Should Democrats who vote for McCain be kicked out of the party?

[New Dawn]

I occasionally hear of right-wing "Democrats" threatening to vote for John McCain in the GE. I think that voting for a GOP presidential candidate is a pretty serious sign of disloyalty. These right-wing "Democrats" who voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004 cost us both of those elections. I think that anyone who admits to voting for John McCain should be permanently removed from the party, so that they can not influence future party primaries/caucuses. Does anyone else agree?

[greenbriar]

1. HELL YES

traitors

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pepperbear]

45. you don't get over to free republic much do you?

hi and bye!
:hi:

[MercutioATC]

2. How, exactly, do you plan to do that?

People can vote for whomever they want. How do you "kick them out" of a party?

[PeaceNikki]

7. I wonder, too.

In addition, how do we know if/which "Democrats" vote(d) for McCain? And further, why would we EVER discourage anyone from voting Democratic now or in the future, in spite of coting decisions of the past?

Silly, stupid and rigoddamdiculous.

[TheDebbieDee]

25. Rigoddamdiculous is right.

The idea that it would be possible to kick Dems out of the Democratic party if they vote for McCain is the same kind of silly shit that repukes talk!

[JerseygirlCT]

38. That's what I was wondering

Is the OP talking about party officials or people holding elected office who outwardly support McCain? I guess that's one thing.

But no one will know who people vote for, and how exactly would someone be thrown out of a party anyway?

[YDogg]

3. leiberman should be the first to go.

[still_one]

15. lieberman isn't a Democrat, he already left the party

He currently aligns himself with the Democrats in the Senate which give them the majority, but after 2008 if we take the Senate back, he should be removed from all the posts he now is on. If the Democrats don't do that I will have a problem

[YDogg]

24. isn't he still holding Dem-appointed posts?

[still_one]

58. Yes, that was the deal the Democrats made to maintain the majority in the Senate

However, after 2008 it won't matter, and he should be removed from those posts

[Mojambo]

16. Lieberman hasn't been a member of the Democratic party since 2006. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Should candidates who praise McCain be kicked out of the party?

:evilgrin:

[cynatnite]

5. Nope...

It's a free country and despite what I think poeple have the right to vote for who they want. If we kicked out every Dem for not voting our way there wouldn't be much of a party.

[BlueJazz]

6. Yes. Plus....The People that voted for bush should be forced to ...

...pay down the National Debt.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. I say send them to Iraq to do clean up.

[BlueJazz]

22. Sounds great..But...Ah..first..Can we force them to paint my House?

:)

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. I can send them over when they finish with mine

:)

[IowaGirl]

56. I have some dog poo in the yard that needs picked up......

:silly:

[LisaM]

Kicked out by whom? And permanently?

That's not how the Democratic party works.

What about the Michigan voters that Obama's lawyers want to protect, those who supposedly voted in the GOP primaries in Michigan, and would be disenfranchised if they held a re-vote?

What if someone just changes their heart or mind?

What about Bill Milliken, ex-GOP governor of Michigan, who endorsed John Kerry in 2004? Should he be kicked out of the Republicans?

What about people who voted for Nader in Florida in 2000? Should they be permanently banned from the party as well?

So many scenarios! My head is spinning!

[graywarrior]

8. You mean like excommunication from the church?

[PeaceNikki]

30. Non-believers! shuuuuuun!

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Ho would we know? Will they spontaeously combust? Grow horns? Get red Ms on their chests?

Clowns sometimes ask practical questions.

[blondeatlast]

10. No. nt

[bbinacan]

11. That has to be one of the

dumbest damned things I've heard in a long time. How would you police that there, Stalin?

[IowaGirl]

32. Bravo!!

:kick:

[bbinacan]

33. Thank you. n/t

[New Dawn]

40. A good precedent has already been set with Lieberman.

He caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate, so he would have been able to vote as a superdelegate at the convention. However, because he endorsed John McCain, he has been disqualified as a superdelegate.

[MuseRider]

12. Ha Ha

Democracy in action. Good lord. People can vote for whoever the fuck they want to. Go ahead and sign those loyalty oaths and you will eventually see just what that gets you. It gets you nothing as a matter of fact but go right on ahead and sign up.

[rhett o rick]

13. Which Democratic Party, there are two. The republicanlite/DLC/corporstist Democratic party

and the DNC grassroots Democratic Party

If the DLC/Corporatists take the nomination then the rest of us should start a new party.

