The people in power in Washington want desperately to stay there. Many put their political affiliation ahead of the welfare of the country. Which is why the people of America should stop supporting parties and focus on individual candidates. If you look at the layers of party giving and the expenses of running a national party we are wasting big bucks by donating to organizations like the NRCC, NRSC, RNC and other local and special interest party groups. This does not include the Democrat groups many of which only change the first initial and function in the same manner as the Republican groups. Each one is a drain on the political capital available to candidates to run, and a threat to independent thought i Washington. Why would I say that we should stop giving to the political parties as a whole.
Let's look at the election of 2010. While the parties raised record funds there was a wave of Republican wins. The Republican party took credit for all the money they spent. But most of this was fueled by voters being upset with the way the current administration is spending and seizing control of the individual freedoms we are granted by citizenship. The Tea Party and 9/12 groups where part of this movement. They went to town hall meetings and challenged the politicians on votes and educated the public where they could on the run away government spending and controls that were being enacted. Many young first time Senators and Representatives were elected and sent to Washington to correct the errors made over the last two years. But the process of corrupting these men and women began even before we elected them. The "party" waved money under their nose and in some cases gave them big campaign boost with ads against the competition. The end result is a great big financial anvil over the head of each and every one of them for the next election. The "party" says vote our way or we won't endorse (read: give you money) the next election. In the case of the House of Representatives that window of opportunity is less than one year. Having to crank your machine every two years means you better toe the line of the "party" or risk empty coffers next time, and most assuredly a challenged primary from somebody who will do the parties bidding. This pressure causes even the folks with the best intent to fall in line with the party.
By shifting our giving to the individual and not the party organizations We the People will wield more power than those organizations that run rough shod over OUR representatives. We are the country not the Democrat and Republican parties. We should be setting the tone by electing people who are most like us. As Thomas Paine put it in Common Sense.
But as the colony increases, the public concerns will increase likewise, and the distance at which the members may be separated, will render it too inconvenient for all of them to meet on every occasion as at first, when their number was small, their habitations near, and the public concerns few and trifling. This will point out the convenience of their consenting to leave the legislative part to be managed by a select number chosen from the whole body, who are supposed to have the same concerns at stake which those have who appointed them, and who will act in the same manner as the whole body would act were they present. If the colony continue increasing, it will become necessary to augment the number of the representatives, and that the interest of every part of the colony may be attended to, it will be found best to divide the whole into convenient parts, each part sending its proper number; and that the elected might never form to themselves an interest separate from the electors, prudence will point out the propriety of having elections often; because as the elected might by that means return and mix again with the general body of the electors in a few months, their fidelity to the public will be secured by the prudent reflection of not making a rod for themselves. And as this frequent interchange will establish a common interest with every part of the community, they will mutually and naturally support each other, and on this (not on the unmeaning name of king) depends the strength of government, and the happiness of the governed.
Paine said it best. We need to elect people who are like us and would best represent us. By putting our faith in a political party we are ensuring we elect candidates that will reflect the parties beliefs not ours. You could argue we are the party but as Paine and the founders of this country stressed, the smaller the group of electors the better and more in tune with the common man. Remember all politics is local, and it should be.
I will use this analogy to demonstrate the mentality of a National Party. In the world of business there are 2 groups that are locked in battle. The companies and the unions. Both in some cases are international interests. If you live and work in Spokane, Washington does the President of your Company who lives in Connecticut really relate to you? Does the President of your International Union really relate to you? Both the union and the company have one motivation. To increase power and influence. The company wants more sales than the competition and the union need dues to grow and survive. The general interest of these two entities is not the individual but the group. This is the thought process of the political parties too. We need to be a group and do what the group needs done. But the reality is the larger the group the more disconnected from the common man. This is what angers both the left and the right. Neither feels represented. Mainly because we are not.
Let's get a real grass-roots program going to donate solely to people who reflect our values. Not someone promoted by a political party as a hero. We have seen that failure over and over. Go to events meet the candidates. Let them know we will be watching and voting. Then and only then will We the People get our country back from out of control political parties. Donate to the person not the party.
