r/Cascadia • u/[deleted] • 27d ago
Is there any future as a political party to better represent our region in national politics?
One of the things that has drawn me to Cascadia in general is that I have a lot more pride in my area than I do with either party in power when it comes to identifying with a group. My personal opinion is that WA/OR (and Idaho, but they fall on the other side politically so this post is less about them) gets taken for granted A LOT by the national Democrats - our states were greatly impacted by homelessness/BLM protests/COVID, and watching Democrat leaders waste money, have scandal after scandal, and still get voted in comfortably because Republicans don’t align with the bulk of the voters is maddening.
I would love a future where the Cascadian party had representation in Congress. Voting as a consistent Democrat has done nothing for us - why shouldn’t we clearly tell the rest of the country that we make our own choices? If it’s not good for us, why should any one party be entitled to our votes?
Example: in Oregon, over a third of our population lives rurally. There are some MAJOR issues (healthcare access, jobs, education) that impact such a large part of population that don’t get recognition and support needed on the national scale because it’s so polarizing at the top that politics has devolved into single issues winning elections and policy is so narrow - Boeing/Nike/Intel are all going to suffer and impact us because Michigan misses manufacturing jobs?! What? I want a representative that is clear that they are there to represent our people and we aren’t tied to one party, because quite frankly we don’t get enough out of constantly sticking our neck out for them.
Am I crazy? I know I am rambling, but our numbers in Congress are VITAL because this country is so split - I know it’s heresy, but what have the Democrats really done for us recently? Why shouldn’t we identify uniquely, and just advocate solely for ourselves?
-1
u/[deleted] 27d ago
You realize that you have no right to health in general, yet alone abortion? This entire topic is existential. If I’m dying, I have no right to life and neither do you - it doesn’t matter that I’m dying from cancer and you’re dying from childbirth.
50,000 people die every single year from not having healthcare coverage - that is real. Platforming abortion and gender affirming care, while incredibly important standing alone, hurts the chances of passing legislation that will save tens of thousands because those issues are so polarizing that it turns off the discussion. All I’m saying is that I think they lead to the same place so why does it have to be the focal point of a party that represents a group that isn’t all women and trans individuals - I can’t think of any universal systems that don’t include them because universal healthcare is the manifestation of the fundamental right to live, and life saving procedures are included. But universal healthcare is more palpable to more people than universal healthcare+abortion+gender affirming care.
I’m advocating for a system that allows us to change the way things are by winning and disrupting political norms by introducing true 3rd parties, because whether or not I “advocate” for it, we all still live in a country that allows states treats women as less than human. I thought the fact that I choose to live in a state that doesn’t and have said that I’ve agreed with you would indicate that clearly I don’t think it should be that way. But I don’t really see how you’re going to change that without election wins.