[varelse]

17. Not possible

secret ballot, remember? :shrug:

[MonkeyFunk]

18. No

purges are stupid, and can't be implemented. You can't "kick people out" of a party.

[Cerridwen]

19. Hmmm, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer".

Would that apply here?

[Clear Blue Sky]

20. Good luck....

[still_one]

21. How can they enforce that? Only if they admit it

However, if polls show that enough Democrats do vote for mccain, then effectively they are not Democrats

[Rosemary2205]

31. Not hard at all.

Give people the option of scanning a fingerprint or eyeprint to get the voter ID card and that way when they go vote they don't have to remember the ID, just put the finger or the eyeball on the little thingy to fire up the Diebold and "POW" there you have it. Folks will think they made out good not having to stand in line proving ID to vote - and you can easily match the vote to the person.

Brownshirts amongst us. Who'd have thought it.

[Catch22Dem]

23. Dumbest post of the night

Only the second one I've read, but I think it'll hold up.

[IowaGirl]

27. Last time I checked, this was a free country. Has that changed?

Besides, if those people are so fed up with the democrats that they have to vote for McCain, I'm not sure it would be much of a punishment to remove them from the party, thereby probably insuring that they would not vote for democrats in the future. :banghead:

[New Dawn]

37. The Democratic Party is not a country.

It is a private organization that members choose to be a part of. Private organizations also have rules.

I am suggesting that those who vote for the Republican presidential candidate should be removed from this private organization. If you do not follow the rules at a job or at a college, you can be fired and expelled as well.

Individuals who want to vote for the Republican's presidential candidate should consider joining the Republican Party instead.

[MuseRider]

42. Keep trying.

Dig that hole. This is damned dumb.

[Rosemary2205]

28. ROFL

by all means, let's have a blacklist. LOL

[MiniMe]

29. Great Idea! Then we could be just like the repubicans. Should we insist on...

a loyalty oath too?

[IowaGirl]

34. No, actually this doesn't go far enough. I think we should kill them!

:rofl:

[kiranon]

48. Comments like this are why people do not fill in their profile.

[Richard Steele]

49. Did you forget to click "engage sarcasm detection" in your browser's "Preferences" panel?

[kiranon]

51. Threatening to harm people for how they vote is not ok -IMO

Sorry, I don't buy the sarcasm part.

[Richard Steele]

55. M'kay. Thank you for your concern.

:eyes:

[wildbilln864]

35. Hell yes! nt

:grr:

[tritsofme]

39. We have this thing called a secret ballot.

Read about it some time.

[Olney Blue]

41. No.

[bowens43]

43. No, that's ridiculous.

[Donnachaidh]

44. channeling Repukes?

:rofl: :rofl:

[Xenotime]

46. Yes. Esp. if they don't side with the popular view which will be Hillary.

There will be people scream foul when Obama isn't nominated.

[Better Believe It]

47. You Can't Kick Anyone Out Of The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party is not a membership organization. Ya can't be expelled from an organization that doesn't have members or membership requirements, duties and obligations. Does anyone here pay dues, have a membership card or attend decision making membership meetings of the Democratic Party? I don't mean the assorted "clubs" which exist in some locations. I suppose you could consider the party some kind of loosely knit club or sorts.

[pleah]

50. I thought this was a free country?

:shrug:

[EFerrari]

52. This is the Democratic Party, not the Nazi Party.

lol

[Hubert H. Hubert]

53. So, what makes a person a "Democrat"?

It's already been established that what you're suggesting is infeasible. So that leaves us with the question: What makes someone a Dem? Is it enough for me to just call myself a Dem? Hell, why don't I call myself a vegetarian? We'll just ignore that turkey sandwich I had for lunch.

All this talk of "loyalty oaths" is a red herring. If you don't like the Dem nominee, vote 3rd party or stay your ass away from the polls Nov. 4. If you vote for McCain, you're a repuke. End of story.

[Withywindle]

54. I think we should just make fun of them.

Lord knows there's no shortage of material there.

[Iggo]

57. Amen.

And we should start with the sarcasm-challenged.

:rofl:

[calico1]

59. And how on Earth are you going to know who voted for who?

Do you want cameras inside the voting booth? Or people voting in the presence of witnesses so they can be put on a list if necessary?

People can say they will vote for this person or that person. No one but the person knows for sure unless the privacy is taken out of the vote.

If not all Democrats are happy in the party then perhaps a better idea is to find out why and deal with that issue, rather than doing a purge or blacklist.

