S/O, a poll for the ends of the political spectrum

[FastHands]

This is for the extremes of both political parties. If you are tried and true one way or the other, Im talking to you. If you are in the middle and don't have a clear pattern of voting with one party over another, skip it.

[livinitup]

One of the things I really respect about my republican father is that he openly votes for the candidate, not the party.

[rosiebear]

Platforms matter, and politicians rarely vote for themselves anymore. It's a rare politician who votes against his party unless there is a deal to ensure the other side won't win the vote.

I'd have a very hard time voting for any politician of the other party because of both of those things.

[cajunmom]

Sept 4, 2015 7:01:31 GMT -5 rosiebear said:

Platforms matter, and politicians rarely vote for themselves anymore. It's a rare politician who votes against his party unless there is a deal to ensure the other side won't win the vote.

I'd have a very hard time voting for any the other party because of both of those things.

This is my reasoning, as well. 

[nonsensetomfoolery]

It depends? If a republican was the better canadiate for something like mayor or *maybe* governor, yes. If a republican was the better candidate for something like the senate and their election would give the republicans the majority, I would still vote for the democrat. Same for president- Supreme Court nominations, etc.

[eddy]

I dont know how to answer this....I have such a hard time visualizing myself ever voting for a R. The party right now is so far from my own voting priorities. Maybe in like a local election where there is less outside interests?

[underwaterrhymes]

I would vote for a Republican if they were pro-choice, pro- gun control, and pro-equality (meaning in addition to marriage equality, they also were invested in and cared about the #BLM movement).

There are other issues that are important to me, but anyone who falls on the other side of those three particular issues will never be the better candidate, IMO.

[Jalapeñomel]

Can't see the poll.

FastHands can you put the poll in your OP?

[Jalapeñomel]

I'm guessing if we'd ever vote across party lines?

The problem is that if you vote for a candidate that claims he isn't aligned with his party, you are being played.

[DotAndBuzz]

Sept 4, 2015 6:51:03 GMT -5 livinitup said:

One of the things I really respect about my republican father is that he openly votes for the candidate, not the party.

This is becoming my dad too.  He always voted straight republican, but in recent years he's started to vote democrat here and there.  Even had a sign for a local democrat candidate in his yard.  When I asked him about it, he said he didn't know what the hell was wrong with republicans lately, but he couldn't, in good conscience, vote for them.  He basically said the party had changed, and while he liked that they still said they were fiscally conservative (lol), it really upset him that, especially on a national platform, they seemed to want to limit women's rights, and promote discrimination in the name of Christianity.

I'm certain he doesn't vote straight Democrat now, but I know that even he, as an old, white, Christian man in the midwest, is giving a strong side-eye to the republicans and will vote against them when he sees fit.

[DotAndBuzz]

Oh, and personally, I lean libertarian, and tend to vote that way if the candidate supports the issues I do. Not always, but especially in local elections, the candidates tend to be more moderate, instead of extreme on the libertarian platform. However, as things stand now, I can't see myself voting for the libertarian-ish republican. I mean....really.

I can see myself voting democrat in this upcoming election - I support a lot of their issues, and they aren't acting like general douchefaces towards other human beings and their basic individual rights.

[Jalapeñomel]

Sept 4, 2015 7:25:30 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

Sept 4, 2015 6:51:03 GMT -5 livinitup said:

One of the things I really respect about my republican father is that he openly votes for the candidate, not the party.

This is becoming my dad too.  He always voted straight republican, but in recent years he's started to vote democrat here and there.  Even had a sign for a local democrat candidate in his yard.  When I asked him about it, he said he didn't know what the hell was wrong with republicans lately, but he couldn't, in good conscience, vote for them.  He basically said the party had changed, and while he liked that they still said they were fiscally conservative (lol), it really upset him that, especially on a national platform, they seemed to want to limit women's rights, and promote discrimination in the name of Christianity.

Not my dad, he's gotten worse, and every year it gets more disgusting, especially as Fox News stays on longer and longer in the house.

[Kristinmo]

I would vote for the other party if they were the better candidate. However, I have a hard time believing that would ever happen.

[boxerdog]

Theoretically, I would have no problem voting for a republican, but I am so liberal that I just can't picture a scenario where a republican would align enough on the issues that were important to me enough to vote for them over a dem.

I vote more on stance on issues that experience, personality, etc.

I have voted for an independent, though (Charlie Crist, lol)!

[CurlyQ284]

If the nominee was the Democratic equivalent of Donald Trump then I guess I would vote republican. I really can't see myself voting that way unless the Democratic nominee is a complete ass bag. I don't agree with Republicans on pretty much every single issue.

[speckledfrog]

MH registered as Republicans so we could vote for Kay Bailey Hutchison when she was running against Rick Perry. Because no one should vote for Rick Perry.

