General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: If Sanders not being officially in the party bothers Democrats so much [View all]CTAtheist
(88 posts)As long as voter registration determines which Party you belong to, and as long as people can freely change their voter registration, I feel that making a big deal about Bernie being/not being a Democrat is, IMHO, wasted conversation.
For me, a party has a platform, and the party's leadership (generally) supports or believes in that platform. But that doesn't mean every politician running for office registered in that party supports every pillar of that platform 100%. We know of plenty of pro-life Dems, pro-gun Dems, even tax-cut Dems.
When I consider my Vote (tm), I make my decision on a person's positions, not the letter next to their name. Now, we all know there is never going to be an (R) that gets my vote, because there are no pro-choice, gun safety, tax-equality, gender-equality, etc., etc. Republicans. Ever. Like, Never Ever.
But I am not going to rule in, or rule out, a candidate due to a lack of a (D). Again, its just that the ones which have the (D) always align better to my beliefs then any (R) or even any (I) I've ever been presented with as a choice. I really do not care about Bernie's I-D-I-D swapping. Nor do I care about someone's age, race, gender, etc. It's about their positions & policies, period.
I am seeing totally different choices this time around. I will not, CANNOT embrace any kind of "loyalty" to any candidate. Not Bernie, not Hillary, not Biden - no one. Each election is a whole new ball game for me. Not only is the mix of candidates different, but the opponent is different (candidate Trump vs. Train-wreck Trump), the situation in the world is different, the media is different, even the people of the U.S. are different. I take each Democratic primary as a new and unique event. I don't "rehash". I investigate, evaluate, and determine who I think would best represent my interests in the context of those other things (the current world situation, etc.).
So, I have not yet been able to even begin to start my evaluation of everyone who has announced so far. But, I haven't eliminated anyone, nor will I, ever. I will learn as much as I can, and hone my aim, slowly but surely, at the candidate that emerges as my top choice. That is how we all should do it, IMHO.