Tom Kawczynski - Off the Record

There are so many ironies in politics.  To explain them all would be the sum of human history, and the parts that aren't recorded to boot.

Today, I find myself thinking about the disconnect that is observed between what people say they want and how they behave.  I'm thinking of party affiliations and voting habits, and how people claim to want choices and to be open-minded, but how they reliably pull one lever or the other without really knowing the choice before them.

It has left me with a question that I continue to ponder.  I wonder who would support who.  More specifically, I wonder if members of a particular party are more or less likely to consider voting across party lines for a member of the other major party?  For an independent?  For a third party candidate?

I know there isn't one straight answer to this but here is what I suspect to be true.  I believe that Democrats are most likely to remain true to their party and vote straight Democratic, will almost never vote for a Republican, and rarely vote for Independents.  I believe Republicans are slightly more likely to vote a Democrat, more likely than that to stay home, and sometimes vote for Independents.  Lastly, I believe Independents are what they say they are, and vote differently each election.

I don't know if I'm correct, but I wonder.  I often think of ways to make elections about ideas rather than parties because where an idea originates means far less to me than the thought itself.  Having the right party is just like having a car to get you there.