US Election 2008

[Rajaat the Warbringer]

Why are elections such a farce?

Because 1/2 of the election involves Republicans.

And the other half is democrats. I blame political parties in general for most problems. Too many people voting "party" rather than "issues".

[Sirgin]

And the other half is democrats. I blame political parties in general for most problems. Too many people voting "party" rather than "issues".

And too many people vote "faces" rather than "issues", too.

[tholly]

I hate when people vote faces or party. Who cares what skin color or gender a person is, as long as they can do a good job.

What I hate even more though are the people I knew in undergrad that would not form their own opinion on a candidate, but rather just vote the same as their parents.

[NES_Rules]

After watching and listening months of ads, I've come to the conclusion near McCain or Obama should be President. They just keep saying how the other is evil and will ruin the country even more, so why is either of them running?
I particularly love these two slogans: "Obama - Change we can't afford" and "McCain - We can't afford more of the same". So, either way we're fucked?

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

It's true, but if you have half a brain you should acknowledge the fact that Obama is a frightening socialist that started campaigning for President after just ~150 days in public office, that right there is enough to make me vote McCain. McCain seems to be doing all he can to make me hate him, but I will drag him across the fucking finish line as long as it means this out-of-nowhere socialist and frankly Hitleresque character does not reach an office he does not deserve.

[tholly]

It's true, but if you have half a brain you should acknowledge the fact that Obama is a frightening socialist that started campaigning for President after just ~150 days in public office, that right there is enough to make me vote McCain. McCain seems to be doing all he can to make me hate him, but I will drag him across the fucking finish line as long as it means this out-of-nowhere socialist and frankly Hitleresque character does not reach an office he does not deserve.

Wow, that was the most incorrect thing I have ever read.

Obama was an Illinois Senator from 1/8/97 to 11/4/04.
Obama was / is a US Senator from 1/4/05 to present.

Also, he knows US law better than most people in the world.  He was trained at Columbia and Harvard (I could never get in to either, and you probably couldn't either.)  He taught constitution law in Chicago for 12 years.

His presidential candidacy began in 2/07, more than 2 years after his most recent public office.

I would say 1997 to 2007 is a little longer than 150 days.

Also, comparing someone to Hitler is terrible.  I don't think even McCain would do that.....  Personally, I hope no one in the world today can be compared to Hitler, arguably the worst person ever born.

[Sirgin]

It's true, but if you have half a brain you should acknowledge the fact that Obama is a frightening socialist

A bit of socialism doesn't hurt you know. It obviously shouldn't be taken to extremes (=communism) but I'm glad there's people fighting for the rights of the poor.

But I guess you're one of those people who don't care that 70% of US citizens live in third-world conditions. Which leads to more violence, drugs, etc...


Ad-note: That is the #1 reason I wouldn't want to live in the US. It's such a devided country. There's almost no middle class. There's peaks of extreme wealth & technology (Silicon Valley, Manhatten, etc...) with individuals that are extremely rich, but if you go 20km further you're suddenly in a third world country. No thanks.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

It's true, but if you have half a brain you should acknowledge the fact that Obama is a frightening socialist that started campaigning for President after just ~150 days in public office, that right there is enough to make me vote McCain. McCain seems to be doing all he can to make me hate him, but I will drag him across the fucking finish line as long as it means this out-of-nowhere socialist and frankly Hitleresque character does not reach an office he does not deserve.

Wow, that was the most incorrect thing I have ever read.

Obama was an Illinois Senator from 1/8/97 to 11/4/04.
Obama was / is a US Senator from 1/4/05 to present.

Also, he knows US law better than most people in the world.  He was trained at Columbia and Harvard (I could never get in to either, and you probably couldn't either.)  He taught constitution law in Chicago for 12 years.

His presidential candidacy began in 2/07, more than 2 years after his most recent public office.

I would say 1997 to 2007 is a little longer than 150 days.

Also, comparing someone to Hitler is terrible.  I don't think even McCain would do that.....  Personally, I hope no one in the world today can be compared to Hitler, arguably the worst person ever born.

I was a fair bit drunk last night, but I know I read that he stated a wish to run for president just half a year after reaching the U.S. senate.

Being a teacher or an Illinois senator (one of sixty of them) doesn't really show to me that someone has the capacity to lead a nation.

