Well, it seems it can be quite difficult for many to banish the GOP anti-U.S. government haters from power as long as one keeps one's focus on potential 2016 Democratic candidates who might collaborate with the rich, all of whom are perceived to be pigs, BTW, while one is doing nothing to address the real issue which is a system that demands Big Money in elections.
Neither Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton are the real issue of course but, hey...
A whole lot of issues above and below are wrapped up in a proverbial ball but I'm not going there. Individuals need to do their own homework and have a conversation with their own selves because the fact is we have what we have because we The People voted for it whether we actually, physically cast a GOP ballot or whether we actually, physically did not cast a ballot ... all the same thing from where I sit.
Without going into great detail the truth is 2010 got us a majority GOP House and 2014 added a majority GOP Senate:
Having said that, it's time to stop using time and energy and skills to complain and to learn the basics, to participate in the system, to run for office and/or to find and elect the best candidates, as well as to recognize that harm done will not be undone in one election cycle ~ Methinks.
And please, do not tell me "they" do this and "they" do that and "they" don't do this and "they" don't do that because we are the Democratic Party and we make choices all along the way. Are there obstacles? You bet there are obstacles. But obstacles are not overcome via perpetual election losses.
Although, all I've needed to know since 2011 is that the GOP is anti-U.S. government and needs to be banished from power to vote a straight Democratic ticket there are some old snippets of information I have gleaned from my reading that the GOP has merely confirmed that may be of interest.
One:
"This
is the essence of what it means to be a patriot: not only to declare our love
of this nation,
but
to show it –by our deeds, our priorities, and the commitments we keep.
If
we choose to change, just imagine what we can do. What makes America great has
never
been
its perfection, but the belief that it can be made better. And that people who
love this
country
can change it. This is the country of Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Martin
Luther
King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Rosa Parks – people who had the audacity to believe
that
their
country could be a better place, and the courage to work to make it so. And
this Party
has
always made the biggest difference in the lives of the American people when we
summoned
the entire nation to a common purpose.
We
have a choice to make. We can choose to stay the current failed course. Or we
can
choose
a path that builds upon the best of who and what we are, that reflects our
highest values.
We
can have more of the last eight years, or we can rise together and create a new
kind of
government.
The time for change has come, and America must seize it."
Two:
The last paragraph of the introduction to the 2008 GOP Platform ~
With
gratitude for eight years of honorable
service
from President George W. Bush and Dick
Cheney,
the Republican Party now stands united
behind
new leadership, an American patriot, John
McCain.
In support of his candidacy and those of
our
fellow Republicans across the nation ó and ever
grateful
to Almighty God for the political, religious,
and
civil liberties we enjoy ó we, the representatives
of
the Republican Party in the states and territories
of
the United States, offer this platform to the
American
people.
( ^^^ Frankly, that was all I needed to hear to know I wasn't going to risk a GOP regime via any strategy that was not focused on winning. )
A bit of an elaboration on the Platforms can be found below:
This one you are going to have to click on and read for yourself but it is only one page of clear, brief excepts comparing some key points between the two Platforms:
Party Platforms/Courtesy of the New York times. Following are excerpts from the Democratic and Republican Platforms:
Finally, let's talk process just a bit and understand that it is The People who are the process and if The People want to make change The People have to be a part of the.
At a most simple level ~ the presidential election:
"The basic process
of selecting the President of the United States is spelled out in the U.S.
Constitution.
The President and Vice-President are
elected every four years. They must be at least 35 years of age, they must be
native-born citizens of the United States, and they must have been residents of
the U.S. for at least 14 years.
How political parties choose their candidates is up to the political parties.
Most political parties
hold conventions, which are large meetings attended by "delegates."
Some delegates are selected by state "primary" elections, some are
selected by state caucuses (very much like primaries, except with public voting
instead of secret ballots), and some are chosen for their prominence in the
party. A majority of delegate votes is needed to win the party's nomination. In
most cases, the delegates let their chosen presidential candidate select a
vice-presidential candidate.
In the general election, each candidate for President runs
together with a candidate for Vice-President on a "ticket." Voters
select one ticket to vote for; they can't choose a presidential candidate from
one ticket and a vice-presidential candidate from another ticket.
The national presidential election consists of a separate election in each of the 50 states and the
District of Columbia; in these 51 elections, the voters are really voting for
"electors" pledged to one of the tickets. These electors make up the
"Electoral College." (In most cases, the names of the electors aren't
written on the ballot; instead the ballot lets voters choose among
"Electors for" each of the tickets, naming the presidential and
vice-presidential candidates each slate of electors is pledged to.)
Each state has the same
number of electors as it has senators and representatives (there are two
senators from each state, but the number of representatives depends on the
state population in the most recent census). The District of Columbia, although
it isn't a state, also participates in presidential elections -- it currently
has three electors.
The People in Each State
Vote for Electors in the Electoral College. In most of the states, and also in the District of Columbia,
the election is winner-take-all; whichever ticket receives the most votes in
that state (or in D.C.) gets all the electors. (The only exceptions are Maine
and Nebraska. In these states, just two of the electors are chosen in a
winner-take-all fashion from the entire state. The remaining electors are
determined by the winner in each congressional district, with each district
voting for one elector.)
The
Electoral College then votes for President and for Vice-President, with each
elector casting one vote; these votes are called electoral votes. Each elector
is pledged to vote for particular candidates for President and Vice-President.
In most elections, all the electors vote in accordance with the pledge they
made; it is not clear what would happen in the unlikely event that a large
number of electors violated their pledge and voted differently.
Normally, one of the
candidates for President receives a majority (more than half) of the electoral
votes; that person is elected President. That candidate's vice-presidential
running mate will then also receive a majority of electoral votes (for
Vice-President), and that person is elected Vice-President.
In the rare event that no presidential
candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, then the President is
chosen instead by the House of Representatives, from the top three presidential
vote-getters in the Electoral College; each state delegation in Congress casts
one vote. (The Vice-President would be chosen from the top two
vice-presidential vote-getters by the Senate.)
Does it really work this way?
Yes. There are many
arguments pro and con the Electoral College, but this system does guarantee
that the person elected President has substantial support distributed
throughout the U.S. The Electoral College has also been a major factor in the
United States' long-term political stability."
Of course there is always more to be learned so just hit GOOGLE to fill in any gaps!
G.
( *** A big shout out to Enchanted Learning, producers of K-12 educational material that are published online for the great summary on the presidential election process! http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html )
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