Member545

Interesting analogy. It basically comes down to the money, there is so much being spent by each side that the election is everywhere. I think they are each spending $200 Million. Plus there are a bunch of new special interest groups that have multiple more millions to spend. Being the last superpower, it is important that everyone who can vote does vote. Hopefully all the negative ads won?t turn into more voter apathy.

Flowerfred

I'd say that in any given country probably about 0.1 percent know how to run it. What is the point of having 99.9 percent of the people, that do not have a clue, decide on the issue?

Shouldn't the weight of your vote be dependend on your IQ and/or expertise in the matter?

Member545

That is the way the orginal Greek Democracy was, only the elite voted. In a perfect system everyone would be equally educated and informed, but the world is far from perfect. This is the best we have for now.

Flowerfred

It is the ONLY you have for now.
And by doing what you're doing, you are making things worse, not better. The elections should be made so totally boring and low profile, that the average Jerry Springer / Oprah Winfrey / Friends etc. viewer cannot find any interest in it. You guys make them feel like they should be interested. So wrong.
If you are not interested in voting, you know nothing about it's importance and it is better if you don't.

I'd say one letter to every registered voter and that is it, no more attention, media or otherwise.
If you are looking for information, you will find it.

Member545

You may get your way if the trend continues.

"The United States might regard itself as the symbol of democracy around the world, but its citizens are hardly model voters.

America has among the lowest voter turnout of any democracy in the world based on participation in presidential and mid-term elections. According to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate (CSAE) over the last 30 years voter turnout has declined dramatically producing a series of historic lows.

It is the largest and longest decline in the nation's history - today 25 million Americans who used to vote no longer do so."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/americ...2000/597444.stm

530E60NL

I have only one thing to say... Not voting is voting too.. People who do not vote give others more power for their vote.. Is that democracy???

Member545

Right, only 24% of the U.S. population voted for Bush. Not very democratic.

Lomag

Bush is going to win again. It's not even going to be close. Not that I agree with everything he has done but Kerry just has no chance or clue. If Kerry should somehow win he isn't going to get any of those promises he made done because of the republican congress. That's just the way politics works.

It's really easy for people to bash someone else. Fact of the matter is that bush just had a tough 4 years and it's not his fault. The recession was not his fault. The stock market crash was not his fault. Sept 11th was not his fault. Those 3 things can actually be connected to Clinton. The only controversial thing Bush has done is go to Iraq. If he didn't go to Iraq he'd have this election in the bag. If I was president I wouldnt have gone to Iraq but now that we have gone there's no turning back and frankly it's good to have one less asshole dictator on the planet.

Lomag for president!

Member545

Lomag,
You really don't think it will be close? Both parties think it will be close and all the polls show it will be one of the closest races in history. I can't belive anyone who voted for Gore will vote for Bush now, and they are mobilizing thousands of new voters. Republicans have traditionally always had high turn out, so I don't see a lot of new voters their. We will know for sure in three weeks.

Bush may or may not have not been directly responsible for the three things you mention, but he failed to take care of any of them properly and he was on vacation the most time of any president before 9/11 so he wasn't trying.

Lomag

No, I honnestly don't think it'll be close but it won't be a blowout either. There certainly won't be lawsuits like in 2000. It seems to me like many previously democratic states are now swing states and previously republican states are still republican.

We'll just have to wait and see. I don't like Kerry because he won't stop spending. He'll say anything to please everyone regardless of the cost. Spending never ends with him, but that's the typical democratic stance. Bush stunk at spending too but that's all because of the wars. Without the wars the deficit probably wouldn't be so bad.

Frankly no matter who was president the last 4 years they would have had a tough time and I doubt the outcome would have been much different. It just wasn't a good time for America. Attacks, scandals, recession, stock crash, etc.. just bad times. Neither party could have prevented any of that.

Hopefully things get better regardless of who is president. I'm just tired of hearing nonsense from both sides.