Politics -- do you have a favored side?

Umbran said:

Some folks have a hard time getting to the polls - I daresay that those are exactly the people who are least capable of shouldering the costs of having the wrong candidate in office...

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well we do have a arguocracy that is designed to keep government from doing anything drastic. With both the current and previous presidents, there were guys on the other side claiming it'd be the end of the country if they won. And the country is largely, still here. I take it as a reasonable assumption that a guy getting to the final election probably does want to help the country. Folks just simply disagree with that person's plan.

In any event, I have little interest in democracy.

when the time comes to run for my HOA board, I intend to use the same trick they do, which is gather up as many proxy vote cards signed over to me and hand them all in as a vote for me. Control the conditions and control the outcome.

I am very liberal, for personal reasons as some of the issues of the day directly affect me.

I do feel that fiscal conservative viewpoints very much need to be heard, even if I don't agree with them. Social conservative viewpoints, though, are all about oppression and discrimination disguised as "politics" so I make sure to vote against any candidate that espouses social conservative ideals.

In Canada I would tend to be referred to as a progressive conservative (a bit of a contradiction in terms), which I suppose would make me slightly left of an American Democrat. I'm not sure if that's meant to be a joke or not. To explain, in as simple terms as possible, I believe in a basic subsistence social safety net, universal single-payer health care, and a well funded public K-to-high school education system (with subsidized higher education). Beyond that I'm fiscally conservative, though not particularly socially conservative.

*EDIT* I should also indicate that I am a "card carrying" member of the Rhinoceros Party of Canada.

In gross terms, I would rather be over-taxed and have societal necessities- military, infrastructure, certain safety net programs, etc.- taken care of than be under taxed and be underserved. IOW, I'd rather pay too much to get what I need, than not get what I need and have money in my pocket.

I'm definitely in the middle politically (I'm neither conservative nor liberal), though as a lifetime small business owner, I lean slightly to the right. I am unaffiliated with any political party - when it comes to voting, I look at the issues, and the points of view of all candidates and make decisions based on that and often vote for different parties on different votes. My graphics shop has done business with the Republican party, as well as many unions, so my professional work helps all with no favoritism. I generally don't talk to people about politics nor religion, both I consider my own personal business, and I don't share it, nor want to hear others' preferences - frankly I don't care.

Politics: the most private public solo group activity humans are involved in.

"Politics: the most private public solo group activity humans are involved in."

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Politics: The only activity some humans are involved in (specifically, those humans who argue that "the personal is political" -- which, if true, means that everything a body does is politics).

tuxgeo said:

Politics: The only activity some humans are involved in (specifically, those humans who argue that "the personal is political" -- which, if true, means that everything a body does is politics).

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I'm pretty sure that taking it that far leads the word "politics" to have no semantic content.

My favored side is no favored side. I was never interested in politics and for some reason the bad press about politicians [scandals and flip-flopping and all sorts of things] and, more importantly, how the TV ads attempt to slander the opponent rather than for explaining their own positions [political ads I dislike strongly] just made me not desire to really have anything to do with it. I have never voted once in my life and in fact I am not even registered to vote.

Now, the negative might not be the majority of the whole, but it was enough to cause me to turn away.

I've voted in every presidential election since the age of eighteen, every mayoral and gubernatorial election, including primaries, for the last 15 or so years. I even vote on ballot issues! My grandmother was one of those little old ladies who worked the polls on Election Day -- a certain degree of political participation is in my blood!

Part of me would like to say I'm a moderate, I don't take sides, I'm unaffiliated... but if looked at my voting record, err, and my party registration, I'm a liberal Democrat, East Coast Big City chapter. If I were't so much of a game-player at heart, I'd probably have voted Socialist or Green a few times, but ultimately, I'll take the lesser of two evils who has a real shot at winning every time.

We'll see how this Bernie Sanders thing plays out -- 2016 may be the year I choose principle over utility.

That said, as a both a Clinton & Obama supporter, it's also fair to describe me -- though I'd probably protest! -- as an old-school moderate Republican, what they used to call a Rockefeller Republican (and what we now call 'neoliberal Democrats'), back before the GOP instituted their purge & let the Southern Strategy eat them alive (& before "tax cuts" became their religious dogma, rather than a rational policy option).

Then there's the way the contemporary GOP caters to a chuck of their base heavily invested in denying their fellow citizens basic human rights. I don't like that.

edit: if I had to give my politics a label, it's 'leftist utilitarian'. I'm fine w/voting for candidates well to the right of me, if that's the best of the given options. But my personal beliefs are pretty far left-of-center (for the US -- god knows I'm probably a conservative in Europe & Canada).