Well that sucks then. Forgot that they just always throw away nearly half of the votes in your country. Would be really cool though if some day the US could become a democracy.

"You need to have a public position and a private position on policy"

Sometimes you do. The general public doesn't always know what's best for them.

I'm not; voting entirely on party lines is irresponsible. 

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Wait what? On what else should you base your vote if not the party's policy? It's even easier in the US since the party's policies are the polar opposite of each other.

I lived in Iowa. Being the first state to vote, its always ugly. Every waking second of your life is filled with political advertisements. Even work is filled with political arguments.

The actual candidate? Candidates don't always reflect their parties, you know. There are pro-choice Republicans and pro-life Democrats, and voting entirely on party lines could easily land you an official that you wouldn't have voted for of you knew their policies. 

Please tell me how many presidents have actually actively pushed through policies against their party's will? The president is nothing, he is powerless without the party's support. It really makes absolutely zero difference what kind of carbohydrate blob has the crown when the policies are dictated by the party.

This election is even easier. Hillary is an empty shell that will do anything the party and her voters want. And while republicans love to distance themselves from Trump, all of them would support their policies.

It's ridiculous to base your vote on one person's hopes and wishes when that person is powerless alone. Just look at Obama. So many things he wanted to do but in the end couldn't do it. Not because he changed his mind but because he was powerless. 

Obama literally just tried to veto something the majority of his party wanted, only for Republicans and Democrats to band together to overrule it. 

I live in Texas, where my vote is automatically red. Be thankful you can actually make a difference.