Being

How about instead of having to join a party, you just run on your own credentials, run ones own campaign themselves. and then at the booth, instead of having that box for all GOP or all Dem, you vote for each individual candidate, only distinguished by that ones ideals, and not party affiliation?

Mind blowing, I know.

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R.I.P. Gov

SageTree

I think being a representative should not be alluring. You live as a servant to the public in dormatory rooms or apt housing and income for family, but don't get serious money until you decide to leave your positition and based on your approval rating. This could make people HAVE finacial incentive to work harder for their voters and urges them to move on because I doubt most could handle the asceticness of the living situation.

Passionate people would be applying for it, not fat cats in limos.

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Maturin

Where do you get the money to run your campaign? How do you get your message out to enough voters to ensure that you win, and not your opponent (who's a complete airhead but happens to have 100 million in personal finances to spend to get his message out?) Is there public financing? Can anyone have it? What if 100 people want to run on the ballot? Do they all get 2 million in public dollars to run? What limits do you put on to ensure there AREN'T 100 people on the ballot (cause I guarantee you the best person ain't winning if something that chaotic happens.)

This was the way the founders saw things too. Representation was to be something of an onerous chore: undesired and poorly paid. Representatives wouldn't want to sever more than 2-4 years. And it did work that way, for a while. Things changed slowly but you can see benchmarks. The power of patronage that came with the Jacksonian system. Wealth from graft that came in the post-Civil War years. The US becoming a global power circa 1900 changes things. The explosion of government with the New Deal.

Are term limits an answer? Maybe. But for every bloated geezer who probably should have stepped down I can see another who deserves that 4th Senate term.

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"Creating something is not a democracy. The people have no say. The artist does. It doesn't matter what the people witter on about: they and their response comes after. They're not there for the moment of creation."

--Russell T Davies

Being

I think Ron Paul had a good idea on that one. Now that we live in the information age, its not that hard or expensive to get out a message. Take donations from citizens who believe in you (and you wouldnt want names attached either, or there would be 'obligations')

Being financed by citizens who believe and agree with them, I'm thinking that issue would need to be voted on at some point. I don't think that we should be forced to finance someones campaign, but I'm not a lawyer, politician or anything like that. I'm just some kid. So please, just step off the high horse.

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R.I.P. Gov

Bambi

It doesn't give them a filibuster proof majority b/c Specter won't always vote with the Democrats. He said so himself. He could still call himself a Republican and he would vote the same way. Frankly, I think he saw a sinking boat and bailed out. I think he should have just become an Independent.

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Manverue

He was a Democrat back in the day when we was running for a District Attorney job so all he is doing is returning to his roots. This was a purely self-preservation move on his part as he doesn't want to loose his seat. So much for putting principles or the interest of the Pennslyvania electorate first.

Personally I say good ridance. Being a RINO (Republican In Name Only) is not an endearing position.

Kat_IV

^

Eh he's not really a Democrat either anymore, generally he's more of a moderate who leans liberally on some issues (abortion, immigration) and conservatively on others (national security). While it would technically give the democrats a filibuster proof majority Specter himself has said that he won't necessarily allow a filibuster to go on for certain bills. As for the principle part, if the people don't like it they won't reelect him in 2010.

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"So tell me. Did Venus blow your mind?" bongsmilie