Platforms: From the Voters
Perspective
Politicians
can now bypass the very powerful mainstream media and
its very influential advertisers. They can distribute
political platforms directly to their target audience using modern
communication methods such as the Internet.
One elected politician cannot pass a law. One elected politician cannot even get a bill out of a committee! Why should a voter have any enthusiasm for candidates that cannot find another single candidate that agrees with them - on a single specific issue?
From the voters perspective, Democrat & Republican are nothing but ballot labels chosen by individual candidates. They can be based on nothing more than some image that they wish to project in a specific election district.
The Republican "Contract with America," was the first modern national party platform. It was signed by all but two of the Republican members of the House, and all of the Party's non-incumbent Republican Congressional candidates. The Contract detailed the actions that Newt Gingrich's Republicans, in the U.S. House, promised to take if they became the majority party in the United States House of Representatives. As it turned out the Republicans gained a majority of seats in both Houses. For whatever reason the Republicans also gained nine Senate seats and control of that body.
The Democrats 2006 "100 Hours Plan" was only based on specific pledges by House speaker Nancy Pelosi, but it was very successful. This time it was the Democrats that gained a majority of the seats in both Houses. Only 87 business hours after the swearing-in, the House of Representatives had passed all of the plan's measures except one.
Voters tend to be interested in political platforms. Voters do not like to waste their votes!
One elected politician cannot pass a law. One elected politician cannot even get a bill out of a committee! Why should a voter have any enthusiasm for candidates that cannot find another single candidate that agrees with them - on a single specific issue?
From the voters perspective, Democrat & Republican are nothing but ballot labels chosen by individual candidates. They can be based on nothing more than some image that they wish to project in a specific election district.
The Republican "Contract with America," was the first modern national party platform. It was signed by all but two of the Republican members of the House, and all of the Party's non-incumbent Republican Congressional candidates. The Contract detailed the actions that Newt Gingrich's Republicans, in the U.S. House, promised to take if they became the majority party in the United States House of Representatives. As it turned out the Republicans gained a majority of seats in both Houses. For whatever reason the Republicans also gained nine Senate seats and control of that body.
The Democrats 2006 "100 Hours Plan" was only based on specific pledges by House speaker Nancy Pelosi, but it was very successful. This time it was the Democrats that gained a majority of the seats in both Houses. Only 87 business hours after the swearing-in, the House of Representatives had passed all of the plan's measures except one.
Voters tend to be interested in political platforms. Voters do not like to waste their votes!
Do Platforms work?
Examples:
Republican Contract with America
1994 midterm elections
Result Republicans gained a majority of seats in both Houses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_with_America
The Democrat's 100 hours plan
2006 midterm elections
Result Democrats gained a majority of seats in both Houses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Hour_Plan
Republican Pledge to America
2010 midterm elections
Result Republicans gained a majority of seats in House
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_to_America
Full permission for non-profit distribution
One elected politician
cannot pass a law.
Politicians
can organize
themselves, or be organized by
money, or be organized along party lines by the party leadership.