Two words for those announcing that they are registering as Independents.

[trumad]

Fucking quitters!

[Tender to the Bone]

1. Charlie Crist had said it correctly.

He didn't leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party has left him.

I think the Democratic Party has left me. A long time ago. And still I vote D.

I'm ready to register as an independent probably as soon as next week. My district is a safe D, so I have nothing to be concerned about changing my registration.

[arely staircase]

11. So you recently registered at a Democatic message board because you are no longer a Democrat?

well, alright then.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

89. There's another gap in his logic. He's happy his seat is "safely Democratic".

Wants his cake and eat it too.

Or are we being trolled? Play him like a fish!

[msanthrope]

17. Cool story, bro. nt

[Walk away]

24. It was nice knowing you....

here's a link to "Independent Underground"

https://www.facebook.com/ROJSRadiolive

[caseymoz]

32. Vote defensively.

Look for the candidate that will do the least harm. Look at them negatively, don't listen to their promises, have them prove to you they're less harmful than Republicans.

And don't expect a savior to emerge from this political process. Every candidate has to be good at raising money from people who have it, and 135 people make 60 percent of the PAC donations, so you know who politicians depend on for that.

This political process is broke beyond repair, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use the ballot box for defense.

[hifiguy]

85. Unfortunately, that is the best you can do these days

Is Obama better than Rmoney would have been? Hell yes, but in the same way that having your foot chopped off is better than being shot through the spine and paralyzed. I enthusiastically voted for the POTUS last November, but with far less belief that anything would change for the better. My only hope last November was that things would continue getting worse less rapidly.

The political system in this country is utterly corrupt, hopeless, and ruined and that job offer in China is looking better all the time. At least the Chinese are honest - "Here's our system, it is what it is, take it or leave it." There's none of the pious hypocrisy of "the blessings of liberty and our magnificent exceptionalism" much less any happy horseshit about how "anyone can make it if you play by the rules, go to school and work hard." These are lies and always have been save for the brief post-WWII period. In the US you go exactly as far as your money, connections, and ability to kiss up and kick down will take you, and not one fucking inch further.

I have been under-employed or unemployed since I graduated from law school in the same class as Michelle Obama. I am facing the distinct possibility of homelessness for the second time in a little more than five years. I can't choke down the hypocrisy any more. Like Popeye the Sailor, I've had all I can stands, and I can't stands no more.

If I can hang on long enough to get the gig in China (with a small, German-based electronics company) I am out of this country like shit through a goose and it is highly unlikely I would ever return.

[caseymoz]

93. Sorry for your struggles, man.

I'm poor, but I've never faced homelessness. However, I'm on disability, and no employer will touch me with a ten-foot pole. When I'm having a rough month financially, I scout out abandoned buildings in the neighborhood to see if any would make a fair squat, "just in case." I'm fortunate, though. I don't have any children, only a cat, and I'd be worried about her in that contingency. For people who do have kids, the anguish of contemplating homelessness must be overwhelming.

People say we have to get back to the ideals of the Founders. I think that's incorrect. I think the corner were in is a direct result of the Founders. The fifty-one wealthy white males who wrote "We the People . . ." I think the country worked out in just the way they planned, except for slavery and political parties (the Founders wanted a one-party state with no factions. Something that Lenin accomplished). Conservatives are really conservative about the Founders ideas.

Yet, I don't know that I can recommend expatriating, as much as I'd love to live in Canada. We're fixated about racism in our country, but other countries have just as much, except they don't tend to question it at all. You can count on the US government doing something disgusting and stupid. When it does you're going to feel the bitter stares on your back.

