US Elections 2012 Part I: The Primaries/Caucus

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by solomon

AHAHAHAA JAPAN LOVING??!!!!!

Chill out. Way to miss the point.

Let me put it this way: you like anime. I imagine that's why you're here. At the very least you tolerate Japanese culture. Some of your countrymen on the other hand were trolling on about payback for Pearl Harbor during the earthquake/tsunami tragedy last year. They are very unlikely to accept anime knowing what it is and where it came from. That's the type of people that would become "Birthers" and believe the conspiracies regarding the President's birth circumstances.

So, "Japan Loving," by jingoistic standards. Clear?

[solomon]

Sorry my boys used to troll me about that mercilessly in school. And yea, I did kinda get it, I just wanted to be a little dramatic.

Anyways, it will be interesting where things will go from here.

Will enough Republicans actually buy into Romney just to get Obama out? Will enough independents?

Cause sure Romney is not Obama, but he is a Morman and he's got that banker/big buisness smell. How much will that smell offend the voters?

Obama has approval rating of 48%, considering the straights and bad blood, I think that's actually ok. (I guess I am always suspicious about really really high approval ratings though). Compare with Congress approval rating of THIRTEEN PERCENT!

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...year-under-50/

It's a real toss up frankly. I don't think turn out will be very high because of disdain of government and corproate influence. Not to mention the disguisting media wars that Huntsman pointed out. I mean turnout normally hovers around 50%-60% or so, I won't be surprised if it goes below the average this time.

Then again people could be very up in arms, so turnout could REALLY turn up. Will conservatives rally around Romney just to get Obama out? How big IS the Mormon problem? And will this drive jaded liberals to get out once again out of fear of a conservative dominance?

[Kokukirin]

Originally Posted by solomon

Sorry my boys used to troll me about that mercilessly in school. And yea, I did kinda get it, I just wanted to be a little dramatic.

Anyways, it will be interesting where things will go from here.

Will enough Republicans actually buy into Romney just to get Obama out? Will enough independents?

Cause sure Romney is not Obama, but he is a Morman and he's got that banker/big buisness smell. How much will that smell offend the voters?

Obama has approval rating of 48%, considering the straights and bad blood, I think that's actually ok. (I guess I am always suspicious about really really high approval ratings though). Compare with Congress approval rating of THIRTEEN PERCENT!

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...year-under-50/

It's a real toss up frankly. I don't think turn out will be very high because of disdain of government and corproate influence. Not to mention the disguisting media wars that Huntsman pointed out. I mean turnout normally hovers around 50%-60% or so, I won't be surprised if it goes below the average this time.

Then again people could be very up in arms, so turnout could REALLY turn up. Will conservatives rally around Romney just to get Obama out? How big IS the Mormon problem? And will this drive jaded liberals to get out once again out of fear of a conservative dominance?

When the main motivation to vote is to stop the other side from winning, you can tell American politics are in a truly rotten state.

[Ithekro]

Originally Posted by DonQuigleone

I wonder if I could run for president. I'm a US citizen through my Mom, but I was born and raised in Ireland...

Well....

Article II, Section 1, Clause 5

• be a natural born citizen of the United States;
• be at least thirty-five years old;
• have been a permanent resident in the United States for at least fourteen years.

• Well. you are not 35 yet, so you definately would not be allowed until then.
• Have you been a permanent resident of the United States for at least 14 years?
• The last question is the debated one. Natural Born Citizen is debated to meaning and comes up from time to time (including Mitt Romney's father George who ran in 1968). Some would say yes, others would say no.

When the main motivation to vote is to stop the other side from winning, you can tell American politics are in a truly rotten state.

I'd blame the media for treating it like a sporting event. Over time, the winning and losing has become like that of a sporting event where the Republican and Democrat Teams are against each other. About the only difference is that there are less keggers and tailgate parties at election time.

[solomon]

Originally Posted by Kokukirin

When the main motivation to vote is to stop the other side from winning, you can tell American politics are in a truly rotten state.

While I am inclined to agree, it's not like that never turns up in the election.

I generally like Obama and am liberal, but know he is really not that great in influence. (Congress baby).

I have certain things that I disagree with the Republicans on that would likely be pushed through witth a conservative white house (hackneyed immigration reform, anti-gay legislation, attacks on welfare) so I'm voting for Obama as a bulwark (somewhat).

Again though, 2/3rds rule for veto overrule, so I really wonder how the congressional battles will turn out. I'm not sure if the Republicans can increase their numbers any more but I REALLY don't want that to happen.

[Irenicus]

Obama's biggest problem this election year is that he might be unable to rouse the youth and the left wing to the voting polls. They -- we -- traditionally vote far less reliably than the more...politically vested...groups. 2008 was an anomaly, a spring, a movement, and even then the margin of victory remained relatively slim by global standards. Regardless of his true achievements, the support for the President this time is lukewarm at best. The NDAA is the latest in a string of "betrayals," though depending on how SOPA/PIPA turns out he might win back some favors from the NEET, the best and the brightest.

The Republican Party can always rely on their evangelical base. I don't think Romney's Mormonism will be an issue during the election proper, the GOP machine will downplay it anyway -- unless the Democratic Party plays dirty and keep bringing it up, which would be supremely stupid given all the "foreign" accusations already thrown at the President. If they make it a contest of not-white-middle-class-American, the college youth will be too disgusted to take to the polls, the evangelicals will be on fire, and Obama will lose.

