I want to understand something about single issue voters. I've noticed a rise of single issue types of people here on ATS. These people can vary ranging on issues from national security, to net neutrality, and to gun control. I don't understand why anyone would need an assault weapon for their own protection. I don't understand why people would vote for John McCain just because of his stance of fighting tough if they don't understand Obama's stance. I don't understand why people would vote for Republican just because of Sarah Palin's pro-life stance on abortion.

I don't get these single-issue voters. I think if you vote for a party you should agree with their ideologies. I agree with the Democratic party's ideologies because I think it's what our country needs and I think the Republicans have been undermining Democrats, and, I can say the same vice-versa. I don't get single issue voters because I think they should be open minded. I think if they were more informed they would have a better opinion.

Can someone explain these single-issue voters? Why would you support Palin because she's a member of the NRA? Explain please... why would you vote for Barack Obama just because of his stance on net neutrality? If you're going to vote for a party you should vote for them because you support their whole platform... not just their stance on one issue because you may disagree with them on many other things...

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
I don't get these single-issue voters. I think if you vote for a party you should agree with their ideologies.

I don't think I can explain someone else's views, but I do know what it's like to be a one-issue voter. At the start of this election, I was one, although I have changed my position on that.

You said you think if a person votes for a party they should agree with their ideologies. Well, many people don't vote for a party. I don't. I don't belong to a party and my ideals range from conservative to liberal, so I do not agree with any ideology 100% or even 70%. So, I'm pretty much left with voting for the issue(s) that are priorities to me.

I think that's how people become one-issue voters. If reproductive choice is THE most important thing to me, if it is my number one priority, then I'm going to vote for the Democrat, not because I want people to give up their guns, but because I want choice. I might be a firearms enthusiast, but reproductive choice is my priority, so that issue decides who I vote for.

Why would you support Palin because she's a member of the NRA?

If gun ownership was the most important thing to me (my biggest priority), and I felt it was threatened, I might feel my vote would be best spent to save my rights. It all depends on what's important to the voter.

If you're going to vote for a party you should vote for them because you support their whole platform... not just their stance on one issue because you may disagree with them on many other things...

I don't know of anyone who supports a candidate's platform 100%. If those people exist, they are very few. Do you support Obama 100%? His votes on the Patriot act? His willingness to drill offshore? His sending troops to Afghanistan? There must be something you disagree with him on.

I don't get single issue voters because I think they should be open minded. I think if they were more informed they would have a better opinion.

It has nothing to do with being open-minded. It has to do with priorities.

Hope that helps.

If gun ownership was the most important thing to me (my biggest priority), and I felt it was threatened, I might feel my vote would be best spent to save my rights. It all depends on what's important to the voter.

I still don't see why people feel like they just have to have assault weapons. I mean I would think a standard weapon would be good enough unless you're a criminal or you want to train in the army.

I don't know of anyone who supports a candidate's platform 100%. If those people exist, they are very few. Do you support Obama 100%? His votes on the Patriot act? His willingness to drill offshore? His sending troops to Afghanistan? There must be something you disagree with him on.

Actually, I do support him 100%! I haven't found a thing he said about policy that I don't agree with. Go figure. Maybe I'm odd fr that.

I don't get single issue voters because I think they should be open minded. I think if they were more informed they would have a better opinion.

It has nothing to do with being open-minded. It has to do with priorities.

Hope that helps.
Are you sure? It seems to me some people just want to play dumb.

In addition to BH's reasons, I think one factor might be that single-issue voting is simpler.

A voter might be a strong proponent of firearm ownership, reproductive choice, a strong defense, military NON-interventionism, limited government and equal opportunity under law for gay people who want to get married.

So they have to balance all these out. Some, such as military non-interventionism, are not supported by either "main stream" candidate, but by Ron Paul only.

And so on. On some issues, the Republican platform more closely agrees with a voter, and on others the Democratic platform.

So they have to weigh each one, decide how important it is to them, then cast their vote based on the final outcome. And knowing full well that they won't get everything they want (even assuming all candidates are being honest, and get what they want).

I suspect that some, in a culture notorius for short attention-spans, find this balancing and weighing to be too much trouble. So maybe some pick one thing:

Pro-Life
Pro-Choice
Pro-Gun
Anti-Drilling
Anti-Tax

or whatever, and vote on that.

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
I still don't see why people feel like they just have to have assault weapons.

Well, I don't see why people want jump out of an airplane or want to be involved in religion or want to become stock brokers, but turns out, some do. And they have the right to. I don't have to approve of everyone's desires.

It seems to me some people just want to play dumb.

You're certainly free to think that one-issue voters are playing dumb, but I disagree.

Well, I don't see why people want jump out of an airplane or want to be involved in religion or want to become stock brokers, but turns out, some do. And they have the right to. I don't have to approve of everyone's desires.

Your analogy is wrong here. These are things in life that people desire. Like religion, people like myself, like religion because it gives us something to believe in. People would want to jump out of an airplane to get to death quicker. People want to become stock brokers so they can make more money. I think you know why people do these things.

This doesn't have anything to do with what we're talking about IMHO.

You're certainly free to think that one-issue voters are playing dumb, but I disagree.

I think they are. They are really jeopardizing how much of a say they get in Democracy by only focusing on a single issue rather than looking at the big picture.

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
These are things in life that people desire.

Yeah. Like firearms. Some people have a desire to own them.

Why does someone want a boat?
Why does someone collect stamps?
Why does someone want to have pet snakes?

I think you know why people do these things.

Yes. Because they like to. Because they want to. You couldn't get me to jump out of a plane (I meant with a parachute, btw), but that doesn't mean that I don't think anyone should want to, or should justify their reasons for wanting to.

This doesn't have anything to do with what we're talking about IMHO.

What are we talking about? Single-issue voters or people wanting to own a certain kind of gun? I'm thinking you didn't so much want to talk about the idea of single issue voters, but whether people who want to have an "assault rifle" are justified in their desire.

They are really jeopardizing how much of a say they get in Democracy by only focusing on a single issue rather than looking at the big picture.

Well, since they only get one vote, I think it's theirs to "spend" any way they like. If they want to vote on one issue or for the guy who they think is good-looking or against the one they don't like, it's THEIR vote and they have every right to spend it any way they like. And for whatever reason they like.

That's how I see it, anyway. If anyone would tell me that I'm not justified voting for who I want to vote for, for whatever reason, I'd tell them to take a hike. I have, in fact. What I don't understand is why someone would feel they have a right to dictate the reasoning behind my vote. I just don't get that.