Do you feel that more Americans are waking up to the fact that the Republicans and the Democrats are absolutely useless?

Sad.

It means that there will soon be three or more parties that are absolutely useless.

britain will have finally won the revolutionary war

@Blondesjon It’s the citizens job to make sure that what happened to the repubocrats doesn’t happen again. You’re right, they may become useless too in time. Than it’s our job to fix it again!

Well, this is interesting. Do you think I’ve “given up on my country” because I have “given up on trusting politicians”? Do you think “the country” = “the government”?

I haven’t given up on this country at all, but I think its government is headed for disaster, and my philosophy still hasn’t changed in the past 15 years or so: “Don’t vote; it only encourages the bastards.”

I belong to no party.

I think it’s incredibly arrogant to be ‘unimpressed’ with anyone who’s a Republican or Democrat because a lot of people feel their vote is wasted on Independent votes. And people who don’t vote at all earn zero respect because they don’t bother to even try to change anything.

Both Democrats and Republicans have some good ideas, some have been ‘perverted’ as you say, but most of us pick the party that is closest to our ideals. If the Independent votes stood a chance, of course a lot of us would stand up with them.

@CWOTUS Like a good libertarian should, I respect your opinion! I know you’re not alone as a lot of people feel that way. I don’t feel that the country = the government. I feel that the people = the government. Thank you for your input!

@KNOWITALL You are correct in that they both come up with a good idea every now and than but they’re too busy bickering with each other to figure out if it’s passable… “If the Independent votes stood a chance, of course a lot of us would stand up with them.” You can still vote any way you like you just aren’t endorsing “them”. I apologize for my arrogance, I do see how I came across that way.

Most modern day politicians are useless but as soon as enough money is spent to get a third party candidate elected to high office we have the same problem. they end up owing somebody.big money corrupts everything that it touches.

@DWW25921 If we could find a happy middle ground without people on both sides convoluting and posturing, we could make progress. To me, we need political reform and if I can band together with fellow Americans and all vote Independent, I’d be in. Someone needs to organize for it to do any good though.

Apology accepted, we do the best we can with what we have to work with. And again, people like my half-sibs and some friends who ‘don’t care’ about politics, are truly part of the problem. They just gave up, after all that blood on the ground from our forefathers, what a shame.

@1TubeGuru That’s exactly right and it’s why we as citizens need to be on top of things and not let it get out of hand. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it.

Concise analysis of one of the ills of democracy

@KNOWITALL There are several 3rd parties making headway, it’s about choosing the fit that’s right for you. No one should ever “have” to vote for the lesser of 2 evils.

@drhat77 Interesting… :) I can’t argue with the fact that sociopaths run the place…

I would say that politicians are, for the most part, useless. It does not matter what party they are affiliated with.

@DWW25921 ‘Headway’ doesn’t cut it for me. I need a clear path to victory (outside the big two) before I sacrifice my personal beliefs for progress.

See, we don’t label ourselves as being affiliated with a political party over here.
Yeah, we vote one way or another come election time, often changing allegiance depending what state the sitting government has the country in. Some are staunchly loyal, probably a generational thing, but that’s a changing landscape.
Maybe more Americans should sign up to “None of the above!”

@KNOWITALL Well, you’ve got spunk! I like that! I’d start by becoming Independent and continue voting however you want until you find someone you feel you can get behind. A clear path to victory is up to every citizen to decide when they want to start clearing!

@DWW25921 I’m a woman, so not really – lol

Seriously though, I do really care about my country and the people who run it have let us all down so many times. I simply can’t allow my vote to go to waste.

It’s part of the Republican strategy. Their mantra is that government is broken, it doesn’t work, privatize nearly everything. And so they create gridlock, and do their best to make government as ineffectual as they can to “prove their point.” The government has accomplished a lot in the past through mutual cooperation between both parties.

I couldn’t give a shit about your respect. Registered Socialist in the state of CA.

@KNOWITALL I voted for a Democrat, (Joe Mansion) for senate and 2 local Republicans I liked in the last election. Nothing wasteful about that! I voted for the folks I thought were the best fit for the job and the people of my area.

@tinyfaery You know what, I respect that! :)

@DWW25921 as a good libertarian, I’m sure you’ll appreciate what H.L. Mencken had to say about democracy (especially if you really believe that “the people = the government”, and boy do I hope that you’re wrong about that):

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

@CWOTUS Baaa ha ha! I knew someone would mention something like that… Maybe I’m a little too optimistic at times, you reckon? It’s worth a shot though. The way things are right now just aren’t working…

I’m apolitical and have been forever. The very notion that we, the people, have any true voice whatsoever is insane. Pffft, just more ego identification with dogma.

@DWW Most people honk, it’s the same thing. By all means get one, heck I’ll take two!

@Coloma Optimism wants me to argue that point but realism tells me not to. That’s very true… for now…

The best thing that could ever happen is for everybody to develop a healthy disdain for politicians. They are the lowest form of life. It is good that they have a place to go and be foolish (ex. Washington DC) instead of walking the streets where they would be hucksters at best, and dangerous sociopaths at worst.

