Mid-Term Elections!

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... Mid term elections are coming up pretty soon for me, and I don't know what to do?
Even though I'm already registered to vote, and have voted in the past. * first time by the way * I've been so dissatisfied with politics in general from both parties to say that I'm exicited to vote again. I don't know how my parents deal with it every election year? What should I do?

my brother always said, "don't vote- it only encourages the bastards!" but do vote, because if you don't vote then you don't have the right to complain about how things are being run.

This is true!
That's exactly what my parents say to me, when I ask them about it.

Get informed about who you want to vote for or don't at all because you'll regret it later.

Actually, it doesn't really matter, and everything people tell you about this is BS. Vote only if you like doing so. You'll have more influence if you just write letters, sign petitions, and other things, and most of those don't take as much time/effort.

It couldn't be further from the truth. Abstaining from voting due to having no suitable choices is a clear political statement, and in fact gives you more right to complain than the idiots who buy into the veil of BS that all politicians draw over their campaigns and vote accordingly.

More to the point, your rights as a citizen or as a human being do not hinge on whether or not you chose to cast your vote. Those rights are (allegedly) protected constitutionally.

But if you want to make a real statement, start a new political party of your own, secure some funding and run for office.

I'm probably not going to vote this election day. I haven't bothered researching the candidates for the senate or congress anyway, so why bother muddying the water? I will for the election in 2012, but there has been too much going on this year in terms of stress for me to bother determining who the lesser of two weevils is this round.

many important things were decided with just one vote, or very few votes. i had to put up with 8 years of hell under shrub due to those relatively few votes which could have been more votes if only more people similar to me bothered to get out and vote in their interests. politics is the art of the possible [and nothing more], so you HAVE to make a choice between the lesser of two evils, that is just the evil world we live in. not voting is declining to make that choice and possibly allowing a greater evil to win. not voting and then complaining about what happens is just rude, as is calling political participants [voters] idiots.



this is a mere legalism in response to an moral question- just more "straining at gnats and swallowing camels."



that sounds about as practical as marie antoinette's suggestion. very few people have that kind of personal efficacy/brainpower, to just determine to start a whole new political party and persuade investors to willingly fork over megabucks to fund it. i am soooo tired of all the conservative horatio alger BS.

Even though I'm not particularly excited about voting, abstaining from voting isn't the kind of political statement I want to make. On your second point, I do agree that my rights are protected constitutionally, but it defeats the whole purpose of voting if I don't vote. Although flawed as it is, trying to vote for the lesser evil, it is a privilege that every citizen has. As for starting a new political party, I doubt I would want to. Starting a political party is a bit too impractical for me.

My choice is between Rob Wittman and Krystal Ball. Though it's almost guaranteed that Wittman will win since I live in a predomiantly Republican distrct.

I'd like to vote for Ball, but honestly I don't feel that strong about her. Both candidates are party loyalists and I'm not sure if that is what I want to see.

Edit: Slap me on the forehead... Her name is Krystal, not Kelly. God, I got her name mixed with someone else. And she makes such a big deal about her name too...

Last edited by Zara on 30 Oct 2010, 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The two choices I have are between Rob Perry ( R ) and Bill White ( D ) both are party loyalists, and I don't feel strong about either one.

The two choices I have are between Rob Perry ( R ) and Bill White ( D ) both are party loyalists, and I don't feel strong about either one.[/quote]

please try to remember that the reason there are parties is for like-minded people to pool their voting power. so when you disparage party loyalists you are disparaging the fundamental reason that parties exist. democrats have good reasons for not wanting their platform contaminated by republican influence, and vice-versa. politics is only the art of the possible and so one must choose the least offensive possibility, as the only alternative is to allow by default the more offensive possiblity.

Send me your ballot, I'll take care of it...

@ auntblabby: I keep that in mind.
@ Dox47: No offense... but I'll keep my ballot, and my choices.

please try to remember that the reason there are parties is for like-minded people to pool their voting power. so when you disparage party loyalists you are disparaging the fundamental reason that parties exist. democrats have good reasons for not wanting their platform contaminated by republican influence, and vice-versa. politics is only the art of the possible and so one must choose the least offensive possibility, as the only alternative is to allow by default the more offensive possiblity.[/quote]

While that is true, I've never found much to like with political parties as they discourage independent thinking in favor of party ideology. I'm not looking for someone to be lockstep with the party but someone who has the drive and courage to make serious changes and act on the people's behalf even if it's not in line with the party. There are very few such politicians these days on both sides.

as a democrat, there is nothing the repubs are willing to offer me 'cept disenfranchisement. but back in nixon's day, at least he was willing to do something about our miserable health care system- but his own short-sighted party shot their own president down.