Election Time

[Blue_Heron]

Originally Posted by Islandtrader

Fundamentally...this has been going on forever.

I think Mark Twain once said something like..."there is no distinctly American Criminal class...except Congress".

So the bitch'n goes way back...nothing new.

Unfortunately, Terry is right. It doesn't help that the Demopublicans (or Republicrats if you prefer) have had a monopoly on our government since the civil war.

I think a step in the right direction would be to strip the Demopublicans of their state sponsored monopoly and go to open primary elections where voters can select any candidate of any party, and the top two candidates go into a runoff unless the top candidate gets more than 50% in the primary.

Our current system of taxpayer funded closed primary elections disenfranchises minor party voters and those who prefer a candidate in the opposition party. And it results in major party candidates that appeal to the party "base" (read extremes). So in the general election we get to choose between a left wing whacko funded by unions, greenies, community organizers, married gays, bankers, insurance companies, and communists, or a right wing nut bag funded by major corporations, gun nuts (not hating here, I'm a gun nut), right to lifers, the Limbaugh faithful, bankers, insurance companies, etc. Worst of all it strengthens the Demopublican stranglehold by preserving the illusion of democratic elections.

Then, when they're elected, they parade off to Washington and stir up controversy over stuff that inflames the populace, but isn't important in most of our lives (gay marriage, Benghazi, Monica Lewinsky, you get the idea). But it is useful to keep us distracted from the things that ARE important ($18 trillion federal debt, Fed printing money like it's going out of style, much of the world hating us because we have a consistently immoral foreign policy agenda, billions of dollars in subsidies going to the folks who put them in office, the list goes on).

I'd be interested to see what the guys in Cali think of the open primary system they've gone to. Might be too early to have an impact, but it's bound to change the political landscape eventually.

Climbing down from my soap box now to go get a cocktail. I've had enough of politics.
Dave

[McGillicuddy]

Originally Posted by Blue_Heron

I'd be interested to see what the guys in Cali think of the open primary system they've gone to. Might be too early to have an impact, but it's bound to change the political landscape eventually.

Dave

Hey Dave,
I've become a wee bit apolitical since I was introduced to Lowell George and Little Feat 30 some years ago but the CA open primary does offer some hope - I guess...

Problem is guys will invent their own party run a petition and get on the ballot, write a few lines on their stance or platform for the voters guide and never be heard from again. The only guy anyone recognizes is the has-been politico or the former attorney general who wants to be governor.

Heck some of the guys don't even say what they want to do, just that they are sick of the status quo. Some just submit a website

Here's last summer's Primaries Voters Guide Candidate for Governor:

http://vigarchive.sos.ca.gov/2014/pr...s/governor.htm

Good luck selecting the best candidate

Our elections sucked our options were worse. Its no surprise voter turnout was around 22% for Governor. Brown was a shoo in. Nobody cared. People stayed at work or the bar. Everyone felt the elections were bought months in advance and that their opinion was irrelevant to the available candidates. Americans should never feel that way. Nobody should...