Countdown to the midterm elections. Let's get the discussion started early.

[themadscientist]

I strongly beleive Americans, and I include myself in this group, have a very short attention span. Rather than start looking at the candidates at the last minute and having rhetoric spoon fed to us at that time, I think it behooves us to begin vetting candidates now.

Here are the various party platforms I could find. If I have left out a national party please post it up and I will edit this opening post to include your finding. I am no fan of the two biggies so get us some alternatives up here!

I would suggest that we save copies of these platforms now so we have a snapshot of what the parties are saying now, before they think we are looking. That way when the time comes and their jobs hang in the balance, we can see if there is a noticable policy shift.

Democratshttp://www.democrats.org/a/party/platform.html

Republicanshttp://www.gop.com/2008Platform/

Libertarianhttp://www.lp.org/platform

Greenhttp://www.gp.org/platform/2004/

Constitutionhttp://www.constitution-party....m.php

Those are the "big two" and the "medium three".

The link for the Senate.http://www.senate.gov/

Now here are the senate seats up for grabs in 2010.

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayo...I.htm

Democrats Bayh, Evan (D-IN) Bennet, Michael F. (D-CO) Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) Burris, Roland W. (D-IL) Dodd, Christopher J. (D-CT) Dorgan, Byron L. (D-ND) Feingold, Russell D. (D-WI) Inouye, Daniel K. (D-HI) Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT) Lincoln, Blanche L. (D-AR) Mikulski, Barbara A. (D-MD) Murray, Patty (D-WA) Reid, Harry (D-NV) Schumer, Charles E. (D-NY) Wyden, Ron (D-OR)

Republicans Bennett, Robert F. (R-UT) Bond, Christopher S. (R-MO) Brownback, Sam (R-KS) Bunning, Jim (R-KY) Burr, Richard (R-NC) Coburn, Tom (R-OK) Crapo, Mike (R-ID) DeMint, Jim (R-SC) Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) Gregg, Judd (R-NH) Isakson, Johnny (R-GA) Martinez, Mel (R-FL) McCain, John (R-AZ) Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL) Specter, Arlen (R-PA) Thune, John (R-SD) Vitter, David (R-LA) Voinovich, George V. (R-OH) I invite you to familiarize yourself with your senator, what he or she claims to stand for, if they vote in a manner consistent with that, who their likely opponents are, and issues relevant to your state and the country as a whole.

I would like this to be an informative thread, not a battlezone. If you want to discuss an issue in depth please create a seperate thread on that issue, post your feelings and a link to that thread here as sort of an "off ramp". I will expect people to reply to you IN THAT THREAD, not this one. I will prune this thread to keep it on topic if I have too.

Get informed, get active, get involved.

[telcoman]

I strongly beleive Americans, and I include myself in this group, have a very short attention span. Rather than start looking at the candidates at the last minute and having rhetoric spoon fed to us at that time, I think it behooves us to begin vetting candidates now.

Here are the various party platforms I could find. If I have left out a national party please post it up and I will edit this opening post to include your finding. I am no fan of the two biggies so get us some alternatives up here!

I would suggest that we save copies of these platforms now so we have a snapshot of what the parties are saying now, before they think we are looking. That way when the time comes and their jobs hang in the balance, we can see if there is a noticable policy shift.

Democratshttp://www.democrats.org/a/party/platform.html

Republicanshttp://www.gop.com/2008Platform/

Libertarianhttp://www.lp.org/platform

Greenhttp://www.gp.org/platform/2004/

Constitutionhttp://www.constitution-party....m.php

Those are the "big two" and the "medium three".

The link for the Senate.http://www.senate.gov/

Now here are the senate seats up for grabs in 2010.