[hfojvt]

55. that's only true if you have open primaries

As a registered Democrat, you vote for precinct people who then vote for county and state party officers. If you want them to be progressive you need to elect progressives to those spots. Same with a primary election. If you have a Lamont running against a Lieberman, I want to be a registered Democrat who can vote in a primary for Lamont and against Lieberman. Even in a safe-D district, like Connecticut, you are not always gonna have a fiery progressive elected to office.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

90. Elvis has left the building.

[arely staircase]

94. well, ths a shame

eom

[bluestate10]

102. Leave already. nt

[Honeycombe8]

110. Reagan said it first. That he didn't leave the Democratic Party; it had left him.

In my state, voters don't register to a particular party. I don't understand why voters are asked to register to a particular party.

[onehandle]

2. Five Words

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

[11 Bravo]

51. Two more words: Supreme Court

[bobclark86]

70. Well, THAT sure...

puckered up mah butthole!

I did my part voting for Schumer and Gillibrand. I'd sit this next election out entirely if it weren't for Andrew Cuomo being up for re-election.

[KoKo]

3. I think some feel it's fighting a Losing Battle...and better to join

with those who at least support you.

Simple as that...maybe?

[SidDithers]

4. HUGE K & R !!!

Sid

[leftstreet]

5. Obama's the quitter. Campaigned Left, governs Right n/t

[tarheelsunc]

21. I don't think Obama is the "librul" the right says he is, but he certainly does not "govern right."

Just because we disagree with him in general on one or two issues does not make his a right winger. Right wingers don't fight for marriage equality, the right to choose, higher tax rates for the wealthy, equal pay for equal work, or healthcare reform,

[dreamnightwind]

28. Actually, the HCR bill that passed

is what the right-wing has been fighting for for years. And he was dragged to marriage equality against his own position.

He has been in favor of slightly higher taxes for the wealthy, equal pay for women, and reproductive choice, no quibbles with your post there.

[MADem]

66. If they were "fighting for it for years" why did Mittsy run away from it at a fast clip? nt

[bobclark86]

68. Because a black person was involved...

Duh. The same reason Mitt bailed on it, even though he ok'd something almost identical to it just a few years ago.

[MADem]

74. Naaah. Don't buy that for a second. Wouldn't have mattered if Joe Biden, by some miracle, won.

They wanted Big Insurance to get all the benjamins, and it didn't work out that way for them.

Mitt tried to run away from it, but he couldn't hide from a relabeled "Romneycare" that included a "Commonwealth Care" proviso for the very poor.

When he came up with that idea, he was still (putatively) "pro-choice" and trying to triangulate a-la-Clinton. His gubernatorial polling determined that "Affordable Health Care For All" was a concern that moved voters.

Problem is, he realized, as he came closer to his Presidential run (after spending obscenely to become governor--a stepping stone job, nothing more), that he had to get by the primary, and wouldn't be "anointed" based on his spending millions in various state primary contests, so he was forced to tack right, making him look like what he was--a bullshitting asshole who flapped in the wind like an airport windsock.

He was a joke in MA. The legislature called him Governor No, and they factored in his anticipated veto when they passed legislation. They would pass, he'd veto, they'd override. Lather - Rinse - Repeat. It was hilarious, his one lousy "Hated!" term--almost as hilarious as his imperial commandeering of one of the few State House elevators for his exclusive use.

Such a jerk! Such a consistent jerk, too!

[hifiguy]

87. How many banksters have been prosecuted

again? How many torturers?

I voted for him with some fervor, but let's get real here.

[Llewlladdwr]

6. Yeah, that'll change their minds!

[demwing]

44. NOTHING changes their minds

so who cares?

[xoom]

84. So the OP is pointless?

[Tien1985]

7. I'm not intending to change my affiliation

But I've never understood the whole "quitter" as an insult thing. In my experience, the only people I've known to complain about "quitters" are people who would continue to do something after it was completely pointless to do so. In this case I'm not changing my D--but I understand why people might feel it to be the best option. Not so much quitting as looking for a better option.

If I see a better option, I'm going to take it too. I just haven't yet.

[840high]

36. +1

[Buzz Clik]

8. +1

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. Those are fighting words, my dear trumad.