[Bad Dingo]

Sept 4, 2015 7:04:29 GMT -5 nonsensetomfoolery said:

It depends? If a republican was the better canadiate for something like mayor or *maybe* governor, yes. If a republican was the better candidate for something like the senate and their election would give the republicans the majority, I would still vote for the democrat. Same for president- Supreme Court nominations, etc.

I agree, if we are talking local elections then I'd vote for a different party if they were a better candidate and I thought they'd do a better job.  For general election? No way.

[FastHands]

Sept 4, 2015 7:41:11 GMT -5 CurlyQ284 said:

If the nominee was the Democratic equivalent of Donald Trump then I guess I would vote republican. I really can't see myself voting that way unless the Democratic nominee is a complete ass bag. I don't agree with Republicans on pretty much every single issue.

Yeah, I think it would have to be that sort of situation for everyone to whom this poll applies. Otherwise, the chances that the candidate from the other party is someone you think would do a better job are pretty slim.

[pantsparty]

Sept 4, 2015 7:22:14 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I'm guessing if we'd ever vote across party lines?

The problem is that if you vote for a candidate that claims he isn't aligned with his party, you are being played.

Exactly. Theoretically, yes. Will this in a million years happen? Hahahahahaha!!!

[FastHands]

Sept 4, 2015 7:01:31 GMT -5 rosiebear said:

Platforms matter, and politicians rarely vote for themselves anymore. It's a rare politician who votes against his party unless there is a deal to ensure the other side won't win the vote.

I'd have a very hard time voting for any politician of the other party because of both of those things.

That's a really good point that I hadn't considered. I was thinking more along the lines of the Trump situation where objectively speaking, the other candidate is just a horrible fit for the job. I still don't know that I could vote for a Democratic Trump, even as a vote for the democratic platform -- though the point about supreme court nominations is obviously not trivial either. I definitely see that party politics make things less clearly about who the best person for the job is. Which is a bit sad.

[FastHands]

Like, if the race were Still-Republican Arlen Specter vs Off-his-meds Joe Biden, could I vote for Specter, knowing he might fall victim to party politics? Hmm. I'm glad I posted this poll! lol

[juliachild]

Politicians typically follow party politics. With the way the current Republican party is, I would not vote Republican. I don't see the Tea Party losing control anytime soon.

[ECB]

Sept 4, 2015 7:04:29 GMT -5 nonsensetomfoolery said:

It depends? If a republican was the better canadiate for something like mayor or *maybe* governor, yes. If a republican was the better candidate for something like the senate and their election would give the republicans the majority, I would still vote for the democrat. Same for president- Supreme Court nominations, etc.

I agree w/ rosiebear to a large degree, but also ^^^ this.  In Maryland, Ehrlich was a republican Governor.  We didn't vote for him but he only served one term and we feel he did a decent job.  Then in came O'Malley, a democrat and who we liked as Mayor of Baltimore.  But we were NOT impressed w/ his time as Governor, at all.   We both felt "Well, damn, we should have voted for Ehrlich".

On the state level, we WOULD consider crossing lines, but yeah - once you hit the national level, that's a game changer for me.  I'd have a really really hard time crossing lines. 

Plus/also - I feel like the Republican party has veered into a territory that scares me.  Between the NRA and the Christian right... the fact that many republicans seem to pander to these two groups... it scares me.  A lot. 

[pandorica]

Sept 4, 2015 7:14:52 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I would vote for a Republican if they were pro-choice, pro- gun control, and pro-equality (meaning in addition to marriage equality, they also were invested in and cared about the #BLM movement).

There are other issues that are important to me, but anyone who falls on the other side of those three particular issues will never be the better candidate, IMO.

This. And it's hard for me to imagine this ever being the case, or me agreeing with an R candidate more than the D.

[zelda25]

At the local level, sure. For seats with more power to affect things that really matter--like reproductive rights--no fucking way. Those candidates will always caucus with their party; if they don't, they lose their seats.

[sonrisa]

Are we talking about for president or for any office?

At the level of the presidency, you aren't just voting in one individual, you are voting for which party will control the federal executive branch - so all the cabinet. Unless it was someone who had a clearly bipartisan, sane cabinet it would be tough at that level. (so more likely in a reelection scenario). 

For legislators and at the state or local level I often vote for different parties: green, peace and freedom, working families, etc.

If Trump were running as a democrat, I'd vote third party. Because there are enough sane, non-racist and politically liberal Americans that there would be an alternative somewhere on the ballot. I don't believe in "throwing away my vote" so I only vote third party candidates who have a chance. But I couldn't vote for a Trump. 

[thebreakfastclub]

I could see this scenario happening at the state official level, or Senator, but not really for President.

The primary system seems to fan the flames of partisanship and appealing to whatever handful of states get to vote early and narrow the field. I think the primary should be all 50 states on one day, so I don't have to hear about the Iowa state fair being the live or die moment for these candidates.

[Deleted]

I am unaffiliated, so neither party.  

I voted for a third party candidate in the last presidential election.