The No Party

I have been mulling over party names for those who don’t want to get locked into “factions”.  Factions give strong incentives to think and vote as a bloc.  I thought I had a name for a faction free party but I didn’t write it down.

I looked up “No Party” and found “The No Party Political Movement”.  I think it is an offshoot of the British movement to vote no for staying in the EU.  But it has a long list of things it wants to change.  If it was truly a non-faction movement, it would put up questions rather than demands.

“Independent” is an appealing name, but it has been co-opted by political descendants of George Wallace.  The “American Independence Party” claims it is the fast growing party in the U.S.  This is because of the way California voter registration forms are designed.  See “Are you an independent voter? You aren’t if you checked this box”.

Quote of the day.- Compromise

"Compromise, if you must, on the policy--but never on the truth."
Paul Krugman, End This Depression Now!

Why you should always vote

"In the 2010 electorate, the proportion of voters under 30 fell by roughly a third, while the proportion of voters over 65 years old rose by a similar amount—the white share, too." - "Why 2012 is the Republicans' Last Chance", Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine, 2012-02-26.

In other words, if you don't show up because your "side" has not lived up to your expectations, you will give the election to the other "side" who wants to defeat your "side".

Polarization: Another reason to vote

"The people who see the world split into two opposing factions are also most likely to vote …", "Americans Political Views Not So Far Apart", Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience via Yahoo, 2012-01-29.

So, if you are not in one of these opposing factions, be sure to vote. Don't let a minority of eligible voters decide an election. It could be the minority faction that you don't like.

A pragmatic conservative

I call Ross Douthat a "yes but conservative".  He has a considered approach to politics rather than following an ideological checklist.  His analysis of Rand Paul's follow-through on Paul's Kentucky Republican primary upset is a great example of Douthat's thinking.  His column, "The Principles of Rand Paul", New York Times, 2010-05-24, has many wonderful, quotable statements.  I'll give you this teaser: "In an age of lockstep partisanship, there’s a lot to admire about this unusual constellation of ideas, and its sweeping critique of American politics as usual."