What do you think of Independents

[Gipper]

As I was saying to Ktucan, I think what you said is true of Moderates but not necessarily true of Independents and Centrists.

Independents do not feel their interests are being represented by either of the two major parties. Moderates are squishy no matter where they fall on the political spectrum, they are full of self doubt and steeped in fallibilism. Centrists have their very own views, cherry picked from both the right and the left, and they are strong advocates for their viewpoint.

Agreed. Many independents really consider themselves moderates. And will change their opinions like shifting sands.

However, I too am an independent if by that you mean not belonging to a particular party.

 

[dogtowner]

As I was saying to Ktucan, I think what you said is true of Moderates but not necessarily true of Independents and Centrists.

Independents do not feel their interests are being represented by either of the two major parties. Moderates are squishy no matter where they fall on the political spectrum, they are full of self doubt and steeped in fallibilism. Centrists have their very own views, cherry picked from both the right and the left, and they are strong advocates for their viewpoint.

yeah but they generally vote their wallets or more recently their security.

there was less a sense of security last go round and les a sense that gop would look after their wallets. combine that with a very clever plan to take advantage of district overweighting for blacks and targetting black turnout in states that were close and we had our first affirmative action president.

 

[citizenzen]

First off, whats wrong with saying you want to actually listen to people more? If you want to know what actions I would take on issues, just ask.

That means that the government should be more responsible, especially when it comes to our budget as it is not endless and it comes straight from all tax payers.

The problem that I had with these two statements is that they both sounded like marketing messages meant to appeal to a voter while containing little substance.

Take the "listening" for example...

By the time a person is ready to run for public office they should already be well versed on the issues. I don't want a politician who's a nice and relatively intelligent guy... who'll listen to the voters and take their various messages Washington. I want somebody who's lived the issues and developed a philosophy and vision based on their experiences.

I look for the person who's vision most closely matches mine, not somebody who will get tossed and turned by every opinion thrown at them. Listening is a skill that every politician should have, but it shouldn't be the driving force behind their efforts. Their personal convictions and vision should be their guide.

So enough about listening and responsibility — buzz words that sound good in a campaign, but are really meaningless — what issues will be the responsibility of the office that you're running for? What problems do your constituents face? Tell me how you're going to tackle those specifics and leave the marketing out of it.

 

[dogtowner]

The problem that I had with these two statements is that they both sounded like marketing messages meant to appeal to a voter while containing little substance.

Take the "listening" for example...

By the time a person is ready to run for public office they should already be well versed on the issues. I don't want a politician who's a nice and relatively intelligent guy... who'll listen to the voters and take their various messages Washington. I want somebody who's lived the issues and developed a philosophy and vision based on their experiences.

I look for the person who's vision most closely matches mine, not somebody who will get tossed and turned by every opinion thrown at them. Listening is a skill that every politician should have, but it shouldn't be the driving force behind their efforts. Their personal convictions and vision should be their guide.

So enough about listening and responsibility — buzz words that sound good in a campaign, but are really meaningless — what issues will be the responsibility of the office that you're running for? What problems do your constituents face? Tell me how you're going to tackle those specifics and leave the marketing out of it.

wow, I agree 100%

 

[citizenzen]

wow, I agree 100%

Kisses!

 

[Mr. Harris]

citizenzen, I have lived through some of the issues, but what I mean when I say listen to the people, I am not talking about staying current on the issues. Every politician has to do so. I am talking about listening to their personal stories concerning the issues. Now back to my own experiences, Im not wealthy or rich, I know what it is like to work hard, I know what it is like to not have healthcare, I know what it is like to deal with taxes. I know what it is like when you can hardly make it by each month. Now I havn't been through every issue, but some I have personally experienced and dealt with. Now people in my area, they have alot of the same problems as most other americans, and they're alot of problems in the todays world. So if you want to know my solutions and opinions on issues, then ask which issues you want me to talk about.

Thanks

 

[always]

The problem that I had with these two statements is that they both sounded like marketing messages meant to appeal to a voter while containing little substance.

Take the "listening" for example...

By the time a person is ready to run for public office they should already be well versed on the issues. I don't want a politician who's a nice and relatively intelligent guy... who'll listen to the voters and take their various messages Washington. I want somebody who's lived the issues and developed a philosophy and vision based on their experiences.

