Someone explain to me American politics please...? I just don't get it?

Question

I just don't get it. If you are a democrat vote democrats, if you are a republican vote republican.

Why would you fight in your own party for a leader? it just makes no sense. Why wouldn't you just work together instead? Surely being in the same party means you have similar beliefs wouldn't it? I just don't get it at all. SO just because Hilary didn't win does that mean that some democrats will now vote republican because they don't like Obama? Can you understand how this just confuses me? I don't undertand how you can just change from being a democrat to a republican or visa versa so easily as people on here seem to talk about. Sitting outside of America it seems to me like those parties are completely different so why would you just change? I only care because whoever America chose as president has a large impact on the world so I just want the right choice to be made. We have to watch all this stuff on the news everynight & I still don't get it.

Answer 1

Most Americans have both Conservative and Liberal beliefs.  Many will drift more in one direction than the other but again...most Americans are much more centrist than people realize.  

Therefore, depending on what the major issues of the day are...some Americans will vote for a party that they wouldn't normally vote for.

For example....it looks like energy and the economy are becoming the biggest issues of the campaign.  A lot of Republicans are going to go w/ Obama b/c 8 years of Bush hasn't done much for them.

Answer 2

Sorry Danielle, they are not going to answer because what you have just said makes too much sense.

My answer to you is unfortunattely America has a secret sin.  The "traditional value" is really what they are voting on.  The reason I say this is Republicans say they want a small government, balanced budget and traditional values.  Well, that has been shot to h**l.  There is no small government.  1) Bail outs for at least 6 big institutions (bail out means that American citizens will pay for the corporations to stay in business with their taxes.  The last bail out started off at 24 billion dollars and it called for an unlimited amount, so that is not it. Democrats stand for helping everyone, not just the rich.  Well, the majority is middle income. 2) Balanced budget: 8 years ago we had a budget surplus.  It is now 9 trillion dollars. So that is not it. Democrats will raise taxes but just to ensure we don't have to get help from other countries.   3)  Traditional values:  Republicans traditional value really mean vote for me and we will not let the black man be free.  This is the most delicate way I can put it.  They do not like affirmative action.  Slavery and the second class citizenship is only to be thought of in terms of history.  If you were to read the history books it has a slight mention of slavery.  Nothing about the Jim Crow Laws.  Nothing that the Slaves that were brought over spoke different languages (2000 in Africa) so they could not even speak to themselves, let alone know what the slave owners were saying to them.  To add insult to injury if they found out a black was learning or trying to learn to read & write the language of the country (USA) that they were slaves for, they were punished dearly. Example: death, fingers cut off etc..

This is the only difference.  Democrats want equality.  Republicans promise that if you vote me in I will hire you, give you raises and promotions even though a black man is more qualified.  It is the secret sin of America.

I am a Independant.  I will vote for Obama.  Hillary was/is a scary person and when Bill was president, he gave her the reigns for insurance.  She couldn't get congress to go her way.  Bill is pretty good but there is something about Hillary that just rubs ppl the wrong way.   This is why I am against Hillary.  Obama is very intelligent.  He went to Harvard and even paid back his student loans.  In the short amount of time that he did.  That is amazing in itself.  His record shows that he has had a passion for ppl.  He declined a better position as an Attorney on Wall Street to work for the community at large.  He is a likeable person.  I think we can get nations to work with us and not have strained relations as we do now.

McCain is too tempermental, reckless and not a very intelligent man.  He graduated 894 in a class of 899.  His father and grandfather were both admirals.  While in the military he had  4 plane crashes one in which 132 military men dies.  The last one he crashed he was captured in Vietnam and was there for 5 years.  He himslef admits he made propaganda tapes.  They called him songbird McCain and Hanoi McCain.  I don't believe he is smart enough and has the temper (in this day & time) to be the POTUS.

Answer 3

In each party, you have your extreme wing and your centrist wing.  To run for president as a Republican, you have to cater to the right wing or you will never make it out of the primaries.  Same with the Democrats and the left wing.  Many conservitaves have threatened to stay home on election day unless McCain chose a running mate that share their values.  He needed those votes, so he couldn't choose who he really wanted in Leiberman.  You cannot do the country any good if you are not elected.  As for the Democrats, the left of the party (which has pretty much taken over recently) wanted Obama while those closer to the center wanted Hillary.  There is also Hillary's ego to consider as she had planned to be the nominee for the last four years (the Clintons basically did nothing to help Kerry win in 2004 because Kerry losing actually helped her in 2008).  Unless a sitting president is running for reelection, there will be fighting within the party in the primary elections.  If it turns dirty, it could hurt the eventual nominee in the general election.  

McCain is the closest to the center candidate the Republicans have had since George H.W. Bush and he attracts many Democrats who are closer to the center than the left.  McCain has crossed party many times in the Senate and has worked well with centrist Democrats (hence his close relationship with Leiberman).  That is why some of the center leaning Hillary voters are for McCain.  Since Obama is on the left wing in his party, you will not see many Republicans vote for him....they will just stay home if they don't like McCain.  Most pro-life people feel so strongly about abortion that they will not vote for a candidate who is pro-abortion.  

I am for McCain....I was for him in the primaries 8 years ago but the conservatives voted in George W. Bush.  Although conservative at heart, McCain has shown that he can cross the isle and work with Democrats.  And I truely believe (and have for 8 years) that he is the only person who has Ronald Reagan potential.  Couple that with Obama, and it is an easy choice for me.  I see way too many parallels with Obama and George W. Bush in 2000 when it comes to inexperience and what they have said in their campaigns.  All Obama is, is a far left-wing George W. Bush and we don't need another president who is learning on the job.  Plus Biden could turn into the next, Democrat version of d**k Chaney.  

Edit:  I am not sure where you are from Danielle, but let me put it into terms for someone who lives in a country with a parliment.  Obama would be a Liberal, Hillary and McCain would probably be in the Labour party, and George W. Bush would be a Conservative.

Answer 4

Here's the problem.

Too many Americans vote identity politics instead of issues.  Now, you'd think on face value that would result in Republicans staying Republicans and Liberals staying Liberals, but it doesn't work like that.

People who vote on identity over issues are often swayed by the larger groups that they belong to (church groups, for example) and oddly enough, through careful identity building (which American advertizing has conditioned us for) can be convinced to vote against their own issues), they can be convinced to turn against the party that best supports their beliefs, issues, and best interests.

Consider how many Republicans vote Republican based on ideas of religion (somehow Republicans have co-opted a large portion of the Christian vote, even though their policies are diametrically opposed (hmm, I seem to be using that phrase alot today) with the core of Christian values (as opposed to Old Testamentism).  

However, Americans also believe that if a candidate truly does represent your issues better than the candidate in your party, that you should vote for them.  Although how often that actually happens is  totally different issue.