UPDATED by Eric to say: See the information in tabular form here.
Eric’s comment got me thinking about the effect new voter registration would have on the upcoming election. I looked high and low for some hard numbers but found none. So, being the “citizen journalist” I am, I scoured the internet and crunched them myself.
All the information comes from the states themselves. I’ve noted the period of time the numbers cover (as the data varies between states) as well as any circumstances preventing me from drawing firm conclusions. If you’re able to locate any of the data that eluded me, drop a note in the comments and I’ll add it to the list.
If you don’t feel like digging through the numbers, here’s the short answer: if I were a Republican, I’d be very, very worried.
(Title updated to reflect the awesomeness of information contain within the post.)
(Many silent updates, but I thought I’d note this one: Alaska’s the first and, so far, only state in which mores Republican have registered than Democrats.)
Alabama: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Alaska: Alaska: 2,836 Republicans, 2,628 Democrats, 6,825 Independents (no aff.
& all other)
From March 4 to September 4
Src: March 4, September 4
Arizona: 32,141 Republicans, 68,480 Democrats, 4,359 Other
From January 1 to September 2
Src: January 1, September 2
Arkansas: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
California: 46,497 Republicans, 417,793 Democrats, 117,313 Independents
From January to May 19
Src: January 1, May 19
Colorado: 13,352 Republicans, 66,516 Democrats, 23,437 Independents
Src
Connecticut: [can only locate 2007 data]
Src
Delaware: 676 Republican, 4,428 Democrats, 2,200 Independents
From July 1 to September 1
Src: July 1, September 1
Florida: 77,196 Republican, 209,422 Democrat, 26,100 Independents
From January to June
Src
Georgia: [broken down by race not party affiliation]
Src
Hawaii: [can’t locate]
Src
Idaho: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Illinois: [can’t locate]
Src
Indiana: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Iowa: 7,515 Republicans, 69,301 Democrats, -62,922 Independents
From January to August
Src: January, August
Kentucky: [wants money]
Src
Louisiana: [page won’t load—likely underwater]
Src
Maine: [last updated November 2006]
Src
Maryland: 4,260 Republicans, 12,338 Democrats, 5,544 Independents
From January to July
Src
Massachussetts: [only January data]
Src: January
Michigan: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Minnesota: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Mississippi: [can’t locate]
Src
Missouri: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Montana: [paged won’t load—I blame moose]
Src
Nebraska: [can’t locate]
Src
Nevada: 1,230 Republicans, 51,457 Democrats, 7,550 Independents
From January to August
Src: January, August
New Hampshire: -1,285 Republicans, 1,188 Democrats, 269 Independents
From June 12 to August 18
Src: June 12, August 18
New Jersey: [can’t locate]
Src
New Mexico: [only has May data]
Src
New York: -1,526 Republicans, 102,559 Democrats, -164 Blanks
From November 1 to March 1
Src: November 1, March 1
North Carolina: 20,363 Republicans, 171,955 Democrats, 123,605 Unaffiliated
From January 5 to August 30
Src: January 5, August 30
North Dakota: [the only state without voter registration]
Src
Ohio: [not released]
Src
Oklahoma: [only has January data]
Src
Oregon: -13,349 Republicans, 122,518 Democrats
From January to July
Src
Pennsylvania: 289 Republicans, 98,137 Democrats, 15,907 Independents (no aff. & all other)
From April 17 to August 25
Src: April 17, August 25
Rhode Island: [can’t locate]
Src
South Carolina: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
South Dakota: [only contains bulk data for 2008]
Src
Tennessee: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Texas: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Utah: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Vermont: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Virginia: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
Washington: [not broken down by party affiliation]
Src
West Virginia: [only have April data]
Src
Wisconsin: [can’t locate]
Src
Wyoming: 1,390 Republicans, 3,409 Democrats, 5,892 Independents
From January to August 16
Src
82 comments
September 4, 2008 at 3:24 pm
eric
Are you sure you’re in a literature department, SEK?
September 4, 2008 at 3:26 pm
SEK
Is it the thoroughness or the numbers? Because as I demonstrated yesterday, I’m not too hot with the numbers.
September 4, 2008 at 3:27 pm
eric
The thoroughness about accumulating the numbers.
