Are you tired of the predominantly two-party system?

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 00:19:05 -0500

It seems to me the two primary political parties have outgrown many of their original positive attributes and we now have a political system in which the tail is wagging the dog. I don't know that any 'party' is the answer - I wish we could get rid of all of them, along with the 'liberal' and 'conservative' labels. I wish elected representatives voted what was best for their constituents who elected them - to truly represent the majority, and not their 'party', their PAC's, the lobbyists or anybody else.

I don't like the current term limits either because I believe it fosters corruption and the perpetuation of the 'political machine', or 'politics', which I have come to loathe.

How can we get back to having elected 'representatives' who represent the majority of those who elected them?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 12:23 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 00:23:32 -0500

I have been saying for a few years they all need to be replaced.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 12:53 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 00:53:21 -0500

I agree, and I think the solution to this is twofold.

First and foremost, massively and severely limit how people, organizations, and businesses can contribute to a politician's campaign, or how they can benefit/donate to those politicians (i.e. Comcast's all expenses paid 'conference' for politicians and their family at a vacation location, in a clear attempt to influence the FCC/Net Neutrality debate).

Secondly, people need to actually vote, and not just in the Presidential election - vote in the Congressional elections, Gubernatorial elections, and elections for state and local legislature. And when they *do* vote, they need to actually vote in a manner that holds their elected officials accountable for their words and actions, and that of their subordinates.

I think the first is the biggest and most important step we could take to ridding American politics of corruption and cronyism, and encouraging elected officials to actually work FOR their constituency, not for their wealthy benefactors with an agenda - an agenda that is often at odds with what's best for the public at large.

Response by 1LT William Westervelt made Feb 23 at 2015 1:22 AM

1LT William Westervelt — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 01:22:41 -0500

I keep seeing this push for an amendment which limits how many terms Congressmen can serve, removes the lifelong pension for serving, and removes a bunch of the other perks of office. This is along the lines of something approaching an answer. Somehow, campaigning needs to be reformed -- caps on spending, open debates, etc. Also, I'm not sure why States lost the power to appoint their Senator, but I feel like the people lost some of the checks and balances against mob rule when they gained the direct election of Senators.

Response by SSgt Thomas L. made Feb 23 at 2015 1:28 AM

SSgt Thomas L. — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 01:28:33 -0500

I just took an "enhanced precision political quiz" that tells you what political party your beliefs align with... even smaller 3rd parties. It said my beliefs align best with the Modern Whig Party. So, I checked them out. I'm now a member. :)

http://www.quiz2d.com/quiz/

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 2:05 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 02:05:08 -0500

CSM Private RallyPoint Member Perot and Nader tried. Not enough people cared.

Response by Sgt Stephen Browning made Feb 23 at 2015 2:32 AM

Sgt Stephen Browning — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 02:32:15 -0500

the framers of the constitution intended there to be more than two.They warned that two would lead to a collapse of the system and divide what could not be divided any other way. we have only to look at the choices that have been made strictly down party lines to see the effect.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 3:04 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:04:43 -0500

Usually scroll right past political discussions but I'll play today.

I have lost all faith in the political system of the United States. I refuse to spend any more of my precious give a f*(#s to try and justify or make sense out of it.

Check out the link and tell me if it sounds familiar.

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell

8 Reasons Why Rome Fell - History Lists

Find out why one of history's most legendary empires finally came crashing down.

Response by SGT Tyler G. made Feb 23 at 2015 3:25 AM

SGT Tyler G. — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:25:39 -0500

I agree that a multi-party system would be generally a much better one, and is in fact indicated within several supplemental documents written by various founding fathers the way at least some of them wanted it to work (though it has in effect always ended up two party).

As for ways to help remove corruption in politics, I'd say the first and most important step would be campaign finance reform (i.e. getting the money out of politics). We need a constitutional amendment restricting the legalized bribery from lobbyists to buy out politicians. Term limits for more than just the President would also be helpful. This would help discourage 'career' politicians and hopefully help encourage people of a wider background diversity than 95% lawyers to run for office. They wouldn't be able to run on name but would have to run on policy.

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 3:31 AM

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:31:42 -0500

If these people want to call themselves a certain name or party, to me, it is just plain stupid.

The American electorate comes together and votes for only a couple of key national positions and issues. The rest is state and local. I in Washington do not vote on anything that is relevant in Florida other than the President and Vice President. Even they have very rarely followed or adhered to as strict party platform. The POTUS and VPOTUS in my opinion should not be party. They should have to run as independents and they may have certain things they find important or not, but that is not party.

I am sick of these idiots when they get to DC who forget, they are not there any longer as a fem or rep or anything else other than an elected official to represent all the people from their voting districts. ALL of them. As a chief I was given people to work with, their political party, religion or social roots had very little to nothing to do with my expectations as to their performance and the things that were important.

They are not in DC to be a party representative, they are in DC to represent all the voters in their districts. What is so damn hard to understand about that? I really do not understand.