Do you really want to spit those out now?

[Flying Squirrel]

42. Seriously

Consider that Democrats will need votes from those Independents in 2014... why alienate them? After all, they have not said they won't vote. They are probably inclined to vote Democratic. So, why?

[Hekate]

59. Because they won't vote Dem; because they'll primary vulnerable Dems....

And then, secure in the warmth of their personal virtue, they will wonder why the system works even worse than it does now.

That'll show those (former) Democratic office holders!

Do I sound bitter? Well, just now I am.

[Flying Squirrel]

77. We shall see.

And if they're vulnerable, there's probably a good reason for it. Why blame the challenger and not the incumbent?

[Hekate]

82. The most vulnerable incumbents are those in red states and red districts

Those are the ones that DUers consistently carp about because they are not "far left" enough, because they are Blue Dog Democrats, because they just don't measure up to the ideal -- the ideal outside their home district.

Well, guess what? They have a D after their name, and they add to our numbers in Congress, and as Congress is majority-rules for Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader, that is a big fucking deal.

They also add to our numbers in the hope that we can get the super-majority that is necessary to override the asinine filibuster rule.

They add to our numbers in hopes that we can get a Congress that will work with the President instead of saying no to everything he ever proposes.

You go ahead and get rid of all the Blue Dog Democrats that don't measure up. Say hello to the new Republican supermajority.

[Flying Squirrel]

83. If I lived in a Red state I'd probably have to think through the issue better.

But as it is, I'll only be sending a message to the Democratic Party as a whole that I'm dissatisfied. If there's a close governor's race I'll most likely be voting Dem, otherwise it won't make a difference. My party change is more symbolic than anything.

It's like the old song... I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do.

Went to caucus in 2004 and everyone was concerned about 'electability' so Dean was out, Kerry was in. Same old story. Why does nobody believe that a strong leader who stands for something and is not a centrist cannot be elected anymore? It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[tabbycat31]

98. +1000

I did a blog post about this the other day.

http://outspokenliberal.blogspot.com/2013/04/from-progressive-to-blue-dog-my-own.html

[Hekate]

103. Excellent blog post tabbycat. Recommended

I'm glad you are out there working as hard as you are, and you definitely have your priorities straight.

It may be age and experience (65), it may just be my nature, but more than anything I want to take back all 3 branches of government. The GOP has become nothing short of toxic, and we won't be able to get anything done until they are ousted for a good long while.

But my fellow Democrats -- at least the ones here -- are making me exhausted. There's just too much nuttiness for words -- so unbelievably short-sighted, so willing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, so unwilling to realize that change takes time.

The Christian Reconstructionists and other far-right wingnuts take all the time in the world, decades of it. They are patient, well-funded, focused, and they will win if more of our side doesn't wake the eff up and learn how to make alliances and focus on long term goals as well.

Thanks again. See you around!

Hekate

[tabbycat31]

106. I'm half your age

(ok maybe a little more, I just turned 33). I've changed a lot since I first 'woke up' at 24 (Bush/Kerry race was the first one I paid attention to as an adult).

You are right about the Christian right. When I first moved down here, my mom asked me why I did not want to go to church to meet people, then I went on to explain to her that in my lifetime Christianity has been more of a political movement than a religious one.

The "primary the non progressives' movement on DU got under my skin so much that it caused me to come out of retirement as a blogger.

[Hekate]

113. You have no idea how glad I am ...

... that you are half my age, and have the energy and vision to carry the work forward. We need people like you!

[tabbycat31]

114. Your post just made my day

I do get discouraged from time to time (especially when I'm looking for a race) and you gave me the motivation I need today.

[DevonRex]

86. Those who mentioned impeachment

uttered the first fighting words. Trumad's post pales in comparison.

[Rex]

107. Yes, calling for impeachment was full blown moose droppings.

Did they call for impeachment when Bill was in office?