September 4, 2008 at 3:27 pm
eric
Which was by way of saying, well done.
September 4, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Vance Maverick
This is cool. A New York Times article from a month ago confirms a trend in this direction for the last four years.
In the 26 states and the District of Columbia where registration data were available, the total number of registered Democrats increased by 214,656, while the number of Republicans fell by 1,407,971.
September 4, 2008 at 3:41 pm
SEK
Thank you much, Eric.
Vance, I found a number of newspaper articles quoting random figures, but they weren’t sourced, so I decided to stick with official tallies.
September 4, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Vance Maverick
I meant the link as independent confirmation — the time window they covered was wider. (They “source” their numbers broadly to “Secretary of State’s offices.”) Synoptically the two reviews suggest that there’s a long-term trend that’s not leveling off this year; or that the strong numbers of this year are more than mere Obamamania.
September 4, 2008 at 3:56 pm
eric
the strong numbers of this year are more than mere Obamamania
This ought to be incontestable; though a lot of the journalistic nail-biting would have you believe each-speech-matters! it probably doesn’t. The fundamentals plus the “ground game” or GOTV probably matter a lot more.
September 4, 2008 at 4:02 pm
ari
This is really great stuff.
September 4, 2008 at 4:06 pm
ari
If you’re feeling really public spirited, and you have time on your hands, you might want to post the data directly. Or maybe others don’t have to download pdfs?
September 4, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Levi Stahl
Gonna make a martini and relax for a few minutes now. Not that I was worried.
September 4, 2008 at 4:19 pm
A White Bear
What’s with all the negative numbers of Republicans?
September 4, 2008 at 4:27 pm
eric
Switchers.
September 4, 2008 at 4:28 pm
ari
And they’re very negative people, unaware of the cosmic energy binding us all together. Apparently.
September 4, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Cryptic Ned
AWB, Presumably these are measurements of Delta voter, or the velocity of voters, or the change in number of voters. In Oregon and New Hampshire more people are choosing to stop being Republicans than are choosing to become Republicans!
September 4, 2008 at 4:29 pm
kid bitzer
republicans are bound together by dark matter.
September 4, 2008 at 4:31 pm
ari
Ned! AWB! kid! Let’s get the ‘ol band back together again!
September 4, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Jason B
A lot of indeterminates, but what you’ve done here is great and what I see is heartening.
September 4, 2008 at 4:37 pm
your nation's capital
What about us?
September 4, 2008 at 4:42 pm
ari
Last I checked, you were just a district. Or has something changed that would make me care about you at a time like this?
September 4, 2008 at 4:45 pm
SEK
Ari, I didn’t post the data because, frankly, I don’t know how to do tables in HTML without breaking things. But anyone who wants to replicate my results can do it via the convenient links which go directly to the data itself. (My friend Liz works on the terribleness of government websites, and boy howdy, is she ever correct.)
AWB, those are cases in which the number of registered Republicans at Date X was lower than the number at Later Date Y.
Jason, I welcome anyone who wants to find the data I couldn’t. Some of those sites were terrible beyond the telling — search interfaces from the early ’90s, and then there’s Vermont, which is so cutesy (scroll down), and another one of those western states which looks like it’s hosted on angelfire.
DC, I though I did you. Hm… I’ll be back shortly.
September 4, 2008 at 4:48 pm
ari
SEK, check your gee male again. I’ve just sent you a bunch of data.
September 4, 2008 at 4:53 pm
eric
I don’t know how to do tables in HTML without breaking things
Send me a spreadsheet and I’ll do an html table.
September 4, 2008 at 4:53 pm
ari
Ari, I didn’t post the data because, frankly, I don’t know how to do tables in HTML without breaking things.
I speak for the lurkers. For if I do not, they will have no voice. Seriously, I couldn’t care less. I just want the maximum number of
concern trollspeople to see this data.September 4, 2008 at 4:55 pm
silbey
What about us?
Total Republicans registered in Washington, DC: 0
Total Democrats registered in Washington, DC: 1 gazillion.
September 4, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Jason B
Jason, I welcome anyone who wants to find the data I couldn’t.
I hope you’re not taking my comment as a criticism, because I think what you’ve done with this is amazing.