[KillCapitalism]

60. I say we do this with any DU'ers who vote for McCain & openly admit it...

just tombstone 'em like we do the freep trolls.:nuke:

[WinkyDink]

61. I thought the vote was by secret ballot?

[Bluenorthwest]

62. If this is one of the 'new Democrats'

I want the old ones back. Stalinist list making creeps. And seemingly unaware of our secret ballot elections, or unhappy with that state of privacy. And right wing Democrats voted for Bush in 2004? I love it when someone with right wing thinking like this claims others are right wing.

[Tippy]

63. Some food for thought

Stewardship: The Tennessee Democrats’ Creed

We Democrats believe that we exist not merely as individual “owners” of those things we possess, but also as stewards on behalf of those in need and those who will follow us. Therefore:

We will be faithful stewards of our children’s education and we will promote quality job training for all citizens seeking the skills to thrive in a technologically and intellectually challenging world;

We will be faithful stewards of our economy by supporting sound fiscal and energy policies that will create opportunities for all citizens now and in the future;

We will be faithful stewards of our natural resources by pursuing sustainable environmental policies and by leaving this planet in a better condition than we found it so future generations may enjoy its beauty;

We will be faithful stewards of our health and well being by promoting policies that will create access to affordable health care, and by supporting research to improve health conditions and fight diseases;

We will be faithful stewards of our communities by supporting efforts to control crime and promoting policies that will encourage better planning to ensure a rich quality of life;

We will be faithful stewards of our democracy, by honoring those who have sacrificed to safeguard it, and by defending it against all who would threaten it;

And we will be faithful stewards of our freedoms of equality, religion and expression so that men and women of all races and faiths can live, follow their beliefs, and express their views without fear of discrimination or reprisal.

We, as Democrats, understand and accept our responsibilities to our fellow Tennesseans. We follow the scriptural and cultural admonitions that call on us to care for the least among us, and to prepare for that which is to come. We look to the future while living our lives and remembering our past, and we gratefully accept our role as stewards of God’s creations.

--------------------------------------------------

WE WILL NOT BE TRUE DEMOCRATS AND WILL NOT WIN ELECTIONS IF WE DRIVE PEOPLE AWAY.

Any kind of an oraganized moved, or any kind of a move, to remove some people from our party woud be a big mistake.

Anyone and everyone is welcome in our Democratic Party.

[L0oniX]

64. They should get a tombstone here.

[ileus]

65. Someone from the DNC will have to document every voter and their vote.

Do you really want someone watching over your shoulder while you vote to make sure you vote correctly?

[L. Coyote]

66. FIRST, let's see if we can even find JUST ONE. Then, maybe this question matters.

But, good luck finding the first one.

[IowaGirl]

67. Considering the filthy names he calls his own wife, I can't imagine any democratic women voting for.

McCain, no matter who our nominee is. :popcorn: People say stuff in the heat of debate over our nominee but that doesn't really mean they'll necessarily do it.

[Phred42]

68. If you vote FOR McCAin you are not by any stretch a Democrat

It mutually exclusive

[Perry Logan]

69. Anyone who votes Republican in 2008 is a traitor. Period.

[sofa king]

70. Maybe we could just count registration as a permanent, irrevocable vote.

That way, one never, ever has to vote again and we can just trust the authorities to tell us whom is the winner.

On another, less humorous note, party loyalty was one of the primary arguments against giving women the right to vote. Women were considered to be too independent-minded to be trusted to consistently vote for their party of choice.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0DEFD8103BEE32A25754C0A9659C946195D6CF

[LanternWaste]

71. I voted Green in 2000

I voted Green in 2000-- and I'll be damned if you or anyone else even thinks about kicking me out.

A mistake? In hind site, you betcha! But for you or anyone else to hold me to some rigid, dogmatic purity and loyalty test is beyond the pale.

Anyway-- I'd laugh for three hours watching anyone's "attempt" at denying my rightful place in the party...

Look, pal-- I'm voting for the Democratic candidate in Nov-- whoever he or she may be. But for some Joe(sephine) Six Pack to tell me what makes or doesn't make a good Democrat is laughable (at best).

[Lou Queb]

72. I think that if you're a member of a party, you need to support your party otherwise

why would you be in this very party ? Dems who vote McCaine come november will be former dems or won't be dems at all. I think it should be a strict rule to vote in accordance to your party, isn't this a principe of what a party is about ? You cannot be a dem if you vote rep, it does not make sense to me. Thank you.