All right, it's time to let out some political steam here on Neatorama. I know that we haven't posted a lot of political stuff (it's not what the blog is all about, anyhow) but based on the comments these past few days it's clear that there's a lot of interest in the upcoming US Presidential Election.
Now, for those who don't find politics neat, just skip this post - there are some 16,000 neat posts waiting for you on Neatorama (have you tried the random button feature?)
For the rest of you, this is the one post that you can really have at it: who's your man in the race? Who will be the next President of the United States of America ... and why?
[poll=7]
I'm not going to argue over the lesser of two evils... 100+ years have shown that power begets power and that's all our one party system cares about.
I'm soooo tired of all the BO people getting excited about him... he's no better than JM... they're all just blowing in the political wind... they all want more power anywhere they can find it... bailouts.. wars.. new health care bureaucracy... tax cuts for the wealthy... oversight of all business... 2000 mile fences... 100 years of war... more more more more... that's what politicians want... more... just like any institution.. everything is secondary to the proliferation and longevity of the institution itself... the D's and R's are just cogs in the machine. They don't need your help... vote third party or don't vote at all.
....I just flipflopped again didn't I? to be honest I had been pulling for Kucinich
Obama was my first choice in the primaries. I don't know that he'll be as incredible as we're all hoping, but I think the movement and the excitement he's building up around him had some real possibility for positive change.
so I'm rooting for Obama, I think he'll win but either way I am moving out of the US in a year or so.
As such I don't think we need a third option.
"As a Brit, the results of this poll have restored my faith in America a little."
As an american, I get really sick of hearing these kinds of sentiments...
Note to the '83% Obama vote' at this time : is Obama really winning, or are Neatorama posters mostly democrats? ;)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/160080/
That is, the slant towards the status quo. Defining the race as only between these two utterly compromised candidates is making a statement itself. It is analogous to dishonesty by exclusion.
Face it folks - are political system is rigged. We do not have a real choice. On social issues that are dangled in front of us like toys in front of a toddler's eyes, sure, there's a difference. But on the major issues of the day - war, taxation, freedom, what the proper and constitutional role of government is - there is no difference. I mean, McCain wants war in Iraq and Iran. Obama wants war in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. This is a choice?
A vote for McCain is a wasted vote. A vote for Obama is a wasted vote.
A vote for either is a vote for our current system where bankers and corporations rule our country.
Hell, look at the wildly unpopular bailouts in effect now. Look at the war that was escalated after the voters clearly voted to rein it in. Look at the Democratic leadership refusing to even consider impeaching Bush when the crimes he committed are clear, clearly evidenced, and clearly meet the constitutional standard of impeachable offenses. Look at the current fiscal abyss we are falling into, being dragged into, with the warfare state gripping our right hand, and the welfare state gripping our left hand, and interest on past insanity pushing from behind, dragging us kicking and screaming into the unknown chasm of federal bankruptcy.
WE DO NOT HAVE A DEMOCRACY. WE DO NOT HAVE A REPUBLIC. THE WILL OF THE VOTERS IN AMERICA DOES NOT AFFECT THE ACTIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT.
That said, I'm probably voting for constitution party candidate chuck baldwin, even though I disagree with him on some crucial issues (shoot, I'm a buddhist, not a baptist). Nothing is more important than getting these crooks out of the seats of power.
Not saying that Obama's gold or anything, just that Palin's perspective on everything is a wee bit too extreme for my taste...
I like 'em BLAND!...
I don't blame you. Reading it back it sounds trite, elitist and patronising. Can't help how I feel though.
The poll is "Who do you think will be the next US President." Not "Who do you want to be the next US President." Arguments against a two-party system aside, there is no reasonable possibility that a third party candidate will be president in 2009.
Stay focused. This is an important election, and we need to work with the hand we're dealt here. Sticking your head in the sand and saying "you're voting for bankers" is just a cop out. You can make all the excuses you want to not get involved, and then sit back with smug "I told you so"'s when everything goes to hell.