September 4, 2008 at 4:57 pm
eric
For if I do not, they will have no voice
“For the trees have no tongues”, dude. What kind of environmental historian are you?
September 4, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Levi Stahl
Is it tasteless to make a “First they came for the lurkers, but I was not a lurker” joke?
Did I just do it anyway?
September 4, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Jason B
I find it unforgivably tasteless. But my keyboard is wearing beer right now, and may contradict me. If it should speak up.
September 4, 2008 at 5:18 pm
kid bitzer
it’s not true about the trees having no tongues. they do.
if you cut them out and roast them over charcoal, they’re delicious.
September 4, 2008 at 5:19 pm
bitchphd
Are you sure you’re in a literature department, SEK?
Hey! It’s not like we don’t *have* research skills. We just don’t have to use ‘em very much.
September 4, 2008 at 5:27 pm
kid bitzer
“Ned! AWB! kid! Let’s get the ‘ol band back together again!”
i’m touched by this, ari, deeply touched.
it’s the first time anyone has expressed any pleasure at seeing me on the web.*
it does my heart good.
* (or anything i could plausibly construe that way).
September 4, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Knecht Ruprecht
i’m touched by this, ari, deeply touched. it’s the first time anyone has expressed any pleasure at seeing me on the web
I for one miss seeing you around unfogged. I heard you got yourself banned, but I don’t know the backstory, and it seems pretty bogus to me.
September 4, 2008 at 6:10 pm
kid bitzer
no truth to that–i just got tired of the vibe and decided not to hang out there.
but many thanks for the sentiment.
September 4, 2008 at 6:29 pm
ari
I can’t speak to the vibe at unfogged, but we loving having you ’round these parts. When you tire of us, just say the word; we’ll shut this place down rather than lose you.
September 4, 2008 at 6:35 pm
kid bitzer
okay, that’s slightly over the top, but still heart-warming.
by the way, have i told you about the five and a half years i spent in a vietnamese p.o.w. camp?
we didn’t have any blogs to comment on there, my friends.
September 4, 2008 at 6:51 pm
ari
Nope, that’s just how much we care about you, the consumer.
September 4, 2008 at 7:50 pm
New voter registration favoring Dems « My Beautiful Wickedness
[…] done, and signed up impressive numbers. I really can’t add much beyond this post over at Edge of the West, which looks at new voter registration patterns in all 50 states and serves up a heaping helping of […]
September 4, 2008 at 8:42 pm
urbino
SEK should consider a career in something involving research.
September 4, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Vance Maverick
Here are the numbers for DC:
Jan. 14, 2008: 279,411 D — 28,502 R — 377,007 total
Aug. 11, 2008: 297,326 D — 29,622 R — 399,127 total
deltas: +17915 D — +1120 R — +22120 total
Not huge, a 6% increase in registration, going mainly to Dems, in a town that’s less than 10% Republican.
September 4, 2008 at 8:51 pm
ari
I find it impossible to imagine that the Obama campaign or the Democratic Party (inasmuch as you’ll allow that there’s a difference between the two) has spent more than $12 on registering voters in the District.
September 4, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Vance Maverick
Yeah, it doesn’t exactly raise one’s pulse. But my nation’s capital asked.
Current NYT hed: “McCain Vows to End ‘Partisan Rancor,’ Seizing Theme of Change From Rival”.
September 4, 2008 at 10:14 pm
teofilo
i just got tired of the vibe and decided not to hang out there.
Hey, me too. Actually, it’s more that I just don’t have time these days to keep up over there, but the vibe didn’t help. I still dip in from time to time.
September 4, 2008 at 11:32 pm
bitchphd
Neener neener, KB’s been hanging out at my place for ages. But you guys can have his leftovers.
September 4, 2008 at 11:42 pm
ari
Neener neener
Ladies and gentlemen, that’s Ms. Bitch, PhD, a professor of literature.
September 5, 2008 at 12:49 am
Nell
I’d make an effort to find Virginia’s number, but we have nonpartisan registration (i.e., you can’t state a party affiliation even if you want to; primaries are all open).
However, the fact that the Obama campaign has put five times the number of staff into the state compared with any previous Democratic presidential effort tells me that whatever registration takes place between now and the first week of October is likely to be weighted our way.
September 5, 2008 at 3:26 am
KathyF
So, we’re going to lose New Hampshire and win Wyoming? Great!
