Do you have to be left or right wing?

[Vanhalen 0]

I know Clinton and Blairs "third way" got some knocking, and was eventually dropped, but surely you can be tough in some areas, but also left on some issues, can a party survive like this, or would they be accused of being inconsistent with their views? I suppose its the same with a Politician changing his mind, its always portrayed in the media as a "U-Turn" or hes indecisive, rather than him/her realising the mistake hes made and changing his mind, I guess we have the media to blame for that, I dunno, what do you guys think?

[Stephen Joseph 0]

Yes. You may not have the effectiveness *rather hard to enter politics* but you can survive.

 

True Libertarians = Jeffersonian liberals

economically conservative

socially liberal

 

it works. But you won't see libs winning an election anytime soon.

 

EDIT

In the American South there exists the Southern Democrat, which kinda comes close to being conservative with money and liberally social.

 

See Miller, Zell.

Edited June 23, 2004 by Stephen Joseph

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Actually, I expect Zell to switch over eventually and wrap himself in Reagan's "they left me" line. The timing is certainly ripe. McCain is probably a better example of a guy who's agenda blurs party lines.

 

Or Arnold, who's really restrained any bashing of the Dems and charmed most people on both sides. There was a lot of skepticism about the car tax promise, and it hurt our credit rating even more, but it's already gone back to where it was. Now to see if he can boost things even more.

 

Stuff like this pretty much confirms that two parties just aren't enough to keep it clean however.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

To answer your question -- yes, you have to be Right or Left wing. There is no middle ground. To think otherwise would make you a terrorist...

[Jobber of the Week 0]

This is right, you are either 100% right or 100% left.

 

This is why I'm listening to Best Of Streisand before leaving for the small locally-owned coffee shop being squeezed by Starbucks across the street, where we will expouse on how a book of poetry found in the Used Books section of the attatched bookstore draws strong connections to the plight of prisoners in Iraq, although the book was written 35 years prior. Then we'll go to a friend's house so we can help him finish taking down all the Howard Dean campaign posters still applied to his house, so we may cover the place in Dennis Kucinich posters.

 

 

Meanwhile, KKK is in a stately mansion and discussing to his pre-lunch teatime friends (all white, of course) about how business and the free market ought to be able to control everything it can without regulation. He will then need a limo, and request that one of his butlers (all minorities, of course) bring one of the fleet around so he can put some time in at the golf course.

[Guest MikeSC]

This is right, you are either 100% right or 100% left.

 

This is why I'm listening to Best Of Streisand before leaving for the small locally-owned coffee shop being squeezed by Starbucks across the street, where we will expouse on how a book of poetry found in the Used Books section of the attatched bookstore draws strong connections to the plight of prisoners in Iraq, although the book was written 35 years prior. Then we'll go to a friend's house so we can help him finish taking down all the Howard Dean campaign posters still applied to his house, so we may cover the place in Dennis Kucinich posters.

 

 

Meanwhile, KKK is in a stately mansion and discussing to his pre-lunch teatime friends (all white, of course) about how business and the free market ought to be able to control everything it can without regulation. He will then need a limo, and request that one of his bulters (all minorities, of course) bring one of the fleet around so he can put some time in at the golf course.

So, uh, what's your address/ Because I have hired goons---I mean flower children --- who like to beat up hippies---I mean sing folk songs with you.

-=Mike

[Red Baron 0]

do you think the USA should adopt, or have another party that is "middle" between the Democrats and Republicans? Not every American is either a democrat or republican.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

So, uh, what's your address/ Because I have hired goons---I mean flower children --- who like to beat up hippies---I mean sing folk songs with you.

I cashed in another unemployment check from the government to buy a sense of humor just for you.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Meanwhile, KKK is in a stately mansion and discussing to his pre-lunch teatime friends (all white, of course) about how business and the free market ought to be able to control everything it can without regulation. He will then need a limo, and request that one of his butlers (all minorities, of course) bring one of the fleet around so he can put some time in at the golf course.

Wow. Rather accurate analysis.

 

Although you forgot to mention that the limo is one of those "Hummer limos." When one of those homeless folk try to clean my windows at a stop light, I have Jeeves hit the gas and watch the underclass scatter...

[Guest MikeSC]

So, uh, what's your address/ Because I have hired goons---I mean flower children --- who like to beat up hippies---I mean sing folk songs with you.

I cashed in another unemployment check from the government to buy a sense of humor just for you.

Wow, giving to others when you are in such desperate need yourself.

-=Mike

[Guest thebigjig]

do you think the USA should adopt, or have another party that is "middle" between the Democrats and Republicans? Not every American is either a democrat or republican.

It would be nice, but it's not going to happen anytime soon. The closest third party candidate that I can think of that almost becamse president was Theodore Roosevelt when he ran for a third term four years after he left office... he was beaten by Wilson, but came in second with Taft (republican) trailing far behind at third

 

Of course... Ross Perot was leading in the polls for a while back in 92 so who knows?

