Most people don't really want change.
By Latrivia
@Latrivia (2878)
United States
March 10, 2008 5:23pm CST
You hear a lot of people advocating certain candidates who, in their eyes, represent change. In reality, though, the candidates who represent or promise change to some people are like an old hand-me-down toy your family never lets go of. You can paint and polish it to make it look new, but under all the aesthetics, it's still the same old toy.
I have to wonder why people lie to themselves. They say they want change, but every four years, they end up voting for the same old thing. How many actively voting Americans could list off at least three political parties (besides the Democratic and Republican) right off the top of their head, describe what each party stands for, and do all of that without looking it up on the internet immediately after being asked about those parties? A whopping 5% at best, perhaps?
I guess I can understand why most wouldn't know. You're average American gets their news and information from groups like Fox News, CNN, PrisonPlanet - and the worst part is, very few of them ever think to question or cross reference what the media feeds them. So if the news only covers two parties, obviously only two parties exist.
Anyway - I digress. I'm not sure whether or not people either don't truly want change, or don't understand what change really is. If they did, I'm sure they'd consider voting 3rd party - especially this year, since it seems like the line up of available candidates is pure crap. At least if enough people voted 3rd party, we could get another political group in congress, thus reducing the monopolizing hold the Democrats and Republicans (who have pretty much run our country into the ground) have on Congress.
That said, I've made a decision. This year, I'll be voting third party, because I refuse to throw away my vote on another 4 years of Democrat/Republican screw ups. Has anyone else considered the same?
2 people like this
7 responses
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
11 Mar 08
I know Bush is very hated right now, but I assure you, it could be worse. It could be much worse. Putting a man in charge whose wife considers our country "mean and cynical" and whose pastor refers to this country as "The United States of white America" is not what this country needs right now. I'm looking at McCain as the lesser of three evils.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
11 Mar 08
I'd be very happy if there were some viable third party candidates for President or for other high offices such as Congress and the Senate but I'm not of a mind to vote for someone or against someone just because they are or are not in a particular party. I'm a Democrat, but that doesn't mean I've never crossed party lines or won't again in the future but in all honesty as a party the Democratic party represents what I believe in most of the time. I DO truly want change from what we've had the past 7+ years, trust me! I have a feeling that in the very near future we will see third party candidates having much more success because the younger voters, many of whom are voting for the first time in their lives this year, aren't "married" to a particular party in the same way as past generations have been.
Annie
1 person likes this
@teufelskind (813)
• United States
23 May 08
I will vote for whoever wins the Democratic nomination because neither of them is a war monger.
I'd love to see national healthcare for EVERYONE... just like in so many European countries.
I'd like to see a focus on getting away from fossil fuels and developing alternate forms of energy.
I LOVED seeing all of the beautiful wind farms all over the great plains!!! We should have those EVERYWHERE since air is free!!!!
I want for a woman to ALWAYS have the final say regarding what happens in her body.
@RobinJ (2501)
• Canada
11 Mar 08
It is pretty scary when you get an answer that says so and so can't be any worse than Bush. I know in Canada we have a very apathetic group of people when it comes to elections, I will give you an example there was an interest group that wants lots of sport arenas tracks fields built in the city where I live they got on the band wagon and pushed and pushed for it, If we get a 30% turn out at election day we are considered having a great election, so the population in this city is about 150 thousand people, a little over 7 thousand voted on the sports and it was won by a little over 70 people so now we are going to have a huge tax bill every year for a lot of years to the tune of over $300.oo per tax payer, and then when the hue and cry went up the city applied for a grant to help cover the costs they were turned down because the city received a yes vote on that ticket. so if you have a great deal of apathy and a lot of people who do not get off their butts then you more or less get what you deserve because you have the opportunity to change the way it comes out but to few people figure that I am only one vote well you have seen and heard what the loss of one vote can do. and I agree I do not see any candidate that is there to assist the American people it is more like whats in it for them. Good luck with that
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
11 Mar 08
There are several problems with the whole "Change" issue. Most people don't want change, not really. They just want their lives to be better. They want things they know they'll never have. They want free health care, excellent schools, a nation that never goes to war unless it's a slam dunk with no losses on our side, and they want tax cuts so that the government will have less money to pay for these things. They also want a president that is young, attractive, and stands for all the values they cherish.
The third party bit is cute and I wish it could work but it won't. Why? Because most voters are ignorant and happy to stay that way. They get their news from the Daily Show, Colbert Report, or whatever comedian or actor is talking about politics as they flip through the channels. Since none of these outlets address third parties and haven't since the days of Ross Perot, people just don't know about them. Oh, they've heard of a third party, but they also heard that there are cars that run on water and they're not looking into that either.
In the end, most people aren't voting for who they want in the white house, they're voting against whoever they DON'T want to be in the white house. A vote for a third party candidate won't stop one politician from being in office because third parties don't win presidential elections. People choose to vote for the person that can BEAT the guy or girl they hate. Aside from all that, I have yet to see a third party candidate that I liked more than the Republican candidate in past elections. There may be one worth voting for this year, but my priority is making sure that Clinton and Obama don't force me to pay money I don't have for Health Insurance I can't afford and won't use.
@rodney850 (2145)
• United States
11 Mar 08
I believe you hit the nail squarely on the head! The problem I have with Clinton and Obama and their healthcare notions is they are not telling the whole truth! Yes we have millions of people in this country without medical insurance but what they won't tell you and don't ever want you to find out by yourself is;a vast majority of those people CHOOSE not to have insurance. Many are young single people who don't see the need of health insurance yet but these two use these inflated statistics to make people catch their breath in a "that's awful" cry! I still maintain that the only way Hillary or Barak can get affordable insurance to the people who REALLY want and need it is to give it to them lock stock and barrel! They will not be able to afford it any other way! And guess who gets to pay for that?
@rodney850 (2145)
• United States
11 Mar 08
My Two Cents Worth: It is my belief that until we break the strangle hold the mainstream media has on this nation and how they perpatrate the lie that America should take their word as gospel we will never see a viable third party in this country. NBC, CBS, ABC and now also FOX are the ones rolling and controlling the dice! How this nation is as a two party political system is exactly where they want it to stay and I believe are getting paid big bucks to make sure it stays that way!Until we somehow break that hold and push for even a constitutional ammendment of some sort to make the playing field more even there will be no voice"for the people, by the people"! These political bullies will continue to arrogantly devise their policies and shove them down our throats like castor oil as "good for you"! Until then, a vote for a third party is as useless as teats on a boar hog! It is a thrown away vote!
Until the viable third party comes along we must look at what we have to vote for and choose the one we think we can live with despite it all!
