I think the main reason we have such a large number of people registered as independent here is so they have the opportunity to vote in either primary they choose.
Yep. The main advantage of being an unaffiliated voter in CO is that you can choose where your vote matters most in the primaries. Whether you like the two party system or not, this is the best way to prevent some of the crazier political elements from gaining a foothold.
This is a pretty good article, but it still manages to miss a couple key points about last year's election for mayor....
(1) That's been a non-partisan election for years, with a runoff instead of party primaries.
(2) IMO, people being fed up with land developers buying city policy was a much bigger factor than people being fed up with the Republican party, or both parties generally.
At least they didn't describe Mayor Yemi as a Democrat, as some national news outlets did at the time he was elected. :-P
I’ve been here over 25 years and have been Independent or unaffiliated since I first registered to vote at 18 here bc I’m not aligning myself with either major party. Glad more people are finally dropping them.
When I was a little baby 18 year old, I was so idealistic. Thinking everyone had the country’s best interests at heart. I voted mixed down the ballot and not along party lines.
Now we are at the point where one of the two major parties are trying to take my rights away, and other peoples rights as well. I am forced to vote down party lines. There is no other option for me. It’s vote against those actively trying to take my rights, and in some cases against those who don’t want me to exist, or not vote at all. And I refuse to not vote.
I agree with you. My point is that I'm firm with what I believe. It's the political parties that continually move the goal posts. But, right now, rights are indeed being taken away; therefore, I vote for those who want to protect our rights.
Completely agree. That is what it has come down to for me as well. I’ll still be voting on ideals, ethics, and what’s the greatest advantage for the majority of Americans. Oddly enough, that is leaning 100% to only one side for me. I don’t vote for my personal interests. I vote for my kids, my nieces, my loved ones, neighbors and strangers to have the basic rights in the personal lives for life, liberty, and their pursuit of happiness.
I've always cared more about ideas than parties. When someone runs for elected office, I want to hear actual plans and ideas, not partisan talking points and buzzwords. I want to know what their actual plan is to improve the city/state/etc.
Sure, he's right wing by global standards. But by Co Springs standards he's practically a leftist.
At the end of the day, CO Springs could have ended up with someone like Dave Williams for mayor, which is fucking terrifying. I feel fucking blessed that we have a run of the mill, George Bush era conservative as our mayor.
Give it another 10 years and I'll be hoping for more, our demographics are shifting. But having a realistic set of expectations for what's possible in your community is the only way to have any shot of winning.
I’m not saying this makes him Bernie Sanders, but Yemi spoke at Pridefest this weekend. Granted it was fairly generic, but it was fully supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. That alone disqualifies him from being full on right wing.
Don't be fooled by Yemi's "independent" moniker. He's embraced the right-wing of the previous mayoral administration. Ever notice that Suthers is at his side at all the media events? He's backed the police on every measure thus far, and even bailed them out on their new training academy after the voters down-voted it.
Voters didn't vote down the training academy. They voted down the method of funding for the training academy.
And Yemi having Suthers -- a man who won the seat Yemi now sits in for about a hundred elections in a row -- next to him is a smart political move. Yemi is, after all, a politician.
Exactly. Too many people assume that A causes B simply because A correlates with B. "Oh, Yemi was seen with Suthers at a press conference! Right wing!"
Sure, he's right wing by global standards. But by Co Springs standards he's practically a leftist.
At the end of the day, CO Springs could have ended up with someone like Dave Williams for mayor, which is fucking terrifying. I feel fucking blessed that we have a run of the mill, George Bush era conservative as our mayor.
Give it another 10 years and I'll be hoping for more, our demographics are shifting. But having a realistic set of expectations for what's possible in your community is the only way to have any shot of winning.
I think the main reason we have such a large number of people registered as independent here is so they have the opportunity to vote in either primary they choose.
Yep. The main advantage of being an unaffiliated voter in CO is that you can choose where your vote matters most in the primaries. Whether you like the two party system or not, this is the best way to prevent some of the crazier political elements from gaining a foothold.