So either Obama needs to scare everyone into how horrible it will be if the GOP returns to dominate all three branches of government ("fuck this, I'm moving to Canada*"), or he needs to prove to the idealistic base that yes, he can, after all, and that the Change isn't a lie.

*Oh wait, Harper.

Originally Posted by solomon

Sorry my boys used to troll me about that mercilessly in school. And yea, I did kinda get it, I just wanted to be a little dramatic.

...looks like I need to update my sarcasm detector.

Apologies likewise.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

("fuck this, I'm moving to Canada*")
*Oh wait, Harper.

Choose the right province. Yes, the federal gouvernment is turning republican-like for a fews ( maybe not so fews, given the situation of the other party) year, but in the provincial side, it's mostly the same as before.

[Ithekro]

Remember the Constitution and the Bill of Right show that it is Majority Rules, but Minority Rights. The Majority sets the rules, but the minority in protected from the majority by the laws and the ability to challenge those laws the majority pass.

If something comes out from the majority that attacks the minority, if it gets a veto and still gets past, then it get placed into the courts. If it gets past the courts...well, then either the minority it very minor relative to the majority (no voice in the media), or the minority is not considered to be in the best interests of the nation. At which point that minority either needs to come up with another way to either fight the systems, find a new way to survive within the system (work the system), or they need to seriously consider leaving. Because if it gets that far without a major protest from the people, than the American people don't want that minority around...or do not agree with something that minority is doing and want that thing stopped (an example would be polygamy, with that Mormons come to mind. Polygamy was banned, but there are still Mormons around...they just don't practise that custom anymore...usually. Those that are found are charged with a felony crime and have to pay a fee or a few years in jail.)

Sometimes these things turn around...sometimes they don't. It is all a matter of time.

[bayoab]

Stephen Colbert has figured out a way to get on the South Carolina ballot

http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/...erman-cain-bum

Make everyone vote for the guy who normally nobody would vote for.

[Vena]

I hope Herman Cain wins.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Polygamy was banned, but there are still Mormons around...they just don't practise that custom anymore...usually. Those that are found are charged with a felony crime and have to pay a fee or a few years in jail.)

But it isn't illegal to have multiple sexual partners, right? The only thing that's illegal is actual marriages with multiple people. So how are they suppose to be charged if only one woman was married officially?

I guess it doesn't happen because Mormons are not supportive of sex outside wedlock either.

EDIT: I find it telling that when Huntsman pulled out, he said he believe "Romney is the best person to defeat Obama". Telling, because he didn't say "Romney is the best person for POTUS."

[Dhomochevsky]

Originally Posted by Kokukirin

When the main motivation to vote is to stop the other side from winning, you can tell American politics are in a truly rotten state.

How is this ever not the case in a two party system? The outcome is binary after all.

And to get ahead of the obvious troll response: yes, I know there are more parties and independants, but really their only role in a presidential election is to steal votes from the two big parties.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Dhomochevsky

How is this ever not the case in a two party system? The outcome is binary after all.

The intention is to do what's best for the country. The Two Party system was intending to make sure you don't get just one large party that decide everything.

Winning the election is not the goal, but the means; the means to make the country better. But if the means become the ends by itself, as we see now with the GOP, then they no longer care about governing at all.

"Defeating Obama" is just the excuse to hide the fact that GOP has nothing to offer (Other than Ron Paul). Which is why Ron Paul is the only one running on Policy, not "I hate Obama more than anyone".

[MrTerrorist]

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

But it isn't illegal to have multiple sexual partners, right? The only thing that's illegal is actual marriages with multiple people. So how are they suppose to be charged if only one woman was married officially?

I guess it doesn't happen because Mormons are not supportive of sex outside wedlock either.

EDIT: I find it telling that when Huntsman pulled out, he said he believe "Romney is the best person to defeat Obama". Telling, because he didn't say "Romney is the best person for POTUS."

And it goes against his earlier stating he thinks he'd want Ron Paul as his VP if he were elected. I get the feeling he's just trying to get the VP nod himself now, from Romney.

[Dhomochevsky]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

Colbert

Is it just me, or do they take Colbert's ultra right-wing stance for real?

People say Chinese are bad with sarcasm, but this one should be obvious.

[Xagzan]

Originally Posted by Dhomochevsky

Is it just me, or do they take Colbert's ultra right-wing stance for real?

People say Chinese are bad with sarcasm, but this one should be obvious.

I'm sure they've been corrected as to Colbert's actual stance by this point, but I don't think that was always the case (The full text might require payment, sadly).

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Dhomochevsky

Is it just me, or do they take Colbert's ultra right-wing stance for real?

People say Chinese are bad with sarcasm, but this one should be obvious.

There were/are a fair number of people who thought/think Colbert is for real... just another indication that they're missing a few cards in their playing decks.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Vexx

There were/are a fair number of people who thought/think Colbert is for real... just another indication that they're missing a few cards in their playing decks.

you can't really blame foreigners form missing the joke when Colbert is out polling Huntsman in SC and when you look at the lineup for the Republicans.

[Xagzan]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

you can't really blame foreigners form missing the joke when Colbert is out polling Huntsman in SC and when you look at the lineup for the Republicans.

Foreigners? I think he was referring to the teahatters and such.