Zach Baker doesn't quite see the sense in Political parties and wonders what politics would be like without them.
By Zack Baker
210 west Writer [send email]
Have you ever met a person who said they are a member of a political organization, but cannot explain why?
Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. Sometimes I am certain that we need to get rid of political parties altogether.
My problem with political parties is that they divide more than unite, and give people reason to dislike each other without knowing anything about them.
I am guilty of this. I have praised Ronald Reagan and bitched out the joke that was the Clinton administration many times, yet I imagine that had I met him, I'd like Bill Clinton more.
We both like golf, pizza, and women.
The point is that recently at the University that I attend, there seemed to be a great deal of division between Republicans and Democrats on campus. Someone chalked up the sidewalks one way, and someone responded, and pretty soon you'd have thought that chalk would have to be outlawed at Bowling Green.
Sound stupid? Yeah, it was, but at least it got Democrats and Republicans to argue over who was responsible for it, which is good, because Republicans and Democrats just don't argue enough.
I recently saw an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. I have no one to blame but myself for this, but then again, I like messing with my own sanity.
The Democratic chairman Terry McAuliffe was jubilant over George Bush's declining numbers, and lumping all nine (NOW TEN) Democratic candidates together, saying that they were all great and would be better than the current president.
Whoa, where to start here?
First of all, a party does not define a person. What exactly do right-friendly Joe Lieberman and left-winger Dennis Kucinich have in common aside from the "D" in front of their name? Sure, maybe a few issues, but on the important ones, such as the Iraq war and reconstruction, they are essential opposites.
Secondly, the person does not define the party. I am a registered Republican, but would rather put Clinton back in office than some right-wingers like Pat Buchanan or Trent Lott.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting little support in Hollywood, probably because of the "R" in front of his name. He's yet to take a real stand so far, but when has that ever stopped anyone from getting support I'm guessing that if Arnold ran as a Democrat, he'd be having Hollywood banquets held in his honor. He comes across as a social liberal and fiscal conservative, which is basically what a Republican calls themselves when they are trying to be liked by everyone.
Imagine for a minute what would happen if every candidate had to defend their own position without the safety net of political parties. What would we do? Who would we vote for?
Actually, it sounds kind of nice.