Is it best to vote the Party or vote the Man (or Woman)...?

[SaveElmer]

What is best use of your vote...

Would you vote for someone you did not agree with to strengthen the hand of the party that you did...or

Is it more important to vote for the person most closely aligned with your views...?


For me, I always vote the Party. The only way anything gets done is by having a strong political party advocating for your values. Now of course t is isn't perfect as sometimes the majority of the party takes a position opposite of yours...but in general, it is my view that it is usually in the best interests of the country to strengthen the hand of the party that most closely aligns with my views, in this case of course, the Democratic Party....

The only caveat is I will not vote for anyone that has turned their back on the party by either running as something other than a Democrat (Joe Lieberman), or actively supported a Republican running against a member of the party (William Donald Schaeffer, Randy Kelly, Zell Miller, Joe Lieberman)...

Otherwise I vote straight ticket...


How about you !

[Deja Q]

1. The invidual, based on existing track record.

Anything else is tantamount to self-imposed fascism. Toeing the line and all.

When it comes time to toe a line, I'll let you know.

[election_2004]

2. I vote for the candidate, ALWAYS...

Even if I'm not 100% satisfied with him or her. John Kerry, for example; I didn't agree with all of his platform, but I was satisfied with about 85%-90% of it, and passionately gave him my vote.

But I simply can't bring myself to vote for an individual whom I believe represents corruption and a lack of decency, regardless of which party he/she belongs to.

[Warpy]

3. Once Reagan handed that party to the lunatics, I had no choice

In safe races back home, I'd please myself and vote Socialist Workers' Party. They had the best candidates. In contested races, I'd vote Democratic.

Here in NM, it's Democratic or nothing. The Greens were active for a while, but they actually ran an antichoicer for governor one year, a pox on them.

There is no way I would ever consider voting GOP until they clean their party up, oust the corporate thieves and the religious lunatics. Then they can give me their pitch and I'll decide.

Right now, forget it. If they run uncontested, I'll sit on my hands.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. You didn't talk about primaries

It is vital that we Democrats vote for the person who best represents our views in the primary. I get sick and tired of people getting nominated because "they are electable" and then they don't get elected! So I will always cast my vote with my ideology in a primary.

There is also the factor of local elections. These are folks you know, possibly personally. I have held my nose and voted Democratic on some of these people, but I draw the line at voting for someone I personally know to be dishonest or out to make a buck from public office. And, like you, I don't vote for a person who has betrayed the national party.

[SaveElmer]

6. Well I had the general in mind...

But I suppose it could apply to the primaries depending on the candidates...

[silverweb]

5. Other.

For the individual in the primaries, for the party in the general election.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

7. It seems as if more often than not I've voted

against a candidate rather than for a candidate. And the one I'm always voting against is the repub.

So, for that reason alone I always vote the Dem ticket.

[ulysses]

8. question for you -

Zell and Joe were just fine in your book up until the moment that one came out blatantly for the Repugs and the other ran as an independent, yes?

[SaveElmer]

9. Fine no...

But I would have voted for them had I lived in those states if they were the Democratic nominee....

Once Zell endorsed W and of course when Lieberman decided to run as an independent if he lost the primary, I no longer considered them Democrats and would not have voted for them...so actually I would have voted for Lamont in that case...

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. Inidvidual. I have never voted for an all Green ticket.