Wake the fuck up (US Election 2012)

[Doctor Oak]

As narrated by Samuel L. Motherfucking Jackson:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/pla ... 3398043001

Mitt Romney is a prime example of the fact that people don't care, or at least will pretend not to, about the intelligence of the one they're putting in charge of their nation, as long as that person says things that appeal to you and has plans that will give you advantages.

All I know is that, if I were an American, I wouldn't be voting for the guy who thinks that being able to roll down the windows in an airplane will be helpful in the situation of an on-board fire. It'd be more of a mercy killing because the deaths caused by decompression will at least save them from the final minutes of mortal fear as they tumble down to Earth.

Mitt Romney is a prime example of the fact that people don't care, or at least will pretend not to, about the intelligence of the one they're putting in charge of their nation, as long as that person says things that appeal to you and has plans that will give you advantages.

Not really. That fuck-head has said nothing appealing to me nor is he doing anything that will be advantageous to me. The problem is the racists who want Obama out of office and the dumbasses that want results faster than Obama can deliver. Unfortunately that is 51% of the country. Personally, I'm trying to get an absentee ballot so that I can cancel out one of those Republican idiots and lend support to the one person who won't fuck us over over the next four years.

The only reason anybody will vote for Mitt Romney is either because they are rich, part of the Republicans, or (and this isn't everyone, but a good majority from my state fit into this) because they don't want to see anybody else other than a white male in office. People can argue up and down about these, but it's true, considering that almost every person I know that is voting for Romney is either because they are already Republican, against abortion, or just do not like Obama (plenty of old people have called him enough racist slurs in my town to where I can get extremely uncomfortable).

Honestly, its reasons like this that I hate the country I live in. I know things can be worse, but we aren't even dealing with leaders, we're dealing with salesmen. Nobody cares about policies anymore, all they care about is what color our leader is, and it pisses me off. They get blinded by religions and color and parties, when what really matters is being shoved out of the way like the terms and conditions! If I had it my way, we would have a vote on policy, not even showing the person it belonged to. You wouldn't know what party you were voting for, or who you were voting for, the only thing you know about the person is their policy, because THAT'S WHAT FUCKING MATTERS, not that other shit.

I swear, if that guy is elected I'll start saving so I can pack my bags for a more sensible country. However, I have a feeling that people will vote for the right person, after all the crap Romney's said and done. I'm still going to vote though, even if I hate politics with a passion.

If I had it my way, we would have a vote on policy, not even showing the person it belonged to.

Yes, so many ways, yes. This is what the United States needs, and if I remember US history I & II this is the way it was done before television became involved with our politics, or just about.

[Doctor Oak]

Whilst it's not a bad idea, it is a completely unworkable one. The fact is that there are two major philosophical and political views in the world (left and right, liberal and conservative) and everyone will fall down predominantly into one of those two camps. It really doesn't take much to work out whose personality, life and policies place them in which camps and in reality it's the same kind of labelling as we have now - just with different words.

Of course, the media frenzy for hyperbole, vitriol and a cult of personality seems to get worse every single US election - and the fact that Mitt Romney is getting away with blatantly lying about his positions and policies is basically a sign of a corrupt media that controls far more than it has any right to (all of which is in the pockets of one of the two major parties).

Over here, it's not as bad. Partly because we care less so the sheer level of noise is just quieter and partly because our biggest media source is the BBC - whose politicalness extends only as far as trying to not make too big an enemy of the Government at the time controlling its purse strings.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney wants to kill off the closest equivalent in America. Possibly because he knows that another commercial media outlet is likely to be another one in the hands of that 1% he's happy to be both a part of and a supporter of.

I'm so upset that I'm just a few months too young to vote in this election.

That aside, the idea of Romney in any office terrifies me. He's flipped positions on almost, if not every, issue just to appeal to voters. It's disgusting. He's a rich, spoiled brat who doesn't know how to lose.

Throw in the developing news that a lot of the electronic voting machines are manufactured by a company with ties to Bain Capital...oy.

I'm increasingly disgusted by how the election has been going -- especially how Romney got a bump from blatantly lying during the debates.

Maybe it's just because I'm young, but have the elections always been this bad?

I'm so upset that I'm just a few months too young to vote in this election.

That aside, the idea of Romney in any office terrifies me. He's flipped positions on almost, if not every, issue just to appeal to voters. It's disgusting. He's a rich, spoiled brat who doesn't know how to lose.

