A few weeks ago I attended a town hall meeting with my Congressman. Although I did not vote for him, I still attended to see what he had to say. The one thing that struck me and disappointed me at the same time was that my Congressman was telling me his party’s thoughts and ideas. I never once got the feeling that he was telling me what his thoughts and ideas on the various issues were. Even his PowerPoint presentation were just talking points for his party.
I have always believed that the 2 Party System has run its course. Think about it, within each Political Party there are a wide spectrum of views, yet they are forced to choose one candidate to represent the entire Party. Some may argue that within the Political Parties, there is healthy debate, but is there really? If by healthy debate you mean, “I will not vote with my Party unless I get something in return,” then yes, there is plenty of healthy debate going on in Washington. Although candidates are chosen by their respective party to run for office, they are still voted in by the People. When a candidate runs for office, I do not want to know what his/her party stands for, I want to know what THEY stand for. I would rather have a Congressman/Senator that goes to Washington and represents the People, and not the Party.
I propose that all candidates running for elected office MUST follow the same guidelines as third party candidates. They must all get the required number of signatures, and go through the filing process. Candidates cannot associate with a Political Party or void being removed from the ballot. Fees to get on the ballot must also made much more reasonable. If the US Government can bailout banks and car companies, they can definitely make it easier for persons to run for office. All candidates will then face off in a Primary, and only those candidates receiving above a particular percentage will move on to the general election. During the Primary season, all candidates will not be allowed to have any TV or Radio spots on the air, nor will PACs or other organizations be able to run any ads either before and during the Primary. Everything will have to be grassroots. With the internet, this is not as a difficult task as it may seem. During the General election, PACs and other group will be able to run ads, but they will have to “Pay to Play.” PACs and other groups will have to pay an initial fee to be able to run ads in the State, and these fees will fund those candidates who do not have the funds to keep up with other candidates. Do not get me wrong, I do not necessarily expect some sudden change in the Political arena with my proposition, but within time, the country will have gone through a Political Revolution that is of the People, for the People and most importantly, by the People.
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Hey, I’d rather see a bunch of free-thinking independents in office any day… Especially ones that felt more accountable to their people than their party.