Originally Posted By DlandDug I think Obama got it wrong. It's not the Right that's bitterly clinging to irrelevancies. These days, at least, it's the Left. This editorial from Huffington Post (linked on another thread here) is about as good an example of this as I have read. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-mckay/were-gonna-frickin-lose-t_b_124772.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...772.html</a> (Please note that this article contains strong language.) EXCERPT: >>"Stop saying that!" my wife says to me. But this is not a high school football game and I'm not a cheerleader with a bad attitude. This is an election and as things stand now, we're gonna frickin' lose this thing. Obama and McCain at best are even in the polls nationally and in a recent Gallup poll McCain is ahead by four points. Something is not right. We have a terrific candidate and a terrific VP candidate. We're coming off the worst eight years in our country's history. Six of those eight years the Congress, White House and even the Supreme Court were controlled by the Republicans and the last two years the R's have filibustered like tantrum throwing 4-year-olds, yet we're going to elect a Republican who voted with that leadership 90% of the time and a former sportscaster who wants to teach Adam and Eve as science? That's not odd as a difference of opinion, that's logically and mathematically queer.<< The essay then goes on to say that elections have become the game of Blackjack-- with Republicans as the house (ie: with tilted odds eternally in their favor). >>So what is this house advantage the Republicans have? It's the press... without a real press the corporate and religious Republicans can lie all they want and get away with it... All news is about sex, blame and anger, and fear. Exposing lies about amounts of money taken from lobbyists and votes cast for the agenda of the last eight years does not rate. The end. So one side can lie and get away with it.<< So, the bitter Left is just that certain that the Right has the media in its corner. That anyone could write this with a straight face after Obama's Summer of Love, and in light of the recent media feeding frenzy surrounding Sarah Palin is simply delusional. >>I'm not even getting into the fact that the religious right teaches closed mindedness so it's almost impossible to gain new voters from their pool because people who disagree with them are agents of the devil.<< Yeah, he's not gonna say it, but has to say it in order not to say it. And it goes to another disturbing trend: According to the Left, the American public must be just stupid to dare disagree with them. I have read a number of comments on these boards in which the recent resurgence of McCain's poll numbers, and the "inexplicable" popularity of Sarah Palin is attributed to nothing more than voter stupidity. And the corollary, of course, is that the bitterest on the Left can no longer recognize that their own narrow mindset has blinded them to any sense of logic or fair play. >>Probably the worst offenders are the pundits who take the position that it's all just a game and say phrases like "getting a post-convention bump" or "playing to the soccer Moms." This isn't a game of Monopoly or Survivor. There are real truths that exist outside of the spin they are given and have an effect on lives.<< This statement would mean something, if it hadn't followed this: >>Obama and Biden should also create a "master sound bite sentence" and repeat it hundreds of times... Here's my attempt: "Katrina, four dollar gas, a trillion dollar war, rising unemployment, deregulated housing market, global warming...no more."<< So, "real truths" are reduced to a "master sound bite sentence" (which even a stupid person would recognize isn't a sentence at all). There must be some reason that the smart folks, the folks on the Left have become quite so unhinged. There must be a deeper concern that has brought this about. Is it an abiding belief in the little man? A private but stubborn sense of patriotism? The knowledge that their way is the inherently correct way? Or is it this: >>This race should be about whether the Republican Party is going to be dismantled or not after the borderline treason of the past eight years.<< And there it is. Just an unreasoning hatred. And when that becomes the driving force of one's passion, bitterness is the inevitable result.
