The Voting Process in Prince George's County and the Black Community (Silver Spring: health, best)

[justtitans]

I just happened to go over to the Gazette a few moments ago and I read one of the Opinion articles that was talking about a particular candidate (not) doing their job. Here is a snippet of what I read:

We turned out in droves, willing and ready to believe the hype. And then we eagerly waited with anticipation to cast our votes.

Many of us proudly left those voting booths feeling like we had voted for our superhero. As I recalled, everywhere I looked, there were posters of a young woman, dressed in a suit with neatly done hair and flawless makeup, and inscribed on the poster were the words “Vote For Karen Toles.” Surely, I thought to myself, she looks professional and competent, and since I cannot run for a County Council seat at this point, why not vote for her?

I'm sorry but I keep hearing this far too often in this county. People are getting voted for because they look good, or that they say all the right things, or that they look like them. I believe this mentality is killing this county in so many ways. We have people like this woman who are blindly voting for candidates without any consideration of their track record, their stances on important political issues, or at least an idea of what plans they have to fix the issues within our community.

To look at these candidates as our 'superheroes' is unhealthy and unrealistic. There is no way possible for these candidates to please every citizen but at the same time we should at least expect the ones that we voted for to have some type of game plan. Am I the only one that sees this as THE major problem here?

[cool rob]

Come on bro- Politics has always been about selling the best package- American's as a whole are basically sheep, look at how the church is able to become a multi-billion dollar industry, selling dreams, while being blindly followed by the masses-

This is not a Prince George's County thing but an American thing, now the question you may want to ask is:

How do you get an equal balance of more than one party in the county, I am Independent, so I can't even vote in the primary or general, as the only canidate will be democrat-

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by cool rob

Come on bro- Politics has always been about selling the best package- American's as a whole are basically sheep, look at how the church is able to become a multi-billion dollar industry, selling dreams, while being blindly followed by the masses-

This is not a Prince George's County thing but an American thing, now the question you may want to ask is:

How do you get an equal balance of more than one party in the county, I am Independent, so I can't even vote in the primary or general, as the only canidate will be democrat-

I do agree that America can suffer from the same issue, but unlike America, as you pointed out, we don't have many options. At least across the country, people who vote blindly have more options to choose, but here, it's the same people, same government, same results.

I am also an independent and I agree that voting in the primaries is an issue. There should be a rule that if there is no other parties represented in a race, then all party affiliations should be able to vote especially considering that the primary elections general decides positions in this county.

[westsideboy]

You aren't going to see an open primary system in Maryland any time soon. It would threaten the power of the Democratic Party, so sadly if you want to vote in the election that "matters" in a one-party county you will have to register as a Democrat.

[EdwardA]

I went to a coffee talk with Rep. Donna Edwards a few months ago at Largo and frankly I was startled at the turnout. I'd say about 30 people showed which is more than I expected. Although she mentioned her next stop was in Silver Spring and that the crowd would be larger.

Anyway the folks, all Black, seemed engaged and up to date on current events. So there are people who look a little deeper into their candidates even in PG.

[btsilver]

I hate Donna Edwards for personal reasons.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by btsilver

I hate Donna Edwards for personal reasons.

Hate is such a strong word. Please, if you can, tell us what your problem is with her.

[btsilver]

Well i dont really hate her but she rubbed me the wrong way in a interaction I had with her when she was campaigning a few years back.

[InvaderBryce]

You know, I've noticed that we never like to hold our politicians accountable whenever they do wrong. I'm not saying we all do it, but it seems like the black community just seems to sweep these things under the rug. I don't know if it's because we want to protect our "own" or if it's because we don't want to challenge the status quo but it really needs to change.

Sorry if thread necromancy is forbidden.

[lasershen111]

So.... How come we can't do away with "political parties"? How'd they come about anyway.... That way, if no one running was associated with a particular party, people would either a) be forced to actually listen to each candidates ideology and plans, b) base a decision off of completely the "sell package" whether it be true or not, or c) just make a guess......

I think it would create some more people researching and understanding candidates ideas and goals better..... But let's hear all the reasons why that's not possible since I know I'm going to get them.... Haha