September 5, 2008 at 3:32 am
andrew
Are you sure you’re in a literature department, SEK?
Some graphs, maps, or trees would help answer that question.
In Oregon and New Hampshire more people are choosing to stop being Republicans than are choosing to become Republicans!
I haven’t been paying much attention to Maine, but I’ve heard that some of Gordon Smith’s ads in Oregon make it look like he’s trying to run for Obama’s VP.
September 5, 2008 at 3:35 am
andrew
Uh, by Maine, I meant New Hampshire.
September 5, 2008 at 3:45 am
CAP
I spent the last year working as a community organizer in LA (no “actual responsibilities”! so great!) and registered about 700 voters around the primary. I encountered many, many previously registered voters who wanted to switch party affiliation to Democrat and do not recall a single person asking to switch to Republican. Awesome to see numbers support this! I also remember being surprised by the number of new voters who declined to state a party or registered for the Peace and Freedom party.
GOTV efforts need to be HUGE to overcome voter suppression tactics (Ohio) and anti-voter laws (Indiana, see here: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21771)
September 5, 2008 at 4:38 am
foolishmortal
NH is lagging. What they need are some itinerant Massholes telling them to get their asses in gear.
September 5, 2008 at 8:33 am
Vance Maverick
CAP, if they were switching Republican, they would hardly have turned to a…community organizer. Just call somebody who knows somebody.
September 5, 2008 at 10:50 am
Deborah
SEK I might heart you even more than Jay Smooth right now.
September 5, 2008 at 11:28 am
Change in voter registration. « The Edge of the American West
[…] states with information on partisan affiliation. Via Scott’s post. Scott subtracted older totals from later totals to reach these […]
September 5, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Pffft. « Thing of words
[…] yet, ignore the polls entirely, and take a look at some numbers that really matter. Tagged with: labored metaphors, look I don’t really understand statistics either, science is […]
September 5, 2008 at 8:33 pm
B
Virginia voter registration numbers are here:
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Statistics_Polling_Places/Registration_Statistics/2008/Index.html
September 5, 2008 at 8:34 pm
NewHampshire
The numbers for New Hampshire are actually interesting because to register voters you have to bring the voter and all documents to the Town Clerk. The forms have to be signed in their presence. This makes tabling or canvassing to register very difficult. The upside is that you can register on election day (actually it creates an unpredictable factor too). The New Hampshire numbers are showing Republicans switching party.
September 5, 2008 at 10:09 pm
bitchphd
Ladies and gentlemen, that’s Ms. Bitch, PhD, a professor of literature.
You know it. Neener neener.
September 6, 2008 at 4:27 am
Yellow Dog
Fucking Kentucky. Could this be because our darling secretary of state is a repug?
Last I saw the numbers, which was just before the gubernatorial election in November ’07, new dem registrations had exceeded new repugs by about 50 percent.
I’ll try to get recent numbers – see if cultivating my local county clerk provides any dividends.
September 6, 2008 at 6:12 am
B
There are 172,919 newly registered voters in Virginia.
September 6, 2008 at 6:20 am
B
Clarification on Virginia: 172K is net new voters. There are 205,555 newly registered voters in 2008. The 172K includes deaths, moving out of state, etc. I could find no party registration information.
All data from Statewide Statistics By Locality chart:
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Statistics_Polling_Places/Registration_Statistics/2008/Index.html
September 6, 2008 at 1:33 pm
dmhlt
This clearly represents a huge – and much-appreciated effort. So let me, as a newbie, just say you deserve:
Congratulations, kudos, praise, plaudits, encomiums, homage, panegyric, commendation, approbation, acclamation, adulation, applause, laudation, bouquets & a tip of the hat for a job extraordinarily well done!
September 6, 2008 at 9:24 pm
doazic
Delicious!
September 7, 2008 at 2:38 am
Swing State Nation | Politics - Sharpy News
[…] over at The Edge of the American West has done yeoman’s work on this score, keeping tabs on the Democratic gains since the […]
September 7, 2008 at 11:13 am
2008 Election Discussion Thread (Democratic) - GeneralForum.com
[…] we might want to expand this analysis to as many "swing states" as we could. SEK over at The Edge of the American West has done yeoman’s work on this score, keeping tabs on the Democratic gains since the beginning of […]
September 7, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Alicia
very interesting, but I believe you’ve forgotten Kansas:
http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_registration_voterreg.asp
September 7, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Alson
Yup, picking up speed as we head for the cliffs. Democracy dies once the people get onto the fact that they can vote themselves money.