[DevonRex]

108. Hey Rex.

I dunno. But sometimes this place gives me a headache.

[Rex]

109. I cringe when I see us call for impeachment.

I just ignore a lot of it now and post when I see something I want to say something about.

I don't care if people here want to leave the party, it is their right. I have my own issues, but I don't think we need to talk about impeachment - that is going from 0 to stupid in less than 3 seconds.

I would rather people hound Congress on impeachment of the two criminals on the SCOTUS. Maybe start a petition.

[Bobbie Jo]

10. Better than the two

I had in mind.

Ok, at least one of them anyway.

[railsback]

12. This board makes people want to quit the party

Seriously. Step out of line with your own thinking and you get brow beat endlessly. I've been cursed out, told to DIE, and all kinds of utter nonsense, none of which were deemed unsavory via this ridiculous jury duty. Why the Hell would I want to associate myself with the Left version of the Tea Party?? Just as incoherent, just as ignorant. I will ALWAYS vote against Republicans because they're BIGGER idiots, but I will no longer associate myself with a party that expects you to tow the line just as they do. I see no difference in the expectations.

[Fumesucker]

13. DU was a lot friendlier place before Jan 20, 2009

Once it became necessary for some to defend the current Democratic president, no matter what he did, DU started to suck.

[bhikkhu]

26. That's my experience as well, it was a nicer place

But when a political group has no power and no responsibility for anything, it can advocate all sorts of things that sound good without worrying whether they actually work.

You can see this over and over again in history - plenty of good ideas and good people have crashed and burned when they were allowed to take power, because they had fitted themselves too well into the "minority opposition" role. That's a role where you don't have to think things through, you don't have to think before you speak, and you don't have to work out the likely outcomes of your positions if they were actually implemented.

There is a definite disconnect between the president's approach - which is to think things through most carefully towards outcomes, regardless of ideology - and the approach of many on this board. Which is too often the opposite.

[Fumesucker]

27. No doubt, but I'm not all that impressed with some of Obama's goals.

I've been around long enough to figure out that predicting is hard, especially about the future, Obama may be somewhat better than most at it but no one is infallible.

We already know quite a bit about what doesn't work, the Republicans have spent more than thirty years obsessively showing us how to fuck things up beyond all recognition.

ETA: As Molly Ivins used to say, Texas was America's proving ground for bad ideas about government, mostly because it is run by Republicans and Democrats who can't be discerned from Republicans without a cheat sheet.

[ctsnowman]

67. I wish Molly was still with us.

[xmas74]

54. I'd say before Jan 1,2008.

The primaries were horrible here on DU. Quite a few older posters left after that all went down.

[Fumesucker]

62. Primaries have always been contentious here

For me personally it's not a big issue but I know a lot of people get really enthusiastic about one candidate or another.

[whatchamacallit]

69. Aye

and suck it doth.

[Hekate]

104. You mean defending the President that can't walk on water? He can only swim fast...

... and that's indefensible?

Tsk.

[Fumesucker]

105. No one is perfect, to err is human

Are you implying that the President is not human?

And besides, any damn fool can walk on water, all you need is Jesus Feet.

http://the305.com/2012/11/14/fiu-students-designs-shoes-to-walk-on-water/

[AverageJoe90]

14. "Step out of line with your own thinking and you get brow beat endlessly."

I've had this happen to me....but it wasn't the Obama fans doing it. This was the doing of some of the super-critics(ala Glenn Greenwald) and the "Obama is a secret Republican screwing us for the 1 percent!!1!one!!one!" people.

And frankly, the Obama fans, at least some factions of them, are some of the most reasonable, level-headed, and politically aware people on this board, from what I've seen. (I speak as a former super-critic, by the way).

[Llewlladdwr]

18. ^^This!

It's been very hard to come here the last few months. Some of the posts I've read condeming gun owners as sub-human, soulless murderers and advocating all sorts of violence against anyone who supports the 2nd Amendment have made me question whether the party and I are still on the same wavelength. I understand that emotions get high but when every other post starts out "Fuck you gun fondlers!!!!!!" you start to feel like maybe you don't belong....