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayo...I.htm

Democrats Bayh, Evan (D-IN) Bennet, Michael F. (D-CO) Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) Burris, Roland W. (D-IL) Dodd, Christopher J. (D-CT) Dorgan, Byron L. (D-ND) Feingold, Russell D. (D-WI) Inouye, Daniel K. (D-HI) Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT) Lincoln, Blanche L. (D-AR) Mikulski, Barbara A. (D-MD) Murray, Patty (D-WA) Reid, Harry (D-NV) Schumer, Charles E. (D-NY) Wyden, Ron (D-OR)

Republicans Bennett, Robert F. (R-UT) Bond, Christopher S. (R-MO) Brownback, Sam (R-KS) Bunning, Jim (R-KY) Burr, Richard (R-NC) Coburn, Tom (R-OK) Crapo, Mike (R-ID) DeMint, Jim (R-SC) Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) Gregg, Judd (R-NH) Isakson, Johnny (R-GA) Martinez, Mel (R-FL) McCain, John (R-AZ) Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL) Specter, Arlen (R-PA) Thune, John (R-SD) Vitter, David (R-LA) Voinovich, George V. (R-OH) I invite you to familiarize yourself with your senator, what he or she claims to stand for, if they vote in a manner consistent with that, who their likely opponents are, and issues relevant to your state and the country as a whole.

I would like this to be an informative thread, not a battlezone. If you want to discuss an issue in depth please create a seperate thread on that issue, post your feelings and a link to that thread here as sort of an "off ramp". I will expect people to reply to you IN THAT THREAD, not this one. I will prune this thread to keep it on topic if I have too.

Get informed, get active, get involved.

I find it interesting that after five days no one responded.

Where have all the political junkies gone off to?

Since most of them posting on this forum tend to lean republican perhaps they are too embarassed not only after last November but what has happened since. Arlen Specter bailed, it appears Frankin in Mn. will eventually be seated, and a republican district in upstate NY went to a democrat. Republican districts are shrinking by the hundreds of thousands voters.

A majority of college educated voters do not gravitate towards the republican party mostly due to the republican acceptance of a far right religious social agenda and the NRA.

The pitch of small government and fiscal responsibility has turned out to be a myth and few voters believe that anymore.

In my opinion, Chuck Todd is one of the best political analysts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30745624/

If the republican leadership continues to ignore moderates and sticks to the far right agenda they will never win another election. Again that is my opinion.

To illustrate the BS from local republicans here in NJ they are attempting to tell voters how they will cut property taxes (NJ is one of the highest property tax states in the US) and reduce spending.

Impossible!

This is the same BS Christie Todd Whitman ,our last republican governor told NJ voters while she borrowed huge sums of money to provide tax cuts to her wealthy friends.Gov Corzine is now trying to figure out how to straighten the mess he inherited from her similar to the nightmare financial mess that Obama was left with from the last republican administration.

Yes I'm an old farht that was a Goldwater supporter when I was young and stupid.

I will never vote for another republican because they cannot be trusted.

Telcoman
Modified by telcoman at 3:25 PM 5/15/2009

[Urabus GodofTraction]

Putting it bluntly: f*** moderates.

The Republican party has been moving left for a decade now. Where has it gotten them?

In bed with religious nutjobs.

[themadscientist]

I find it interesting that after five days no one responded.

Where have all the political junkies gone off to?

As I said.

I strongly beleive Americans, and I include myself in this group, have a very short attention span.

I think we only have a few people here who care most of the year about politics.

Since most of them posting on this forum tend to lean republican perhaps they are too embarassed not only after last November but what has happened since. Arlen Specter bailed, it appears Frankin in Mn. will eventually be seated, and a republican district in upstate NY went to a democrat. Republican districts are shrinking by the hundreds of thousands voters..

The person that started this thread, voted for NOT Obama. I am embarrassed that enough of the electorate bought into Barry's BS to put his shifty a** in office.

A majority of college educated voters do not gravitate towards the republican party mostly due to the republican acceptance of a far right religious social agenda and the NRA.

I am a political science major. I gravitate towards the Republicans because they are the lesser of two evils. I'll take the rights over the lefts any day but neither pleases me.

The pitch of small government and fiscal responsibility has turned out to be a myth and few voters believe that anymore.

In my opinion, Chuck Todd is one of the best political analysts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30745624/..

I'll check him out when i get a chance.

If the republican leadership continues to ignore moderates and sticks to the far right agenda they will never win another election. Again that is my opinion.

I agree with that and nor should they. Neither party walks the talk they spouted pining for power when they finally get it.

To illustrate the BS from local republicans here in NJ they are attempting to tell voters how they will cut property taxes (NJ is one of the highest property tax states in the US) and reduce spending.

