Why is voting a birth right for Americans?
Many Americans need to feel a sense of belonging, like they are part of something bigger than they are, even if it means compromising what they believe in. Too many, even if they don’t believe in a large portion of the platform for a particular political party, still support that party and deny the urge to speak out against the issues they disagree with.
Instead of creating their own opinion, many voters manipulate their beliefs to fit into a particular party. They would rather give up what they stand for then stand alone. Even if they believe something that is the complete opposite of the party, they are likely to join and stay with that political party because the voter agrees with “most” of what the party stands for.
The author of the book “Right is Wrong”, Arianna, was a republican for years until she made her transformation to the Democratic Party. “On the so-called values issues—abortion, gun control, gay rights—I have the exact same progressive positions today that I’ve always had. The biggest shift in my thinking has been in how I view the role of government”. She goes on to tell of how the GOP did not support her fundraising for homeless shelters. What I find interesting in all of this is that she still has the same views on the main issues voters supposedly use to make their party decision. The views are able to stay the same with a different party? This implies the views are bipartisan or maybe not even part of the parties at all.
If we vote for a politician based upon their personal political record and beliefs instead of the party they represent, will our voice be weakened by fewer agreeing voters?
Are we too proud of the title of our political party to have the pride to stand up for what we believe in?
You seem like an incredibly grounded person. Why is it that so many people shy away from thinking? Why do they just pick the candidates that they’ve heard of and ignore the beliefs involved in the Vote? I think that our country would be a great deal different if people actually did their research. Also, though the vast majority of people in America focus on the Republican and Democratic Parties, what about the little guys? There are many political parties in this country other than those two dinosaurs. Varying views and stances are individual to each. And they all have a public code, much the like Republicans and Democrats do, including things that they agree/disagree with and changes that they are interested in affecting. It is true that people can easily switch party stances, and many of them tailor their professed beliefs to fit them. I think that is the problem. Figure out what you believe first. Then pick a party. Who knows maybe we will see the downfall of the Republicans and Democrats in our lifetime.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the little guys? The current stance is, by voting for a “little guy” a person throws away their vote. I don’t understand why the media focuses solely on the two major parties. How is anyone else supposed to have a chance if they are not seen or heard? Without some type of change in all of this, I don’t believe anyone else has the strength to get a majority vote.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I don’t believe the primary parties to be all bad. I agree with most of what my party stands for, but I am much like everyone else. I would need evidence that my vote would mean something if I were to vote for any other party. Currently it seems unimaginable to step out on my own, but is agreeing with “most” things good enough?
I think a lot of people in this country fear a multi-party system because it would easily create a situation where someone only gets "the most" votes instead of the majority of votes. That's why I think we should go to a ranking system with about 10 candidates. You rank your least favorite a 1, most favorite a 10, and whoever gets the most points wins. Everybody's on the ballot, and a 10 is kinda like a yes vote, a 1 kinda like a no vote.
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