Want to change the process? Participate in it. Vote. Run for office yourself. Stop making excuses.
Its the congress that really needs the voters attention, but most americans don't know who they are or what they are doing. Why don't we have national healthcare? Why don't we have alternative energy? Why are Americans out of work? Why is our education in bad shape? Do you think its the president who makes laws? If one tenth of the media attention went to reporting Representatives and Senators work that went into developing the latest presidential sound bite we might have all things.
As an american, I get really sick of hearing these kinds of sentiments…
as a Brit I really get sick of reading those kind of comments
so there.
I'm feeling your reasoning is slightly shaky. While spending the war as a POW for serving your country certainly makes you a hero, it doesn't necessarily make you a suitable choice for President. On the contrary, I'm somewhat concerned about the motivations behind his pro-war sentiment. One of his biographers was recently interviewed on NPR and brought up the fact that McCain was considerably separated from the controversial ground war in Vietnam and suffered countless indignities at the hands of his captors. While I consider McCain a brave and noble national hero, I have to agree with the common sentiment of this post. He's not inspiring much confidence - for me at least - with his VP pick and his compassion for Bush's war.
(Oh, and I am in the process of joining the military as we speak, btw...)
Someone should keep track and show who had the most accurate poll.
BTW, McCain
IF Americans weren't racist, I think they would vote for Obama.
IF the integrity of our election system wasn't compromised by corporate controlled electronic voting machines and dirty voter caging techniques, I think the person the majority of Americans vote for would actually be the person who is our next President.
Frankly it wouldn't matter if your dog were running for office; he'd get my vote if I knew it were going to appoint a supreme court judge I endorse.
The thousands of lives at stake in issues du jour, used for campaign talking points, simply cannot compare to the millions at stake in the future of the nation, wherein they will or will not have rights, courtesy of the supreme court. How we appeal to the rest of the planet doesn't matter if we've lost our identity, particularly the one with liberty.
She's meeting with world leaders today.
If she drops the ball like she did in that Gibson interview, I doubt they'll be impressed. This is certainly not the time to alienate the rest of the world (seeing as we've let ourselves depend so, so much on them).
She's terrifyingly uninformed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202583.html
No candidate is perfect but Obama strikes me as calm, rational, well educated, and his policies more closely reflect my views.
To the people who voted for George W Bush, all I have to say is, hope you're happy.
To Nader voters - get a life. And btw, The white person dread lock thing is not a good look. Same w/tie-dye.
What is your point? Who is George Will and why should we care about what he has to say about anything?
For every anti-McCain piece you find, I can find an anti-Obama one.
bob barr has my vote
It kinda sucks the government has to involve itself in any and EVERYTHING
you can't even spank your kids today without a SW finding out and you're in court paying money to it.
It seems like everything they do is for money.
( example in virginia your liscence had to be renewed every 4 yrs, now its down to every one year, same price, 4x as much as you would have)
Obama wants to tax cut in a bad way, you tax the people who are making more, and paying me my paycheck, there goes my damn raise.
McCain is wishy washy and seems kinda like a sleeze just from the way he talks.
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/issues/
It will be a disaster for America if he wins. Fortunately, the voters are not as stupid as the left-wing mainstream media seem to think.
I am a conservative who wants Obama to win so the liberals will just shut up already and we can get back to being a STRONG country instead of one filled with a bunch of whiny, disrespectful brats.
Why will McCain win? If the last eight years are any indication, it'll be because Americans are stupid and base their important political decisions on things like who has the least education (education = bad! elitist!) and, in this particular case, who has a vagina.
Also, I think with the advent of advanced biotechnology (genetic engineering and bionics), a libertarean vote is a vote for suicide. The government of america, and the planet at large, needs to keep a tight hand on corporations or we will make the same mistakes with the new biological technology as we did with the chemistry and physics driven advances of the last century (pollution, wmd's, cultural upheaval, etc.). The future is closer than you think and I don't want my grandkids to require a microsoft windows platform for their neural interfaces (See Kevin Warwick's research).
