To join a major party or not to join?

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  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    what is the con to signing up as a democrat? ... seems like at the very best you may be able to foster some change locally and at the very worst you won't ...
  • Pepe Silvia
    Pepe Silvia Posts: 3,758
    polaris_x wrote:
    what is the con to signing up as a democrat? ... seems like at the very best you may be able to foster some change locally and at the very worst you won't ...


    right, and it's not like she'd be locked into that party for life, if she isn't happy she can always change to something else
    don't compete; coexist

    what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?

    "I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama

    when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
    i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
  • _
    _ Posts: 6,657
    polaris_x wrote:
    what is the con to signing up as a democrat? ... seems like at the very best you may be able to foster some change locally and at the very worst you won't ...

    I guess it almost seems like a matter of principle? I don't want to cave and join/support the two-party system. And I don't necessarily want to be associated with the Democrats (or Republicans).
  • mikepegg44
    mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    scb wrote:
    polaris_x wrote:
    what is the con to signing up as a democrat? ... seems like at the very best you may be able to foster some change locally and at the very worst you won't ...

    I guess it almost seems like a matter of principle? I don't want to cave and join/support the two-party system. And I don't necessarily want to be associated with the Democrats (or Republicans).


    It seems to me that primary elections are for members of a party only to pick who they think is the best candidate to run in the general election. so if you don't want to be a member of either party then they aren't an election in which you should participate. I wouldn't want a republican picking which candidate will run on the democratic ticket. If you choose to be independant this is one of the costs. It doesn't mean you cannot be involved in local polictics, you just cannot be involved in this process.
    That is my understanding anyway, I could be way off.
    that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
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  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,327
    I would join for the primaries so that you can at least have a chance to influence the candidate that is most in-line with your views. Indiana doesn't require me to sign up, which is nice.

    Unfortunately, I was not successful in ousting some career politicians before the general elections. My state rep Dan Burton, a womanizing piece of bantha fodder going for his 15th consecutive term in office, won because the field was overloaded with challengers and 29% was good enough. And our likely next Senator, Dan Coats, is a former senator and lobbyist with deep political connections.

    I usually vote Republican but neither of these scum bags will get my vote.
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    scb wrote:
    I guess it almost seems like a matter of principle? I don't want to cave and join/support the two-party system. And I don't necessarily want to be associated with the Democrats (or Republicans).

    my response to this is that its as good of a reason as any NOT to join ... the reality is that you will likely not garner much momentum ... i mean aside from kucinich - who's worth voting for in the democratic party? ...

    it's a huge catch-22 clusterfuck ... i mean the reality is the best way to change things is to work within the current system in which case you will need to build momentum either with some 3rd party or succumb to the current 2-party joke ... if you believe that you can push through a candidate that is truly progressive and isn't interested in getting swept up in the current framework - then that's something ... but if you truly don't think anyone is capable of breaking this corrupt pattern - your better off having at least your principle in tact and fighting the good fight from an independent standpoint ...

    either way - i support any decision you make for what that's worth ... haha
  • kenny olav
    kenny olav Posts: 3,319
    Yeah, each state has different rules for their primaries. In Massachusetts, it used to be that if you were 'unenrolled' you could vote in any party's primary, but by doing so, you were automatically enrolled in that party. From 2000-2001, I was actually a registered Republican because I had voted for McCain in the 2000 presidential primary and didn't bother changing it until a year or so later. I wasn't really a fan of McCain... it was basically a protest vote against Bush. There wasn't any point in voting in the Democratic primary as Gore pretty much had the nomination handed to him. I dunno... made sense at the time... annnywaaaay, nowadays in Mass if you're unenrolled, you can vote in any primary and remain unenrolled, which I like.
  • _
    _ Posts: 6,657
    polaris_x wrote:
    either way - i support any decision you make for what that's worth ... haha

    Thanks!! :D

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