[DrewFlorida]

37. My views exactly.

[L0oniX]

63. Lock step worship is repulsive ...in either party.

Of course it's cool to bash the repukes as they do it. Serious lack of introspect here on DU.

[ctsnowman]

64. Agreed. NT

[PeaceNikki]

88. If an internet message board "makes people want to quit the party", they were never really IN it.

I don't know what state they're in but they seem to think that the general election is the only one that matters. I, for one, care a lot about my state and local candidates. Obama isn't running again and I want more Democrats in the legislature and state seats, not fewer. Democratic apathy got us Scott Walker, Ron Johnson, gerrymandering which will hurt for a decade, and lost us Feingold. I like WI Democrats very much and will support them.

How involved with the Democratic party have they been? Do they attend local meetings? Canvas for and support the local reps that they want to be the next party leaders? Or is their "involvement" limited to a small annual donation and posting in the internet? I suspect deserters like that won't really be missed.

Nothing from nothing is nothing.

[railsback]

91. How the Hell does a party I.D.

make you NOT vote Democratic, or NOT support local and state initiatives or candidates you agree with, or NOT vote at all? Its nonsensical.

[pintobean]

15. Threaten to quit DU again

maybe they'll self-delete.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022690682

[nomorenomore08]

16. Does that count as "third party"? IIRC third party advocacy is not allowed on DU.

Not saying anyone should be banned though.

*Edit: And before anybody starts an argument, I'm neither a "fan" nor a "super-critic." I voted for Obama twice but won't take responsibility for any more than that.

[tarheelsunc]

22. It surely seems that way, doesn't it? Seems a lot of people are at the wrong site. eom

[nomorenomore08]

25. I dunno, I can think of plenty of reasons to be pissed at Obama and disillusioned with the Party

these days. But there's a difference between being an independent and still voting primarily Dem - for federal office at least - and going full-on third party. Though the line between the two is perhaps rather thin.

[RandiFan1290]

41. Nope

DU allowed people to campaign for 3rd party Charlie Crist against the Democratic candidate for a Florida Senate seat in 2010. They helped split the vote and gave us Marco Rubio.

[demwing]

45. Are you seriously blaming DU for Rubio?

Seriously?

[Oilwellian]

99. I blame the...

Democratic party leaders for Rubio.

[NCTraveler]

79. Meeks crushed them in the debate.

Much of du sided with Crist. Fucking stooge.

[nomorenomore08]

80. Well yeah, it's obviously context-dependent.

And for the record, while I'm registered as a Dem and nearly always vote that way in federal elections, I've been known to vote third party for state and local offices at times. I think the two-party stranglehold is one of the worst things, politically, about this country.

But nonetheless, this site is called Democratic Underground for a reason.

[randome]

19. Registering as an Independent sends a message.

Voting Independent usually does not. But in the case of Bernie Sanders...it helps that he's in the Senate.

[flamingdem]

20. K&R

[William769]

23. trumad, how dare you!

Need to change quitters to you. That's my message.

[BainsBane]

29. Now they can't vote in Dem primaries in closed primary states

I see no sense to registering as an independent.

[liskddksil]

30. I don't care what someone calls themselves

but to not vote in primaries, where we actually have a chance of influencing policy, would be a big mistake.

[dreamnightwind]

31. I really don't get what changing to Independent reg gets people

Maybe it makes them feel better, so they don't have to own policies done by Dems that they can't support.

As far as sending a message to the party, I would think the message they'd get is that they need to be more centrist in order to court a growing number of independents. And I don't think that's the message most on this board who are giving up their party registration are trying to send.

Better IMHO to stay and fight, at least try to influence the primaries.

I certainly understand the sentiment, I'm more than disgusted by most of the policies coming out of our party these days. I just don't see giving up your Dem registration as being much of a solution.

