GOP/Independent Voter Registration Opinions

[Terry Tate]

Since I recently moved, I need to re-register to vote. As much as the economy or foreign policy dominates the headlines, I try to frame my vote around what I believe the role of the federal, state and local governments should be, and which candidate more closely represents my views on this. I agreed with President Reagan when he said "it is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the federal government and those reserved to the states or to the people" - and I supported him. I agreed with Republicans in 1994 when they promised to to cut taxes, reduce federal spending and eliminate unneeded bureaucracy in the "Contract with America" - and I supported them.

 

Times have changed, and the current GOP still talks conservatively, but actions speak louder than words.

 

1987 - President Reagan vetoes a transportation bill with 152 pork-barrel projects.

2005 - President Bush signs a transportation bill with over 6,500 pork-barrel projects.

 

I can't decide if I want to re-register as a Republican so I can still vote in the primaries (Florida is a closed-primary state), or if I should register Independent, and ignore the primaries.

 

Anyone want to try to convince me to stick with the GOP? Anyone wish to make the argument for registering Independent and never looking back? Democrats and other Socialists need not apply; you're words will fall on deaf ears.

[jimshiz]

You could register Democrat just so you can have more fun during the primaries voting for the guy who you want to be the opponent of the guy you'll really vote for. Then vote however you want in the general.

 

In Indiana, you don't have to register R or D, but in the primaries you'll simply tell them which one you want to vote in - a few years ago, a block of Ds crossed over to vote for the "weaker" mayoral candidate on the R side and the D ending up winning the general election.

[UConn James]

I know this is going to shock you, but I am a registered Republican. Pretty much for the same fiscal reasons, and also extending to the local level. That is, until the Republican caucus a few weeks ago when they decided to nominate the Dem first selectman for the Rep ticket(!), after he raised the town budget by 15% and pushed it through after FIVE cherry-picking referendums, finally settling at a 10% increase, the last one held on a non-traditional voting day.

 

Despite all the guff and fire and brimstone, they are no different spending-wise, so for the last few national elections, I've voted Dem simply b/c they're not forcing social/religious ideology on everyone and allow people to make their own choices. I too, have been mulling for the past few years whether to go Independent. Our primaries don't really make a damn of difference, so that makes it a little easier. What we really need in this country is one set primary day in, say, late July or early August, where every state votes at once b/c a few states have most of the influence in determining who runs and who has to drop out. Leading to those few states getting undo attention and future spending promises.

[Terry Tate]

You could register Democrat just so you can have more fun during the primaries voting for the guy who you want to be the opponent of the guy you'll really vote for.  Then vote however you want in the general.

 

In Indiana, you don't have to register R or D, but in the primaries you'll simply tell them which one you want to vote in - a few years ago, a block of Ds crossed over to vote for the "weaker" mayoral candidate on the R side and the D ending up winning the general election.

Not a bad idea if you support a major political party, but I'm not inclined to support a candidate from either major political party, so I'm not sure it really applies to me. The "lesser of two evils" vote is not a path on which I wish to continue.

[Mickey]

I know this is going to shock you, but I am a registered Republican. Pretty much for the same fiscal reasons, and also extending to the local level. That is, until the Republican caucus a few weeks ago when they decided to nominate the Dem first selectman for the Rep ticket(!), after he raised the town budget by 15% and pushed it through after FIVE cherry-picking referendums, finally settling at a 10% increase, the last one held on a non-traditional voting day.

 

Despite all the guff and fire and brimstone, they are no different spending-wise, so for the last few national elections, I've voted Dem simply b/c they're not forcing social/religious ideology on everyone and allow people to make their own choices. I too, have been mulling for the past few years whether to go Independent. Our primaries don't really make a damn of difference, so that makes it a little easier. What we really need in this country is one set primary day in, say, late July or early August, where every state votes at once b/c a few states have most of the influence in determining who runs and who has to drop out. Leading to those few states getting undo attention and future spending promises.

406580[/snapback]

Wouldn't that be a case of big, bad, jack-booted thugs from the federal government dictating to poor defenseless states, even as to the details of when to hold their own primaries?

[Terry Tate]

I know this is going to shock you, but I am a registered Republican. Pretty much for the same fiscal reasons, and also extending to the local level. That is, until the Republican caucus a few weeks ago when they decided to nominate the Dem first selectman for the Rep ticket(!), after he raised the town budget by 15% and pushed it through after FIVE cherry-picking referendums, finally settling at a 10% increase, the last one held on a non-traditional voting day.

