US Elections 2012 Part I: The Primaries/Caucus

[Ithekro]

Most schools spend little time on any one person from what I remember. Unless there is a holiday around them (Lincoln and Washington)...or a war related to them. Jefferson after the Declaration of Independents andthe Louisiana Purchase gets little mention in US History text at the High School level from what I recall. Though I recall having a whole chapter that sort of talked about him in elementary school...but I went to a private school, so I have no first hand knowledge of public school before seventh grade. Also it was rather limited since I think it was 3rd grade or something. We had as big a chapter on George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington as we had on Thomas Jefferson.

Theodore Roosevelt gets less attention in public school from what I remember. Mainly because 8th grade is suppose to be up to Reconstruction, but few get there as the Civil War usually take up the last part of the school year, and High School is suppose to pick up from there, but from what I saw most teachers skip until at least the First World War or even after that so they can get to recent history by the end of the year. I didn't get anything from 1865 to 1920 until I got to college.

[Vexx]

Since who we elect directly impacts how we deal with them, putting this discussion on the 'wireless telco' duopoly issues here (anti-competitive, shady billing, customer lock-in, illusory segmentation of services, and enormous markups).

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/op...ss-market.html

[Xellos-_^]

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously rejected two Republican challenges to the state's new electoral maps, dealing a blow to GOP efforts to halt the new lines that could diminish their political clout.
The state's high court rejected two petitions from Republicans challenging the validity of the state Senate and congressional redistricting maps recently adopted by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The Supreme Court also rejected their requests for an emergency stay that would have halted use of the maps.
The court voted 7-0.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...n135722D97.DTL

funny thing is the repulican party back the formation the redistrict committee as a end run around the democrat control legisture.

Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are attempting a breathtaking end-run around the democratic process. They are hatching their own farm bill in private and plan by Nov. 1 take it to the new deficit Super Committee to be enacted whole, without votes in their own committees or in Congress.
The farm bill sets U.S. food policy for five years. It is the biggest environmental bill by far that Congress enacts. One quarter of California — 27.6 million acres — is farmland, much of it in the heavily polluted San Joaquin Valley. Agriculture covers 40 percent of the land in the United States. How food is grown on that land has massive consequences for the air, waterways and wildlife. The farm bill also (mis)shapes the American diet.
The Ag committees, populated by Midwest and Southern farm state lawmakers from both parties, want to defend subsidies to the big commodity crops such as corn, wheat, cotton and rice. They know that $5 billion a year in “direct payments” to commodity farmers are vulnerable, so they want to replace these with a new scheme to “insure revenues.” The new scheme — variations of which are being written by the commodity groups — would lock in today’s record crop prices as a new subsidy while claiming to save money.


http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election...-scheme/?tsp=1

when do i see the tea party protest against this government back welfare?

[solomon]

Good article on the beeb showing the contrast between Occupy and the Tea Party/conservative equivalents.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15301200

The bootstrap mentality is still alive, but frankly it's been colored by hype in my opinon. Not everyone can be some rags to riches story these days, people need help. The factories are closed and if you can't get a good education you are worthless to the economy.

I as an american do believe in bootstrap mentality but its not like other countries don't nor is there an absence of hard workers. They don't denigrate the poor as someone who is "lazy" though. The American Dream is a nice ideal that has merit but it's been colored by extensive hype and frankly probably needs to be re-evaluated.

[Ithekro]

The American Dream tends to hinge on the idea that American is going to make everything they can themselves (thus lots of jobs). We don't anymore. Cost of American labor is said to be too high for manufacturing and other such jobs. People don't move like they use to, so their is less need for railroad jobs as they can get more done with less now (longer trains, almost no passager service, and lots of air freight and truckers). Plus since less is being built, there is less need to move materials and parts around from one place to another. We are growing less of things than we use to as it is cheaper to get stuff imported, or the land is being used for something else now. Automation and technology have made several older large employment opportunities meaningless.

My problem is that my degree seem to be mostly geared for volunteer work or teaching. I'm not keen on teaching (as I saw what it does to teachers after 30 years), yet there must be some jobs out there for historians. (I was a US History Major). Basically I have a degree, and no idea what to do with it. I've found no jobs that make use of those skills, leaving me to basically little better than minimm wage type jobs, which if you have a degree you should be making more money than that...at least traditionally.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

My problem is that my degree seem to be mostly geared for volunteer work or teaching. I'm not keen on teaching (as I saw what it does to teachers after 30 years), yet there must be some jobs out there for historians. (I was a US History Major). Basically I have a degree, and no idea what to do with it. I've found no jobs that make use of those skills, leaving me to basically little better than minimm wage type jobs, which if you have a degree you should be making more money than that...at least traditionally.

if you were in another country you probably could have gotten a job a think tank on research into what make American's tick. But since you are in the US, you are kinda out of luck. I thought about majoring in history but drop that idea when i couldn't figure out a way to make money of it.

