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No one is ever going to matter if they have no chance to win an election. It's nice, the idea to actually have a variety of people to consider, but it's just a front to make us think we're not just choosing the one lesser of two evils. Don't let them fool you.
They need to take the money out of politics. Third party candidates don't matter because they get marginalized by the other two parties, but truth be told, it's in large part the people's own fault for allowing themselves to be so damned susceptible to group think and the strategies to implement it. Bob Barr requested to be a part the "debate" this week. Not that I've seen it (I don't need to) but from what I heard, he didn't get a chance. Why not? Why marginalize people like Ralph Nader?
From what I understand, it's done basically by having the two largest parties in the country have access to the lion share of the monies available for campaigning. The other parties don't matter in this country because they don't get heard. It takes money to get heard. Also, in the few cases they do get heard, what they said isn't remembered because it takes money to be remembered. You have to repeatedly slam your message into the brain of the voting masses. If you don't have the cash to be heard, and heard again, and heard throughout the campaign, you don't win. You might not even be known.
Not to mention, if your ideas about how this country should be run is significantly different from what people are used to hearing, you're labeled a nut job. Critical thinking takes a back seat to familiarity when it comes to unfamiliar messages. Yet another unfortunate truth. So pounding your message repeatedly in peoples faces serves not only to get them to remember what you said, but also to get them used to it, and thus, comfortable with it. This is how 3rd party candidates don't actually matter.
edit: Not saying you shouldn't vote for them though. Don't listen to people who say you're wasting your vote by doing so. Your vote is your voice, don't let them tell you what to say.*queue afterschool special music.
McCain should be disqualified from the race just for selecting Palin. This is disgusting.
Conservatives love her. She's pro life at conception and pro capital punishment, what more could they want?
Perhaps someone who isn't a complete moron but I guess thats asking to much, you know being conservative and all.
Or a left-wing leerjet liberal lunatic lololQuote:
Originally Posted by Uchiha Barles
Part of it is the money, but another part of it is the absurd length of time our elections take. So yes, money is involved, but the way the two main parties drag out the elections as long as possible feeds that. Third parties can't compete when an 18 month election across 50 states at least two times each occurs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Uchiha Barles
Ask someone in a foreign country how long their elections are. Of all places, Iran's General Election has over 6000 applicants usually, and it runs at most 2 months for the entire process. Admittedly, the constituents that American candidates are across a much larger area than nearly every other country in the world. So a longer election cycle can be expected. But for it to be a year and a half (and that year and a half you know none of the candidates are doing their damn job in Washington) is absurd. No normal person not backed by lobbyists or the two huge organizations that are the DNC and RNC has even a chance of getting to those states and making a difference.
But moreover, what do the candidates do during those 18 months? Do they talk about all the issues that our nation faces, proving which of them has better ideas about how to fix the country, what their stances are on various issues and how they will interact with the rest of the world as the face of the nation? A little. But what they really do is spend half the time insulting and character assassinating their peers in their own party, belittling each other, pointing out all of their faults, and then once that is all over, they start in on the other party. Most of the time they don't even do it directly, that's local politics stuff. Nope, they have their campaigns do it for them in order to keep their own hands clean.
Where does this leave the people? We're left after 18 months of wasted money picking between which of the candidates is less bad. Which one the opponent found less to smear him with. It's all negative campaigning for far too long. The "issues" are only discussed in the final two months. That is the only part that should matter.
What our elections become is not who is better at discussing the issues, who is better to lead the country. It's picking from whoever is not directly on the bottom.
...my favorite part though, is all the promises they make as a Presidential Candidate, in full knowledge that the LEGISLATURE is the only one who has power to make those changes. That stagnat, inner society circle-jerk is where the real problems with this country all stem from. Especially considering they just made a deal for the fucking Wall Street Bailout. Way to betray the people you represent for the top dollar. Congress needs term limits now.
/rant
Look at it this way, anyone who is ready to become VP should be ready to President should anything happen to the Head of State during office. Being chosen as VP is as big of a job as being chosen President. Can you think about it? Sarah Palin as the President of the United States? Ridiculous. John McCain is not exactly the youngest guy either. This shows the only reason he chose her to run on the party's card was to turn votes.
McCain's ads are pathetically stupid also. Problem is that half of America is stupid.
Quoted for truth.Quote:
Originally Posted by darkmetal505
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkmetal505
I think this quote says it all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adlai Stevenson at 1950s' elections
I haven't confirmed this myself by checking sources out, but someone once told me that the founding fathers recommended that every 20 years, we actually go on a bloody murder spree and take out the people in the government. And replace them. This keeps things fresh, and it keeps the politicians in the right mindset. Go in, do your job, come out. Nobody would go in there thinking it was to be a lifelong career that they could use to get rich. I suppose term limits are a nice alternative.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryllharu
Great idea. The founding fathers had it right, but they led during turbulent times where such radical and rebellious thinking were the norm. 230+ years later, our government has become a twisted version of what the founding fathers envisioned and needs new blood and new ideas and controls. Too bad that won't happen, but it's nice to dream.Quote:
Originally Posted by Uchiha Barles
I'm getting more and more concerned about a possible Palin presidency. If she does as poorly as I expect on the VP debate, I'm voting Obama/Biden.
Nervous? The idea of Palin as president is down right scary. Not to mention how pissed off Hilary Clinton is going to be if that happens, lulz.
SNL spoof of Palin's interview with Katie Couric. You can hardly tell the difference from the actual interview.
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Li...n-open/704042/
I especially liked the "lick index finger, than randomly wiggle it in the air". It's so fucking random.even in the real interview.
Thanks for the clip Ani, haven't watched SNL in years and that clip was hilarious.
Tina Fey is just excellent as Palin. I saw this clip as a rerun before I saw the Couric/Palin interview and thought it was legit for a moment.
Currently watching the president debate which I missed on youtube. And I find my first judgement correct. McCain honestly does not know what he's doing. He's admittedly against taxing the rich adamantly. 35% on businesses in America that make millions, and he compares it to Ireland's 11%. What the fuck kinda businesses are in Ireland that can make millions honestly, and why would we care?
A pretty hostile debate. A lot of frustration and anger. The debate 4 years ago between Kerry and Bush wasn't at this level. McCain is atleast marginally more knowledgeable than Bush is, that much is clear.
Watched the VP debate, and though I'm surprised Palin didn't do as bad as I thought she would. I think it's fairly obvious Biden won the debate. He had extensive knowledge of the issues and a good idea of what he was doing. Though Palin was the more likeable one, holy shit she needs to stop fucking using Maverick and talking about how she helped the energy problem in Alaska.
People have been saying that and I think it says a lot about her when the first thing people say about the debate is that she didn't do as bad as they expected her to.Quote:
Palin didn't do as bad as I thought she would