Originally Posted By Elderp "Just an unreasoning hatred." I've wondered about that. I try to think it isn't true though. I just don't like the idea that there is hate on any side, it is too unproductive. I think there has been a secularization of sorts these days when it comes to politics. It is kind of a "my way or the high way" approach. I see it on both sides. I also think there has been a saturation of voter gain on both sides, which as an Independant, makes this election really interesting. It is not going to be the Dems or the Reps deciding this election.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>According to the Left, the American public must be just stupid to dare disagree with them.<< Just speaking for myself and not the Left as a whole, this is essentially my position. >>And there it is. Just an unreasoning hatred. And when that becomes the driving force of one's passion, bitterness is the inevitable result.<< Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Just an unreasoning hatred.*** Unreasoning? Have you been watching the same administration I have these past four years? In any case, I agree on your point that it isn't the press. Personally, I think it's the attack mentality. Can't argue with it, unfortunately it's highly effective. But there you have it. There is absolutely no logical reason why McCain should be where he is now...none (hell, Carter had no problem getting into the white house...think about it). Either the attack ads, or America is more racist than I'd hoped. Either way, doesn't speak well for us. By the way, I'm not bitter. In fact, I've gone full circle to "amused". I don't live in America, what do I care? Frankly, I hope the worst DOES happen at this point so I can sit back and laugh about it. I might even write a book.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>the "inexplicable" popularity of Sarah Palin is attributed to nothing more than voter stupidity<< Stupidity? No. Hypocrisy? Oh yeah.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>So, "real truths" are reduced to a "master sound bite sentence" << Uh huh. You mean "real truths" like "America's most popular governor" and the "reformer" who was for a staggering amount of earmarks and "mavericks" that support the wide majority of the current administration's policies?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <The essay then goes on to say that elections have become the game of Blackjack-- with Republicans as the house (ie: with tilted odds eternally in their favor).> Actually, there is something of a "house advantage" that tilts the odds eternally (or at least for the past 50 years) in favor of the GOP. It's called the electoral college. The reason is that under the current system, every state gets as many electoral votes as their congressional seats and senate seats combined. So each state starts with 2 as a "gimme." But this skews how much each voter's vote is worth, relatively. An example: California has more than 50 times as many people as North Dakota. But it only has 18 1/3 times as many electoral votes (55 to 3), because of those 2 "gimmes." If those 2 gimmes were taken away, we'd have something close to the proper percentage. But as it is now, the average North Dakotan gets more relative weight to his/her vote than the average Californian. The average ND vote essentially counts 3 times as much as the average CA vote. That isn't right. And it's not just big states that have their voters not count as much as they should - mid-sized states do too. Missouri has less than 4 times the electoral votes of ND (11 to 3), but more than 9 times as many people. The net result is that people living in 3 and 4-electoral vote states have more relative weight to their votes than people living in midsized or large states. And there are simply more of those small states that are safely "red" than safely "blue." This is a built-in advantage for the GOP in every presidential election. There are some who argue that the reason for this is that without it, small states would not get any attention from the candidates. But this argument, if it once held water perhaps, no longer does. Let's get real - MOST states get ignored by the candidates these days, large or small. I know NY gets no attention any more because it's considered "safely blue." I'm sure Kansas gets none because it's "safely red." These days, ALL the attention goes to the handful of swing states. So NY gets zero attention, and PA, OH, and MO get so much they're sick of it already. Some say the electoral college should just be abolished; in the 21st century of instant coast-to-coast communications, it's an anachronism. But if you agree with the "winner-take-all-of-the-state" system, it would still be fairer to simply take two votes away from each state (and DC), so that no voter has more weight than any other just because he lives in a smaller state. The current system flies in the face of "one person, one vote" by giving more relative weight to some voters than others. So instead of needing 270 votes out of 538, you'd need 219 out of 436. This system would also reduce the chances of the winner of the popular vote losing the electoral vote. In fact, had it been in place in 2000, the winner of the popular vote WOULD have won the electoral vote. And we all could have been spared the past eight years.
Originally Posted By ecdc I'll own up to being bitter. I am, especially after Palin. It's extremely depressing (and ought to be to all who call themselves Americans) that McCain only gets a boost when he picks someone even *more* radical and *more* right-wing than he is. Obama's right, if McCain is 90% Bush, Palin is 98% Bush. It is troublesome to watch the country divide even deeper into camps of "R" and "D". Experience was a big deal; now, according to Republicans, not so much. Change is necessary; but pay no attention that man behind the curtain and please forget that the reason we need change is due to 8 years of Republican screw-ups. The selection of Sarah Palin should've easily solidified an Obama victory. Instead, it's boosted McCain. That says some awful, depressing things about our country. I get that Obama ins't everone's cup o' tea. I get that they're hesitant over his lack of experience. But to go with the alternative is beyond insane. It's the essence of saying, "I know what kind of misery and suffering my country's had under Bush. I don't know what'll happen under Obama. I'm gonna stick with the misery, 'cause at least I'm familiar with hit." Yup, makes sense to me.
Originally Posted By dshyates >>the "inexplicable" popularity of Sarah Palin is attributed to nothing more than voter stupidity<< I think it goes beyond stupidity. Stupidity was when we voted them back in in 2004. I think it goes into insanity to consider voting for them again. Like Harry Truman used to say, "How many times do you have to be hit over the head before you realize who is hitting you?" I am not bitter, but stunned that people would vote these guys back in because they like that she wears camo.
Originally Posted By Elderp ^ The American people don't want Iraq to be another Vietnam. I think it is already a Vietnam, but as a society we are not ready to accept that. At some point we are going to have to accept the Middle East for what it is. The problem is it is not going to be a popular decision.
Originally Posted By gadzuux It's reality. We do not have the right (or the ability) to impose our will and our values on this ancient culture. We're not going to "change" them and bring them around to our way of thinking. Yes, they're barbaric - yes, they're fanatical. But hey - you can't pick your neighbors.
