Do you know how the DNC got on against the MTV VMAs genji? Given how much Obama targets the young vote...
No but my vague and subjective impression is that those who watched the VMAs thought they sucked really quite hard. Of course, I'm not 'following' teenage pop music fans. This is a bit of fun from the NY Times but they've already done all the good words. Seriously, my honest impression of the whole thing is how fundamentally scared Republicans are. The violent language and sheer hatred they have for Obama and democrats generally is breathtaking - far beyond anything I've ever experienced in watching and reading about British politics. To me that indicates a deep, pathological fear of anyone who is different and I have to say (bringing my own prejudices to the table) I blame Christianity and the way it polarises the entire world, making everything "good" or "evil" and deciding which is which, for that. It's also shocking that, as far as I can tell having spoken with a fair few, all Republicans without exception believe the America Constitution (presumably including the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights) is based on the bible. The people who call themselves patriots and call their political opponents "anti-American" really think their laws are god's laws.
As 1) an American and 2) someone who tries to be pretty open minded and fair, I'd have to say this is pretty close to the truth. I didn't like Obama when he got elected (still don't like him), but as our President I still wanted him to be successful for the sake of my country. However, he really hasn't improved anything. Honestly, both Romney and Obama are idiots. I don't want either of them to be elected into office. The trouble now is my vote basically has to be between the lesser of two evils, which is a crappy position to be in. Also, as someone who is a Denver resident, that shooting was really terrible, but that doesn't change the fact that the kid is a lunatic. When you buy any guns, that are legal to be purchased in the state, you have to undergo a background check and answer questions, one of which asks if you are on any medication for an illness. This kid was taking medicine cause he has a mental problem and was actively going to psychiatry and what not, but he lied and left it off of the form. Had he answered truthfully, he wouldn't have been sold any guns, its that simple. Besides, a lot of the gun crime that happens in our country is because of people illegally acquiring guns, not from those who go through the proper steps.
Honestly, thats why I have become more and more disillusioned with the Republican party. The constant religious crap gets really annoying. There is a reason we have this thing called Separation of Church and State! I wouldn't say that all Republicans believe that about the constitution, although I do know a few that are like that and they are really annoying to talk to about anything political. I am myself pretty moderate nowadays, but some of the stuff the Republican candidates said over the debates namely Michelle Bachmann, who is an idiot, and Rick Perry, who is also an idiot has made me sort of realize how bad some of them are. Not to say then that the Democrats don't have problems too. Any of the more hardcore liberals I know are extreme hypocrites and tend to be really snobby and preach about fairness and wanting diversity and blah blah blah, it gets old. They always talk about wanting to tax the rich more to distribute to the poor, but then all the taxpayer money goes into BS gov't programs that don't do anything. Also, you wanna talk about gaffes? VP Joe Biden is the absolute KING of saying stupid ****, seriously. He has said a ton of stuff that Obama has had to come out and say, "Well thats not what he meant" when he clearly meant exactly what he said, and is just and idiot. But yea, politics is messed up in my country and I'm surrounded by morons.
I think that's common to all western democracies and all parties (or, at least, all those with any hope of being elected). I certainly wouldn't argue that the UK is any less messed up but we'll get to that in 2015. Gaffe-wise, I think Biden's says things out of turn, such as revealing Obama's stance on gay marriage when Obama (and his advisors) wanted to wait for the moment of maximum electoral effect, but he's in no way the 'king' of saying stupid ****. He's kind of dumb but harmless and elicits a rolling of eyes rather than open-mouthed speechlessness. Calling 47% of the population a bunch of no good freeloaders because they're in receipt of welfare support when the majority of welfare recipients are in your own party's safe states, spraying on the fake tan to appear on Spanish-language TV and claim your chances of being elected would be much better if you were a Mexican, or condemning actual real-life patriots working in American embassies to improve the country's standing for trying to diffuse a highly volatile situation as extremist sympathisers, has to qualify Romney as the absolute king of utter gobshitery. I will be amazed if he turns up for tonight's debate given that he should be spending all the time between now and 6th November visiting every registered Republican in the US to apologise face-to-face.