I look for the person who's vision most closely matches mine, not somebody who will get tossed and turned by every opinion thrown at them. Listening is a skill that every politician should have, but it shouldn't be the driving force behind their efforts. Their personal convictions and vision should be their guide.

So enough about listening and responsibility — buzz words that sound good in a campaign, but are really meaningless — what issues will be the responsibility of the office that you're running for? What problems do your constituents face? Tell me how you're going to tackle those specifics and leave the marketing out of it.

WELL, I ,"Always is an INDEPENDENT and has never been accused of not having an opinion , not speaking out , or never chosing a political side, 99.9 % of the time "Always " selects Conservative Values!!
Therefore, the theory "Independents"are "wishy washy" is jusy Wrong and a liberal Lie!!

 

[dogtowner]

citizenzen, I have lived through some of the issues, but what I mean when I say listen to the people, I am not talking about staying current on the issues. Every politician has to do so. I am talking about listening to their personal stories concerning the issues. Now back to my own experiences, Im not wealthy or rich, I know what it is like to work hard, I know what it is like to not have healthcare, I know what it is like to deal with taxes. I know what it is like when you can hardly make it by each month. Now I havn't been through every issue, but some I have personally experienced and dealt with. Now people in my area, they have alot of the same problems as most other americans, and they're alot of problems in the todays world. So if you want to know my solutions and opinions on issues, then ask which issues you want me to talk about.

Thanks

ok. to sort out positions to ask you about I'd need to know what office you aspire to. local, state or national.

 

[Mr. Harris]

ok. to sort out positions to ask you about I'd need to know what office you aspire to. local, state or national.

Well I think you should always start out small, local offices, then perhaps go to state. Someday hopefully national.

 

[dogtowner]

Well I think you should always start out small, local offices, then perhaps go to state. Someday hopefully national.

ok so local then...

many (most ?) localities are experiencing budget issue where the traditional revenue streams are down be they property tax, sales or income.

how do you see handling this ?

on the one hand, its a difficult sell to raise taxes but those impacted by a service cut are equall vocal.

and does laying out a program to alleviate this risk in the future make sense ?


if school performance is an issue where you live, how do you propose fixing this ?

if crime is an issue where you live, how o you propose fixing that ?

that should get the ball rolling !

 

[GenSeneca]

The problem that I had with these two statements is that they both sounded like marketing messages meant to appeal to a voter while containing little substance.

Take the "listening" for example...

By the time a person is ready to run for public office they should already be well versed on the issues. I don't want a politician who's a nice and relatively intelligent guy... who'll listen to the voters and take their various messages Washington. I want somebody who's lived the issues and developed a philosophy and vision based on their experiences.

I look for the person who's vision most closely matches mine, not somebody who will get tossed and turned by every opinion thrown at them. Listening is a skill that every politician should have, but it shouldn't be the driving force behind their efforts. Their personal convictions and vision should be their guide.

So enough about listening and responsibility — buzz words that sound good in a campaign, but are really meaningless — what issues will be the responsibility of the office that you're running for? What problems do your constituents face? Tell me how you're going to tackle those specifics and leave the marketing out of it.

I told you I'd let you know when you had a valid point... There it is. Well said.

 

[Mr. Harris]

many (most ?) localities are experiencing budget issue where the traditional revenue streams are down be they property tax, sales or income.

Yes many people have lost money or money to be made because of this recession. Now how I would handle this is first off, we need to to take a good look at this. Obviously most have lost alot during this time, but some of these people can handle it and some cannot. The rich, may lose money but, what about those who had not alot to lose in the first place. Well my plans include bringing heavy taxes to the wealthy and to tax less to the middle class and the poor. This is also true with corporations and big businesses, and of course the banks. They have most of the money in the first place. Small businesses not only in my city, but across the country, are having trouble growing or making a profit for that matter, so again larger businesses I believe need to be taxed heavier, and small ones should have the tax breaks that they deserve. But alot of people here are not losing money just because of taxes, most are because the companies or businesses do not pay enough for the cost of living or, they got laid off in the first place. So I would suggest that we give tax breaks and benefits businesses who are hiring, and increasing pay to their workers.

if school performance is an issue where you live, how do you propose fixing this ?