Of course, if some 3rd party gathers momentum and shows hope of overtaking the Democratic Party from the left, different ballgame. But we're a long way from that, and I think it's much more likely that we could regain control of this party than that we could beat them with a 3rd party from the left.

[DrewFlorida]

33. I am a registered independent, have been my entire life. Yet I almost always vote democratic.

The reason I remain independent even though my views align with most all left-wingers, is the militant aggressive sometimes abusive behavior displayed by a certain percentage of extreme left-wingers. Your nasty expression is symptomatic of that problem, it's really not that different from the behavior of extreme teabaggers, you just have a different reason to justify your inappropriate expression of your anger.

Sincerely,
A strong lefty with malice toward none.

[blackspade]

35. An example of this please?

Y

our nasty expression is symptomatic of that problem, it's really not that different from the behavior of extreme teabaggers, you just have a different reason to justify your inappropriate expression of your anger.

[blackspade]

34. Staying in the Democratic Party is the only way to....

fight against the republican infiltrators that have highjacked that party.
Actual democrats have got to primary the corporate 'third way' party operatives out of office.

[whatchamacallit]

38. "How dare you jump off the flaming dung wagon!"

Last edited Thu Apr 18, 2013, 02:40 PM - Edit history (1)

Lame.

[carolinayellowdog]

39. never had the option of registering by party ID, never voted for anyone but a Democrat for 40 years

FUCK YOU, BULLY.

[hepkat]

40. Don't do it if you lose primary voting privs

Otherwise register GREEN!

By doing so you send a stronger message. The growth of the green party will push dems toward more progressive positions knowing they are bleeding voters.

[Le Taz Hot]

43. LOL!

Really? What exactly have I quit? I'm still as active as I ever was. I still vote. I still keep myself informed. I just don't shill for/contribute money to/work for/vote for candidates that don't represent ME or the interests of the 99%. No, darlin', I'm actually your worst nightmare. I'm an ACTIVE Independent.

Now, if Elizabeth Warren puts her hat in the ring for a presidential bid, I WILL return to the Democratic fold but until then, I prefer independent thought.

[trumad]

46. gee..can't wait to have you back.

Independent... snarf

[Le Taz Hot]

47. Thanks so much.

I'm looking forward to the complimentary Welcome Back fruit basket.

[JoePhilly]

48. Those announcements sound a lot like acts of "self-deportation" to me.

The thing I can't understand is why they make these types of announcements in the first place.

I mean, why not just GO. Leave DU quietly, or switch party affiliation quietly, or put some one on ignore quietly ... just do it.

But no, there needs to be an announcement!!

"I hereby declare blah blah blah. There, happy now??, you made me do it!"

Are they trying to hurt our feelings, make us feel bad? Blame others on DU for their taking an action that they apparently were not inclined to take, but which they now feel that they MUST take?

The drama around here gets pretty hilarious at times.

[dballance]

49. I'll Support Consensus

That's why I asked for discussion.

[gulliver]

50. One word. Assholes.

"Independent" is just a euphemism for uncommitted...which is what these people really are. It's not principled to reduce the leverage of the Democratic Party by reducing its registered numbers. It's a betrayal of principles, a failure to commit, a backstabbing of social values defended by (and only by) the Democratic Party.

These people with their little "announcements" on DU should be banned immediately and shunned as losers. This board and the world are for the people who stick, who do their part, and don't expect to get their way all the time. The others can go to hell. "I gotta be me." Fuck you.

[railsback]

73. Wow. Way to tell Bernie Sanders to 'Fuck Off'.

Brilliant.

[MADem]

75. No--not really accurate. OTHERS call Bernie an "Independent"--he calls himself something else

entirely: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist,[2][3] and has praised European social democracy; he is the first person elected to Congress to identify as a socialist in six decades.[4][5]

Sanders caucuses with the Democratic Party and is counted as a Democrat for the purposes of committee assignments, but because he does not belong to a formal political party, he appears as an independent on the ballot.

