# Busting that chestnut: "Candidate X votes along party lines" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 29, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734 "2010-10-29T03:01:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/1 "2010-10-29T03:01:50Z")
It never fails. In any political discussion, some jerkwad will criticize that Candidate X always votes along party lines, like it’s something _bad_. Who in Washington doesn’t? Who has really distinguished themselves for being non-conformists and kept office longer than one term? Those who want to keep their political careers and have a snowball’s chance of their bills passing are sure as hell going to vote with their party. Think about it: What if Candidate X votes opposite his party all the time? Would that be commendable? His own party sure as hell wouldn’t think so. They’d think he was a traitor and blackball his ass come election time. So how often should a candidate make contrary votes to satisfy you kibitzers? 10%? 30%? 50%? “Oh goodness, I better vote against this bill so I won’t be labeled Nancy Pelosi/John Boehner’s stooge! I hope I have a good enough ratio to satisfy all those nasty armchair pundits who have miniscule political clout!” ---
**Author:** ![John\_D\_Adamo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@John\_D\_Adamo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_D_Adamo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/2 "2010-10-29T03:24:18Z")
Ron Paul? ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/3 "2010-10-29T05:16:45Z")
> [@John\_D\_Adamo](#): > > Ron Paul? While Ron Paul votes with his party 75% of the time, it’s not as if he ever takes the Democratic side of things. He simply votes for or against resolutions that the Republicans and Democrats both agree on to make up that other 25%. ---
**Author:** ![Baboonanza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f475e1/32.png) [@Baboonanza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baboonanza)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/4 "2010-10-29T09:16:37Z")
They may all do it, but that doesn’t make it right. Your Representative in Congress should be looking out for his own constituency, first and foremost. He should be Representin’ in da Congress. If someone has a near 100% record of voting wth their party then you can guarantee that at least some of the time he has been voting for his party over his constituents. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/5 "2010-10-29T09:57:07Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Those who want to keep their political careers and have a snowball’s chance of their bills passing are sure as hell going to vote with their party. Maybe if more representatives had their own thoughts and made their own decisions, strict party line voting wouldn’t be required to maintain a career in politics. As it is the closest thing we get to original thinking is exchanging votes for some pork being given to your district. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/6 "2010-10-29T11:23:46Z")
> [@Baboonanza](#): > > They may all do it, but that doesn’t make it right. Your Representative in Congress should be looking out for his own constituency, first and foremost. He should be Representin’ in da Congress. > > If someone has a near 100% record of voting wth their party then you can guarantee that at least some of the time he has been voting for his party over his constituents. You know that political parties exist as a way to give people a shorthand description of legislative philosophy, right? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/7 "2010-10-29T13:03:05Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > While Ron Paul votes with his party 75% of the time, it’s not as if he ever takes the Democratic side of things. He simply votes for or against resolutions that the Republicans and Democrats both agree on to make up that other 25%. Well, there was the little matter of that Iraq War thingy. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/8 "2010-10-29T14:05:16Z")
Arlen Specter as a Republican? ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/9 "2010-10-29T14:54:46Z")
> [@Baboonanza](#): > > They may all do it, but that doesn’t make it right. Your Representative in Congress should be looking out for his own constituency, first and foremost. He should be Representin’ in da Congress. > > If someone has a near 100% record of voting wth their party then you can guarantee that at least some of the time he has been voting for his party over his constituents. That there’s conspiracy talk, mister! How is that a guarantee? It’s a more certain guarantee that he voted the way his constituents wanted each time. Maybe not the way YOU wanted, but your candidate lost, so spit out the sour grapes already. How is voting along party lines contrary to the constituents’ wishes? They knew which party the candidate belonged to when he ran for office. Unpopular bills have a low likelihood of passing, and if a bill’s too much of a hot issue, no sane officeholder is going to support it. Besides, any potentially turbulent bill is going to get revised, watered down, amended, claused, ridered and footnoted until it attracts as much legislative backing as possible. If it’s a party line vote, that’s probably why it passed. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busting-that-chestnut-candidate-x-votes-along-party-lines/558734/10 "2010-10-29T15:27:50Z")
I pay attention to how they vote on the close votes. “When it counts” so to speak. Supporting a doomed measure allows them to claim independence without any cost. Heather Wilson voting in support of stem cell research AFTER GWB had vowed to veto the bill got no credit from me.