syo
Well-Known Member
The past 20 years I've voted all possible combinations, left, right, center, unknown. White, invalid. I HATE ELECTIONS, I WANT ANARCHY DAMMIT.
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Who do you vote for and why?
- Thread starter SomeRandom
- Start date
^ this
TagliatelliMonster
Veteran Member
I can't bring myself to "commit" to a single party.
First, because I don't have such a tribal mentality.
Second, because when I look at pretty much any party program (even those of the "insane" parties), I can find things I agree with and things I disagree with in just about every single one of them. So to commit to any of them, seems like it would be some kind of trivial commitment.
So whenever the time of voting comes around, first I start with an elimination process. As in, who I certainly do NOT want to see in power. I am not really dealing with parties, but with people (with 2 exceptions in the first step)
First ones out are extremists (left AND right). 2 entire parties are excluded by default here: a racist nationalist neo-nazi party and communists. But there are also individuals that meet this requirement in the "traditional" parties.
Next up, I rule out those I feel are incompetent. This group tends to be the largest. "incompetent" is quite broad in my head. It includes those whom I feel lack the necessary skills for leadership, lack the necessary academic qualifications, etc all the way to "can you imagine this person sitting down with someone like Putin, Xi Jinping or whatevs and NOT be intimidated or 'strong enough' to deal with such a situation?"
From the group that remains, which usually isn't very large, I will then do the opposite of this exercise and look at whom I feel are the most competent.
During the 24 years that I've been eligible for voting, it turns out that I always ended up in just 2 parties (of an average of around 6 in total): liberals and socialists. The last 3-4 elections, I ended up with liberals exclusively.
Bottom line is that I just want competent people who are intelligent and have a sense of self-respect and integrity, to be in power.
I don't care much which party they associate with. As long as the party isn't 1 of those 2 extremist parties - but then again that never happens, because no competent intelligent self-respecting people with a sense of integrity and dignity would associate with them.
I don't have to agree with all their opinions. The only person I would agree with on everything would be myself................
So it's not gonna happen.
The next best thing, are people who are competent, intelligent, integer, respectful and who have common sense.
My biggest problem, is that such people tend to stay away from politics
TagliatelliMonster
Veteran Member
I get that. I don't necessarily agree, but I get that.
I believe it was Plato that is said to have said once:
"Power should be given to those people who don't want it".
Or was it Muhammed? Don't remember (and not really important either).
I like that.
Indeed, those who WANT power or WANT to rule, are usually not to be trusted.
And it just so happens that in a democracy, you have to first put yourself up for election.
And why would you do that, if not because you want power?
It's kind of a conondrum.
Sand Dancer
Crazy Cat Lady
I have been left and right, and have now settled near center. I vote for whoever the most centrist person is, regardless of party. In my area of FL, GOP are pretty far right and popular, so I voted mostly Dem. I am staunchly for separation of church and state, so that does seem to leave GOP as distasteful to me.
Heyo
Veteran Member
Sedim Haba
Outa here... bye-bye!
There are ways to mitigate this. Actual term limits. Campaign spending limits. Lobbying limits.
Of course, the lifetime career politicians will never allow this. So corruption continues.
I don't vote for either major party in the US.
I feel both party's major goal is pure political power with little concern for the people.
So I vote independent or third party or not at all.
I'm in Canada (Ontario). Generally, I support the NDP, mainly because in my particular riding, they stand the best chance of defeating the Conservatives.
Most elections, I would be happy to vote for the Liberals or Greens instead (and have done so in past elections when I lived in other places). I can live with pretty much any left wing or centre-left party, so my the alignment with and support of the NDP is purely strategic.
(Though I'm annoyed with our first-past-the-post system that necessitates strategic voting like this)
If I felt freer to just pick the party that most closely aligns with my views, I would still probably support the NDP. Policy-wise, the Greens are also pretty close to my positions, but - at least federally - the party's senior leadership has struck me as kind of useless and incompetent since Elizabeth May's term ended, so I wouldn't consider voting for them until they get their **** together.
Blood? What does that mean?
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I like the Foreward party but it's untested and hasn't any real power yet.
What’s the Foreward Party?
Heyo
Veteran Member
I usually vote for untested parties with no real power. Mostly because those who have power, have been tested and failed.
I vote Libertarian, except when a lesser-of-2-evils
situation inspires voting for one of the Big Two.
And in that case, it's about the likely effects of
a candidate in office...not liking or disliking them.
situation inspires voting for one of the Big Two.
And in that case, it's about the likely effects of
a candidate in office...not liking or disliking them.
Otto von Bismarck argues: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best.” When faced with viable options, I choose to augment the electoral chances of the lesser of two evils over enhancing the electoral chances of the greater of those evils. In the U.S., that typically means voting Democrat. Sadly, in my opinion the Republican Party has squandered any right to even begrudging respect.
Interesting. I do not understand Australian political mechanics well enough to judge, but I could see myself possibly voting for the Reason Party if, and only if. I felt that an ALP victory was secure.
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Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Usually in the national election I vote for democrats. In my state elections I often vote for a Republican, keeping in mind that any Republican to win office in Massachusetts must be considered a liberal.
Secret Chief
Degrow!
It means one's ethnic group, the same as soil means one's country. Keep up.
Fair enough.
Australian politics is basically the Parliamentary system that’s implemented in the UK.
Our overall system is also more or less run by the two main parties, similar to the US. The Liberal National Party (or the LNP for short) which is our version of conservatives and Labor. Our version of the Democrats basically. Though both parties would probably be considered left wing by the US standards these days. As is my understanding.
We also have various “third parties” I guess you could call them, that range across the political spectrum. Despite being the third wheels, as it were, these parties are able to sway influence in Parliament, if they gain enough public support. And indeed these parties have gained much more broader public support over the last few years. Giving them more and more sway. (Likely due to the public being quite fed up by the “two main lads” as it were.)
Our voting is by preference, meaning we vote by putting our choices at the top (which we mark with a 1 next to their box) and the party we do not like last (marked with the highest number, based on the amount of parties on the individual ballot specifically.)
To win, a party must have more than 50% of the public vote, legally speaking. If neither party does, the rest of the preferences are then distributed until a majority is reached. If that makes sense?
And as you know, voting is mandatory here. Votes are usually held on a Sunday to allow folks the time to vote. If one is working, all employers must, by law, still allow their employees time to vote regardless. Such time windows do not count as one’s breaks. It’s seen as a seperate legal requirement
Though you don’t necessarily have to vote, just show up at the ballot. That said, voting here is seen as something of a rite of passage into “offical adulthood.” So there’s still a strong sense of pride when one first votes. Usually accompanied by one’s first legally allowed hangover lol but still
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