Would you consider switching parties if...?

LesGovt said:

I voted for a Democrat for Congress and twice in presidential elections when I was drunk. What would it take for me to vote for a Democrat? Well, it would take quite a laundry list of things:

1. First and foremost, a belief in limited government.
2. Want to balance the budget by cutting expenses.
3. Want to send as many programs as possible back to the States.
4. Want to repeal the Unaffordable Health Care Act.
5. Belief in the Constitution as its authors intended it to mean.
6. Want to keep taxes as low as possible for individuals and businesses.
7. Belief in a strong military with capability to easily handle any situation that might arise
8. Anti-abortion, except for the life of the mother.
9. Not for redfining marriage.
10. Belief in positive virtues such as hard work, personal responsibility, self-discipline, tenacity, self-sufficiency, et al.
11. Belief that all people should enter this country legally, including children, and that no benefits go to anyone who is here illegally.
12. Hmmm. Why go any further. This Democrat doesn't exist. Sometimes, I wonder if this person even exists within the GOP.

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Into which century would you like to set America back to ?

Luna Tick said:

A person who's born deformed to the point of severe handicap can't very well work and pay into a system. Neither can a severely mentally retarded person. Some people simple cannot work. Those of us who can should care for them. That's the reality. The alternative is to do what the Romans did and just kill them, but I don't think that makes for a very just society.

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In those cases, their parents/relatives need to start kicking in something extra (as they should have to for every child - disabled or not). At some point the FAMILIES of these people need to step up. I say that as someone who WAS born with a significant birth defect. Thankfully mine did not require as much expensive medical care as it could have (and does for many with similar issues); but I had family and friends who immediately offered to help defray the expenses if those costs DID arise.

Luna Tick said:

I agree with you that an able bodied person shouldn't refuse to work and then just leech of the system. Most people don't do that.

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More do it than you seem to think, Luna. Those who are either unemployed or underemployed because they CHOOSE to be so rather than for any other reason.

GreenvilleGrows said:

Will you vote in the primary or just throw away your vote altogether?

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The caucus here is so late that it doesn't matter. Since the party is unlikely to actually endorse anybody (never have), there really is no meaningful vote.

When the general election comes, I'm hoping to be able to vote for Romney (at this point). Caveat is that in years past at this point I was hoping to vote for John McCain in '00, John Edwards in '04, and Hillary Clinton in '08.

earthworm said:

Into which century would you like to set America back to ?

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Anywhere up to and including the end of the 19th would be good with me. Though I'd probably prefer something prior to 1860.

LesGovt said:

I voted for a Democrat for Congress and twice in presidential elections when I was drunk. What would it take for me to vote for a Democrat? Well, it would take quite a laundry list of things:

1. First and foremost, a belief in limited government.
2. Want to balance the budget by cutting expenses.
3. Want to send as many programs as possible back to the States.
4. Want to repeal the Unaffordable Health Care Act.
5. Belief in the Constitution as its authors intended it to mean.
6. Want to keep taxes as low as possible for individuals and businesses.
7. Belief in a strong military with capability to easily handle any situation that might arise
8. Anti-abortion, except for the life of the mother.
9. Not for redfining marriage.
10. Belief in positive virtues such as hard work, personal responsibility, self-discipline, tenacity, self-sufficiency, et al.
11. Belief that all people should enter this country legally, including children, and that no benefits go to anyone who is here illegally.
12. Hmmm. Why go any further. This Democrat doesn't exist. Sometimes, I wonder if this person even exists within the GOP.

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Outstanding reply.

I vote for conservative candidates. The ideal conservative candidate must share numerous conservative principles for me to be comfortable with him/her. This poll is silly since it doesn't allow multiple choices.

earthworm said:

Have you ever thought about how people will live in the future.....and how they have lived in the past ?
Some thought may prevent illness.

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I thiink about the past and the future often. You appear to make silly assumptions.

earthworm said:

Into which century would you like to set America back to ?

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Good sound governing & economic practices are good for any century. Again, you are being silly. Stop it!

GreenvilleGrows said:

Honest enough. Ok, so as "Very Liberal" you'll vote Democrat regardless? Is there anything that could make you jump ship for one candidate? What if a Republican demonstrated him/herself to you to be non-interested in all religious topics - wanted things left as/is or even more liberally (regarding typical religious topics). Or, what if a Republican demonstrated him/herself to be in favor of higher taxes on corporations or the wealthy? Etc.

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Let's see..., I'm religious, so your first idea doesn't move me.

Taxing the rich to feed the poor isn't going to happen, any more, or any less than it does now. The system is already fair in that regard, so I don't see the need for more taxes on the rich. Letting the Bush tax cuts expire is OK by me, but taxes higher than that would be horribly unfair.

Do you have a reason or 2 that you're "Very Liberal" politically?

For example, I've admitted to being partisan, but also that Obama had been for smaller Federal Government, I would have liked to vote for him as the first black President. So, given specific circumstances, I'd give someone a 4 year chance.

