CDZ Joining a political party

[Tommy Tainant]

I have never joined a political party.

Although I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing to centrist to dont give a shit. On certain technical issues I have some sympathy with the right. But not many.

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views.

I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Nobody could possibly agree with everything that a party stands for so why would you sign up to that ?

 

[H B Lowrie]

Imprinting.

 

[toobfreak]

<snip> I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing...<snip>

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views. I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Everyone who is very left wing seems to commonly only see themselves as being only slightly left. I guess at a fundamental level, the hard left simply don't see their views as being extreme.

Perhaps you are and should form your own party.

 

[H B Lowrie]

<snip> I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing...<snip>

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views. I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Everyone who is very left wing seems to commonly only see themselves as being only slightly left. I guess at a fundamental level, the hard left simply don't see their views as being extreme.

Perhaps you are and should form your own party.

Things like single payer healthcare and living wages are supported by a majority of both parties. We'll see how long concentrated wealth and power can cockblock the will of we the people without going full on police state.

 

[my2¢]

During presidential election years I choose to be a Democrat or Republican depending on who's presidential primary I wish to vote in. After the primary I switch back to the undeclared status which for all other primaries allows me to pick either a Democratic or Republican ballot.

 

[OldLady]

The parties are just an organized way of raising money and getting the word out about the candidates they support. Just like everything else in our country, we have allowed big money to take it over entirely.
I don't see how we get it back.

 

[HenryBHough]

Slightly left = A little bit pregnant.

Sadly, those gone left are unable to abort. Though if they were pregnant a whole different picture - with no cost to the killer.

 

[Pogo]

I have never joined a political party.

Although I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing to centrist to dont give a shit. On certain technical issues I have some sympathy with the right. But not many.

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views.

I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Nobody could possibly agree with everything that a party stands for so why would you sign up to that ?

Agree with all of the above. Far as I can see the only reason to join a political party is, and it's a very flimsy one, if one's state requires a party affiliation in order to vote in that party's primary election. Mine does not, so it's moot.

The purpose of a political party is to consolidate and focus political power. It is clearly not to represent an ideology, as history readily demonstrates. In other words its focus is itself. Its own self-perpetuation --- because it wants power, the Prime Directive.

Said it many times before, saying it again: a political party should be given a charter for its existence, to last twenty years and nonrenewable. After twenty years the party dissolves whether it's "accomplished" anything or not.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

I have never joined a political party.

Although I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing to centrist to dont give a shit. On certain technical issues I have some sympathy with the right. But not many.

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views.

I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Nobody could possibly agree with everything that a party stands for so why would you sign up to that ?

Agree with all of the above. Far as I can see the only reason to join a political party is, and it's a very flimsy one, if one's state requires a party affiliation in order to vote in that party's primary election. Mine does not, so it's moot.

The purpose of a political party is to consolidate and focus political power. It is clearly not to represent an ideology, as history readily demonstrates. In other words its focus is itself. Its own self-perpetuation --- because it wants power, the Prime Directive.

Said it many times before, saying it again: a political party should be given a charter for its existence, to last twenty years and nonrenewable. After twenty years the party dissolves whether it's "accomplished" anything or not.

Many people walk away over single issues. A friend of mine is a Labour mp. She told me that their membership cards are now made of plastic. It stops people from being able to rip them up and throw them in your face.

 

[Chuz Life]

The political parties are (at least initially) made up of individual members who think they can make a difference by getting involved in the process.

I suspect that most working members (precinct committee members, etc) of any one political party actually think that they are working towards some kind of leadership role, eventually.

The problem is that nearly every other working party member is having the very same thoughts and intentions them self.

 

[Mr Natural]

Everyone who is very left wing seems to commonly only see themselves as being only slightly left.

That’s because you right wingers are binary thinkers.

And that means you’re either 1000% right wing conservative or you’re a communist.

There is no middle ground.

 

[H B Lowrie]

The parties are just an organized way of raising money and getting the word out about the candidates they support. Just like everything else in our country, we have allowed big money to take it over entirely.
I don't see how we get it back.

We don't, not without an organized disruption and perturbation of the system's ability to continue to extract wealth from society, the natural world, and via the endless war machine.

 

[H B Lowrie]

I have never joined a political party.

Although I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing to centrist to dont give a shit. On certain technical issues I have some sympathy with the right. But not many.

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views.

I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Nobody could possibly agree with everything that a party stands for so why would you sign up to that ?

Agree with all of the above. Far as I can see the only reason to join a political party is, and it's a very flimsy one, if one's state requires a party affiliation in order to vote in that party's primary election. Mine does not, so it's moot.

The purpose of a political party is to consolidate and focus political power. It is clearly not to represent an ideology, as history readily demonstrates. In other words its focus is itself. Its own self-perpetuation --- because it wants power, the Prime Directive.

Said it many times before, saying it again: a political party should be given a charter for its existence, to last twenty years and nonrenewable. After twenty years the party dissolves whether it's "accomplished" anything or not.