[Guest MikeSC]

Of course... Ross Perot was leading in the polls for a while back in 92 so who knows?

Evidence that, yes, some Americans WILL support a lunatic.

-=Mike

[Guest thebigjig]

Of course... Ross Perot was leading in the polls for a while back in 92 so who knows?

Evidence that, yes, some Americans WILL support a lunatic.

-=Mike

lol couldn't agree more

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Hey, I voted for him in '92 in my high school prez. election. He ended up winning.

 

Eh, you're right...

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Hey, I voted for him in '92 in my high school prez. election. He ended up winning.

Hey, we did the same thing in elementary school. I represented Clinton (minus the blowjob jokes) with a bunch of material I learned from watching one of his informercials. We didn't have a Perot, though.

 

I won, even though our teacher (remember, this is a private school with one teacher teaching a group every subject through the afternoon) twice mentioned that she supported Bush Daddy (once the other kid in the fake election, and then saying she voted for him in the real one.) So somehow I managed to beat the Republican special interests.

[Guest thebigjig]

Was it a national requirement for schools to hold mock elections in 92?! We had the exact same damn thing... I voted for Bush of course because I was a stupid little republican bastard then

[NoCalMike 0]

America doesn't need to "adopt" any more political parties, there are TONS out there already besides republicans & democrats, however the two big parties hold a monopoly on the media and corporate structure, thus anything not democrat/republican hardly gets a mention, but make no mistake about it, there a lot of other political parties out there.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Was it a national requirement for schools to hold mock elections in 92?! We had the exact same damn thing... I voted for Bush of course because I was a stupid little republican bastard then

I'm sure many schools do this in election years.

 

Oh, and the debate class did an assembly with a group of students representing each candidate. The Bush people looked so miserable, and the crowd lauged at the poor guy that said, in closing statements, that "Bush won the Gulf War."

 

Also, my one friend voted for Clinton in real life (or he was supporting him -- don't think he was 18 yet) because of his promise of a Middle Class tax cut. Man did he get pissed when Bill broke that promise...

[Guest Ram]

Damn, we did the election thing way back when too. I think I voted for Bush back then, although only because I voted the way my parents did.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I voted Clinton.. even if it was only in first grade

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I won, even though our teacher (remember, this is a private school with one teacher teaching a group every subject through the afternoon)...

Went to a private school through fifth grade. My classroom had three different grades in it (3rd-5th) and my fifth grade had three students...

[AndrewTS 0]

do you think the USA should adopt, or have another party that is "middle" between the Democrats and Republicans? Not every American is either a democrat or republican.

First-past-the-post voting is inherently biased towards a two-party system.

 

If you want that wussy, hippy, European proportional representation, you'll have to put up with several splinter parties filled with assorted nutjobs.

 

Depending on the issue, I lean to different sides. However, the party itself and the voters are different. Most lefty voters and most righty voters alike seem to be clueless about facts and just buy into whatever their shepherds of choice teach them.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

Hey, I voted for him in '92 in my high school prez. election. He ended up winning.

 

Eh, you're right...

I did the same thing that year in 4th grade. I wore a Perot shirt, button and hat on election day and said "Now here's the deal" about 7,000 times throughout the day.

 

I also remember voting for Bush Sr. in my Kindergarten(!) mock election in 88' (my mom sent me to school with a Bush-Quayle button) and picking Harry Browne in 8th grade during the 96' election.

[Guest CronoT]

For you herded sheep, and those who call you one: http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/fwdr3.html

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

The closest third party candidate that I can think of that almost becamse president was Theodore Roosevelt when he ran for a third term four years after he left office... he was beaten by Wilson, but came in second with Taft (republican) trailing far behind at third

 

Actually William Henry Harrison was a 3rd party President as he was a Whig. He just didn't live very long.

[NoCalMike 0]

would be nice if our election system allowed same day registration voting.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

would be nice if our election system allowed same day registration voting.

Absolutely not. Our state elections are screwed up enough already. We don't need another Florida.

 

It also encourages waving your voting pen around uninformed, which can be worse than not voting at all.

[NoCalMike 0]

would be nice if our election system allowed same day registration voting.

Absolutely not. Our state elections are screwed up enough already. We don't need another Florida.

 

It also encourages waving your voting pen around uninformed, which can be worse than not voting at all.

so what do you considered uninformed? As bad as it sounds, there is no law in our country that you have to be informed a certain amount to vote. To the contrary, it might be just as bad to be onverinformed with bullshit then to be "not informed"

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Better to abstain from voting than vote when you don't understand any of it.

 

That's what I believe, anyway. That's why I didn't vote in 2000.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

would be nice if our election system allowed same day registration voting.

If you're too fucking lazy to register in advance, then you don't deserve to vote.

 

Also, on a side note, same-day voter registration was a key factor in getting Jesse Ventura elected...