[Kyuu]

I LOL'd @ Question 2:

(CNN) – Mitt Romney is on the top or tied for the lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in new surveys in the first four states to vote in next year's primary and caucus calendar.

According to CNN/Time/ORC International polls released Wednesday, the former Massachusetts governor continues to be the overwhelming front-runner in New Hampshire, holds a lead over the other GOP presidential candidates in Florida, and is basically tied for the top spot with businessman Herman Cain in Iowa and South Carolina.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/im.../topstate1.pdf


Despite the results -- many have answered: "Will change mind" when it comes to supporting the result of the Republican nomination.

[solomon]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

The American Dream tends to hinge on the idea that American is going to make everything they can themselves (thus lots of jobs). We don't anymore. Cost of American labor is said to be too high for manufacturing and other such jobs. People don't move like they use to, so their is less need for railroad jobs as they can get more done with less now (longer trains, almost no passager service, and lots of air freight and truckers). Plus since less is being built, there is less need to move materials and parts around from one place to another. We are growing less of things than we use to as it is cheaper to get stuff imported, or the land is being used for something else now. Automation and technology have made several older large employment opportunities meaningless.

My problem is that my degree seem to be mostly geared for volunteer work or teaching. I'm not keen on teaching (as I saw what it does to teachers after 30 years), yet there must be some jobs out there for historians. (I was a US History Major). Basically I have a degree, and no idea what to do with it. I've found no jobs that make use of those skills, leaving me to basically little better than minimm wage type jobs, which if you have a degree you should be making more money than that...at least traditionally.

That sets up another question.

Some would say "yea pal, thats your own fault for not getting a useful degree in buisness or tech".

I do think that we need to fortify math and science study in schools but you cannot reasonably expect everyone to thrive in those studies. Then again I think that's a chicken and egg.

As far as the American Dream, when more people get pinched out because of the factors you mentioned, I think people will realize it's not 1950 anymore like some people would like to believe.

[SaintessHeart]

Special Report: Harrisburg, Pa: a city at war with itself

Looking for a way to resolve $300 million in debt, the city council defied Thompson and voted to file for bankruptcy this month. Not only did a majority of the council go against the mayor's wishes, but the council members also decided not to even tell her of their decision.

This looks alot like Detroit City from Robocop.

[sikvod00]

Just to be silly, here's a few videos of some of the GOP Presidential candidates from "Bad Lip Reading". They basically take videos of them from various speeches and events then dub over their voices, coming up with some hilarious, non-nonsensical lines. Herman Cain knocks them all out of the park, IMO. . The site has others as well, including Obama.

[ganbaru]

Herman Cain denies ever sexually harassing anyone, calls allegations ‘totally false’
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...y.html?hpid=z1

Herman Cain emphatically denied on Monday that he had ever sexually harassed anyone, calling allegations of harassment by two former employees “totally baseless and totally false” and saying that he is the innocent victim of a “witch hunt.”

Why it's the republican than are more likely to call themself victim of a witch hunt?

[Solace]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Why it's the republican than are more likely to call themself victim of a witch hunt?

I'll let the master explain:

[Kyuu]

From a business writer:

Rich Class fighting 99%, winning big-time
Commentary: Reagan began class war in 1981, Buffett declared in 2006

* Rich Class warriors: puppet-politicians in GOP-controlled Congress
* Rich Class warriors: Federal Reserve-Wall Street bankers conspiracy
* Rich Class warriors: Pentagon’s Perpetual War-Mongering Machine
* Rich Class fighting to turn America back into Reagan’s ol’ Wild West

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ric...1?pagenumber=2

Basically, these are things people already know about how the 1% has been gaming the system.

Again, here's the real truth to everything:

Listen, both parties are singing in harmony: “Yes, there’s class warfare. And yes, it’s our duty to fight for the richest class of capitalists who are making this war. We must help them win, get richer, squeeze more and more out of all Americans.”

