Romney? Obama? Does it even Matter?

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I can't believe we are just a few months away from possibly having a new president but everyone seems so utterly disinterested in either of the popular candidates.

Is anyone motivated enough to vote this year? Mitt Romney and Barrack Obama are pretty much the same person and the two aren't enough to inspire me to wait hours in line to vote. Both supported the massive multi-billion dollar bailouts (i.e. TARP) at the expense of taxpayers, both would inch closer to an unavoidable war with Iran (How long can you "renew" sanctions?), both are blindly expanding the unnecessary power of the federal government (Gitmo, pro-PATRIOT Act), and neither one seem really capable of curbing wild government spending. Understandably, there is some difference in tone but they are the same animal with different colors.

For some, I am sure they will vote on social non-issues like abortion, gay rights, and etc. but in the jist of it all, does it have any impact? Anyone else struck with severe voter apathy in this election cycle? Does anyone feel strongly about any of the two popular candidates?

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Dario Western said:

I am not an American, but I think Barack Obama is the best President the country has had in a long time since Jimmy Carter. At least he is not an adulterer or a warmonger like his two predecessors were.

You Americans need more government spending on health and education, especially having a healthcare system that is subsidised and accessible to all and improvements on the education system so that everybody knows how to read, write, spell, count, and punctuate properly before being allowed to use a computer let alone the internet. The whole K1 education system is a joke. If you fail a grade, your loss. You only get one chance to pass - the real world is not like a computer that will give you an infinite amount of chances to get a question right before moving onto the next one.

Whoa, whoa...not a warmongerer? Obama got us involved in Libya and continued the course in Afghanistan and Iraq. Personally, I don't care what a president does in his sex life, but we can't afford another war. This country has already shot it's wargasm more then enough times in a century. We need to get less involved in aggression.

Which brings me to the next point; we have to curtail spending. This nation is broke and throwing money at education and healthcare is not a real solution. Nor is making school harder on students going to help.

[qwertygirl]

"social non-issues".... spoken like someone unaffected by those social issues personally.

For those of us who are women, or LBGT, those are important and very real issues, and differentiate the two candidates plenty.

I'm paraphrasing something I read recently, which I can't find to quote: If all else is the same, I'll take the candidate that isn't actively and openly homophobic, sexist and heterosexist, thanks.

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qwertygirl said:

"social non-issues".... spoken like someone unaffected by those social issues personally.

I just know better that it is a carrot and stick issue. Canidates talk lots about social issues to energize their base to the voting booth but that is all it ever amounts to; talk. Abortion is one issue where either side makes empty threats that never occur (i.e. "X candidate will criminalize abortion! President Y is going to make post-birth abortions legal!")

Our foreign policy carries a heavier, collective impact on us than whether a court house displays the Ten Commandments or not.

[Alan Wisbey]

Well you know man, democracy does not equal two candidates, or two parties for that matter. But then again I'm British, so perhaps my opinion won't count for much? But in reality - it does matter to a degree, but not that much. Both men, as president, will continue much the same policies - the policies necessitated by empire, for the most part. Of course, what most Americans don't seem to realise, is that for most of Obama's term in office you've had a Republican government, so actually Obama has been able to wield much less influence than Bush did. Maybe if the American people had voted differently in that respect, you might've seen a lot more accomplished over the last four years. Bush had much more of a free hand, in comparison.

But yeah, generally both men will have to do mostly the same stuff in office - once they get elected, they find their hands tied by all kinds of things like that. It's just down to whether you want a guy who wants to do good who finds himself doing evil things, or an evil guy who's happy to do evil things. Or maybe that's too much of a simplification. Voting for Romney is like voting for Bush though - how can you even hope for a good outcome to anything, if you do that?

[Curious George]

I find it odd and a bit humorous that foreign counties outside of U.S. always like the president that is the absolute worst for America. The media convolutes things so badly, spreads misinformation, leave out truths, spreads distortions, I can see why people are confused. And it's only getting worse. 

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/147038/pew-75-of-ameri... 

Jade West said:

Why do you think Jimmy Carter was a good presidenT?
Dario Western said:

I am not an American, but I think Barack Obama is the best President the country has had in a long time since Jimmy Carter. At least he is not an adulterer or a warmonger like his two predecessors were.

You Americans need more government spending on health and education, especially having a healthcare system that is subsidised and accessible to all and improvements on the education system so that everybody knows how to read, write, spell, count, and punctuate properly before being allowed to use a computer let alone the internet. The whole K1 education system is a joke. If you fail a grade, your loss. You only get one chance to pass - the real world is not like a computer that will give you an infinite amount of chances to get a question right before moving onto the next one.

That's what it was like when I was at school. You were only allowed to repeat one grade if you failed it, usually in primary school. If you copped out on high school you were put into the workforce or had to go on the dole until you found a job.