School is not just an issue where I live, but it's an issue across the country. The United States has been dropping academically for years, so what would I do? Well I would start by increasing the budget for schools in my area. We need are schools to have the up to date learning supplies if they are to learn efficiently. Second, many schools have become dangerious and unsafe, which disrupts the learning environment. We need to make sure that each school has security and officers near by. Another thing we need to do is have more individual support. Teachers need to work more one on one with each student to make sure they are on top of all their studies.

if crime is an issue where you live, how o you propose fixing that ?

We may not have the most crimes but we have are fair share. Crime rates have risen in past years and more so with the recession. My plans include that we need to have a larger budget for our police and sherriffs deparments. We also as regular citizens need to help take a stand. We need to always report on suspicious acticity, we need to establish neighborhood watches, create more youth centers to keep children off the street, and teach them more on dangers and what is right and wrong.

Just some ideas, thanks

 

[top gun]

Ladies and Gentlemen, for years and years the politics have been run by either Democrats or Republicans. Now both have good ideas and bad ideas, but why are we so focused on what party we are but rather our own ideas and what we can do to help our fellow citizens. Now I am not against Republicans or Democracts but simply trying to get away from the whole party agenda. What about the others, what about the people who make this country? Why do we care so much about our ego yet care so little about our people? Thats why I am an Independent and going into politics. Please reply to this on your thoughts, concerns, issues, and whatever else for me to see people first hand and to see if people are willing to stand up for the Independents.

The truth is until recently only about 26% of people identified themselves as Democrats and 26% identified themselves as Republicans. That Republican number is now down to about 20% but regardless you see the vast importance of the Independent vote.

Fact is neither Party can win without Independents support. But when it comes to running them self and winning Independents have very little chance. The organization and money simply is not there.

And now with this horrendously bad Supreme Court decision allowing big corporations to put as much of their bottom line as they wish into tilting elections for their corporate profit only it's really a bad deal for anyone who's Independent.

I'm a moderate Democrat and it's easy for me to see the vast problems in governing caused by teabaggers and antichoice factions on the Right as well as some of the ultra Liberal groups on the Left... so I can certainly respect your frustration.

 

[dogtowner]

Yes many people have lost money or money to be made because of this recession. Now how I would handle this is first off, we need to to take a good look at this. Obviously most have lost alot during this time, but some of these people can handle it and some cannot. The rich, may lose money but, what about those who had not alot to lose in the first place. Well my plans include bringing heavy taxes to the wealthy and to tax less to the middle class and the poor. This is also true with corporations and big businesses, and of course the banks. They have most of the money in the first place. Small businesses not only in my city, but across the country, are having trouble growing or making a profit for that matter, so again larger businesses I believe need to be taxed heavier, and small ones should have the tax breaks that they deserve. But alot of people here are not losing money just because of taxes, most are because the companies or businesses do not pay enough for the cost of living or, they got laid off in the first place. So I would suggest that we give tax breaks and benefits businesses who are hiring, and increasing pay to their workers.

How do you plan to tax these wealthy people ? And if you have big businesses where you live, how do you tax them ?

School is not just an issue where I live, but it's an issue across the country. The United States has been dropping academically for years, so what would I do? Well I would start by increasing the budget for schools in my area. We need are schools to have the up to date learning supplies if they are to learn efficiently. Second, many schools have become dangerious and unsafe, which disrupts the learning environment. We need to make sure that each school has security and officers near by. Another thing we need to do is have more individual support. Teachers need to work more one on one with each student to make sure they are on top of all their studies.

Your locality is already hurting for revenues and likely looking at cuts to schools. Adding these new costs would seem to be difficult.

We may not have the most crimes but we have are fair share. Crime rates have risen in past years and more so with the recession. My plans include that we need to have a larger budget for our police and sherriffs deparments. We also as regular citizens need to help take a stand. We need to always report on suspicious acticity, we need to establish neighborhood watches, create more youth centers to keep children off the street, and teach them more on dangers and what is right and wrong.

Just some ideas, thanks

Again the money is the issue.

I suggest you give this some more thought. You talk about national matters and I can tell you that locally, people are more concerned about a traffic light on their street and cutting a teacher's aide at their elementary school than whats happening a thousand miles away.

As they say, all politics are local..

 

[dogtowner]

The truth is until recently only about 26% of people identified themselves as Democrats and 26% identified themselves as Republicans. That Republican number is now down to about 20% but regardless you see the vast importance of the Independent vote.

accurate numbers here