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My very liberal stance politically is based on my philosophy. I've always been a non-conformist who sees a will to power as a detriment to character. Stepping on toes and heads to climb the ladder to being a shrewd businessman because nice guys finish last is someone else's rat race. Money is simply a necessary convenience. Not the center of my world.

How many republican businessmen can I get to agree with me on that stance? Can I get a show of hands?

conservativeguy said:

Outstanding reply.

I vote for conservative candidates. The ideal conservative candidate must share numerous conservative principles for me to be comfortable with him/her. This poll is silly since it doesn't allow multiple choices.

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My goal wasn't to find out how far apart some people were, it was to find out how many people might be separated from a party because of 1 issue, maybe 2, and to see what those issues might be. People that are hardliners aren't going to stray regardless - and candidates rarely rise from their party who disagree with the party on normal issies across the board. Well, they don't disagree in word anyway.

Cephus said:

I'll tell you. I voted for Obama, specifically to keep Palin away from anything remotely resembling the Presidency. I will always vote against religious wingnuts who can't comprehend separation of church and state.

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Before moving from Indiana after the 2008 election, I voted for Obama for President, Daniels for Governor (many of my Indiana friends are upset with me for that because they've had to live with the consequences - meaning that he went social issues when he hadn't before) and I've voted for Lugar in every election he ran while voting in Indiana.

Now that I'm in Tennessee, I don't see myself voting Republican because Tennessee Democrats are essentially like moderate Indiana Republicans and I can't see going further right than that.

Poll answer: "You left a necessary choice out for me - I'll explain."


My choice would combine several of the issue-specific choices mentioned with a few other fiscal-related issues.



While I'm registered independent, I tend to vote mostly for Republican candidates (I think there was an independent/3rd party candidate or two in there at some point).

But I disliked/only tolerated most of the republican candidates I have voted for one reason or another - it's just that I disliked the Democrat candidates more.

I tend to be a fiscal libertarian/conservative and a social liberal/libertarian. Or something of that sort, it’s probably a bit more nuanced.

To illustrate, I recall during the last presidential election period telling a couple friends/co-workers that “McCain isn’t conservative enough for my taste” (this was during the primary, actually), or words to that effect…

They were both democrat/liberal voters, and I was somewhat confused by their seemingly shocked/horrified responses until I later realized they thought was saying he wasn’t socially conservative enough…whereas I was speaking in terms of his fiscal stances.

The social aspect of candidates has to be quite extreme to overshadow the fiscal part, for me personally…

Thus while I dislike some of the apparent social policies/views that some of the current republican candidates hold, I think their fiscal policies are likely to be better than Pres. Obama’s are (IMO, again).


And...stuff.

i would vote for whomever i believe represents what i stand for the best no party is above that in importance

Just the question perplexes me ... !

I can understand with certain belief systems ... how ones voting record historically would lean towards one party or another ... who the heck would be a party loyalist?

That in itself ... seems unpatriotic imho.

You've got to stand for something. There's nothing unpatriotic about knowing which side your bread is buttered on.

o3smog said:

i would vote for whomever i believe represents what i stand for the best no party is above that in importance

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Alot of people saying this, and it makes sense - but come on, plenty of people often find that one party represents their views more often than the other. That doesn't mean you're considering the party of the candidate, just that its the party you usually end up with.

misterman said:

Alot of people saying this, and it makes sense - but come on, plenty of people often find that one party represents their views more often than the other. That doesn't mean you're considering the party of the candidate, just that its the party you usually end up with.

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The problem is, most of my voting is voting against the worst candidate, not voting for anyone I can actually support. If I actually had to support someone to vote for them, I don't think I'd ever vote again.

Cephus said:

The problem is, most of my voting is voting against the worst candidate, not voting for anyone I can actually support. If I actually had to support someone to vote for them, I don't think I'd ever vote again.

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Not really a difference. You're voting for whomever you think is best out of the choices.

GreenvilleGrows said:

Would you consider voting for someone in a different party than you normally support during a Federal election? If so, what would it take?

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I'm glad you added "it would take more than just 1 big issue". The majority of the time....people of a party will vote with their party. I could see switching parties for a President easier than I could Congress members.

iliveonramen said:

I'm glad you added "it would take more than just 1 big issue". The majority of the time....people of a party will vote with their party. I could see switching parties for a President easier than I could Congress members.

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I should clarify I meant insted of "people of a party" elected officials. Most will vote with their party the majority of the time.

The #1 big reason for me that I cannot support any Republican (at least on the national level) is their appeasement of the radical right wings social agenda. I definitely could support a Barry Goldwater Republican but I don't believe that they exist any more. I cannot support a candidate who supports an agenda to pack the Supreme Court with activist judges that seek to overturn our Constitution in order to promote the agenda of the religious minority.

disneydude said:

I definitely could support a Barry Goldwater Republican but I don't believe that they exist any more.

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They exist, just not in the Republican party. I'd kill to get a decent candidate to vote for.