Our congress people should be like parents – giving us what we need, not what we want. Giant social programs to help those who won’t help themselves appears to be what we (the majority) want. It sure isn’t what we need. One day we’ll have more dependant on the government than on themselves.
Do you think the people working and paying the taxes will be able to provide for you in the manner to which you’ve become accustomed? I highly doubt it. Even if they are willing, there won’t be enough of them to do it.
This country is a Republic, not a Democracy.
September 7, 2008 at 4:53 pm
eric
Giant social programs to help those who won’t help themselves appears to be what we (the majority) want.
Alson, our social programs are minuscule compared to nearly every other advanced country; we rank 28th of 31 OECD countries in percent of GDP devoted to those programs. We’ve got a long way to go before we see the cliffs.
September 7, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Jack
Excellent research, and very welcome results! To previous blogger eric – here in (US) Georgia, the fully repub state leadership has handed out so many tax breaks to business it would spin your head. As a result, schools, transpo, parks, health, etc. are all getting huge cuts. Count me as somebody who actually wants good education for all, health for all, maintained infrastructure, parks, a sound retirement, etc. Don’t know what “social programs” you are babbling about. Wall Street CEO’s “vote themselves money” frequently – what’s so bad about the rest of us doing it?
September 7, 2008 at 8:18 pm
alson
@eric “our social programs are minuscule compared to nearly every other advanced country; we rank 28th of 31 OECD countries in percent of GDP devoted to those programs”
The “more advanced countries” are going broke. Sweden has huge problems and a lot of unemployment. Socialistic give away programs are not the answer. When you level the playing field too much you leave no incentive for the bread winners. I’m not saying don’t help people that truly need it. I’m saying we’ve expanded “truly need it” to include everyone.
@Jack “Wall Street CEO’s “vote themselves money” frequently – what’s so bad about the rest of us doing it?” Last I checked, private companies produced goods or sold services and made money selling them. The government does neither, it collects and redistributes wealth based on the wishes of people ever more convinced that the government is their mommy, mommy’s teat and sliced bread all rolled into one.
I’m conservative, but I’m no free trade at all cost accolyte. Free trade is what has led to a lot of our current economic issues as well. When you have free trade like we do it normalizes labor costs. That may seem like a good thing. What that really means is some one’s wages in a third world country go up and someone’s wages here goes down. I’m all for the third world succeeding as we have, I’m not for us ruining our economy so they can gain that success. The other side of the free trade problem is the out and in. So, because there are no meaninful tarrifs companies have offshored production and then sell to America. Basically we’ve given our corporations the cost of a third world labor market and free access to a first world consumer market. Oh yeah, look at the car load of crap we can get at Wally world for a dollar. I don’t blame the companies. The government set up the system this way.
So let’s all vote democrat and put a stop to this nonesense you say. The democrats *may* be slightly more likely to impose a tarriff here and their than the republicans, but any good it will do will be offset by the more “advanced” social programs we can dream up. I’ll wholeheartedly agree with anyone that said Nafta was a bad move.
Also on that note. All it takes to stop illegal immigration is to fine the crap out of any empoloyer in the US employing them. If the job market for illegals dries up, they won’t come. But if that happened, the democratic party growth would slow.
September 7, 2008 at 8:26 pm
bitchphd
The “more advanced countries” are going broke.
Right, whereas our economy’s doing just great.
September 7, 2008 at 8:37 pm
alson
“Right, whereas our economy’s doing just great.” That was my point. If you think ours is bad now, wait until we get to giving away 50% plus of our paychecks.
We need to massively cut spending on almost every front. It’s not like Bush has cut much. We need someone to do some liberal cost cutting of programs rather than raise taxes to pay for what’s there today and so we can spend more tomorrow.
In short we need to drop most foreign aid, bring our troops home, have a strong defense here, quit nation building.