I thinks its fair to say by now that Romney isn't going to win this election. Or at least I don't see it happening. Obama will be re-elected and hopefully he can improve things in his second term. I'm not terribly confident in his abilities, but I at least think that given more time he can probably do better than Romney overall. This is also coming from someone who leans a bit more right and is registered as a Republican (I don't mind sharing that). I've just been so fed up with the Republican Party as of late. But still, I won't vote for Obama, because while I think he gets some stuff right, other stuff I can't agree with, but thats how politics is. Actually thats how the world is, you can't please everyone. Which is actually what I think Obama's problem was from the first election. He made to many big promises and claimed he could fix it all, but he hasn't kept his word at all on some things and hasn't had the time to properly fix others.
The problem with politicians, and voters, is they only look at the short-term. politicians don;t do what is best for the people, they do what's best to keep them in power.
Exactly I completely agree. That's why its become a petty squabble between the democrats and the republicans over the stuff they care about, and not what they got elected into office to do.
This. No politician is going to come out and say "fossil fuels are becoming unsustainable so we're commissioning 20 new nuclear power stations so our country has an independent energy supply for 100 years".
I don't know if it's notably ironic or simply depressing that all elections anywhere are now all about "the economy, stupid," which is the biggest area of political debate over which governments have virtually no control. Since Reagan and Thatcher tripped the light fantastic in sync with the cycles of boom and bust, the one inroad into managing the economy that governments (executive and legislative branches combined) can make - regulation - is considered by politicians across the board to be the road to electoral oblivion. Yet they continue to make it the focus of every election. This is part of the reason why I think they're all playing a game of stepping stones. Obama will earn a damn sight more on the lecture/advisor circuit as a two-term president, but even a one-term president has a healthy and wealthy retirement laid out before him. Like Cameron here, it's not a question of public service but of what they can get out of it. Romney double-crossed and contradicted the Republican ticket and Ryan's economic plan so many times last night with the devil-you-know trickle-down economic policy of the primaries and the tax cuts for 'job creators' of his fundraisers to last night's "no tax cuts for the rich" shape-shifting and Obama failed or refused to pull him up on it. Ed Miliband pulled off a substantial conference poll 'bounce' this week by managing to appear (I choose my words carefully) authentic and committed so clearly people respond to that but as soon as they're "in power" the utter dearth of actual power becomes obvious and we grow even more jaded and cynical. I wonder if letting the world's financial framework collapse in 2008 to force regeneration and renewal might not have been a wiser course of action than 'leading' us all into this cesspit of austerity? What do you think? The key moment in last night's debate for me was when Romney told Obama that the rich were doing very well in this economy, thank you very much, and Obama, amazed, bit his tongue rather than react.
My money's on Mitt Romney for this. I was reading the Currant Bun the other day (I know, poor showing, but I was doing 'research', honest guv') and I couldn't help noticing how anti-Obama, Pro Romney it was, and I pretty much know that the editorial of said rag is strictly govern by Goebbles II, and as he owns most of America's media, I can't see it being different over there, so I think he'll sway the mindless majority swing votes Romney's way.
First up, as a Romney supporter, i hope he wins. Secondly, there is no way he will win. Can you honestly see a black guy voting for a middle/upper class mormon? All Obama has to do is play the race card, and he's won, and considering he's been playing that card for the last 4 years, i don't see anything changing soon. He also has the fickle celebrities backing him, all Romney has is businessmen, in the real world, Romney and his tycoons should win, but in America, where celeb worship>>>sensible business, it's already a forgone conclusion. Enjoy another 4 years of your deeply moronic, totally incompetent ****** of a candidate. I wonder how many more holes of Golf he can fit in instead of dealing with the US's problems. On the plus side, at least it's not Ron Paul.
Possibly showing my Britishness here but I'd rather have Obama in and potentially not sorting out America's problems than have Romney in and be guaranteed to witness America go backwards in terms of factors like healthcare. Nothing will change in America until there is a revolution however. Perhaps if the Occupy protestors became a bit less kind and were able to encourage a few more people to take back politics from where it is now.