Agree with all of the above. Far as I can see the only reason to join a political party is, and it's a very flimsy one, if one's state requires a party affiliation in order to vote in that party's primary election. Mine does not, so it's moot.

Control mechanism baked into the law.

 

[Chuz Life]

Everyone who is very left wing seems to commonly only see themselves as being only slightly left.

That’s because you right wingers are binary thinkers.

And that means you’re either 1000% right wing conservative or you’re a communist.

There is no middle ground.

When we can't get an open and honest debate from any of you leftardz on any of the specifics of an issue and you constantly run from the facts when we present them to you, rather than to acknowledge and accept them. . . what else are we supposed to conclude?

 

[PoliticalChic]

Everyone who is very left wing seems to commonly only see themselves as being only slightly left.

That’s because you right wingers are binary thinkers.

And that means you’re either 1000% right wing conservative or you’re a communist.

There is no middle ground.

The doctrines of conservatives are based on individualism, free markets, and limited constitutional government.

This is the basis on which America was founded.

And your disputes with the above....are......what?


Fear of alienating the herd, the mob?


1. " While the liberal mob engages in the kind of violence that one expects of a mob, there is also a species of intellectual mob that relies on praise and ridicule to enforce its views: they rely on the axiom that large segments of the population would rather be punched in the face than be sneered at by the elites. We call them liberals.

2. The mob mentality is irresistible to people with a desperate need to be popular, and are perennially afraid of getting a bloody nose on the playground of life. A tell-tale sign is the use of terms like “us” and “we” when they write, or speak…as these pronouns speak of popularity, of membership in the larger group…i.e. the mob."
Coulter



Conservatives.....fearless.

 

[Mac1958]

Some people just have a need to belong.

Tribal Psychology and Political Behavior - Econlib
The Sadness of Partisan Polarizing
The primeval tribalism of American politics
How Politics Breaks Our Brains, and How We Can Put Them Back Together - The Atlantic
The new breed of hyperpartisanship could destroy American democracy.
Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists
https://www.dartmouth.edu/~seanjwestwood/papers/partisanAffectAPSA.pdf
Bursting people’s political bubbles could make them even more partisan
Hidden Tribes of America
Political Partisanship as a Social Identity - Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics
The Pathology of Partisanship
Partisanship is a toxin and a potent mind-altering drug
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY AND POLITICAL PARTISANSHIP

 

[Preacher]

I have never joined a political party.

Although I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing to centrist to dont give a shit. On certain technical issues I have some sympathy with the right. But not many.

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views.

I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Nobody could possibly agree with everything that a party stands for so why would you sign up to that ?

Only party/groups I have ever joined were the National Socialist Movement and The Sons Of Confederate Veterans. I am in neither now because I found both to be full of shit are far as their goals. I prefer to be a lone wolf,see no point in joining groups or parties anymore. I have friends where I live and we can get together but I won't join a group...

 

[Toronado3800]

I have never joined a political party.

Although I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing to centrist to dont give a shit. On certain technical issues I have some sympathy with the right. But not many.

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views.

I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Nobody could possibly agree with everything that a party stands for so why would you sign up to that ?

As a civilian, there may be some pragmatic reasons if you support this candidate or that. Imagine if someone who agreed with 95% of what you did was running against the anti-christ. Besides that, yeah, don't become a sheep and join.

If you are running for office there are numerous immediate pragmatic benefits to selling your soul.

 

[Pogo]

I have never joined a political party.

Although I would class myself as slightly left of centre my beliefs veer from very left wing to centrist to dont give a shit. On certain technical issues I have some sympathy with the right. But not many.

I have yet to find a party that would encompass all of those views.

I do have a decent choice of parties to vote for but rarely vote for the same party twice.

Nobody could possibly agree with everything that a party stands for so why would you sign up to that ?

As a civilian, there may be some pragmatic reasons if you support this candidate or that. Imagine if someone who agreed with 95% of what you did was running against the anti-christ. Besides that, yeah, don't become a sheep and join.

If you are running for office there are numerous immediate pragmatic benefits to selling your soul.

Supporting (or opposing) that hypothetical candidate is in no way helped or hindered by whether one "joins" a political party or not. Outside of primary elections (and even then only in some states) there's no requirement to be affiliated with a political party to vote for or against anything.

Even running for office doesn't require joining a political party. Most notably and recently Bernie Sanders did it.

 

[Pogo]

Some people just have a need to belong.

Tribal Psychology and Political Behavior - Econlib
The Sadness of Partisan Polarizing
The primeval tribalism of American politics
How Politics Breaks Our Brains, and How We Can Put Them Back Together - The Atlantic
The new breed of hyperpartisanship could destroy American democracy.
Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists
https://www.dartmouth.edu/~seanjwestwood/papers/partisanAffectAPSA.pdf
Bursting people’s political bubbles could make them even more partisan
Hidden Tribes of America
Political Partisanship as a Social Identity - Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics
The Pathology of Partisanship
Partisanship is a toxin and a potent mind-altering drug
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY AND POLITICAL PARTISANSHIP

Seems to me, if one needs a herd around to validate and echo one's positions, then one wasn't committed to those positions in the first place.