Issues. I Have Issues That Are Extremely Important to Me.

[MineralMan]

Lots of them. I'm always looking for candidates to vote for who support those issues. However, I have never in my life had the chance to vote for any candidate for any office with whom I agreed completely on every issue. Never. Not even once.

If I waited for a candidate like that, I'd never be able to vote. And yet, I vote in every election. Every last one of them. Realistically, every election for every office on the ballot ends up being a binary choice, if I'm being realistic. The Democrat or the Republican will win. Every last freaking time. So, I don't look at the rest of the candidates, because my vote matters.

I vote. I vote in general elections for the better of the two candidates for every office, from school board member to President of the United States. I do that because it is a binary choice. Whether I agree with the Democratic candidate on every issue or not, I vote for that candidate, because I disagree with the Republican on almost every issue. If the Democrat doesn't win, I lose.

I work on primary elections, as well, and there I support the Democratic candidate who comes closest to agreeing with me on all issues. Sometimes that candidate wins and shows up on the general election and sometimes not. But, still, if it's not me on the ballot, I'm never going to agree 100% with the Democrat on the general election ballot.

I vote for Democrats in general elections. Every last freaking time. That's because the Republican won't support any of my positions, while the Democrat will vote with other Democrats and we'll move in the correct direction. if the Republican wins, we'll move in the wrong direction. It's simple.

My issues? Well, I remain hopeful about those. I hope things will move in the direction of progress toward my positions on those issues. That's why I vote for Democrats. Progress in the direction. That's the best I can expect, because I'm not going to get everything I want. I can, however, vote for and support candidates in my state and districts who will make progress after getting elected.

That's my rant for today. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

[Phoenix61]

1. Well said!

I'm right there with you. Worst case scenario, I vote against the biggest weasel, but I always vote. If you didnt speak up when it really counted, I don't want to hear any complaining after the fact. Amazing how many times that shuts people up.

[MineralMan]

2. Thanks!

[mia]

3. "I vote for Democrats in general elections. Every last freaking time."

Same here. I would never consider voting for a Republican to hold any office. My radar is up whenever I'm even around those who have voted Republican. I was so happy when my Republican father told me he voted for Bill Clinton. People can change.

[mjvpi]

5. Agree 100%. And don't shut up about those issues!

Especially in the age of Citizens United. You dance with who brung ya'. Unfortunately today that means who paid for your ticket, unless your constituents drown them out!.

[MineralMan]

6. That's why I don't get into arguments with people.

Instead, I ask them questions and tell them what I think. I avoid more heated conversations about politics, which never seem to do any good. I save that stuff for here.

[hunter]

4. Socialists and radical environmentalists like me don't win elections.

The political climate in the U.S.A. is center-right.

Damn straight I'd rather have a competent centrist politician like Jerry Brown, Barrack Obama, or Hillary Clinton in charge than ANY Republican.

And no, hell no, shallow grifters and disruptors like Jill Stein or Ralph Nader DO NOT represent me.

[MineralMan]

7. Thanks. I think most people feel that way, but I'm always interested

in people who don't and who think voting solely based on individual issues makes any sense at all.

[mjvpi]

8. When it comes time to vote, I'm pragmatic. But only for that instant!

On a discussion site like this, we should delve unto ideals. Read the news and make sense of it. Sift through the corporate news filters. I get bummed out by the attitude of, if you support a candidate, you can't voice opposing positions. That is not democracy as I was taught. We are to guide our leaders. They are to be pragmatic in their administration of ideas and ideals. If they run as a pragmatist, then I believe that they loose the real power of the bully pulpit. As examples, FDR and Reagan. Both ran on ideas and ideals, used the bully pulpit and the pragmatic implementation of their ideas made paradigm shifts in pragmatic implementation.

[hunter]

9. I don't hold back here on DU. Ever. No self-censorship at all.

The only time I've really been in trouble here, aside from the occasional hidden posts, was for banning gun fetishists too quickly and without enough discussion while serving on MIRT.

Gun fetishes disgust me.