I said "Hitleresque" not comparing his politics to Hitler, but in comparing his sudden rise to power, his militant underground connections, and the stupidity of our youth in eating him up. Living next to and constantly being on a college campus I see Obama's face all day. He's everywhere, pointing off over yonder at change or something, it's weird! They've moved from indoctrination to flat out propaganda.

It's true, but if you have half a brain you should acknowledge the fact that Obama is a frightening socialist

A bit of socialism doesn't hurt you know. It obviously shouldn't be taken to extremes (=communism) but I'm glad there's people fighting for the rights of the poor.

But I guess you're one of those people who don't care that 70% of US citizens live in third-world conditions. Which leads to more violence, drugs, etc...


Ad-note: That is the #1 reason I wouldn't want to live in the US. It's such a devided country. There's almost no middle class. There's peaks of extreme wealth & technology (Silicon Valley, Manhatten, etc...) with individuals that are extremely rich, but if you go 20km further you're suddenly in a third world country. No thanks.

All I can think to do at your Ad-note is babble incredulous obscenities. What in the hell do they teach over there? There is not a single fucking spec of this country that can be compared to a third-world country. I don't know where the hell you came up with that idea, but it's utterly inane.

Our "ghettos" are full of people that have more commodities than I do. I work at a grocery store and constantly see people come in paying for their groceries with food stamps while they talk on their I-phones or Blackberries. I live right next to a bad part of town, and it's not that bad. 95% of the poor people have televisions, 50% of the poor people have cars, 0% starves. How is that even remotely 3rd world?

45% of Americans are lower to upper middle class. Only 12% of the population is considered poor, and this means you make less than $18,000 a year.

You make The United States sound like South Africa. Are you reading statistics from the '30s?

[BadEnoughDude]

Good work, Leon.

70% in third-world conditions? Honestly? Have you looked around lately? Why you'd even cite a statistic like that is beyond me.

EDIT: You can't look around from where you are, I guess. Next time you come here, try and find a place that even remotely resembles a third-world country. You won't.

[Sirgin]

45% of Americans are lower to upper middle class. Only 12% of the population is considered poor, and this means you make less than $18,000 a year.

Does that mean 43% of Americans are considered rich? I don't believe that at all.

Maybe using the words "third world" are too extreme, for that I apologise.

What I mean is that the gap between the rich and poor is very large in your country. And by being extremely anti-socialist like yourself will only make that gap bigger. It's the "If you're in shit, it's your problem."-attitude. I find that very selfish and a typical way in which the rich try to keep the wealth for their own. Mild socialism is a good thing. I don't think you'd like it if by some bad luck you'd end up in poverty and have no place to go.

And you should know that "poor" people will rather have a fancy phone but no money in the bank. Or debts to pay of, even.
It's not because someone has a TV, PC and a phone that they're rich or even middle class. If you're living from paycheck to paycheck with no savings, that's what I'd describe as "poor".

Here, there's less poor but less rich too. Weath is devided more evenly.


PS: To be clear: I'm not anti-American or anti-you at all. I'm not saying the US is a "bad" country, all I'm saying is that that's a side of the country I don't like.

Also, it's not because we're talking about the US now that the US is the only country in that situation. There's a lot of countries like that, in fact. Don't think I'm trying to make this into a US vs. The World thing or something because I'm more mature than that.

[James]

This is why I tend to keep my politics to myself. >_< People get angry and/or offended.

[phoenix1967]

So...about the election...

...is everyone (U.S. members) going to at least vote on Nov.4?

[logical123]

Yep, and I ain't even old enough. 

[two_scoop_steve]

So...about the election...

...is everyone (U.S. members) going to at least vote on Nov.4?

yep, i'm gonna vote.

[James]

I hate voting apathy. Being able to vote is a privelage, not a God-given right that should be taken for granted. I believe the last general elections here had a turnout of around 60% of people able to vote actually going to a polling station. How can you call that a democracy, when almost less than a majority actually voted? It's usually the people who don't vote who complain loudest about the state the country is in and how they don't like the government.

If you don't like any of them, make a "None" vote by spoiling the ballot - checking every box, scribbling across it, drawing a big willy, whatever. At least you wouldn't be throwing your vote away.

Once I get going about it, voting apathy is genuinely one of the things I feel strongest about.