling to vote, do the major parties go on ''enrollment drives'' to enroll voters on their behalf?
Admittedly, Australian culture is morbidly casual, about pretty much everything. We have a strong culture of voting, because it is basically compulsory, and I happen to think that in practical terms, that is a pretty good thing.

If we enlist ourselves in ''team colours'', it is a private thing, and completely informal, so if voting time comes and you decide that last term''s favourites are now turkeys, you just vote differently in the privacy of your booth.

Politics is pretty private over here, it is not so common for friends to announce their partisanship (which could be short-lived).
I don''t even ask directly how my husband votes, for example.
Political discussions, similarly, are quite likely to be veiled in an at least the appearance of non-partisanship.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 9/22/2008 7:48:57 AM
Author: LaraOnline
It seems from casually observing US politics (admittedly from a very long distance) that many ''ordinary'' people enlist themselves with a particular party, even from a very young age...?
Is this an aspect of your enrolling to vote, do the major parties go on ''enrollment drives'' to enroll voters on their behalf?
Admittedly, Australian culture is morbidly casual, about pretty much everything. We have a strong culture of voting, because it is basically compulsory, and I happen to think that in practical terms, that is a pretty good thing.

If we enlist ourselves in ''team colours'', it is a private thing, and completely informal, so if voting time comes and you decide that last term''s favourites are now turkeys, you just vote differently in the privacy of your booth.

Politics is pretty private over here, it is not so common for friends to announce their partisanship (which could be short-lived).
I don''t even ask directly how my husband votes, for example.
Political discussions, similarly, are quite likely to be veiled in an at least the appearance of non-partisanship.

Politics in the US has become an increasingly "team" thing in the last 20 years or so. There is much rancor on both sides. It''s due to a lot of things. Part I think, comes from a culture that has an increasingly shorter attention span and doesn''t want to make the effort to understand the nuances of an issue. Hence the continual shortening of political ads to the level of incendiary sound bytes. Also, fewer people actually read anymore, so what news they get is from foul-mouthed incendiary talk show hosts - of both stripes. And add in a good whopping dose of intolerant religion (trust me, if you''ve not lived here, and Australia is as casual as you say, you have no idea how divisive a force religion can be, especially in smaller communities(example)) and the other side, alarmed at the increase in dogma driving policy, digs in their heels.

It''s ugly and I don''t see a way out. Of any of it.

 

[LaraOnline]

Hmmm, interesting.

Australian culture is, for the most part, aridly secular. It does lead to some social problems - teen suicide, apparently, is among the highest levels of any country in the world. Young people seem to struggle with the lack of social structure, and the Australian majority seems to grapple for 'meaning' via privately held social convictions such as environmentalism.
However, any form of social organisation, including interest groups and political groups, are pretty much marginal in mainstream society.

The US, (in my mind) seems to have a much more motivated social landscape, somewhat populated by common-interest groups, whether that be political or social.

There seems more interest in all types of social organisation in the US, including more general support for the concept of marriage.

Very few people join a political group here, unless perhaps they are hoping for a political career. That seems a reflection of broader Australian social habits, as organisation or committees of any type are usually avoided.

I would like to say this comes from some kind of political mindset - perhaps a capitalist-type belief in the power of the individual to make a mark. But generally we seem apathetic to success, preferring a leisure time of television and limited socialising to earnest endeavour. Sports is a possible exception to this rule.

Of the organisations that do form, it is probably not surprising that they tend to reflect more generally left wing values. (ie 'pro-socialist-type' policies).

We have developed quite a welfare tradition since WW2, and the headline in today's paper is that one in four Australian families do not pay any net tax!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Nope, vote for the person and issues, not for the party specifically. Not technically a member of any party.

 

[Haven]

I would feel like a traitor if I voted against my better judgment.

I pledge my allegiance to the better candidate. Period.