I'm a political junkie. I watch all the talking heads shows on Friday night and Sunday morning. I almost always take the day after the presidential election off because I am usually up late that night. After ending a long relationship and moving into the big city I find myself with very few friends so in order to outreach I went to the Log Cabin Republican meeting and the Stonewall Democrats meeting.
They were both interesting. The Dems have many more people, the Republicans were mostly in suit and their dues are almost twice as much as the Dems. The Reps absolutely hate Obama and seem willing to back Hitler if he can promise to beat him. They had a speaker, a local conservative talk show host who started out by dismissing Ron Paul as unelectable and then went on to dissect the other 3. He dissed Romney as not being a trustworthy conservative and went on to say while Newt is a reliable conservative he doesn't have baggage he has steamer trunks. He then praised Santorum and a true reliable conservative and obviously hopes he wins the nomination. Then on to the Q&A and I am waiting for somebody to ask if Santorum comparing gay sex to dogs fucking isn't just a little insulting to this group of gay women and men. Nope, nobody asked. I went over afterward and talked to the one Ron Paul guy there and he was quite vocal about how Santorum is an unlikely and unwanted choice. To me Ron Paul is at least the old kind of Republican that things the government has no business in your bedroom or medicine cabinent. And while the speaker dismissed his foreign policy I kinda think personally that it is more than past time for removing our troops from Germany and hey why not Spain, Kuwait while were at it and hey what exactly is the strategic value of Afghanistan?
Meanwhile at the Stone Wall Democrats they are still in awe of Barrack. Nobody questions why none of the bankers he seems to rail against all the time have gone to jail yet. Nor why he appointed other bankers to run the government agencies that oversees banks. They laud him for getting rid of DADT but say nothing about the DOMA. The Republicans are evil just like the Democrats are stoopid to the LCR. The divide may start in Washington but demonizing those who disagree with you is alive and well in Texas.
The LCR were friendlier. Several people deliberately talked to me. Both groups asked newbies to raise their hand but not a single SWD came up to me afterward and welcomed me to the group. I guess I will have to start the Walden Indpendents to promote the sort of political questioning that I think is what is sadly lacking in our democracy today. Both groups seem to give their own politicians a free past while demonizing the other sides. I guess I learned I need to go to the garden club next.
Where are all the cynics
As to why independents don't run someone for office, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to do jus that in the history of our country. They aren't usually successful. And Independents are by definition non-followers and independent for a multitude of reasons which don't necessary coalesce. Feeling one or the other party isn't fiscally conservative enough or not socially progressive enough does not make a movement. However if the Tea Party and the Occupy Wallstreet folks ever figure out that they do indeed share some common goals, all bets are off.