What would it take for you to vote across party lines?

[CF DolFan]

I ask this because it seems to me that this country keeps getting worse and I'm not just speaking about the economy. It seems like the Republicans continue going further right and the Democrats are on the edge of left. It's so bad in fact that no one seems to be able to even see the middle any longer and are forced to "pick a side".

We are in a desperate situation and it isn't getting better and in fact, many are predicting it to get worse just after elections and it may not last that long. It is believed that our current administration and European leaders are hanging on by the seats of their pants to try and secure the presidency but it will eventually collapse.

Obviously this isn't an election about changing abortion laws, fighting for or against gay rights, or even if rich people need to share. It's about the economy or at least it should be. 

I know several people who voted for Obama who are switching to Romney for this reason but they are basically Independents anyway ... but most of the Democrats I know are still pro -Obama even though they admit they do not see things getting better.  If a person admittingly thinks things will continue to get worse why would they not want to switch?  Bad mouth Reaganomics all you want but we haven't been in this bad of a shape since Reagan took office.

It was a mistake to vote Bush a second term but I think a lot of that had to do with the choice of Kerry and the continuing war. As well I think its a mistake to give Obama 4 more but other Democrats are "faithful". 

So back to my original question. What would it take to get you to switch? Even Republicans for that matter.


This came out this morning and got me to thinking about this.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The labor market lost momentum last month as job growth fell to a disappointingly slow pace. The unemployment rate also fell, as more people stopped looking for jobs.

The economy added 96,000 jobs in August, down from 141,000 jobs in July, the Department of Labor said Friday.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 8.1%, from 8.3% in July.
Economists polled by CNNMoney were expecting 120,000 jobs to be added in the month, and the unemployment rate to remain unchanged.

The unemployment rate fell largely because 368,000 people stopped looking for work. Just 63.5% of the working-age population was either employed or actively looking for work -- a 30-year low, according to Capital Economics. "These numbers are not very strong," said Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. "The job market is improving, but only gradually."
At least 150,000 jobs need to be created each month to simply keep pace with the growing population.

[Dave Gray]

I can answer your question, but first, I want to disagree with your overall statement that both sides are moving farther apart.  I just don't think that's true.  The Democrats own the middle right now.  Obama is basically a centrist.  He's up at the convention talking about hawkish war policy, which certainly isn't from the left.  Also, you had many Democrats in the house vote against Obamacare.  The right isn't working like that right now.

But, to answer the question about what it would take for me to vote for the GOP, it really depends.

I can vote against Democrats fairly easily, and do from time to time.  I voted for Charlie Crist, while he ran as an independent, but he was pro-life, pro-gun.  However, I was drawn to his breaking from his party and I thought he was good for education down here, something that's important to me and my family.

I would also vote against a Democrat in a Todd Akin situation, where I felt that even if the person held views that I shared, that he or she was a disgrace to the party.  However, in a case like that, I'd probably vote for a 3rd party.  I also hold certain views higher than others.  If someone from the GOP ran on traditional fiscal responsibility and tax cuts, but also was very passionate about separating religion with government, that could steal my vote, as well.

[Buddhagirl]

So back to my original question. What would it take to get you to switch?

A candidate that does not want to drag us back 100 years socially.

With that said, I'm an Independent. I have no issues voting based on who I think can do the job. The difference is that I don't care about the economy as much as I care about social issues.

[Sunstroke]

I'd support a Republican candidate if they did two simple things:

1) Publicly denounce the Tea Party for being the evil divisive slime that they are.
2) Commit to maintaining a separation of church and state.

[bsfins]

Locally,and even at the state level,I don't care if you're Democrat,Republican,Purple Dinosaur,talking Marijuana leaf.

I also think what I want and cared about has changed,when I first really noticed politics,I was on the farm.I'm not a farmer anymore,I have several friends that do make a living in rural Missouri.I see myself as the working poor....

I felt nationally the Democrats moved towards me,and the Republican moved away from me....

Democrats ---> Me------------------->Republicans...I still see myself as an independent,at the moment I just see the Democrats lining up with more things I like right now.I think  in my lifetime,the Democrats will go away from me,and the Republicans will come back toward me,or maybe some other party

I liked Reagan, Liked G.H. Bush,hated Clinton,voted for Bush twice and regret it ,voted Obama,and will vote for him again....I really liked John Edwards,then he joined John Kerry,and I didn't like him anymore,I felt he became john Kerry Bitch I didn't like...

I never liked the over-zealous religious guys,I feel they always want to retard the country,and I want to move forward...

Right now I'm sick of the Republicans telling me the World is going to end,try to scare me with everything approach....It reminds me of what G.W.Bush did,It reminds me of religion,and Fire & Brimstone B.S...I want no part of it...

[bsmooth]

I left the GOP years ago. I feel that voting party lines just maintains the two-party plutocracy. I encourage people to stop looking at what letter is next to the candidates name.

[suck for luck]

I can answer your question, but first, I want to disagree with your overall statement that both sides are moving farther apart.  I just don't think that's true.  The Democrats own the middle right now.  Obama is basically a centrist... 

