Abstaining from voting....

[Quest4Less]

Should this even be an option?

Shouldn't a politician vote his/her beliefs (or the party line) and let the chips fall where they may?

Either you agree with a motion / proposal / whatever - or you don't.....

 

[S.C. Joe]

You mean like the democrats running for president that did not vote for the attorney general this week ?

Yes they should have been forced to vote.


As for the rest of us, no...in fact I have a good mind not to vote in 2008, I don't want any of them to be president.

 

[markvee]

You mean like the democrats running for president that did not vote for the attorney general this week ?

Yes they should have been forced to vote.

For the record, all of the senators currently running for President failed to vote “yes” or “no” on the confirmation of Attorney General Mukasey:
Democrats:
Joe Biden
Hillary Clinton
Chris Dodd
Barrack Obama
Republicans:
John McCain

I think that abstaining should be allowed. Abstaining sends the message that one did not do their homework and considers themselves too stupid to vote. Another possibility is that one wants to fence sit to avoid having to take responsibility for a decision. In either case, I agree that abstention on this important issue is grounds to not vote for any of the above candidates.

As for the rest of us, no...in fact I have a good mind not to vote in 2008, I don't want any of them to be president.

You could still vote for (although, since none of these are currently senators, it is unclear how they would have voted):
Democrats:
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Bill Richardson
Republicans:
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
Mitt Romney
Ron Paul
Tom Tancredo
Fred Thompson

 

[papasmerf]

If I were elected I would vote the voice of the people unless it conflicted with the moral ground I ran on..............


What have you voted for??

 

[markvee]

If I were elected I would vote the voice of the people unless it conflicted with the moral ground I ran on..............


What have you voted for??

I would vote my own voice. I would make clear my positions on the issues during the election, so that the electorate could fairly judge whether my voice agrees with its voice.

 

[Quest4Less]

You mean like the democrats running for president that did not vote for the attorney general this week ?

Yes they should have been forced to vote.


As for the rest of us, no...in fact I have a good mind not to vote in 2008, I don't want any of them to be president.

Actually I was thinking more about the Liberals abstaining instead of voting down the government. They talk about what they believe in but then when it comes to a vote they completely whimp out. Either you agree or not - vote yes or no. Abstaining should not be an option.

 

[markvee]

Actually I was thinking more about the Liberals abstaining instead of voting down the government. They talk about what they believe in but then when it comes to a vote they completely whimp out. Either you agree or not - vote yes or no. Abstaining should not be an option.

The Conservatives call a motion a confidence motion knowing full well what's coming at the end.

The Liberals don't like the motion, but don't want to trigger an election with a nay because they will blamed for triggering an election that no one wants, and the motion isn't big enough for the Liberals to win an election and form a government on it.

At the end, the Liberals abstain, and the Conservatives call the Liberals indecisive.

The Canadian system of federal politics and the electorate's blind voting for political parties rather than independents allows this bullshit to happen.

 

[The Lurker]

No vote, no bitch! Plain and simple.

 

[lookingforitallthetime]

The Canadian system of federal politics and the electorate's blind voting for political parties rather than independents allows this bullshit to happen.

Agreed. If Liberals were not so blinded by partisanship, Harper would get his majority.

 

[danmand]

Agreed. If Liberals were not so blinded by partisanship, Harper would get his majority.

Yep, and if the people of Ontario were not so stupid, Tory would
have been elected.

 

[TQM]

abstaining might be because

you are politically manipulative; it might be because you don't know enough; it might be because you are undecided.

All those reasons are legitimate reasons to abstain. If the voters want to punish someone for abstaining, they have the right to do so. But to suggest people should be forced to vote is just stupid.

 

[train]

you are politically manipulative; it might be because you don't know enough; it might be because you are undecided.

All those reasons are legitimate reasons to abstain. If the voters want to punish someone for abstaining, they have the right to do so. But to suggest people should be forced to vote is just stupid.

Talking about stupid... you left out the most common Liberal reason for abstaining because you didn't have the spine to agree with the "enemy" and were too gutless to force an election.

 

[train]

Yep, and if the people of Ontario were not so stupid, Tory would
have been elected.

Yup, well maybe not Tory but the Conservatives.

 

[TQM]

train, little one,

If Harper wants an election, he can simply dissolve the government and call one. Now shoo, before I squash you.

 

[lookingforitallthetime]

If Harper wants an election, he can simply dissolve the government and call one.

Why would he? As long as the spineless Liberals continue abstaining from voting, who needs a majority government?

 

[train]

If Harper wants an election, he can simply dissolve the government and call one. Now shoo, before I squash you.

Pretty brave for a liberal

 

[TQM]

little one,

back to your crib.