Throw in the developing news that a lot of the electronic voting machines are manufactured by a company with ties to Bain Capital...oy.

I'm increasingly disgusted by how the election has been going -- especially how Romney got a bump from blatantly lying during the debates.

Maybe it's just because I'm young, but have the elections always been this bad?

This, quite exactly, actually. I'm about half a year too young, which makes me rather upset about it.

Thing is, because Obama didn't seem so confident in the first debate as opposed to Romney, the ratings have been skewed, and that just pisses me off. I am glad that a good number of my friends who can vote are actually taking time to watch these things, along with considering what's beneficial for them and also, much more importantly, who they can trust. I'm just afraid that it's not enough, and most of my friends are either just a few months too young or just don't care.

And Cody, I remember several back I was rather disappointed with Kerry, or rather, my parents were. I don't remember how bad it was, but my dad, a strong democrat, ended up voting for Bush because he didn't think Kerry was as capable in office as Bush was, despite note liking a lot of Bush's policies and stuff.

I always find myself angry whenever I read posts like this but, meh.
I'm voting for Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, as US president. Despite him being dead.

I'm not old enough to vote, and if I was, I heard you'd have a more likely chance of being in jury duty, which I don't want. No voting for me.
If I could vote, I'd go for Mitt Romney. The economy has been going down since Obama has been in office. The stock market has been going up, but what will that do for the unemployed? Over time I've heard Obama say "If you vote for me, next year I will-" well, whatever he says he'd do if he was elected next time, he should've done now.

I will now end this without a political conclusion.

Actually, I beg to differ. Even though unemployment rates did go up during his presidency, it's come back down to 7.8%, the lowest it's been in four years. Economy isn't something that government itself can do, but also the responsibilities of various corporations and the people, though government intervention can help it.

And you also have to understand the complexity of our governmental system; Obama might have his policies, but if Congress doesn't approve or agree with him, there really isn't too much he can do other than veto laws and try to persuade them to see his point of view.

In addition, foreign relations has also improved significantly during his presidency, much thanks to Clinton, I would assume.

I'm not saying that Romney will be a horrible President, because it's a daunting job and gives many people, if not everyone, who's gotten the office many grey hairs and a few more wrinkles than before they got the Presidency. I just personally don't feel like I can trust Romney enough from the way he presents himself, and I don't agree with the policies he has, and therefore I feel like I would be more comfortable having Obama stay as a President than voting for Romney into the office.

... if that made any sense at all.

EDIT: Also, it disappoints me when I go on facebook and more than half of my friends are bashing each other about the debates and the political party they align themselves with.

I'm sorry, I might think differently than you, but it would be nicer if we just all talked to each other in a civilized way and not calling each other dumb, stupid, ignorant, dishonest, or whatever else. I have my opinions, you have yours, k?

Okay, last night's debate. Like dang.

"Please proceed, governor."

Hoh man. Guys, pro tip: if you're ever in a debate and the President of the United States invites you to proceed, it's probably a sign you're about to make a huge mistake.

[Linkachu]

I'm sorry for having nothing intelligent to add to this discussion. After being bombarded with it for days on our Canadian news/radio stations I've had enough of it and wish they'd get the damn election over with already. I can only imagine how annoying it must be for actual Americans. :P

Anyways, this:



Makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

[Doctor Oak]

Leaked Audio Captures Romney Asking Employers To Tell Their Employees How To Vote

Which goes along with (as linked at the bottom of the page) employers effectively telling their employees that if Obama wins, they will be fired.

I seriously think that anyone voting for this conniving, lying, bigotted little shit needs serious medical examination to determine their ability to reason and function in society. This isn't even a partisan thing any more, this man is just a fucking terrifyingly bad person and the thought of basically giving him the ability to affect everyone's lives on this planet is genuinely worrying.

I have nothing intelligent to contribute, personally, but I think this just about sums up Romney's credibility: http://samuel-warde.com/2012/10/romney- ... ed-part-1/

I'm not a big follower of politics, but I know full-well that even a halfway decent leader is trustworthy.

I am old enough to vote, so you better believe I'm gonna do my part in making sure this liar doesn't become one of the most powerful men in the world.

As much as I want Obama to win as well, I'm getting the feeling that your source, Valin, has a strong bias because of the "liberals unite" at the top of the website. Of course, in an election, it's hard to be unbiased, but using that as a source of saying "Romney is a liar" doesn't prove much. I could just as easily go to a conservative website and bring up videos about how Obama isn't the best person to vote for.