Also, the typeface Arial is a rip off of Helvetica.
In this year's contest - my opinion only, of course - Hillary was the chosen one, and the surge of grass roots support for Obama in the primaries was unexpected and problematic. Clinton's shocked sense of entitlement and reluctance to give up was quite understandable in the circumstances, but Obama couldn't be managed out of the way without the manipulation becoming public. So now he's being "encouraged" to toe the special interest line by the threat of the White House being handed to McCain. Personally I don't think there's much chance that will happen. I think it's been decided that the Dems should get the White House and JM's recent poll bounce is just to warn BA that he has to obey.
I'm sure this post will attract some disagreement. After all, if everyone knew how it worked, it wouldn't work any more. Trust me though, the candidates know how it works.
I'm not too sure this will be the great thing it seemed to be when he was roaring through the primaries- is it just me or has Obama lost his zip lately? Also, can he really deliver? Can anyone? Is he more than a great orator and personality?
I liked McCain's statement a couple weeks ago that he'd have a bipartisan cabinet... but would he? Could he? Would the fighting ever end? I've always been a McCain fan but he's somehow not adding up to my expectations since he's actually finally managed to get the nomination. AND- he's been totally overshadowed by Palin...
Someone more real than Dumbledore proly said this first (in other words, JK Rowling proly borrowed it but I wouldn't know from whom)- proly the only people who are really fit to lead others are so scared of it that they refuse to. (that's a bad paraphrase)
From what I've heard of McLame's ads, he hates the Republicans too. He spends all of his time maverick like, bucking the system.
McLame and Palin - together they fight crime.
I think an Obama victory is still a depressingly strong possibility, with 90% of the media acting as part of his campaign team. However, the debates will show both candidates, and there the contrast between McCain and the empty suit will become apparent. There is still hope.
Obama is a good speaker and nothing else. I do not really like McCain either but he will do. Palin knows how to cut useless crap just like she did in Alaska. Hopefully she will get McCain to do the same for the huge number of useless crap out government is doing. It needs to get back down to security for our country and not supporting all the people in our country.
We need to crack down on all the illegals and the Americans which take advantage of the government. I know of far too many corrupted towns and people who can do pretty much anything they want without any trouble.
I note no one has been doing much defense of Bush the lesser. Kind of painful. Shit, he had the boots, he was from Texas, he loved God and his Momma. Don't abandon the guy. I'm sure he needs some hugs right now.
Where's the "none of the above" button? :)
God Bless America.
Palin is the next best thing to a 3rd party candidate.
I want a guy who is like me. Who drinks beer and watches wrestling and shoots moose.
And sticks his fingers in my brain.
Putting Obama in office will be the biggest mistake you'll all make.
You have no idea what goes on in the world, do you?
Seriously though. After the recent supreme court ruling on the D.C. gun ban where 4 out of the 9 justices revealed they are not literate enough to read the second amendment, I'm pretty worried about who will be appointing the next justice. That's the only reason I want McCain to win.
Both will f888 up the country.
He is as socialist as Hilary. They are nearly identical except for a few issues.
Socialism is a huge mistake for America.
Plus, I think if even some of the Obama supporters really knew who he was, who his biggest supporters are, and honestly evaluated his experience as it relates to executing the duties of President, his support would be pretty weak. Obama ran on the empty promises of "hope" and "change" but in truth offers little of either. About the only thing he'll deliver is higher taxes, more spending, and more socialism.
Anybody But Obama.
Go Georgia Bulldogs, #1!
Well I guess it's got nothing to do with me, we got our own problems...
Palin in not experienced enough, yet Obama is?
Obama is a smart Ivy-leaguer, yet it was the same type of people running the institutions going bankrupt?
Obama brings change, yet you'll never get to question his changes because you'll be called a racist.
Obama is different, yet if he dies he chooses someone exactly like McCain to replace him?
You trust Obama, yet he's had to distance himself from everyone he ever knew in order to stay in the race?