Poll: Are partisan politics counter productive?

[freakflag]

So...the question is do you feel that partisan politics are ruining the nation?

 

[freakflag]

???

 

[dcpsoguy]

Yes, I believe partisan politics are really ruining the forward development of this nation.

We have two political parties fighting, and neither can propose any decent laws. They are just concerned with throwing down each other's laws. They are looking to help themselves, and their political careers. Not us, the average citizens.

 

[freakflag]

Hmmm....4 to 1 so far think that it's a counter-productive system.
Interesting.

 

[Double Trouble]

Partisan politics as such are not necesarrily that bad (they can be bad, depending on the situation), but I think what's really starting to hurt the country is the fact that there's only two viable parties. Basically, two sets of clowns that are simply bent on making sure their party retains the most power/control by slinging mud and discrediting the other party.

The problem is that as the "consumer", the voting public, you really have very little choice. I'd like to see a 3, 4 or even 5 party system evolve, where the hose and senate wouldn't be devided among 2 parties, but rather have reps from other parties as well. At last count, there were only 2 independents in the Senate (or was it one?). Lets face it, how often do you look at the two candidates for president and think "I don't want either one, but if it has to be one of these two clowns, I'll take clown A". The last presidential elections were a perfect example. Did the public really really want Bush, or was it more of a "sheesh, Bush is not stellar (just OK), but in no way can we have the Goron as the president"? I know that's how I felt.......

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: axiom
Absolutely not. Partisan politics is frankly a part of our history. In fact Partisan politics successfully killed a few political parties. Sometimes it takes partisan politics to get the opposition to realize they are wrong.

Part of your history, yes, but at least one of the Founding Fathers(don't recall which one(s)) warned against the Party System. The US did not start as a Partisan political system. That said, the British Parliamentary system is based on Partisan Politics and works rather well.

 

[308nato]

Partisan politics is fine.

Its the ego's of those involved that create the problem. It takes about 2 minutes for most elected officials to forget that it is not about the good of their party.

If the bastards kept in mind the country and its citizens are more imporntant than their little schemes of individual glory it would get back to like the founding fathers intended.

 

[dullard]

Every elected offical can base his/her votes on one of these:
1) His/her own beliefs,
2) The desires of the population that voted him/her into office, or
3) Whatever his/her party says to vote.

I like any politician that will do #1 or #2. Sadly 95% of the Republicans in office now follow #3 more than anything else. No two people have exactly the same views on every topic that will ever arise. Thus blindly following someone elses wishes means at times you will do things you don't agree with. That means at times they vote against their own beliefs and against their constituent?s beliefs. Why would I ever want someone in office that votes against their personal beliefs and the beliefs of the people that elected them?

I myself am a Democrat, but I have helped elect a write in Republican to get out a corrupt Democrat mayor of my home town. That is about the most unpartisan thing anyone could do. (Of course now, I'm trying to find a Democrat to replace that elected Republican). If I blindy voted for my party no matter what, I'd be worse off.

 

[308nato]

... Sadly 95% of the Republicans in office now follow #3 more than anything else......

Yes. You are so unpartisan it brings a tear to my eye.

You and the other dims, all sitting around going your own way on all the issues never caring once about what the result might be for yourself and your glorious party.

 

[43st]

Partisan politics have blinded arguments on both sides of the fence. I think a prime example is the abortion issue. The Democrats use an argument of freedom of personal choice, and the Republicans use an argument of abortion is murder. As long as both parties are totally convinced of there buzz words there will be no progress. We rally who we can based on the images of our words.

If a Democrat says A, then a Repullican will say B. One must accept one as truth to prove the argument. Here's comes the rub... Both statements are true because the later never addresses the former and vice versa. As a political debater you will always return to your basic stance rather than address the opponents platform. Oddly enough as soon as you acknowledge the truth of the others statement is when you lose the argument.

All Partisan discussion ultimately goes back to the party jargon that created the argument and... once again nothing gets done. The trick of partisan politics is that it effects both parties equally.

I personally don't see a day when people will actually discuss what they beleive in without bringing the party propaganda into the argument. Maybe ATOT can be a place to start a jargonless argument club... who knows.

 

[dullard]

Yes. You are so unpartisan it brings a tear to my eye.

You and the other dims, all sitting around going your own way on all the issues never caring once about what the result might be for yourself and your glorious party.

My post clearly said I like politicians who vote what their heart says or ones that vote what their people say - this can and does include Republicans. But read the Contract with America from the early 1990's and then tell me the name of any Republican that voted against anything in there - It is possible but very hard to do. I cannot believe that every single Republican that was in office at that time believed 100% in every single thing in that - but they voted for it anyways. That blind partisanship is easy to see when you look at the results of many votes - if 99.5% of one party voted for an issue, very likely some of them voted against their own beliefs. This happens all the time, and that causes me to lose respect for those politicians who do that. Democrats do it too, and it causes me to lose respect for those individuals as well. But it happens far less frequently - you'll rarely see 99.5% of Democrats voting exactly the same on a number of issues.

 

[308nato]

...you'll rarely see 99.5% of Democrats voting exactly the same on a number of issues.

I think you define rarely a bit different than Webster.

 

[dullard]

I think you define rarely a bit different than Webster.

Well I am talking about the main issues, yes there are some issues that pass unamimously all the time. Since both side always vote fully for those issues, I don't see how that can be concluded as partisan.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: axiom
Absolutely not. Partisan politics is frankly a part of our history. In fact Partisan politics successfully killed a few political parties. Sometimes it takes partisan politics to get the opposition to realize they are wrong.

Part of your history, yes, but at least one of the Founding Fathers(don't recall which one(s)) warned against the Party System. The US did not start as a Partisan political system. That said, the British Parliamentary system is based on Partisan Politics and works rather well.

It was George Washington who warned against the party system in His Farewell Address Text
He was virtually alone of the Founding Fathers in this opinion though.