Scott Tibbs
blog post
August 31^st, 2004

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Realities of American politics

When a subject comes up where I disagree with the position of Republican Party, I am often asked if voting Republican indeed signals agreement with that policy. It does not.

A reality of the American political system is that you vote for the candidate or political party that most closely matches your views. I vote for Republicans mostly, but I will also cast a vote for Libertarians and even the occasional Democrat. Do I agree with everything President Bush has done? Certainly not; I have made that very clear in my writings.

However, the President's views line up with my views more closely than those of John F. Kerry. The President holds views that are in line with my views on what I consider to be fundamental issues, John Kerry does not. Furthermore, on some matters where I disagree with the President (such as "campaign finance reform") I also disagree with Senator Kerry.

So, what can you do if you disagree with some views held by the candidate you vote for? That's where lobbying comes in, as well as using your First Amendment rights to express disagreement with that candidate. For example, I disagree with many of my fellow Republicans on sodomy laws.

The only way you can find a candidate you agree with 100% of the time is if you are running for office yourself. Most people will never do that, so they have to make an analysis on who represents their views most closely.