 

Despite all the guff and fire and brimstone, they are no different spending-wise, so for the last few national elections, I've voted Dem simply b/c they're not forcing social/religious ideology on everyone and allow people to make their own choices. I too, have been mulling for the past few years whether to go Independent. Our primaries don't really make a damn of difference, so that makes it a little easier. What we really need in this country is one set primary day in, say, late July or early August, where every state votes at once b/c a few states have most of the influence in determining who runs and who has to drop out. Leading to those few states getting undo attention and future spending promises.

That doesn't shock me. There's a lot of different opinions on registration, that's why I'm asking.

 

I disagree with the statement Democrats don't force social/religious ideology on people, but I don't wish to detour into a argument about a specific law or policy. I believe directly or indirectly, in minor and major ways, nearly all new law emanating from the government restricts freedom, and that has to be weighed against the payoff. You don't get much argument when you say a law against armed robbery should result in the restriction of freedom of a convicted felon. Where I tend to disagree wildly with some posters is the policies that everyone else seems to be on board with, that have real and lasting effects on those they help - I don't think the restrictions those policies place on everyone else's freedoms puts the scales in a favorable position. And I think there's too many laws that sounded like a good idea at the time, but place uneccessary restrictions on what would have been otherwise law-abiding citizens.

 

I'm not sure if a national primary day is necessary; if they were all within a week or so of each other I think it would put an end to much of the favoritism. But I like the idea of not having primaries until late summer/early fall.

[UConn James]

Wouldn't that be a case of big, bad, jack-booted thugs from the federal government dictating to poor defenseless states, even as to the details of when to hold their own primaries?

406589[/snapback]

 

For the only positions that are determined by a nation-wide election rather than by states, districts or cities/towns, I'd be all right with it just for Pres/VP primaries. If states want to do their other ones on a different day, that's their prerogative. As it stands now, voters in states like NH and Iowa with super-early primaries have a much more powerful vote than you or I.

[/dev/null]

WingNut sounds like I did when i moved from PA to VA.

 

In PA you had to be a member of Rep/Dem party to vote in the primaries. Tho I don't quite fall into either Rep or Dem, I registered Rep so I could vote in the primaries. Democrat wasn't an option, i've never had a favorable opnion of them. My opinion of Republicans is just not as low as Democrats

 

Luckily when I moved to VA I found that I could vote in the primaries regardless of party so it was an easy choice to go Independant

 

But since the Republicans took total control in 2000 (Pres/House/Senate), they have quickly deterioated (Absolute power corrupts absolutely). Even if the laws here changed and party membership was required to vote in primaries, I could not go back

 

Even if the Republicans cleaned their act up, I wouldn't go back. The last 2 election cycles have turned me off our modern political process completely. TV advertising and corporate money have poisened the system. Celebrities like Alec Baldwin or Curt Schilling plug their candidate like Michael Jordan pitching his Nike's.

 

Party affiliation is pointless. Republican vs Democrat has become nothing more than Coke vs Pepsi. So whats your brand?

 

DING!

Gotta go!

[OGTEleven]

Since I recently moved, I need to re-register to vote. As much as the economy or foreign policy dominates the headlines, I try to frame my vote around what I believe the role of the federal, state and local governments should be, and which candidate more closely represents my views on this. I agreed with President Reagan when he said "it is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the federal government and those reserved to the states or to the people" - and I supported him. I agreed with Republicans in 1994 when they promised to to cut taxes, reduce federal spending and eliminate unneeded bureaucracy in the "Contract with America" - and I supported them.

 

Times have changed, and the current GOP still talks conservatively, but actions speak louder than words.

 

1987 - President Reagan vetoes a transportation bill with 152 pork-barrel projects.

2005 - President Bush signs a transportation bill with over 6,500 pork-barrel projects.

 

I can't decide if I want to re-register as a Republican so I can still vote in the primaries (Florida is a closed-primary state), or if I should register Independent, and ignore the primaries.

 

Anyone want to try to convince me to stick with the GOP? Anyone wish to make the argument for registering Independent and never looking back? Democrats and other Socialists need not apply; you're words will fall on deaf ears.

406557[/snapback]

Let's face facts.

 

All that REALLY matters is that you change your name to FlaWingNut.

 

The rest is just window dressing.

[Terry Tate]

Let's face facts.

 

All that REALLY matters is that you change your name to FlaWingNut.

 

The rest is just window dressing.

406664[/snapback]

I would have, but I didn't want to lose all my posts.