*falls out of chair, laughs uncontrollably, stops reading thread*

[Phishfan]

*falls out of chair, laughs uncontrollably, stops reading thread*

Things like this are why I as a person registered with no party affiliation are feeling a large disconnect with people from the GOP, Tea Party, and basically anything considered the right. They move so far to the right that they cannot even fathom Obama is more in the middle than they think he is. Also, they never use any sort of facts to try and make a case. They simply pretend any sort of argument is not worth responding to. Amazingly the only ones who do try to use any "facts" are the complete kooks such as birthers, people  who think he took the US flag off Air Force One, and people who believe he is Muslim.

[el diablo]

When you don't belong behind a line, there is no line to cross.

[Spider-Dan]

As already stated, the idea that "both sides are extremists" is just silly.  There are many self-proclaimed "conservative Democrats" in the United States Congress (the 25 members of the Blue Dogs are an easy place to start).  In contrast, I challenge anyone to name a self-proclaimed "liberal Republican" in Congress.  Hell, even finding a Republican that's willing to proclaim themselves as "moderate" is a Herculean task.

That being said:  I would not be willing to vote for a Republican at the national level while the party continues to be controlled by extremists.  But to be fair, I would also have a hard time voting for a Green (even though they tend to mesh better with my values, ideologically) because I learned the lessons of 2000 all too well: generally speaking, a vote for Green is a vote for Team Red, just as a vote for Libertarian is a vote for Team Blue.

In order for me to cross party lines today, three conditions would need to apply:

1) not for federal office
2) an extraordinarily unacceptable Dem candidate (e.g. anti-evolution)
3) a libertarian-minded GOP candidate that does not want to dismantle the safety net (unlikely but not impossible in CA, especially given our recent election changes)

[el diablo]

Here's a better question. Can you name a "Blue Dog" democrat in an urban district (not suburban)? Can you name a moderate Republican from an urban district? Can you name an extreme liberal in a rural district? What makes one "extreme", is an unyielding, uncompromising nature. Both sides are guilty of this. Which is why I consider them both to be extreme. I can see good ideas in both sides. I have that luxury as an independent. They don't, if they want to have a job in government.

[CF DolFan]

Debating who is middle and who isn't is silly to me. I think it's natural to "think" of oneself or line of thinking as the middle ground.

More on topic in this post alone what I perceive as liberals several said they could never vote Republican and gave reasons why. None of which is the economy which polls would say is the most important issue today.  I see the same thing with general Republicans that I know who would vote for Rush Limbaugh as the National Breakdance Instructor if he ran. That's a crazy scary thought to me that the majority of voters find reasons to vote fore their guy/gal rather than look at the main issues. i find many conversations on here a microcosm of this where people will argue a point for days with neither ever actually listening to the other.

Maybe it's me but I never expect to get everything. Heck, there is no one that believes the way I do about everything ... at least not running for anything important. This has always caused me to decide what's most important in every, election whether it's local or national, and vote that way. I can't dwell on the differences or I'd never select anyone.

This just doesn't go for politics. Even Christians will break each other down until they find difference. Is Jesus Lord? Do you believe in the virgin birth? Are you Catholic or Protestant? Southern Baptist or Northern Baptist? Baptism by sprinkling or immersion and will continue until they find something to separate them. It should be the other way where we find common goals and work from there.

For instance ... I am pro life and you are pro choice. Well neither of us wants to kill babies so lets figure out how we can keep that from happening rather than pointing out the other is wrong. You want condoms in school and I want to teach abstinence. Let's do both and see which seems to work better. If we can't even agree to at least decide what's important how will we ever quit fighting over differences and actually accomplish anything?

[el diablo]

....and thus begins the road to understanding.

[Fau Teixeira]

Economically speaking the parties are no different. Obama extended the bush tax cuts and bush added an unpaid prescription drug benefit to Medicare. Obama's health care plan is a republican plan, that's a boondoggle to the insurance industry.

The only tangible differences are social, and I could see myself voting republican when they start accepting evolution as fact and stop pushing pseudoscience as policy.

[Spider-Dan]

Here's a better question. Can you name a "Blue Dog" democrat in an urban district (not suburban)? Can you name a moderate Republican from an urban district? Can you name an extreme liberal in a rural district?

Why are you splitting hairs?  Congressional Democrats (as a party) span a wide breadth of the political spectrum, from liberal to conservative.  In contrast, congressional Republicans span from conservative to... ultra-conservative.  And all you have to do is ask them; they will vigorously protest being labeled "liberal" or even "moderate."

What makes one "extreme", is an unyielding, uncompromising nature. Both sides are guilty of this.

Yes, there are individuals within each party that fit this description.  But that's missing the point.

At a federal level, within the Democratic Party, compromises are made between the more liberal factions and the more conservative factions (and yes, the liberals usually get more of what they want... but they outnumber conservatives, so that's not unreasonable).  Within the Republican Party, these compromises are between "hard right" and "incredibly hard right," because liberal Republicans no longer exist.

One of the things I find most annoying is the false "both sides do it" narrative that the media leans upon; Democrats-say-this and Republicans-say-that, so no one is right or wrong and it's all just "opinion."