Is nationalizing races bad?

[ProgressiveModerate]

I feel like even though nationalizing races can raise a lot of money, it can also cause partisanship to win out heavily *IN-2018, MO-2018, TN-2018*. In all 3 of these races, instead of it being about the actual canidates, it became about Trump, Schumer, McConnell, and national politics in general. In my view, this ends up doing no one any good because the race starts being less about the actual canidates, their view, and their qualifications, but more about who is a vote for Schumer and who is a vote for McConnell. In my view, nationalizing a race like MT-Sen, would help Daines for instance, since Bullock already seems to have a strong connection to many voters in the state, but once people start feeling like voting for Bullock is voting purely for Democrats winning the senate majority, many Republicans who were going to consider splitting ballot for him may change their mind. I would also argue if ME-Sen was never nationalized, Collins would be a heavy favorite to win re-election right now. Idk just a thought. What are your thoughts? What races should be nationalized in your view, and which should be kept on the down low?

[MT Treasurer]

...No?

e: But in all seriousness, why should parties be blamed for "nationalizing" federal elections which clearly have national implications? You treat concerns over whether said candidate will vote for Schumer or McConnell as Majority Leader as some triviality not worth paying much attention to, which is honestly perplexing. If anything, more voters should be reminded of the consequences their vote in a "local" Senate race will have on a national stage, especially when the candidate they’re sending to the Senate will almost certainly stay there for at least six years.

Do you want people to base their vote on actual issues or a politician's haircut or lobster-eating skills?

[Kuumo]

If a candidate is from the majority party in their state, they should nationalize the race, and if they are from the minority party, they should focus on state issues. US Politics 101!

[ChrisMcDanielWasRobbed]

It's bad. All politics should be local.

[ProgressiveModerate]

It's bad. All politics should be local.

I do actually agree with you on this to some level; we have lost that personal touch in politics. This is why we need to increase the size of the US House. We still do need some level of federal guidance or else the country would fall apart overnight.

[OSR stands with Israel]

...No?

e: But in all seriousness, why should parties be blamed for "nationalizing" federal elections which clearly have national implications? You treat concerns over whether said candidate will vote for Schumer or McConnell as Majority Leader as some triviality not worth paying much attention to, which is honestly perplexing. If anything, more voters should be reminded of the consequences their vote in a "local" Senate race will have on a national stage, especially when the candidate they’re sending to the Senate will almost certainly stay there for at least six years.

Do you want people to base their vote on actual issues or a politician's haircut or lobster-eating skills?

The system worked much bette when we had relatively liberal republicans from the north east represent their states in the senate despite most of the region being democratic since 1932 and the south being represented by conservative Democrats in the south and interior west which prevailed in some form of the other till 2010 despite the south being republican since 1980

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Its already been nationalized, since 2008 really, we are in an income inequality where Uilities and Big Oil were bailed out by TARP, and Congress and the Bush W due to the last Recession, where Banks and Airlines and Autos paid off their corporate employees than give the money back to consumers; consequently, we are in at the same point in time in 2020, in between a massive tax cut for the rich. At the same time females get paid less and Latinos and AA men are stuck in minimum skilled jobs while whites live a middle class life style.

Trump has done nothing to eliviate this problem and Obama didn't give a Federal Jobs Guarentee or Green Jobs weren't properly found, that's why we are in this Pandemic in 2020, now we have to face income inequality, and Biden is gonna win a mandate

[Lognog]

Back in the day you could have a pretty liberal that was against segregation dem, vote for him lets say a liberal senator from Michigan. unwittingly, that person would be putting segregationist southern senators on powerful committee chairs to make desegregation harder.

Honestly, I like nationalizing races bc you actually know who you are putting in power

[Pericles]

If a candidate is from the majority party in their state, they should nationalize the race, and if they are from the minority party, they should focus on state issues. US Politics 101!

Exactly.

Plus, I agree with IndyRep. The most important consideration for electing people to a federal office probably should be the national politics. And it is perhaps more democratic that way too, because people know what to expect from politicians and so there is a clear mandate from an election result.

[Battista Minola 1616]

Nationalizing industries > nationalizing races

[Galeel]

In reality every Democrat Senator is basically the same, as is every Republican Senator, so nationalizing makes perfect sense from a voters standpoint.

[ProgressiveModerate]

In reality every Democrat Senator is basically the same, as is every Republican Senator, so nationalizing makes perfect sense from a voters standpoint.

At least in the Democratic Caucus, there is definately diversity of opinion. Remember; Sinema and Manchin are in the same party and Bernie and Markey.

[MT Treasurer]

In reality every Democrat Senator is basically the same, as is every Republican Senator, so nationalizing makes perfect sense from a voters standpoint.

At least in the Democratic Caucus, there is definately diversity of opinion. Remember; Sinema and Manchin are in the same party and Bernie and Markey.

1. Manchin and Sinema would never cast the deciding vote against their own party on any major legislation or confirmation.
2. There’s definately no diversity in how you’re supposed to spell "definitely."

[Red Wall]

All politics is national.

[MarkD]

As one of the older Atlas users here, I can remember a time when it was axiomatic that all politics was local. That was a time when all three top leaders of the Democratic caucus in the House -- Speaker Tom Foley, House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, and House Majority Whip Davd Bonior -- were all elected from districts that voted for George H.W. Bush in 1988. It was a time when there were still a handful of liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats serving in both chambers of Congress. As both parties have purged themselves of the outliers -- as both parties have become much more ideologically pure -- it has also become apparent to most American voters that they need to "take sides" too. That is largely why "personal politics" and "local politics" have become much less effective.

You're asking the question as if we have some kind of choice. What has happened has already happened and I don't see how the process can be reversed to be like the old days.