I totally agree with Doug. I’m another what I describe as a swing voter who also haven’t belong to either major party, although I did belong to Ross Perot’s Reform Party while active as my name here suggests. I found the Reform Party refreshing as the national debt was its number one, main issue letting each individual member decide where they stood on all other issues.

I firmly believe that different political views should be discussed in a friendly, intelligent manner. It doesn’t bother me one bit if one has either a hard left or hard right view as long as the conversation doesn’t go off the rails or involve name calling or threats. I like it here. I usually keep track of the mood of all America, not just one political party’s mood or view, usually in the context of how that will affect the next election.

If one believes in diversity, then all political views should be welcomed. One doesn’t believe in diversity if only the political views of one individual, party, etc. are the only ones welcomed. I’m probably one of a few left who believes in that old motto, “I may disagree with what you say, but I’ll defend your right to say it.”

It's high past time that we start electing Americans to congress and the presidency who put America first instead of their political party. For way too long we have been electing Republicans and Democrats who happen to be Americans instead of Americans who happen to be Republicans and Democrats.