Every two years major political elections occur in the United States. There are four-year terms for some elected offices like President and Governors, six year terms for Senators and two year terms for members of the House of Representatives. So, every two years we are bombarded with political ads from early in the year to the November election. Candidates present an “a chicken in every pot” message (literally, they are going to solve all of the problems citizens have expressed via polls) in their ads about themselves and PAC ads and candidates ads about their opponents depict candidates as unscrupulous, lying, corrupt, scheming corporate puppets (aptly named “attack ads”). Each candidate generates attack ads about their opponents. Interestingly, the attack ads are a more truthful depiction of politicians and their actions and preferences than the actual political candidates’ ads about themselves.
Lobbyists arrange for donations to candidates willing to promote their client’s agendas (essentially bribing them) to make them beholden to their clients (thus the corporate puppets). Lobbying is protected by the First Amendment through the right of free speech and the right to petition the government. I’m sure the founding fathers didn’t think that included giving politicians large sums of money, but, here we are…..
Since all politicians are essentially alike, voting for a person is pretty useless. You could have a monkey throw darts at the ballot and come out with the same result as if you actually chose the candidates to vote for yourself. Thus, The Owl’s invention of “Strategic Voting”.
Strategic voting should be practiced by Independent voters. According to a recent Gallop poll, 42% of Americans identify themselves as Independent, 29% as Democrats and 26% as Republicans. People who identify with a political party have “drunk the Kool-Aid (laced with LSD)”. They and their party are generally delusional and, at times, even psychotic. People who identify with political parties live is a world of perception and illusion, not facts or reality. They would never vote strategically because they are blinded by bias.
The US Founding Fathers set the government up to have checks and balances. An Independent voter should think differently than Party voters. Independents should vote in a way that optimizes the checks and balances built into the Constitution.
As a refresher, the US government has three branches, the Executive branch, the Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch. Each has some degree of power to change the acts of another branch. Like, a president can veto the passage of a bill voted through by Congress. Congress can override a veto. The Supreme Court can throw a law out even though the Legislature passed it and the president signed it. Most states emulate this system of government, having their own executive branch (governor), legislature and Supreme Courts.
Independent strategic voting should optimize this system both at the national and state level.
What is Strategic Voting? It is really simple.
Firstly, Independents should not vote for individuals, since all of the individuals are essentially the same. Voting for individuals negatively affects the Constitution’s checks and balances. Voting for persons creates a smattering of party candidates being elected without an iterative pattern. The worst situation is when one party controls the Executive branch and both houses of the Legislative branch, which then can impact the make-up of the Judicial branch (by approving judges of the same party as is “in power”). Delusional and psychotic results can occur, damaging the nation.
Secondly, Independents should base their voting on their ideology identification for the Executive branch. Let’s say a person identifies as a liberal. Then, using the example of a two-party system, they should vote for a Democrat. It doesn’t matter who the person running for that branch is. They are all equally corrupt, self-serving, back-stabbing and pathological liars anyway.
Next, the Independent voter should vote for every Senate candidate of the opposite Party. In this example of the liberally leaning voter, that voter should vote Republican for Senator.
Finally, for the House candidates, the Independent voter should vote exclusively Democratic.
Using Strategic Voting, 42% of the US voters will be attempting to balance the branches of the US government, vs the crap shoot of voting for individual politicians (who are liars, schemers and corporate puppets anyway). According to polls, 35% of US voters are conservative and 26% are liberal. The remainder decline to identify. Let’s assume Independent voters have the same make-up. Then remember, 29% of people say they are Democrats and 26% say they are Republican. Using Strategic Voting, it seems unlikely that one Party would control the Executive and Legislative branches at the same time. And Strategic Voting is a time saver. You don’t even have to look at the candidates’ names and you can ignore all of the ads and debates.
So, that’s Strategic Voting. Try it, you’ll like it.