Spoilers?

posted by Quicksilver on April 12, 2024 - 4:06pm

Current Score: 0

On today's live chat, an interesting question was raised. Won't Unity08 siphon votes from existing parties? I am for the concept, but here's the point: Michael Turk was on the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign staff. Doesn't seem bipartisan to me....
Let's face it, there are those who will vote along party lines, no matter what - witness the 1/3 of the people that still support Bush. What if Unity 08 pulls away 1/3 of the votes, dems 1/3 and reps 1/3 - we have a close race, whereas with the existing climate, no republican can pray enough to win.
THe question was: is Michael Turk's motive in being on Unity08 only to advance republican domination?

Sounds plausible.....

pass it on

Comments Date

Bipartisan is BOTH, not NIETHER

Bill713 on April 16, 2024 - 8:15pm

I have always seen the Democrats and the Republics as embracing different principle methods to achieve the same goals (prior to the slimy culture they have drifted into since 1994). Most of them use to see it that way themselves.

I love Democrats pushing for concepts of social justice and I love Republicans pushing for personal and financial responsibility. I love it most of all when they find the way to weave a resolution of a given issue. But the weave has no strength if even one of them is missing.

Bill"for what we are together"

Yes, but...

Quicksilver on April 17, 2024 - 6:33am

If someone is a do-or-die party member, who would never vote for a member of the other party, what does Unity08 mean to them? They'd be at the DNC or RNC.

US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69

It happens

Bill713 on April 17, 2024 - 6:43am

Do-or-die males and do-or die females still make babies and most folks like that process.

Bill"for what we are together"

Bad analogy

Quicksilver on April 17, 2024 - 7:37am

Amusing, but a false analogy. A zealous member of a party will only interact with others in that party. To correct your analogy, it'd be lesbians and gays - they don't produce babies....
True, the parties like to screw one another, but that's figurative....

US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69

If Unity08 sticks to its

KrisW on April 16, 2024 - 4:36pm

If Unity08 sticks to its principles and puts forth a bipartisan ticket it will draw from BOTH parties.....and win.

http://journals.aol.com/kweinschen/Veritas/

I could care less about his motivation...

62monzaman on April 16, 2024 - 2:41pm

If Michael Turk wants to be part of Unity08, then God bless him.

Everybody has a political philosophy - his is quite a bit different from mine, but so what?

Quicksilver, you have an agenda yourself. What is your motivation for joining Unity08? I certainly have my reasons for joining, and I will fight for the issues that I care about.

As I understand the charter, there is no need to abandon your current political party if you join Unity08.

I hope that is still the case.

Nobody knows what Unity08 stands for as of today - perhaps the meeting that is taking place today in Washington will change that. I want a mission statement/platform articulating Unity08's specific positions on the issues, and I want this soon - or in my opinion, Unity08 will fail. There is a reason the delegate count is lagging; nobody wants to commit to an organization that has such vague goals.

Unity08 is structured as a centrist organization - so Democrats and Republicans are both welcome - if there is a commitment to bipartisan dialogue, and a moderate political agenda. My motivation is to make Unity08 a viable voice for the middle.

If Mr. Turk advocates the Bush agenda as a way forward for this movement, I will strongly disagree with him - and I will lead the fight against these (in my view, wrong) positions. But he has the right to state his opinion on any issue - just like anyone else.

Jeff C leikec@yahoo.com

Key requirement

Quicksilver on April 16, 2024 - 7:49pm

Jeff, I agree with you - to a point - if someone isn't willing to vote across party lines, than why join Unity08? If they're her only to advance a single party, then why?
I thought it was all about the divisiveness caused by partisan politics that we're against - or is it just me?

BTW - I heard independents now outnumber either republicans or democrats!
We've got to get that to where it's more than democrats and republicans combined!

US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69

Skepticism

Turk on April 12, 2024 - 9:58pm

For what it's worth, I'm not the only member of the Bush-Cheney senior staff to have to come to terms with my role in re-electing the President. Matt Dowd, for whom I have the utmost respect, was a member of the President's inner circle whereas I was pretty much a hired gun. Matt, like me, has had a recent conversion. For details, see the New York Times.

The downside of life is you eventually have to reconcile the things you've done with who you are as a person.

As for me, I've spelled out my reasons for parting with the administration on another post (where you also questioned my motives.) If the comment has not been posted yet, it should be shortly.

Not to nag, but...

Quicksilver on April 16, 2024 - 1:22pm

I did ask one other question in that other post -
Are you willing to vote for a bipartisan ticket (in principle, I understand it would depend on the candidates) with a democrat president and republican vice-president?
I believe that's crucial to what Unity08 is about.
If Unity08 isn't about bipartisanship, then somebody correct me.

US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69

Unity08. A people's movement to take our country back.

Spoilers?