Party-Line Voting

[Theophylact]

Eugene Volokh states the case for it. Well-formulated.

[daveleau]

A party-liner would have ended up voting for (Democrats) Clinton, Trafficant and Byrd (2 embezzlers/ liars and a racist) or (Republicans) Duke, Lott and Thurmond (1 racist and two others with racist ties).

Isn't it best to think about your voting and know who is there and who the best option is? Isn't voting the party line as a rule nothing but allowing yourself to be a sheep, whether you are voting Rep or Dem or Ind? It isn't always bad, but elections where every member nominated from a party is a worthy candidate is extremely rare.

[Mr. Goodbytes]

The party-line option would be all fine and good, if you could separate national and local elections. Being in DC, I imagine that you get to vote for mayor, city council, other elected offices like coronor, and President. In all but one state, we also get to elect state reps and senators, and that's where things get murky. Democrat doesn't always mean Democrate and vice versa. In local elections, one might claim to be one side or the other just because there are fewer candidates on that particular side.

*edit*
On the national level it does make sense though. Look at New Jersey, who recently elected Frank Lautencadaver (Lautenberg) to the US Senate. He is an utterly useless Senator besides his democrat vote. He was in office before for more than one term at least, and co-authored maybe 1 or 2 pieces of legislature. Hence the name Cadaver.

[Knothead]

Well, Volkh certainly writes pursuasively, but his opinion seems to "hinge" on the belief that there is a significant difference in political philosophy between the Dems and Republicans.

I mean, there are differences, man-to-man, but the chief preoccupation of politicians as a group is greed and power-lust. I don't believe for a second that these guys have the interests of a nation of people at heart, they just say what we want to hear, and then go about getting elected and then...well, we see what we continue to see.

I especially dislike "Line Voting" for the simple reason that if you elect a whole block (i.e., Dems or Repubs) of these people, all you've done is enabled a whole chunk of similarly-minded criminals. They get to loot the nation's coffers much more efficiently.

It's much better, I think, to keep 'em all off-balance wherever possible. Slow the rascals down.

Repub President? Quick, get a Dem congress and keep 'em at each other's throats. Sometimes this puts them in a position where they get to 'showing off' and accidentally do something that is beneficial for We The People, instead of their corporate sponsors.

[daveleau]

Party line voting promotes partisan politics where very good legislation is often held up by both sides.

[pickel]

"I mean, there are differences, man-to-man, but the chief preoccupation of politicians as a group is greed and power-lust. I don't believe for a second that these guys have the interests of a nation of people at heart, they just say what we want to hear, and then go about getting elected and then...well, we see what we continue to see. "

Couldn't have said it better myself. We're screwed no matter who is elected. I just try to live and let live, take of my family and watch out for the bad guys.