September 7, 2008 at 9:45 pm
bitchphd
“Right, whereas our economy’s doing just great.” That was my point. If you think ours is bad now, wait until we get to giving away 50% plus of our paychecks.
Yeah, the real problem with the U.S. economy is our generous welfare state entitlements. Tell me another.
September 7, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Alson
What percent of those marching in the streets of St Paul are ever going to be a contributor and not a dependent of government aid. I’m not referring to the anarchists. I’m more in step with their taxation views I have to admit.
Do you know why liberals stand on overpasses with signs during elections and conservatives don’t? Conservatives have jobs.
September 8, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Smithers MINNEAPOLIS » Blog Archive » ground game
[…] Edge of the West takes a look at new voter registration and finds some interesting information. […]
September 8, 2008 at 3:09 pm
silbey
The “more advanced countries” are going broke
That will surprise the Swedish, whose GDP grew faster than did that of the U.S. last year, whose unemployment rate is about the same as America’s and whose inflation is the same as ours. I’m sure they’re all very depressed.
Do you know why liberals stand on overpasses with signs during elections and conservatives don’t? Conservatives have jobs.
Wow, that’s an impressive level of humor there. Work on it, and it might make it up to the level of a “joke” sometime in the future.
September 17, 2008 at 9:05 am
Polls? Big Black Holes!
[…] don’t believe it. Yes, Obama-leaning people have been registering in massive numbers, but the Big Question — which none of the polling companies or aggregators […]
September 23, 2008 at 1:26 pm
BroLo
Here are the Kansas registration numbers as of March 1, 2008:
Democratic 445.468, Libertarian 9.053, Reform 1.380, Republican 741.006, Unaffiliated 446.550
Src
September 25, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Shewolf
In the event the election actually takes place, I’ve sent out an email urging people to vote and vote third party. The email is as follows:
Please pass on this email if you agree our government needs a good house cleaning!
http://www.thirdpartyticket.com/
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of Democrats AND Republicans. They are a two-headed dragon breathing nothing but hot air. Neither party has our interests at heart. Look where they’ve gotten our country. One can argue and point fingers at Democrats or Republicans, but let’s be realistic. They’ve ALL done things that have put us in the situation we’re in now and they will continue to do so unless we make a stand. I urge you to look at the third party when you vote November 4th. The main parties will try to say you’re throwing away your vote, but that’s not true. There are too many of us who are sick of the same old broken promises. We get poorer while politicians get richer and now they’re rewarding the banks while millions are losing their homes.
Did you know Section 8 of the Bailout plan reads as follows:
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
This 32 word statement gives unlimited power to the Secretary. A blank check. Oh, sure, Congress is kicking up a small fuss, but do you really think they won’t pass the bill? Our economy is being steered into the proverbial iceberg and will surely sink like the Titanic. The fat cats in Washington and the big bankers are the rats jumping ship. They have all the lifeboats and are only making room for Wall Street. Do you think they’ll share? They’ll be too busy pointing fingers from a safe place while we’re drowning in the sea of debt we’ll be expected to pay. And if you are under the assumption that the amount they’ve set for the bailout is true, you’d better look at the past. Never has the government stayed within a projected budget. Expect at least three times the amount they tell us, if not ten times the amount or more. Then they’ll say, “Oh, we had no way of foreseeing that.”
These are the people who are supposed to represent our best interests. They represent special interest groups and Lobbyists. They scratch each others’ backs in the name of campaign funds. There is no two party system. Ever wonder why it’s only the Democrats and Republicans who are in the Presidential debates? The debates are ruled by Democrats and Republicans so they make the rules as to who can be in the debates. There are other third party candidates, but we never see them. Not since Ross Perot and Ralph Nader. No matter what you think of Perot or Nader, do you think it’s fair for the ruling parties to stack the deck against third party candidates?
Did you know we have more than Obama and McCain running? Why don’t we hear anything about the others? Why don’t they get equal time? Why are they not being allowed to participate in the debates? It’s time to let the government know We The People will not stand by and allow them to continue voting themselves raises while we struggle to feed our families. We will not allow them to bring this country to her knees in the name of bailing out greedy bankers who took advantage of millions seeking to own their own homes. We will not allow the government to force us to foot the bill while they pass more bills to empty our pockets and crush the American people into servitude.
