Thrice times in one evening.

[captmorgan]

I can't sleep because right now I'm at my creative peak, and so many ideas are flowing in my head I must capture as many as I can. I've assigned myself to write a paper on this topic, but I want to get some opinions

Comments

[nerdron]

I think political parties are essentially evil entities (ell eah for alliteration) but there's no getting rid of them and there's no making our system more than two parties. it's just going to be that way, and i will tell you why, my fine-feathered friend.
you say "more if not all Americans are informed and can be educated"- I agree with half of that. Most Americans have the opportunity to educate themselves, be it in school or by picking up a goddam newspaper or turning on the radio. Whatever, if people want to inform themselves, they will do it. And the average person you meet will seem genuinely interested and informed, whoop di dooooo. I have to constantly remind myself that even in this hellhole of an intellectual establishment that is Georgia Perimeter College, people are a hell of a lot more educated than the vast majority of the country. We forget about huge quantities of idiots running around in say, rural Georgia. Rednecks. Empoverished families. Immigrants who love lenient laws and American money but don't give a damn about politics. The average teenage girl who giggles and says, tee hee I dunno, "I won't vote because I don't know what's going on"- the same girls that will grow up to be single career women who don't vote at all. Americans are inherently lazy people, so if political ideology isn't ingrained in their minds from birth, most of them don't want to put forth the effort. Not to mention all the people that just vote on one issue. I'm pro-choice, but would I ever be caught dead voting for Kerry? I think not.
It's far easier to say, "I come from a family of Democrats" or "I'm a swing-voter" than to do the research and make up your own mind. To account for the idiocy of the masses, yes, we need the institution of political parties. Are they worthless? Generally, yes. And I just don't believe the existing dynamics in the US can be changed on such a huge level. What a great discussion you sparked me to have with myself, Patrick!

[captmorgan]

I thought about the idiocy of most Americans, and for them, yes we do need political parties. I'm not sure I wanted to say completely abolish political parties. The interesting thing to think about is how they started out, what they have become, and what they will become. Which is where this conversation kind of heads towards, because obviously change does not happen like a flash of lightning in America. Which has led me to think of a completely new topic: The influence of media on politics. But I'll save that for a post of it's entirety.

Back to the subject on hand, the stupidity of America and the need for political parties, even though they may seem useless. I guess what I really want to get at now is the leaders, because in this presidential election it's boiling down to two potential candidates that the media chooses to shine the spotlight on, and uses the Green party as some sort of comic relief. I had a heresy of a thought, suggesting some sort of triumverate, but that wouldn't work out either; we'd bog ourselves down in coups and overthrowings.

Tangent aside, I guess we do need one person to represent us, but that person doesn't end up representing everyone as they wish. And now that just boils down into "you can't please all the people all the time." I don't want to vote for Kerry, and I don't want to vote for Bush, but if I voted for any alternative it'd feel as though I'm just tossing my vote in the wind, and maybe thats the sentiment that many Americans feel when it comes time for Presidential elections, because this system dictates that these party machines select one person to represent them. I'd like to see the Log Cabin Republicans nominate someone, not necessarily gay, but I'd feel as though the candidate they would nominate would fit more of the criteria I'm looking for in my potential leader. I understand splitting the vote and the desire of the Democrats to get Bush out of office, and that really it's about the money required to run for office, but if those things didn't factor then could more of those presidential candidates actually have ran. When Dean dropped out, he asked for his voters to transfer their votes, same with Edwards and Clark. Maybe boil down a few but still have the option of running.

All this talking is hypothetical and wistful at most, because ultimately it is about the money needed to run the ads to get the slams against whoever's in office, instead of focusing on the real issues at hand.

[nerdron]

i share the feelings of hopelessness, my love. and the triumph of writing so much crap in your journal. i especially liked the bit about the green party being comic relief. you ARE coming to six flags on friday, arent you?