Oh cripes. A political post.
I’m not at all sure that this idea is new. I bet some political scientist has already come up with it and found great formulas to integrate it into his voting scheme. But since I haven’t read about that guy yet, I’m goint to take credit for it.
I’m starting a new political party. Right now. If you want to join, add a comment. You’re in. I’ll get you on the newsletter. When we get one.
It’s called the Block Party. We have no candidates. Correct. Nobody will ever run as the Block Party candidate or on the Block Party ticket. What we’re trying to do is block a sweeping majority across all sections of the government by any other party.
For example, right now, the Republican Party holds a majority in the House, Senate, and they hold the White House. Concievably, they could pass any bill they wanted, if they could simply work together. (They can’t seem to yet, fortunately.) Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think the Republican Party is out to destroy America. They believe that everything they’re doing is good, moral, and right. But I don’t agree with everything they stand for.
Likewise, I don’t agree with everything the Democrats stand for either. I don’t think anybody is completely left- or right-wing. But there sure are a lot of folks out there who vote straight ticket. They pick one party and go all the way with them, without getting to know all the candidates and what they really stand for.
The Block Party is about educating voters about candidates. You need to know who you’re voting for. If you end up voting straight ticket, do so because every candidate you vote for is truely your candidate and not simply the Party’s with whom you tend to agree.
Rule 1: If you know nothing about the candidates running for a seat, abstain.
Rule 2: If no candidate running for a seat is your candidate, abstain, or write-in your choice. If the candidate you agree with runs with the party you don’t, vote for him anyway.
Rule 3: If the candidates seem to have no real, tangible differences, and you feel you could vote either way, then look at the rest of your ballot. Are you voting mostly for one party? Vote for the other party when it seems the options are equal.
Our government is based on checks and balances. Avoiding party majorities across sections of government keeps those checks and balances intact. It even strengthens them.
This is my philosophy; if both the Legislature and the Exectuive are at odds, then very little gets done. And the things that do get done tend to benefit the people more, simply because they were necessary to the point of the parties coming together. As a bonus, the less the government does, the less they’re messing with me. Cool.
Here’s a great link to get you thinking about your candidates: Project Vote Smart.
And don’t forget to vote in November.