Also, gay rights and abortion are not non-issues. There are many powerful politicians from the RRR who want to ensure that they do not become legal across the whole of America no matter how much the general public might support these causes. They might not be as pressing as health and education matters as such, but they are still important that they are not denied to women and GBLT people who want to get married.

Over in Australia, we have had one politician from the right-wing Liberal-National Party resign after he recently said in an interview that legalising gay marriage was a prelude to allowing polygamy and bestiality in our culture.

In a nutshell, I would definitely vote Obama if I lived in America. But it'd be nice if someone like the Libertarians, or the Greens were to get in for once. Republicans are thick as planks IMHO.

[☆ ViRGiNiA ☆]

Romney all the way!!!

[Curious George]

I would tend to agree with that.

☆ ViRGiNiA ☆ said:

Romney all the way!!!

[Curious George]

Here is where we are at with the current regime:

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57529920/teen-returns-to-school... 

Our freedom of speech, even our thinking, is rapidly erroding under this regime. They put words in our mouths. If you say you don't like the current president or would not vote for him, you are suddenly labeled as a racist. Is this what this county needs? You don't see the controls being put in place here? If not I feel sorry for you, because this is the beginnings of fascism. Read up on Stalin, Saddam, and Hitler. 

 

Cover it up with "joking", typical. Doesn't look like there was any "joking" going on there to me.

 

Curious George said:

I find it odd and a bit humorous that foreign counties outside of U.S. always like the president that is the absolute worst for America. The media convolutes things so badly, spreads misinformation, leave out truths, spreads distortions, I can see why people are confused. And it's only getting worse. 

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/147038/pew-75-of-ameri...

Jade West said:

Why do you think Jimmy Carter was a good presidenT?
Dario Western said:

I am not an American, but I think Barack Obama is the best President the country has had in a long time since Jimmy Carter. At least he is not an adulterer or a warmonger like his two predecessors were.

You Americans need more government spending on health and education, especially having a healthcare system that is subsidised and accessible to all and improvements on the education system so that everybody knows how to read, write, spell, count, and punctuate properly before being allowed to use a computer let alone the internet. The whole K1 education system is a joke. If you fail a grade, your loss. You only get one chance to pass - the real world is not like a computer that will give you an infinite amount of chances to get a question right before moving onto the next one.

That's what it was like when I was at school. You were only allowed to repeat one grade if you failed it, usually in primary school. If you copped out on high school you were put into the workforce or had to go on the dole until you found a job.

Also, gay rights and abortion are not non-issues. There are many powerful politicians from the RRR who want to ensure that they do not become legal across the whole of America no matter how much the general public might support these causes. They might not be as pressing as health and education matters as such, but they are still important that they are not denied to women and GBLT people who want to get married.

Over in Australia, we have had one politician from the right-wing Liberal-National Party resign after he recently said in an interview that legalising gay marriage was a prelude to allowing polygamy and bestiality in our culture.

In a nutshell, I would definitely vote Obama if I lived in America. But it'd be nice if someone like the Libertarians, or the Greens were to get in for once. Republicans are thick as planks IMHO.

[goodomen]

I largely agree with Dario Western. Stop the imperialism and sort your country out!

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Curious George said:

I find it odd and a bit humorous that foreign counties outside of U.S. always like the president that is the absolute worst for America.

Such as whom specifically? I could think of so many presidents which do not fulfill that stereotype.

Curious George said:

The media convolutes things so badly, spreads misinformation, leave out truths, spreads distortions, I can see why people are confused. And it's only getting worse.

True, but the it isn't a one way street. The media reports what the people are willing to listen to. We have a corporate sponsored media that makes a living on giving viewers what they want exactly. It is a rather sad truth which requires little observation to notice; many viewers are more interested in talking points than facts and desire to listen to someone who reinforces their convictions as opposed to challenging those sacred cows of their's. People don't want to know the truth...they just want to know they are right and are comfortable with that.

Curious George said:

Our freedom of speech, even our thinking, is rapidly erroding under this regime. They put words in our mouths. If you say you don't like the current president or would not vote for him, you are suddenly labeled as a racist. Is this what this county needs? You don't see the controls being put in place here? If not I feel sorry for you, because this is the beginnings of fascism. Read up on Stalin, Saddam, and Hitler.

I don't know which place in the world you live in, but this isn't Eritrea. There is no thought police here to enforce the national dialogue or channel it's direction. I've never seen this national policy of deeming any criticism at the president as being racist either. I understand it is attractive for partisans on both sides of the political spectrum to believe they are being persecuted by a regime inching closer to fascism but you honestly need to look up on the definition of fascism.

[Jason Stumpner]

I'm planning on voting for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate. I like her "Green New Deal" , and think that she's the best choice for President.