[railsback]

78. ""he does not belong to a formal political party""

According to the original poster, that makes Sanders a traitor.

Nobody needs a political party I.D. to be liberal, or vote Democratic.

[MADem]

95. He caucuses with the Democrats, votes with them most of the time, and receives his committee

assignments from the Democratic Leadership. He has deliberately, publicly, with knowledge, and with forethought, associated himself with the Democratic Party in his own way. He was able to "get away" with doing that because he had such a following way back when, when he was Mayor of Burlington. No Dem will run against him, because he sucks up too much of the vote; accordingly, the Democratic Party supports him and endorses him.

So long as he caucuses with us, he's a "rose by any other name" and he smells as sweet.

One hand washes the other, both wash the face.

[nomorenomore08]

81. So he's a lot like me. Except I don't hold public office.

[MADem]

96. So long as you vote with the Dems most of the time...! nt

[nomorenomore08]

112. Yep. I do.

nt

[HomeboyHombre]

52. I'm still a registered D, out of respect for FDR

and a few others, like Howard Dean.

But when the Democratic President of the United States wants to cut Social Security, it sure does make it hard to hang on.

How's that Card Check to make it easier to unionize coming along? You remember, the one that Candidate Obama was going to make "a priority" when he was elected?

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. I left before I became a reporter

These days it!'s great. I get the crap from both sides

Yup, more crap to be thrown.

But hey, I live in a place with an open primary darling. Don't intend to come back either. Professional reasons dear...and that way I can at times go...hmmm have not interviewed this candidate yet

[Brother Buzz]

71. California does NOT have an open primary

So stop saying that!

[CokeMachine]

76. It's more open than not

http://cavotes.org/vote/primary

The Top Two Primary applies to most of the offices that were previously known as “partisan” and are now known as “voter-nominated” offices. In California these offices include:

•United States Senators
•Congressional Representatives
•State Senators
•Assembly members
•Governor
•Lt. Governor
•State Treasurer
•Secretary of State
•State Attorney General.
The Top Two Primary does not apply to elections for:

•President and Vice President, or
•Political Party County Central Committees or County Councils

[zappaman]

56. 2 more words

KICK and REC!

[TeamPooka]

57. Whatever. It just means my primary vote has more power. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

58. I'm a Democrat who votes independently.

As I've told my reps/senator/president: "Your votes (and policies) decides my votes."

[Nuclear Unicorn]

60. That should win them back.

[L0oniX]

61. I need to stay Dem so I can vote the incombant assholes who back SS CPI out of office.

[L0oniX]

65. I welcome your hatred. n/t

[Xyzse]

72. I've never been a Democrat

Always been an Independent.
Still, I doubt that I will ever vote for an Independent for President due to current realities.
-Unless the Independent has 3-4 senators in his party in the senate and at least 8 in congress. Otherwise, it would be one completely ineffective president.
-There is almost no way they can win unless half of the country is being polled to vote for them. Meaning, a vote for an Independent is most likely a wasted vote, so I have to choose between the two main parties. Stating that, the Republican option lately has gone towards the crazy end, so unless they regain some sanity, I don't see myself ever voting for another Republican again.

I can vote for an Independent in any other office, but I doubt I will ever vote Republican again.

[bullwinkle428]

92. I merely advocate for a viable second party.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

97. Ha!

I've been an independent since 2002. Got a problem with me being angry at Democrats that year?

[stevenleser]

100. There is more irony about folks quitting the Democratic party because it isnt liberal enough

Assuming the left most 5% of the Democratic party leaves, that means the right most 95% will pick the Democratic party candidates. They couldn't do anything more self defeating.

[nomorenomore08]

111. I agree. Even while having no particular emotional attachment to the Party.

nt

[bluestate10]

101. I have four, three if I combine the last two. nt