Republican or Democrat?

[PJ]

If someone asked me which party I affiliated with my answer would be: neither one. I’m not a republican, democrat, libertarian, tea partier, independent or any other label. What I AM…is an American. I don’t need labels to justify my thoughts on politics nor do I need to be affiliated (and hang out with) some club so we can drive votes for someone with the right initial behind their name. In fact I believe that from a generic, high level perspective republicans and democrats ARE MORE ALIKE than they are different. Sure they publicly bicker over key polarizing items which helps to keep the populace divided but at the end of the day consider this:

They all work for the same company

They all work in the same building

All of their kids go to the same private schools

They probably all get funding from similar donors / groups

They all golf at the same courses

They all value one thing: re-election

I could go on and on but when I see someone who only parrots what they see on (Fox or MSNBC) who without question faithfully toes the (Repub or Dem) party line, complete with associated talking points…I tend to wonder how much of their own thought they truly put into any controversial issue.

“Liberalism is a disease!”

“Big oil, big banks and no social justice!”

[The Maj]

I always answer, “I am a VOTER”.

Of course, I am certain that anyone that reads much from my angle on anything political, will garner that I am reasonably conservative in my views and in many cases, I will be labeled a Republican. That is akin to hearing my southern accent and labeling me a racist, IMHO. In a lot of ways, I am a Libertarian and even in some, I am a Democrat when folks start affixing labels.

I vote, I vote informed and I vote for the person that most closely represents me and my views. It does not matter if it is a race for Dog Catcher or President, I tend to find out what the person is all about before I cast my vote. The problem I am finding more and more is “none of the above” is the better option in most cases.

All I ask from my government is to be left the hell alone to live my life the way I see fit. As long as I am not infringing on someone’s rights, is that too much to ask?

[PJ]

Here’s what I don’t get.

“you need to vote for X candidate so Y candidate doesn’t get elected.”

Essentially meaning that even if you don’t care for (McCain or Romney) you should vote for them anyways just so O doesn’t win.

Sorry…doesn’t work like that. Ron Paul might not stand a chance, but he’d get my vote before Romney any day of the week.

Republicrats….that’s what I call them. More alike than different.

[Muleskinner]

With the choices or lack of choices of who to vote for is it so wrong to not vote?

[Brandon]

I’m conservative, though I don’t agree with Republicans on everything. I’m pretty much like you, Maj, in that I think the government needs to stay out of people lives, except when absolutely necessary.

PJ,

I disagree with you a bit about voting for someone who has no chance to win. I understand your thinking, but I take into account a person’s chance to win, simply because I’ll take crappy over terrible, any day of the week. But that’s just a personal choice, of course.

[PJ]

Brandon.

I’m no uber conspiracy theorist but ponder this. What if the candidates are pre-selected before the elections even begin…and what if the outcome is also already known despite any “voting” that takes place?

Things that make you go hmmmm…………

Not saying that does happen but what assurances do we have that our votes really count for anything at all? We just accept whatever information that is published as fact and go about our merry way.

[Brandon]

That is a good point, PJ. But votes are counted and reported via district, so you’d have to have a LOT of people involved in order to pull off something like that.

[PJ]

Not really. If you have two candidates who are selected to run against each other, one with an R and one with a D, who are more alike than different and who will advance the agenda forward…

The election truly has been decided before the first vote was cast. It doesn’t matter who of the two candidates wins because they will both play ball. This is known in advance because the only way you’ll get the endorsement to run is with major amounts of cash and major promises made. And yet the American people still fall for the “I’m for the middle class!” kissing babies and rolling the sleeves up propaganda every 4 years.

[Brandon]

That’s true. But I’m not sure that Republicans and Democrats are the same. For example, if a republican was in the White House, we wouldn’t have socialized healthcare. And that’s a huge issue.

There have been some issues where Obama said he was going to take the liberal stance, like closing Gitmo, and then he decided against it. But I personally don’t think he flip-flopped because Republicans and Democrats are all the same; I think that once he was privy to inside information (after becoming president), he realized that there were valid reasons why the previous administration had done certain things.

[PJ]

Totally agree that there are some differences, but like I said overall I feel as if (my opinion only) that they are playing for the same team. People scream about intrusions on our privacy, most of which started with Bush Jr….

Had Romney been elected I’m not sure if we would be much better off than we are now. Didn’t he have Romneycare in his home state and support gun control? Of course he had a bunch of stuff which he wanted to accomplish but so does every President, and then they get in office and realize they might as well be trying to tow a bulldozer with a tricycle.

Bottom line: Let me live MY LIFE without the intrusion of gov’t.

[Echo5Charlie]

I do not give my vote to either party. Usually, if you have been in office I vote against you. After the last couple years though I can’t see ever voting for a Democrat for anything.

Any job you pay 800 million dollars to get and it pays 450,000 a year, your currupt.

McCain was no different really so the point is made, what choice was there? One big government candidate to bail out banks or another big government candidate to bail out banks.

Romney couldn’t stand against aca because he started Romney care at the state level. Again, no real choice.

Brandon President Obama has flip flopped on almost everything he said as candidate. “going to repeal the Patriot act” yet he extended it…and furthered it with Ndaa.
Rollin back unwarranted wire tapping yet the nsa is monitoring us now more than ever.
“We are going to pay as we go, not run up debts for the future generations.” Ha
“I’ll bring the troops home on day one as President”
“Premiums will go down 2500” up an average of 5000
If you like your Dr…Ha
if you like your current plan…Ha
We are going to insure 46 million more Americans. Less people now have insurance.
The list goes on and on. If you liked him as a candidate based on platform you have to dislike his performance as president.

[Muleskinner]

Echo5Charlie:

Bingo! Right on the money.

[Brandon]

PJ,

I completely agree with you and the Maj, government needs to stay out of people’s lives.

Echo5,

Yes, that’s all true. I personally think that all the things he said, pre-election, sounded good to him, but when he actually got into office and was privy to more info, he found out that he had no idea what he was talking about, and all his pre-election ideas were terrible.

[Echo5Charlie]

Brandon,

I hear what your saying. With respect to the naivety of President Obamas promises he was either naive on over 150 major policy issues or he has a different philosophy than he let on. Does he differ from his party? They seem to be lock step with him, from Reid, Pelosi, Biden, Feinstein and the majority of the Senate.
Is the whole party naive?

Do all of their pushes live up to guarding the peoples liberty? Or do they think that the government has all the answers?

Seems to me a lot of dems and Repubs think the federal government is the answer. That is how they are alike, Bush started bailouts and the Patriot act, Obama furthered both. Chalk it up to naivety, but to me it seems like we get the same oppressive policies no matter which party is in office.

I am one to not want anything from the federal government. The best campaign promise I could hear would be, “I will ensure you are free to live your life unobstructed by the federal government. Free from search, free from seizure, free to worship how you want, free to work how you want and free to spend your money the way you want.”

But that’s just me.

[Brandon]

Echo5,

I’ve gotten the opinion over the last several years that a lot of democrats (especially the really liberal ones) aren’t too happy with the way Obama has done things, they just know that to openly criticize him weakens them as a whole.

I’m totally with you on the federal government butting out of our lives. It seems most of us here agree on that.

[Author]

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