what do you think about this?
Jun. 30th, 2004 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
keryxEarlier this year, I decided that the really important thing to care about electoralprocesswise was who got elected on a state level to serve the nation. So, Congress.
In Virginia, we tend to get lousy congressional candidates in most areas. So, I started looking for candidates I could support in other races - first, House folks outside my district, then would-be senators in other states.
My partner is uneasy that I send money to people who are running for election in other states. He thinks it's essentially mucking around with other states' self-determination. I don't think so. There are a lot of national organizations (and corporations) that contribute to local elections, even (not to mention the state representation). Is that disrupting the political process? Diluting it somehow? I don't think my own actions are in any way counter to the way political campaigns work today, but it's possible that the way political campaigns work - where outside interference is concerned - is bad.
The problem is - the one issue on which I tend to agree with conservatives is federalism. I think the idea of giving states a strong say in what they do or don't allow is cool [in concept; in actuality we exist in a more global environment]. If Georgia wants to cut corporate taxes and Massachusetts wants to let gay people get married, it seems like a way for liberals and conservatives to agree to disagree on certain issues. If people or organizations outside a given state interfere - even with just money - in state politics, even so far as state representation to the federal government, that erodes federalism. And I'm kinda conflicted about that.
I haven't stopped contributing to Senate and House campaigns, though I have ended up with a strong Southern/Mid-Atlantic regional bias. But I do wonder sometimes whether I'm contributing to a bad political process. Not just for this reason, either.
In Virginia, we tend to get lousy congressional candidates in most areas. So, I started looking for candidates I could support in other races - first, House folks outside my district, then would-be senators in other states.
My partner is uneasy that I send money to people who are running for election in other states. He thinks it's essentially mucking around with other states' self-determination. I don't think so. There are a lot of national organizations (and corporations) that contribute to local elections, even (not to mention the state representation). Is that disrupting the political process? Diluting it somehow? I don't think my own actions are in any way counter to the way political campaigns work today, but it's possible that the way political campaigns work - where outside interference is concerned - is bad.
The problem is - the one issue on which I tend to agree with conservatives is federalism. I think the idea of giving states a strong say in what they do or don't allow is cool [in concept; in actuality we exist in a more global environment]. If Georgia wants to cut corporate taxes and Massachusetts wants to let gay people get married, it seems like a way for liberals and conservatives to agree to disagree on certain issues. If people or organizations outside a given state interfere - even with just money - in state politics, even so far as state representation to the federal government, that erodes federalism. And I'm kinda conflicted about that.
I haven't stopped contributing to Senate and House campaigns, though I have ended up with a strong Southern/Mid-Atlantic regional bias. But I do wonder sometimes whether I'm contributing to a bad political process. Not just for this reason, either.