Blog Post #2
I choose to read Jason's blog post about the usefulness of political parties, specifically those in the United States. I enjoyed reading and understanding his view on the two-party system Americans have inherited since the birth of our nation. His viewpoint is (and this isn't necessarily a bad thing) extremely commonplace among the sea of Americans discontent with the lack of motley candidates and partisan government officials they can trust and believe in. As Jason points out Americans are allowed to vote for anyone they want for president (or any congressperson). But the stage is limited to two practically "legitimized" parties that have any real hope of winning any election: Democrats and Republicans. As a result of a lack of any agency, Americans are virtually forced to vote for one of two, usually unliked, untrusted, and personally unknown, members of the elitist political class. Two people that are vetted by their respected parties and are ostensibly groomed in such a contrived way to get elected that the American public are so unhappy with their manufactured choices that many stay home on elections day. This level of cynicism and hopelessness attributed to American government and public servants by the electorate is ubiquitous to a seemingly unprecedented degree (This cynicism is adduced in the following article which outlines our last presidential election: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-triumph-of-cynicism/2016/07/07/232b5028-446c-11e6-8856-f26de2537a9d_story.html). While I have many opinions regarding the American cynicism culminated today in society I will only report some short advice. As someone who is just an opinionated citizen of this country, and indeed no expert or sage, I urge people to vote on a policy basis (not particularly on single-issue basis) instead of what political party/candidate you think will win. Vote for the candidate which best represents your political ideals and your moral beliefs. Listen and pay attention to the policies that that particular candidate endorses and research the voting record of that candidate to see if he/she really is being truthful when endorsing said policies (i.e. has that candidate been trustworthy and congruent to your political beliefs in the past). Pay little to no attention to their party colors.
I choose to read Jason's blog post about the usefulness of political parties, specifically those in the United States. I enjoyed reading and understanding his view on the two-party system Americans have inherited since the birth of our nation. His viewpoint is (and this isn't necessarily a bad thing) extremely commonplace among the sea of Americans discontent with the lack of motley candidates and partisan government officials they can trust and believe in. As Jason points out Americans are allowed to vote for anyone they want for president (or any congressperson). But the stage is limited to two practically "legitimized" parties that have any real hope of winning any election: Democrats and Republicans. As a result of a lack of any agency, Americans are virtually forced to vote for one of two, usually unliked, untrusted, and personally unknown, members of the elitist political class. Two people that are vetted by their respected parties and are ostensibly groomed in such a contrived way to get elected that the American public are so unhappy with their manufactured choices that many stay home on elections day. This level of cynicism and hopelessness attributed to American government and public servants by the electorate is ubiquitous to a seemingly unprecedented degree (This cynicism is adduced in the following article which outlines our last presidential election: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-triumph-of-cynicism/2016/07/07/232b5028-446c-11e6-8856-f26de2537a9d_story.html). While I have many opinions regarding the American cynicism culminated today in society I will only report some short advice. As someone who is just an opinionated citizen of this country, and indeed no expert or sage, I urge people to vote on a policy basis (not particularly on single-issue basis) instead of what political party/candidate you think will win. Vote for the candidate which best represents your political ideals and your moral beliefs. Listen and pay attention to the policies that that particular candidate endorses and research the voting record of that candidate to see if he/she really is being truthful when endorsing said policies (i.e. has that candidate been trustworthy and congruent to your political beliefs in the past). Pay little to no attention to their party colors.
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