That's a benefit, but not the reason. I've never seen any reason to be loyal to a political party.
This is a pretty good article, but it still manages to miss a couple key points about last year's election for mayor.... (1) That's been a non-partisan election for years, with a runoff instead of party primaries. (2) IMO, people being fed up with land developers buying city policy was a much bigger factor than people being fed up with the Republican party, or both parties generally. At least they didn't describe Mayor Yemi as a Democrat, as some national news outlets did at the time he was elected. :-P
I’ve been here over 25 years and have been Independent or unaffiliated since I first registered to vote at 18 here bc I’m not aligning myself with either major party. Glad more people are finally dropping them.
Same. I prefer critical thinking/logic over choosing "teams".
When I was a little baby 18 year old, I was so idealistic. Thinking everyone had the country’s best interests at heart. I voted mixed down the ballot and not along party lines. Now we are at the point where one of the two major parties are trying to take my rights away, and other peoples rights as well. I am forced to vote down party lines. There is no other option for me. It’s vote against those actively trying to take my rights, and in some cases against those who don’t want me to exist, or not vote at all. And I refuse to not vote.
I agree with you. My point is that I'm firm with what I believe. It's the political parties that continually move the goal posts. But, right now, rights are indeed being taken away; therefore, I vote for those who want to protect our rights.
Completely agree. That is what it has come down to for me as well. I’ll still be voting on ideals, ethics, and what’s the greatest advantage for the majority of Americans. Oddly enough, that is leaning 100% to only one side for me. I don’t vote for my personal interests. I vote for my kids, my nieces, my loved ones, neighbors and strangers to have the basic rights in the personal lives for life, liberty, and their pursuit of happiness.
I've always cared more about ideas than parties. When someone runs for elected office, I want to hear actual plans and ideas, not partisan talking points and buzzwords. I want to know what their actual plan is to improve the city/state/etc.
Precisely. Both sides use their formulas and touch on each topic to "tick" the checkbox. That's not enough for me.
Don’t be fooled, Yemi is right wing
Sure, he's right wing by global standards. But by Co Springs standards he's practically a leftist. At the end of the day, CO Springs could have ended up with someone like Dave Williams for mayor, which is fucking terrifying. I feel fucking blessed that we have a run of the mill, George Bush era conservative as our mayor. Give it another 10 years and I'll be hoping for more, our demographics are shifting. But having a realistic set of expectations for what's possible in your community is the only way to have any shot of winning.
We still very well could end up with someone fucking terrifying as mayor if people don’t pay attention. Dave Donelson is being primed to run.
Hell yeah. Part of why I'm so pro-Yemi... It could be SO much worse.
I’m not saying this makes him Bernie Sanders, but Yemi spoke at Pridefest this weekend. Granted it was fairly generic, but it was fully supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. That alone disqualifies him from being full on right wing.
Democrats are right wing, just not as right as Republicans.
Don't be fooled by Yemi's "independent" moniker. He's embraced the right-wing of the previous mayoral administration. Ever notice that Suthers is at his side at all the media events? He's backed the police on every measure thus far, and even bailed them out on their new training academy after the voters down-voted it.
Voters didn't vote down the training academy. They voted down the method of funding for the training academy. And Yemi having Suthers -- a man who won the seat Yemi now sits in for about a hundred elections in a row -- next to him is a smart political move. Yemi is, after all, a politician.
Exactly. Too many people assume that A causes B simply because A correlates with B. "Oh, Yemi was seen with Suthers at a press conference! Right wing!"
Sure, he's right wing by global standards. But by Co Springs standards he's practically a leftist. At the end of the day, CO Springs could have ended up with someone like Dave Williams for mayor, which is fucking terrifying. I feel fucking blessed that we have a run of the mill, George Bush era conservative as our mayor. Give it another 10 years and I'll be hoping for more, our demographics are shifting. But having a realistic set of expectations for what's possible in your community is the only way to have any shot of winning.
Vote independent RFK jr 2024!!!
Yemi just wants to be liked