Impossible!

This is the same BS Christie Todd Whitman ,our last republican governor told NJ voters while she borrowed huge sums of money to provide tax cuts to her wealthy friends.Gov Corzine is now trying to figure out how to straighten the mess he inherited from her similar to the nightmare financial mess that Obama was left with from the last republican administration.

A mess he is excacerbating with his policies. He outspent Bush and every other president in history within the first 100 days of his administration.

Yes I'm an old farht that was a Goldwater supporter when I was young and stupid.

I will never vote for another republican because they cannot be trusted.

Telcoman

Modified by telcoman at 3:25 PM 5/15/2009

Well Reagan moved the party away from Goldwater, so if you now lament supporting Goldwater are you saying you agree with Reagan?

[szh]

I have not yet responded, but I plan to do my homework before I vote.

Of course, one decision is already clear to me: I expect to do all I can to get our two misguided California Senators (Boxer and Feinstein) out of office - I resent their one-sided, over-liberal, political/economic ineptitude, and clear misrepresentations of my desire for smaller government.

I intend to support Carly Fiorina's bid for Boxer's seat - don't know yet who is competing against Feinstein.

Z

[HashiriyaS14]

Putting it bluntly: f*** moderates.

The Republican party has been moving left for a decade now. Where has it gotten them?

In bed with religious nutjobs.

While I agree with what I THINK you're trying to say here, I'll still point out the following, primarily for the benefit of others:

Most people in the GOP labeled as "moderates" are social moderates, not fiscal moderates. The GOP loves to marginalize even the most fiscally conservative member when that person happens to be pro-choice.

The GOP needs to attract socially moderate pols who are otherwise principled fiscal right-wingers. At the same time, they need to shed fiscally indifferent social conservatives.

Make it about the dollars, because everyone understands the dollars and is largely on the same page of "spending less means we keep more". You can't argue with math, and the basic math of the GOP is superior to the basic math of the Democrats, always has been.

The problem is that the GOP moved to the right SOCIALLY at the expense of maintaining a principled fiscal stance, and they made it about God. Unlike dollars, not everyone believes in the same God, and so it provides an innately less-reliable rallying point around which to build a coalition.

If they get back to the dollars, they can get back to winning. You cannot get back to the dollars without developing an indifference towards other issues, such as abortion and gay marriage. If you become the magnet for all fiscal conservatives, no matter what religion they belong to, you can't lose, at least not in this country.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

While I agree with what I THINK you're trying to say here, I'll still point out the following, primarily for the benefit of others:

Most people in the GOP labeled as "moderates" are social moderates, not fiscal moderates. The GOP loves to marginalize even the most fiscally conservative member when that person happens to be pro-choice.

The GOP needs to attract socially moderate pols who are otherwise principled fiscal right-wingers. At the same time, they need to shed fiscally indifferent social conservatives.

Make it about the dollars, because everyone understands the dollars and is largely on the same page of "spending less means we keep more". You can't argue with math, and the basic math of the GOP is superior to the basic math of the Democrats, always has been.

The problem is that the GOP moved to the right SOCIALLY at the expense of maintaining a principled fiscal stance, and they made it about God. Unlike dollars, not everyone believes in the same God, and so it provides an innately less-reliable rallying point around which to build a coalition.

If they get back to the dollars, they can get back to winning. You cannot get back to the dollars without developing an indifference towards other issues, such as abortion and gay marriage. If you become the magnet for all fiscal conservatives, no matter what religion they belong to, you can't lose, at least not in this country.

Understand I will rarely ever use "left" or "right" in social politics (unless trolling), so yes, what you think I'm trying to say is what I'm trying to say.

Wiki sums up moving left well:"In politics, left-wing, political left, leftist and the Left are terms applied to positions that focus on gradual or radical progressivism and a more egalitarian distribution of wealth and privilege."

I use the "Euro Standard."

[telcoman]

A smart move by Obama

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05...ef=us

Removes a possible Republican that could run against him in 2012

[themadscientist]

Not really. He is a Mormon. The GOP would never have put him up as a candidate. Look at the wringer they put Mitt Romney through.