Point is, wouldn't it be better to analyze both sides from all angles, from every bias you can think of, or as close to it as you can, and then make a decision that way? I just feel like most people are going by "gut feeling" and what other people/media/whatnot are telling them, as opposed to figuring stuff out themselves. Okay, I'll admit that I'm probably a hypocrite for saying this, because I have a bias for some of the more liberal ideology, because that's just how I am for now, but I still wish more people would vote based on intelligence and research than "oh whatever, I think this guy is cool" or whatever.

[Teapot]

Point is, wouldn't it be better to analyze both sides from all angles, from every bias you can think of, or as close to it as you can, and then make a decision that way? I just feel like most people are going by "gut feeling" and what other people/media/whatnot are telling them, as opposed to figuring stuff out themselves. Okay, I'll admit that I'm probably a hypocrite for saying this, because I have a bias for some of the more liberal ideology, because that's just how I am for now, but I still wish more people would vote based on intelligence and research than "oh whatever, I think this guy is cool" or whatever.

I agree with you entirely, but unfortunately what you're asking is kinda contrary to human nature. Pack mentality is perhaps most evident in politics these days above all else- whether you're a liberal or a conservative, a red or a blue, that is your team and humans like to have a side to stick to, whether it be politics, sport, patriotism, or just "My favourite children's card game is better than yours."

On a less base level, it's also really really hard to have a completely objective view of politics because everyone who is likely to write about it will have an opinion, either openly (as in that Liberals Unite website) or less so, because even politically neutral sites (such as, supposedly, the BBC News site) are written by people with opinions, as much as they try to be neutral.

(In the BBC's case, it doesn't help that they're paid for by whatever government is in charge... so they have to try not to annoy them. )

Thank goodness I can vote this year. I got my absentee ballot because with my schedule, I'm hardly home anyways.

Similar to my boyfriend, I do share that we often pick whomever's feces are shiniest, though I am a bit more optimistic. I am definitely left-wing, but as all humans should do, I respect the other viewpoints. I do not, however, respect stupidity and poor logic. Sadly, even though I find Jill Stein to be an excellent candidate, I don't want to help cause another Nader situation and direct liberal votes to help someone win whom nearly all liberals are against (what I mean is that most liberals would have found Gore okay, but Bush was abhorrent). Thus, I have filled out my ballot for Obama--I just need to get the postage now.

Back to what I was saying about shiny feces and my slightly greater optimism--the thing is with votes is that even though every vote is a tiny drop in the bucket that almost doesn't count, like one would expect, drops add up. If enough people feel a certain way about a candidate, that one will win/lose. This is what I mean about optimism-- even though both candidates may be stinky, one should vote for the one that best supports one's ideals, even if it is a fill-in 'no choice' vote.

Sadly, even though I find Jill Stein to be an excellent candidate, I don't want to help cause another Nader situation and direct liberal votes to help someone win whom nearly all liberals are against (what I mean is that most liberals would have found Gore okay, but Bush was abhorrent). Thus, I have filled out my ballot for Obama--I just need to get the postage now.

Aaaaaand this is why our electoral system is broken. The Green Party has the kind of progressive platform we need as nation (and, yeah, I'll say it, world.) but they don't stand a chance so long as it's Red v. Blue.

I agree Cody. There are many more parties than Giant Douche and Terd Sandwich... er, Democrat and Republican, but unfortunately people tend to forget they exist because the big two control the media. Like Secad, I would rather vote for someone, anyone, other than Romney or Obama because frankly I'm not a fan of either one. I'm voting for Obama just because I find him to be the lesser of two evils.

Haha, I'm so late replying to this...

Everyone has pretty much summed up what I wanted to say so I don't feel the need to rehash that. I honestly went in with an objective approach; I voted for Obama in 2008, but I didn't want to just blindly vote for him this election. But Romney has said some stuff that just rubbed me the wrong way--most notably the 53%/47% comment. I know he came back and said he was wrong, but I know his voters honestly believe that. Honestly the sense of entitlement wrapped up in that statement is just a complete turn-off.

Also I know this isn't Romney's fault as all, but is anyone else creeped out by the comments on rape that Republicans are making? And that Romney hasn't said anything against it? If I'm wrong on the latter point, could someone provide me a reputable source?