2008 US Debates & Election

[Niko_Fx]

I gotta give it to Obama for keeping it cool throughout the whole debate while McCain desperately failed to put him down. He emphasized more on putting Obama down than answering questions, I wonder what his next strategy will be.... Jenny the waitress?

[Quiggs]

I fear for the future of this country. Either way. Stewart/Colbert 08.

CHANGE. HOPE. CHOPE. SOCIALISM.

[f6fhellcat13]

They way I see it, there's a somewhat considerable chance that either of them will die in office, Obama assassinated for being black or McCain assassinated for being old.

Palin vs. Biden?
Biden >> Palin

[Niko_Fx]

Interesting.

Is Obama a competent politician? Depends on your views. If elected, will it be because of his competency and the voters' agreement with his policies? Absolutely not.

I really don't know enough about each candidate's policies to make an informed vote (I can't vote yet anyway) or judgment either way, however, it definitely seems to me, at least in having interacted with Obama supporters and from watching TV, that he's gotten so much support because he is the "cool candidate", because hey, "It'd be cool to have a black president!". None of the people I've talked to who plan to vote for him have any reasoning to explain it. This is about the best they can come up with;

"I'm voting for Obama!"
"Well, why?"
"Because McCain sucks, he's old."

...and this is the 18-22 year old voting base that is pretty much entirely for Obama, and has no idea why other than it being the cool thing to do.

He could be the greatest politician ever, and have the world's greatest fiscal policies, and he still would only get elected because he's hip.

Interesting video:
YouTube - Howard Stern Exposes Clueless Obama Supporters

Just like some people will say:

"I'm voting for McCain!"
"Well why?"
"Because Obama is black!"
"Because Obama is a muslim and was planted in the US, his studies financed by terrorists, etc etc... to ultimately become the US president and destroy the World"
"Because Palin is hot

Give me a break, you will find ignorance on either side... you must be talking to a bunch of idiots MP.

[f6fhellcat13]

Idiots seem to be quite prevalent.

[cmcpokey]

i wouldn't criticize anyone for choosing a candidate based on them agreeing with your principles, politics, or for specific programs. and to a lesser extent i wouldnt criticize someone for voting for the candidate that is the representative of the party they are members of, even if they don't particularly like that candidate.

the people, especially us young people (and the college age ones most of all) that call themselves democrats and have no idea what that means, or republicans and not know what principles the party was founded upon; those are who really get me angry. at least know where your candidate stands on the issues, or better, know what the issues are.

my single biggest peeve though, is that thinking that by voting for a fringe candidate you are somehow speaking your mind out against the 2 party system and will have your voice heard. that is false. 100% false. in the 2000 election the left was spilt between gore and nader. had nader not run, a majority of those votes would have fallen on gore, and it would have more than sealed the deal for him. conversely, in the 1992 election ross perot stol a large percentage of votes on the right, and lost the election for H.W. Bush. so what does that all mean? in our system, if you spit the votes on either the left or the right, that side will lose, and you will not have a representative in office for the majority.

example loosely based on the 2000 election:
you have 51% of the country on the left
you have 49% on the right.
there is a fringe candidate on the left (Nader) who takes 3%
the democrat gets 48% and the one on the right get the plurality
the minority rules.

that is called Duverger's law

[Zytek_Fan]

I gotta give it to Obama for keeping it cool throughout the whole debate while McCain desperately failed to put him down. He emphasized more on putting Obama down than answering questions, I wonder what his next strategy will be.... Jenny the waitress?

Indeed.
Joe the plumber was an epic fail.


And so you guys know, Obama can't take away guns because it's the second amendment to the constitution and the Bill of Rights CANNOT be taken away.

[f6fhellcat13]

^But he can sure as hell limit them.

[Zytek_Fan]

^But he can sure as hell limit them.

It has to be approved by the House of Representatives and Congress

I highly doubt he'd limit them any further than now. We don't need automatic weapons or armor piercing rounds.

[Spastik_Roach]

its amazing how much emphasis some people put on guns, so much that it would decide a vote on that one sole issue. kind of sad too. I don't think Obama's just hip or anything, I think he's a seriously competent politician and the exact sort of person that needs to be President. Neil Young thinks so too!

[my porsche]

Just like some people will say:

"I'm voting for McCain!"
"Well why?"
"Because Obama is black!"
"Because Obama is a muslim and was planted in the US, his studies financed by terrorists, etc etc... to ultimately become the US president and destroy the World"
"Because Palin is hot

Give me a break, you will find ignorance on either side... you must be talking to a bunch of idiots MP.

Yeah good example, only problem is the number of people who say is extremely small compared with the people who will vote Obama because it's cool. Just because YOU are informed and are voting for Obama because you agree with his policies doesn't mean the majority of young people voting for him are.

[The_Canuck]

Yeah good example, only problem is the number of people who say is extremely small compared with the people who will vote Obama because it's cool. Just because YOU are informed and are voting for Obama because you agree with his policies doesn't mean the majority of young people voting for him are.

Even if they are both bad choices...i mean just listen to McCain...

Obama is without a doubt the lesser of two evils for most people. If you think both canidates are bad, look at who'll do the worst.

PS, Americans don't know jack about socialism

[Zytek_Fan]

Even if they are both bad choices...i mean just listen to McCain...

Obama is without a doubt the lesser of two evils for most people. If you think both canidates are bad, look at who'll do the worst.

PS, Americans don't know jack about socialism

A lot of people think socialism = Communism

[The_Canuck]

A lot of people think socialism = Communism

Last time i checked your roads were funded by the government...and your schools...

[scottie300z]

Palin vs. Biden?
Biden >> Palin

But you have to keep in mind it's for the VP and this only matters if the VP acts like our current VP and has more control than the job describes. Palin of course will just go along for the ride and therefore can't really be in control of much or have a big influence on actual happenings. So in that sense maybe she should be VP.