Until that basic issues repaired our government is broken. It will only represent those who vote for them or those that buy their vote. The rest of the population is considered outsiders. This is a great question if taken from the position, what are the most broken concepts of our representative way of governance? That would start with half the population being discounted by those who have money. The more money the more control.

Response by SGT Jim Z. made Feb 23 at 2015 7:37 AM

SGT Jim Z. — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:37:44 -0500

CSM Private RallyPoint Member I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the usefulness of the two party system. I love the MEME by the way because it represents many of the little man. Do I like ideas that members of both parties propose yes but because of the labels and the greed of the professional politician nothing gets done. Unfortunately the people who can fix it are the ones in charge and short of a revolution or catastrophic event wiping Washington D.C. off the map there is not much that can be done in my honest opinion.

Can a grass-root effort at the local level help may be but until you can influence campaign reform, term limits which outside of President on the National level do not exist, and benefits we are just proverbially stuck in the mud. One way that at least it makes me feel good is exercising my right to vote but I also caution that voters need to educate themselves with the issues and not just vote for person a because he/she is a good talker.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Feb 23 at 2015 11:00 AM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 11:00:37 -0500

Tired of it!!! There are no two parties any more, their both in bed together. Just look at what the Senate and House are doing now! If term limits were set then maybe they'd all get their head out of their 4th point of contact!

Response by CSM David Heidke made Feb 23 at 2015 3:18 PM

CSM David Heidke — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 15:18:23 -0500

Yep... I am.

Response by MSgt Jim Pollock made Feb 23 at 2015 3:25 PM

MSgt Jim Pollock — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 15:25:06 -0500

Yep. I feel like I have to choose between Ayn Rand or Karl Marx these days. Neither sits well with me.

Response by PO2 Steven Erickson made Feb 23 at 2015 7:51 PM

PO2 Steven Erickson — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 19:51:54 -0500

The following has always gotten my attention. If it sounds familiar, it's often paraphrased to "we get the government we deserve" which is misattributed to Alexis de Tocqueville.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."

Elmer T. Peterson in The Daily Oklahoman (9 December 1951)

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 7:57 PM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 19:57:53 -0500

Yes if we had more political parties, congress would have to form coalitions with different constituencies to get bills passed. The two party system I think increases the polarization of views and inhibits progress.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 11:57 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 23:57:23 -0500

VERY

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2015 12:00 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 00:00:46 -0500

Response by SSG Sean Garcia made Feb 24 at 2015 1:43 AM

SSG Sean Garcia — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 01:43:12 -0500

I actually learned this in college, and found it quite interesting myself.
A big reason there is only a two party system now is because these two have gained so much power and senority it limits others from being able to hold a foot within the system. If you look at the past there were quite a few other parties in the system. Throughout history, they have lost power and popularity and have since disappeared.
There would have to be an organization/group that can get votes within the two current parties and encourage the members to shift in order for this to be possible.
I agree that a two party system isn't working, but unless someone has a massive amount of power, this will probably never happen again.
It is also highly unlikely that a member of a particular political party would shift, there is a list of those that have done so.

Response by SPC Nicholas Cureton made Feb 24 at 2015 11:07 AM

SPC Nicholas Cureton — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 11:07:23 -0500

Any time I turn on the radio and politics is the subjects, it is very apparent that there is no true party anymore. Democrats and Republicans are broken up and categorized as either liberal or conservative within their party. To me the whole political party is just another way to pigeonhole and categorize individuals. I know people that vote Democrat snow matter what, or Republican no matter what but there seems to be growing movement of voting one's conscience.
Personally I'm sick to death of the bureaucracy that plagues so much of this nation. Whether it is healthcare reform, veterans administration, even down to the highway maintenance, people have to sit back and when the panel on pros and cons of doing something instead of somebody grabbing a shovel in leading the way.
Politics has gone from a role or position of leadership, to management. And just like in management, that manager still has somebody to answer to the problem with having a president that behaves like a manager is that we do not see who is pulling the strings.

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Feb 24 at 2015 12:40 PM

CPT Zachary Brooks — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 12:40:55 -0500

As I have mentioned in many conversations here on Rallypoint, I have been a Republican and a Democrat in the past. I have come out of this with a Libertarian mindset, but more so than many as I will not just vote for the Libertarian candidate. I approach the Libertarian mentality, but I make my choices based upon the candidate, their issues, and their ideas.

Something that I would like to see more Libertarians do is to register as a Republican or a Democrat and vote in the primaries for the candidates they would like to see win (even if it is a second choice to their own Libertarian choice). If we continue to allow those who follow either party to specifically vote for those who have the most campaign funds we will continue to see the same types of electees and candidates. We need to start taking the primaries more seriously and voting for the candidates that care, not the ones seeking power or wealth.

Response by PFC Clyde Hudson made Feb 25 at 2015 1:03 AM

PFC Clyde Hudson — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 01:03:06 -0500

The political system is controlled by the bourgeois class... the finance capitalists, international bankers, corporations. 94% of all elections are won by the candidate with the most money. The fact of the matter is that the US has outgrown the original system.

