What Alternative kind of Government do you Support?

[Smurf]

What happens if you end up with 150 candidates?

I think we should devote an entire thread to this. But honestly, what's better? Only hearing about 2 candidates from each party, or not being able to make up your mind between 150 of them? I'm sure we could figure out a way to eliminate a few of the contestants.

 

[plover]

I'm sure we could figure out a way to eliminate a few of the contestants.

Jousting? Chariot races? Segway races?

 

[Smurf]

All very good ideas

 

[honestrosewater]

If we did abolish all political parties, though, where would the candidates come from?

Everyone would be an independent candidate. Maybe the current laws for independent candidates would work, I don't know, but I think it does deserve another thread.
Jousting would be good. Or human chess games. Serve huge chunks of meat and it would be just like a Renaissance fair.

 

[BobG]

I don't think you understand what he meant: All (I think) voting machines have a "straight party" button or lever you can use to automatically select all the candidates from one party. I didn't think anyone used those anymore until my roommate told me he did. I can't tell you how much that annoys me - its the ultimate in uninformed, knee-jerk voting.

I would actually be in favor of removing party affiliations from the ballots: just list the names.

There's nothing wrong with political parties. It's the simple principle of strength through unity.

But Russ's idea of removing party affiliations from the ballots is a great one. You can't bar citizens from voting just because they pay no opinion to politics. But you can at least try to make the uninformed votes balance out so they don't influence the election.

This is especially important for local elections. Most candidates adapt to the area they hope to represent. A Western Democrat (from New Mexico, Arizona, Nebraska, for example) has little resemblance to a New York Democrat (except in Congress or as President where they have to maintain an alliance to get any of their projects passed). I've sometimes found local Democratic candidates to be a better choice than the Republican candidate - especially having lived the last twenty-some years in Repubican strongholds where ultra-conservatives can sometimes make a successful bid for office.

 

[Smurf]

Especially having lived the last twenty-some years in Repubican strongholds where ultra-conservatives can sometimes make a successful bid for office.

Yeah, wolfowitz is a b**** eh?