57% of the voters want to throw the rascals out:
While Democrats have become more supportive of the legislators, voters not affiliated with either major party have moved in the opposite direction. Today, 70% of those not affiliated with either major party would vote to replace all of the elected politicians in the House and Senate. That’s up from 62% last year.
Republicans, not surprisingly, overwhelmingly support replacing everyone in the Congress. Their views have not changed. But Republican voters are disenchanted with their team as much as the Congress itself: 69% of GOP Voters say Republicans in Congress are out of touch with the party base.
There’s really just one political party — the big-government party.
Cue some troll piping up to say this only proves Rand is really a Republican in 5… 4… 3…
“There’s really just one political party — the big-government party.”
True, but there are still real differences between the Dem and Rep wings of the BG party – the BG Reps through ’06 (when they lost the Congress) and ’08 (White House) were stealing our liberties and property incrementally, while the Dems are taking us to fiscal and freedoms hell on a toboggan. (For those who’ve never had the kamikaze pleasure, a proper toboggan run is a steep iced chute, and the ride is totally out of control and FAST.)
I agree that just voting for whatever the current Republican party nominates won’t solve the problem – at best it could switch us back onto the slow track down. Which would at least buy time, no bad thing, but doesn’t solve the problem.
So, what’s the answer? We need a plan. Can’t win a horse race if you don’t have a horse. A third party? Historically, third parties don’t win in the US; at their best they serve as threats that force one of the majors to re-route. Third parties are a tactic… The strategy has to be to take over (or at least massively influence) one of the existing parties. The Reps are the obvious choice, as being less impossibly far from the goals. And parties are taken over one caucus, one primary, one election at a time. The obvious next target is ’10 – elect as many new congressmen committed to individual liberties and fiscal sanity as possible, and hold incumbents’ feet to the fire on that same commitment – target a few of the worst collaborators, er, Big Government types, and knock even one off in the primary, and you’ll see the rest get religion in a hurry. (Any national party will always be a coalition, but it helps a LOT if your faction is the biggest gorilla in the cage.)
If we can’t make a commitment to freedom and fiscal responsibility MATTER to pols in the coming elections, we might as well shut up and get used to living in Belgium writ large.
Henry Vanderbilt
It’s all well and good, but at least ever since I have been born (1980), the proletariat has faithfully voted for one of the two choice they have been given, with particular prejudice toward the same guy who was there last time. The primaries are the place to attack, and the Reps are the ones to attack, but when we lose the primaries the sheeple will just vote for the lesser of two evils, or no one at all. Unfortunately, the parties see the “independent” vote for what it is – a bunch of American Idol viewers looking for the next Carrie Underwood. If you don’t show them a star, they lose attention quickly and either vote for the guy with the nicest tie or sit it out altogether. Trying to reach the masses on principles is like trying to use the Socratian method to teach your dog not chase the neighbor’s tumbleweed.
The main thing I’ve seen down through the years is that polls generally show dissatisfaction with all of Congress, but people like *their own* Representative. I’d love to see someone poll each district and see how constituents feel about their local reps, as opposed to the whole mess. We won’t win if people still feel like “throw the *other* bums out, but not my guy!”
“…but when we lose the primaries the sheeple will just vote for the lesser of two evils, or no one at all.”
Fight in the primaries for insurgent candidates, and you’ll lose some, yes. Possibly even most. But see above about putting some fear into the establishment – you only need a few wins to cause the majority to steer more your way. Both legislators and voters. And, if it is in fact One Of Those Years, you may get a lot more than a few wins.
And if you’re assuming you’d lose ALL the primaries so why bother, well, that’s a suitable attitude for a subject of the new Greater Belgium. If you want to win a horse race, the essential first requirement is to find and back a horse.
As for ‘We won’t win if people still feel like “throw the *other* bums out, but not my guy!”’, you won’t find out until you try. “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to sit on their keisters waiting for someone else to do something about it.”
Henry