Vote People Not Parties

December 29, 2009 by Doug Mitchell · Leave a Comment
Filed under: News, Red Alert Dossier, local politics

Iowa provides very fertile political soil. During my 33 years in California, I never experienced such a closeness to the people, political process, the politicians, and the parties. I’ve met Senator Chuck Grassley enough (at technology events no less) that he remembers me now. This closeness and awareness to the political process means that it’s a bit easier to take a quick political pulse.

Overwhelmingly, I get the message that people are going to start voting for people…not parties.

There are many in the Republican Party (National/State) that are amazing conservative leaders so don’t mistake the People’s feelings as all-inclusive indictment. However, I do see that even R’s viewed as conservative have problems (as they should) because they too are guilty of aggregious acts of political debauchery including voting for various Bush items that were far from conservative, pork project awards, etc. Few current R’s are immune to their histories.

Representatives like Kent Sorenson (R-IA District 74) are asked quite often by citizens, “Why are you a member of the Republican Party when you’re clearly an Independent?” Please contact Kent for his answer as my summary won’t do justice. I hear this over and over again throughout the state. “I vote for people not parties” is the rally cry of a huge percentage of voters on both sides of the isle now. This is the way it should be right? However this doesn’t sit well with the Republican party for obvious reasons (donations, influence, power of majority, etc.)

A third party (or 4th or 5th) has not really been an option for sometime now…but as our citizenry increasingly votes for people not parties, I do believe the landscape is about change…for the better.