[Sugetsu]

Originally Posted by solace

i'll let the master explain:

Genius! =D

[Solace]

Since it's more relevant to elections than ordinary news: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1069596.html

This should be interesting, but it's doubtful it will be passed. Still, if the Dems are smart they'll press hard on this and make more of the public aware of how much of a problem those two SC decisions have caused and why they should be fixed.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Solace

Since it's more relevant to elections than ordinary news: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1069596.html

This should be interesting, but it's doubtful it will be passed. Still, if the Dems are smart they'll press hard on this and make more of the public aware of how much of a problem those two SC decisions have caused and why they should be fixed.

I'd be happier if they addressed the legal artifact of corporations at the federal level. If its going to be a "person" it should be required *all* the *responsibilities* of a person and not just the perks (paying taxes the same way people do in all the communities it exists in with no special exceptions, for instance).

[ganbaru]

Cain Says Perry Is Orchestrating a Smear Campaign
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/us...-campaign.html

WASHINGTON — A defiant Herman Cain accused Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, a Republican rival, of orchestrating a smear campaign to destroy his presidential candidacy, as additional accusations emerged Wednesday that Mr. Cain made unwanted sexual overtures to women while he led the National Restaurant Association more than a decade ago.

Let's the republican discredit each other...
Can't they realise than whoever will be the final candidate, they are probably giving to the democrate some good material on it?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Cain Says Perry Is Orchestrating a Smear Campaign
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/us...-campaign.html

Let's the republican discredit each other...
Can't they realise than whoever will be the final candidate, they are probably giving to the democrate some good material on it?

Depends. The battle between Hillary and Obama drew out all the negative campaigns, but after Obama won the Dem nomination Republicans ran out of things to attack him with. Hillary used them all.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

Depends. The battle between Hillary and Obama drew out all the negative campaigns, but after Obama won the Dem nomination Republicans ran out of things to attack him with. Hillary used them all.

It work when you might have some counter-agument, otherwise the harm will still be going on.

[Xellos-_^]

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/04/141989...y-toward-obama

Alec Tyson, a research associate at the Pew Research Center, calls himself a card-carrying millennial.
Tyson — who was born in 1983 — helped prepare a Pew report called "Generational Politics." He says millennials are more ethnically diverse than other age groups. They're more likely than older voters to hold liberal views on social issues, and to express support for an activist government. Millennials still give the president a higher job approval rating than do other groups, at 49 percent. But Tyson says they're not as enamored of Obama as they used to be.
"Shortly after Obama took office, millennials expressed very positive emotions towards Obama," Tyson says. "They felt inspired or hopeful by him. Two years later, there's a sign that they've become, to use their own word, disappointed."
If you ask millennials to name the best president of their lifetimes, only 14 percent say Barack Obama. By far the most popular answer to that question is actually former President Bill Clinton.

no surprise since Obama did the bait and switch with the Hope and Change.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...y.html?hpid=z3



This is the JFK who dispatched his brother to deliver mob-style threats to governors who didn’t back him in the 1960 primaries, and the JFK who threatened to expose corporate executives’ extramarital pursuits. As one Kennedy aide recounted, “Jack preferred killing a politician to wounding one. ‘A wounded tiger,’ he always said, ‘was more dangerous than either a living or dead one.’”
Reading these pages brought to mind the current president, who too often handles his tigers with stroking or submission. President Obama doesn’t need to sic the FBI on his opponents, but neither would it hurt him to put some fear in friends and foes alike as he pushes for jobs bills on the Hill and begins a difficult reelection campaign.

...
An adviser to California Gov. Pat Brown, likewise, said “threatening. . . is the only accurate word” to describe the Kennedys’ treatment of Brown. They “ran a very aggressive war of nerves.” And woe to the man who resisted, such as Pennsylvania Gov. David Lawrence. With Lawrence in the audience, Kennedy gave a speech “kicking him good and hard where it hurts the most,” O’Donnell described.
The intimidation, naturally, worked on the Republicans, too. “They were ruthless,” one Nixon man said, in Matthews’s account. “They scared the [expletive] out of me.” They did more than that to Roger Blough, the U.S. Steel president, who defied Kennedy in 1961 by raising prices. “You have made a terrible mistake,” Kennedy told him. Subpoenas flew, FBI agents marched into steel executives’ offices, and Kennedy spoke about IRS agents examining “hotel bills and nightclub expenses [that] would be hard to get by the weekly wives’ bridge group out at the country club.”

i just got a lot more respect for the Kennedy. Obama needs learn something here, this is how politic is play.