Natedogg, both you and Andy Fox have expressed frustration at the political parties, which is certainly normal. But I think most people would better serve their political views by being active in the two major parties. Even though I criticize various Republicans and don't agree with every Republican Platform issue, I think overall the Republicans better represent my political views. And there is a lot of mundane stuff that never makes the news, or is given much less coverage, that absolutely depends on which guy is in office. For instance, all kinds of policies are way different under Bush than they were under Clinton or would have been under Gore. Whether it's declaration of National Monuments or the idiotic HUD lawsuit against gun manufacturers, I like Bush better. He's not perfect by any means, but I would not vote for some third party candidate who can't win because of ideological purity. I was very happy to see Nader suck votes from Gore though.


I am somewhat active in Republican politics on the local level. So I see a lot of stuff to disagree with even in my own party on the local and state levels. But I think it is much better to be active within the "tent" of one of the parties. Whatever influence you can exert will have more impact. That does not mean you can "change the system" or "take over the party" or whatever, but you will have a bigger voice than those who are unaffiliated or who occasionally work or vote for a fringe candidate. I can at least tell my state legislator something about a policy and have her listen. Maybe not agree with me, but they will listen believe it or not. And I'm no bigshot or anything, and only give relatively small amounts to certain candidates. It sounds idealistic and all, but I think it's true, and it can even be entertaining to do some of this stuff. Yes, one County Commissioner from North Idaho accused me of being a subversive liberal at the convention, and some say I'm a nut case conservative, but it is kind of funny. And I skip the prayer breakfasts, but not the cocktail parties.