Having said that, too many Americans imagine that they are not useless. And a few Americans actually adore them. Like this character…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio

Can’t blame politicians for responding to the dumb fucks who think they are awesome. It is everybody’s dream to be a super star. Especially if one is amoral.
Except they are anything super stars.

So, I hope your premise is true. It will mean a brighter day for everybody.

But, the truth is, there may be too many morons, on both sides of the aisle, sending other morons to Congress.

By the way, I have asked similar questions on Flulther, and have made myself a target. Hope you have strong convictions. This is not a good place to be critical of Big Brother.

@josie I find it goes better when you dislike both sides with the same equity. It’s not like I’m biased. You do bring up a good point though. I will take care so the man doesn’t repress me.

@DWW25921
I find it goes better when you dislike both sides with the same equity

Once, I believed that might be true. But, generally, on Fluther, it is OK to dislike the right, but if you also dislike the left, that means you are a closet right wing-nut.

On this site, distrust of the left is de facto allegiance to the right.

But, you have clearly been around for awhile, so maybe you know something I do not.

It goes waaay beyond this earthy identification….there are no politics in being.
When’s the last time you saw Squirrels staging an occupy oak trees movement. lol

@DWW25921 See…we made up after my bitchy comment to you recently. lol

I am not under the impression that my vote means anything. I am a liberal in Florida, after all.

I basically vote so my protests will be on record.

@josie I know very little. The older I get the more I realize how clueless I am…

@Coloma Humans are fickle beasts are we not?

@Seek_Kolinahr At least you try! That says a lot!

@josie Or you may be called a fence sitter (I was), and that doesn’t sit well with the fluther crowd.
@DWW25921 josie is correct.

It seems to me shortsighted to attribute the divisiveness and hate driving politics today to the two major parties. We have had more recall elections since 2010 than we had in all the time before that. People are angry, they are polarized, and most are living in an evidence free zone where what they believe is right, and there is no need to confuse them with the facts.

This did not come about by accident. I have every reason to suspect that if we replaced the existing parties with two or more parties that are currently outliers, we’d soon be back in the same place. I think the hate and distrust is carefully cultivated by a group of very wealthy people and families who want it all. To the best of their ability, they will subvert any political process to the end of converting America into a banana republic where they are the oligarchs. They can then use the police to collect what little remains in the hands of the poor, and the military to extend their rule to the entire world.

@ETpro I’d love so much to be able to argue your points but you’re right and I know it. Optimism has a tendency of blinding people sometimes. Anyway, I’m not one of those people. What of the puppet masters than?

@jonsblond It seems he usually is.

Interesting argument. The Republicans hate the Democrats and the Democrats hate the Republicans. So the answer is obviously, be independent and hate them both. The two parties are not the same. And the third parties are grossly incompetent. Even when an independent gts elected, they join up with one of the major parties for voting purposes. When you label everyone as corrupt or incompetent, you leave no option but to drop out.

When the Unions donate to the Democrats, they don’t donate to get thier vote, hell they’ve already got thier vote. They donate because they agree with the democrat position and they want them to win. The same with Republican donors. The last election turned on the issue of free birth control. That was enough to swing the election in favor of the Democrats. What would a third party candidate have done, offered free toilet paper as well? Our problem is not corrupt politicians but rather our penchant for instant gratification. Our willingness to vote on small arbitrary issues and and buy into the politics of personal destruction. As long as smear campaigns work, as long as people vote on emotions, we will get that from our politicians. It is not them, it is us, that creates the problem. And calling yourself independent doesn’t solve that.

@Jaxk You bring up some good points, many that I’m already aware of, that have not fallen on deaf ears. However, I will say that I really don’t see a viable alternative. What else are we supposed to do? How do we get the masses to think about the “big picture” instead of “instant gratification?”

@DWW25921

I wish I had a good answer. Think about this. Half the population is dependent on government for some of thier living expense. Government is intertwined in everything we do. You can’t make a decison about your life without considering the tax consequences. Retirement accounts, investments, business decisons are all made not for what works best but for the tax implications. Government overrides everything and no one knows how it works. If you want to keep up on issues that affect your life that is a full time job and most of us simply don’t have that much time to spare. If we don’t figure out how to make it a more managable piece of our life it will eventually take over. Government becomes the master and we are the slaves. We’re not far away from that now.

@Jaxk Too true. I’m a little jealous of my grandfathers era to be honest. Both of them saw victory in WWII and they saw prosperity and jobs when they returned home. I’ve never had a job for more than 5 years at a time. It would seem that companies just don’t do loyalty anymore. Neither do the workers really… They just don’t care. Neither does the government. They’re just a bunch of self serving empty suits. What to do… I don’t know if anything can be done other than make a stand on our soapboxes and hope for the best.

Well, maybe we’ll lose a third of our able bodied workforce in another world war, and cure unemployment for another generation

@Seek_Kolinahr Yikes! Than there’s that…

The real culprit are the cooperation dictating policy and lawmaking to serve their needs.