Response by MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 25 at 2015 1:24 AM

MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 01:24:22 -0500

I'm hoping for a new and separate "Moderate" party. Not too conservative nor too liberal. Just right.

Response by SPC Lukas Jones made Feb 25 at 2015 6:59 AM

SPC Lukas Jones — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 06:59:51 -0500

But when a long train of abuses and usurpataions, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and provide new Giards for their future security.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 25 at 2015 3:27 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 15:27:21 -0500

The problem is that we have a general public that is too ill-informed and unwilling to do the leg work to determine a candidates TRUE stance on issues. Additionally, those that make the ballot are not likely to receive funding, endorsement, or support from many in the form of campaign ads, so those that are truly great independent candidates are often overlooked come election time.

Case-in-point for the ill informed: Ebola. The media created a mass hysteria that resulted in a paranoid public and negatively affected businesses. I personally (working in the health field) decided to research Ebola and learn about it, as I knew that I would eventually face the possibility of coming into contact with the disease, or being asked about it. The results? Media hype with virtually NO cause for concern to the American public. Had anyone done a quick search, they'd have learned that Ebola is virulent only in the later stages and can be easily contained with early detection and treatment. However, the hysteria reached such a point that my daughter was asked to leave school by a neighbor because I was "involved in the Ebola preparedness training". No contact with the disease...just the training. The media continued the paranoia hype by identifying "possible cases", but then failed to alleviate the concern when the subject comes out negative.

People believe what the media tells them to believe, because for a large percentage of Americans, they fail to recognize a bias in the reporting. Additionally, people WANT the "extremists" in office. Those that are moderates often lack the support of their base, because a large majority of people view moderates that occasionally cross party lines in their beliefs are "wafflers" that can't make up their mind, and are often overlooked by their party in favor of more extreme conservative/liberal candidates.

One thing that I have yet to understand is the lack of ownership among candidates and elected officials. Although I'm a moderate, the two most astounding examples that came to me were Republican/Tea-Party candidates. First was Sarah Palin's botched recollection of the ride of Paul Revere. Rather than saying, "I'm sorry. I have been tired and on the road a long time. I'm rather embarrassed by the lack of knowledge of our history. I'm grateful for those that cared enough to correct me, and I hope sincerely that people will give me a second chance." Instead, she blamed it on a "gotcha moment", a Democratic conspiracy to throw her chances for a presidential race. Listening to it, I felt the need to wrap my head in tin-foil!!! The second was Michelle Bachmann's claim for immunizations leading to autism. She was challenged by several medical professionals to produce a woman with a confirmed link, and didn't do it. Instead, she just chose to carry on. Also, she rather delicately stepped around the issue that she was criticizing those on welfare for taking "government handouts", when her husband had recently received more than $125 million in Medicare and other government handouts not pertaining to reimbursements. Not every issue is a conspiracy, but the sensationalism of such an issue creates sympathy for their "cause", and the media thrives on that, which puts them more in public eye....so it generates free advertising by being freakishly crazy.

The problem with the system lies not with the system itself, but with the masses responsible. Only through education and awareness of ALL candidates and the accurate views on which they base their campaign can you truly make a determination on the qualifications of a candidate. There are websites out there like "FactCheck.org" and "Politifact.com", but again, these should not be trusted implicitly, because they are not overviewed, and a candidates views could have changed.

It seems that with the whole world of information at our fingertips, people have lost the ability to find information and validate it against multiple sources before reaching a decision. That in itself is the greatest danger that faces our political system today...the lost art of research.
v/r,
CPT Butler

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Feb 25 at 2015 6:19 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 18:19:00 -0500

Are you pissed off? Fix it. It's as simple as that. We don't need any more broken political parties.

Remember, if you can't win back your party, how do you expect to win back your nation?

Response by SPC Chelsea Fernandez made Feb 25 at 2015 7:25 PM

SPC Chelsea Fernandez — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 19:25:34 -0500

In George Washington farewell speech he warned about forming political parties.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2015 3:58 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 15:58:13 -0500

Yes, I figure if we had around a half dozen political parties it would be much easier for one of them to remain uncorrupted. If we also get rid of Corporations buying and selling our politicians, we'd be in really good shape.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2015 8:40 PM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 20:40:30 -0400

The short answer to your question is a resounding "YES." Our Federal government today practically goes against how the Founding Fathers envisioned the concept of government. We should have NO political parties, NO lobbyists, term limits for Congress, and NO CAREER POLITICIANS...

Will that ever happen again? Probably not without a revolution (not that I'm necessarily advocating that).

Response by SPC Luis Mendez made Aug 29 at 2015 11:20 PM

SPC Luis Mendez — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 23:20:27 -0400

Yes I am.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 11 at 2016 7:53 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 07:53:12 -0500

Yes CSM, i checked the Pissed Off box. I come from Poland and they got multiple Parties and they are nothing compared to what we got going here, i mean we got the two main and im sick of them. Constant battles over this or that.