What they are doing is economic terrorism. Will their retirement funds be touched? Will their mortgages suffer? Do they care? No, no and no. This election is nothing more than a barrage of childish finger pointing infomercials to avoid real solutions to real issues. It has turned into a circus complete with a lineup of political pick pocketing clowns making promises they have no intention of keeping. Glib-tongued snake oil salesmen. They make promises and when those promises are broken, they lay blame on the opposing party without owning up to their own faults.
Our country is fast becoming one of the most laughed at, hated countries in the world. We are making more enemies and alienating our allies. More war and taxes are on the horizon. Our troops are stretched across the globe and costing us billions every week to fight for what? What is our interest in fighting? Terrorism? Oil? To instill democracy? Why does our government think we must play big brother to all nations? If we took all the money spent on war, foreign aid, or useless, sneaky pork barrel spending and invested it into the real needs of America and her people, where would we be? The Democrats and Republicans would never allow that anymore than they’d take a pay-cut.
Both parties have proven they can’t be trusted. They count on us to vote for the lesser of two evils, but evil is still evil. They count on us to pay more attention to American Idol, football, Deal or No Deal, than to what’s going on. They count on us to have short memories so we believe in the false promises they spew instead of researching the truth. They tell us about the other candidate’s dirty laundry to make themselves look good and hope you won’t dig too deeply into their own laundry bag.
If you haven’t registered to vote, I urge you do do so. It’s not too late. Please vote. Not voting is wasting your vote. Research third party candidates and pick one of them instead of voting for the two-headed dragon. This goes for President, Congress, House, and local elections. Look to see who is third party in your state, district, county, town. Make a statement. Make a stand. Don’t just decide to kick out Democrats or Republicans because they have let us down. Give them both the boot. There are over 300 million people in the USA. If only half of the registered voters (I can’t seem to find anything solid regarding the number of registered voters) voted third party, the reign of the two-headed dragon would come to an end. It may not even take half. I know there are a lot of registered voters who are opting not to vote this election just because the candidates are not very appealing. Well, here are all the Presidential candidates:
Constitution Party Candidate: Chuck Baldwin
Democratic Party Candidate: Barack Obama
Green Party Candidate:Cynthia McKinney
Independent Party Candidate:Ralph Nader
Libertarian Party Candidate: Bob Barr
Republican Party Candidate: John McCain
Check out http://www.ThirdPartyTicket.com
There will be open debates for all party candidates on October 8th. I wonder if McCain and Obama will bother to show. This debate is being sponsored by Free and Equal and endorsed by Ron Paul: Free & Equal Elections Coalition (FREE) is a coalition of political parties, independent citizens and civic organizations formed to promote free and equal elections in the United States.
If you’ve read this far, there’s hope for this country yet!
Here’s a fact for you: The Federal Reserve Bank is not government owned or operated. It is a number of privately owned elite banks. It is not backed by gold or silver. Research this information.
Remember to please pass on this email if you agree our government needs a good house cleaning!
September 28, 2008 at 11:36 am
Demarn
Shewolf, I appreciate your comments, and I too really wish we had a national third party. They dont’ have to be huge, just big enough to garner between 10-20% of cogressional seats and have an occasional realistic chance at the White House. In this way, there is a check against the often obtuseness, incompetence, and corruption of both the Democrats and Republicans. The problem, as you are probably aware, is that every time a third party hits upon winning issues that people can galvanize around, these issues are co-opted by Democrats and Republicans. The only way we will ever have a truly sustainable national third party is if nationally elected 20-40 Democrats and 20-40 Republicans take their organizations, connections, and money and form a new party. Barring that, I will continue to vote for independents and third party candidates even knowing they will lose. Although, I have to say, this year I’m voting for Obama.
By the way, I think it was the New York Times online that reported currently there are 42 million registered Democrats, and 31 million registered Republicans as of September 2008.
September 28, 2008 at 2:23 pm
silbey
Look where they’ve gotten our country
Into the largest, most powerful country in the world?
I mean, not to look at things in a more than decade-long context or anything.
March 10, 2009 at 9:22 am
PhDinHistory » Historians Helping Obama
[…] have about a month left to register more Democrats. Democrats are already registering new voters at a faster pace than the Republicans. But we need to do a better job. Let me give you an example of what I mean. […]