General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Party Loyalty [View all]Chathamization
(1,638 posts)races between Democrats and Republicans almost all of the time. But people shouldn't vote for the Democratic candidate in a close race between a more progressive independent and a Democrat (for example) just because they think they should vote for a Democrat. But do many people knowingly do this? I've seen this behavior mostly when people don't know who the candidates are (in which case, voting for the Democratic candidate is the safest bet most of the time).
Likewise, I don't think it makes much sense expecting any politician to give someone a seat at the table out of a sense of loyalty. Sure, it occasionally happens, but most of the time you get there by being a political force, not by being given a handout. Most of the time politicians are going to be just looking out for their best interest, and that's to be expected. It's best to demonstrate to them why doing what you say is in their best interest.