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Your vote is dependent on Party or candidate?

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au1929
 
Reply Sun 29 May, 2005 09:31 am
What has the greater influence when voting for a member of congress? The individual or the party he is affiliated with. I ask this since there is very little if any individual thought or action displayed by our congress people and it is, except for the very rare individual, follow the leader. Party ober allus.
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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 672 • Replies: 12
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DontTreadOnMe
 
  1  
Reply Sun 29 May, 2005 02:01 pm
Re: Your vote is dependent on Party or candidate?
au1929 wrote:
What has the greater influence when voting for a member of congress? The individual or the party he is affiliated with. I ask this since there is very little if any individual thought or action displayed by our congress people and it is, except for the very rare individual, follow the leader. Party ober allus.


i try, try to go deeper than party. but as you point out, it isn't easy.

but there are some republicans i would vote for despite their party affiliation. and conversely, some dems i wouldn't vote for in a one man race.

i try to stay true to the party of dtom.

it's a small party, but really quite unified. :wink:
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ebrown p
 
  1  
Reply Mon 30 May, 2005 09:35 am
I most certainly vote by individual.

Allthough I often (but not always) fall on the liberal side of issues, I didn't vote for Kerry in the last race. I was raked over the coals by Democrats both online and offline.

But I will not vote for a candidate who does not support my position on what I see as the most important issues.

I can't remember ever voting for a Republican, but I never rule it out. McCain, for example, provided he has a reasonable platform could earn my vote.
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au1929
 
  1  
Reply Mon 30 May, 2005 10:02 am
ebrown_p
My question was regarding congressional elections. Not for the presidency. The party does not in most instances dominate the presidency. The president is the one who normally sets the agenda for his party. However, in the case of congress the party reigns supreme. A congress person who does not toe the line finds himself outside looking in. Therefore, the party platform and what it stands for is and should be IMO an important consideration when voting for your congressional representative. As much as we would like to believe he is not a free agent.
0 Replies
 
ebrown p
 
  1  
Reply Mon 30 May, 2005 12:50 pm
My opinion is the same for both congressional and presidential elections. My vote in either case goes strictly for the individual and his views on the issues I care about.

There are Republican Senators I could see myself voting for. There is at least one Democratic Senator that would not get my vote in a million years.
0 Replies
 
JustWonders
 
  1  
Reply Mon 30 May, 2005 01:33 pm
Re: Your vote is dependent on Party or candidate?
DontTreadOnMe wrote:
au1929 wrote:
What has the greater influence when voting for a member of congress? The individual or the party he is affiliated with. I ask this since there is very little if any individual thought or action displayed by our congress people and it is, except for the very rare individual, follow the leader. Party ober allus.


i try, try to go deeper than party. but as you point out, it isn't easy.

but there are some republicans i would vote for despite their party affiliation. and conversely, some dems i wouldn't vote for in a one man race.

i try to stay true to the party of dtom.

it's a small party, but really quite unified. :wink:


Considering where you live, you must be in that voting booth a looooong time Smile Good for you!
0 Replies
 
DontTreadOnMe
 
  1  
Reply Mon 30 May, 2005 02:25 pm
Re: Your vote is dependent on Party or candidate?
JustWonders wrote:
DontTreadOnMe wrote:
au1929 wrote:
What has the greater influence when voting for a member of congress? The individual or the party he is affiliated with. I ask this since there is very little if any individual thought or action displayed by our congress people and it is, except for the very rare individual, follow the leader. Party ober allus.


i try, try to go deeper than party. but as you point out, it isn't easy.

but there are some republicans i would vote for despite their party affiliation. and conversely, some dems i wouldn't vote for in a one man race.

i try to stay true to the party of dtom.

it's a small party, but really quite unified. :wink:


Considering where you live, you must be in that voting booth a looooong time Smile Good for you!


Laughing yeah... i usually have to go straight home, take 3 aspirin and have a lie down...

:wink:
0 Replies
 
Fedral
 
  1  
Reply Mon 30 May, 2005 02:42 pm
Party first in National Elections (Unless I can't STAND the guy my Party is running.)

By individual in Local Elections
I try not to vote for any Local candidate I haven't met at a fundraiser or 'meet and greet'. If I the candidate can't be bothered to show up at enough events for me to meet them, I know that they are going to be one of those 'insular' types that I can't trust or vote for.
0 Replies
 
roger
 
  1  
Reply Mon 30 May, 2005 03:03 pm
I have a strong tendency to go with party in congressional elections. I can visualize exceptions, but congress is closely balanced and commitee chairmanships and make up, and Speaker of the house are dependent on the majority party.

Party usually isn't an issue in local elections.
0 Replies
 
FreeDuck
 
  1  
Reply Tue 31 May, 2005 11:13 am
Most certainly by individual. If I can find enough information about the people running, I can usually make a pretty good choice. There is not one party (and I mean that) that has not received my vote at least once. If I can't get enough information before voting then I choose the candidates who are unaffiliated or, barring that, the ones who have spent the least money on the campaign. The latter is usually evident by how widespread their picture appears to be. For instance, in a recent local election I voted for the only candidate who did not put up billboards of themselves and run commercials on tv. He was the only one out of three and he won. I voted for a republican senator last November because he was a moderate, I like him, and I felt that he would have a better chance to influence the Senate from within the party of power.

Sadly, the biggest problem I have with local and congressional elections is the lack of information available about the candidates. Thankfully, the web seems to be helping that.
0 Replies
 
McGentrix
 
  1  
Reply Tue 31 May, 2005 11:18 am
Individual first, party second.

Lot's of times I will vote the party line for positions/candidates I do not know.

If a candidate is also running under a third party, I will vote for that party.
0 Replies
 
Linkat
 
  1  
Reply Tue 31 May, 2005 11:24 am
Strictly by candidate. I am a registered independent and have voted for candidates in various parties.
0 Replies
 
Dartagnan
 
  1  
Reply Tue 31 May, 2005 11:53 am
I wonder how many of us live in districts that actually have competitive congressional races?

I know I don't, but I don't want to piss some people off by saying who our beloved congressman is...
0 Replies
 
 

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