Topic: President Obama wins re-election

[X]

Let me tell you this, PFG, my country has a political system completely different, and let me tell you this, everybody hates it.
Unlike USA who uses a majoritarian-state vote, it's a one-voting region proportionality vote which lets you vote for a party for parliament rather than state leader. Since the country is very split ideologically, we have 14 parties, that's right, 14 parties in the parliament ATM, 4 of them big parties with over 10 seats. The parties are VERY different ideologically, starting with social, liberal parties and ending with religious ( some almost racist) parties who try to promote religious legislation. Since no party has a majority they are forced to construct coalitions of at least 3 parties and whoever manages to build a bigger coalition becomes PM. All the politicians hate each other and often when a party leader has major ideological disagreements with his party members he leaves it to form a new party, fucking up the system. And then people annoyed by the party system go into politics forming their own parties, like a popular journalist who recently formed a new party, which is popular but its agenda is totally unclear.

This is just like Canada's Parliament system except we don't have the religious extremists in the House of Commons. Mainly cause we wouldn't allow it to get that out of hand. But like PFG9000 mentioned don't vote if you don't like any of the people or parties who're running. I haven't voted in three years because of the way politics are. It's a big mess and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if the big corporations are using their money and high status to bribe/threaten said politicians and/or people.

[Kale]

I didn't vote. I knew it would be screwed anyway. I thought Mitt Romney was gonna win though. But Obama winning is just the same in pretty much anything that might help us get out of the shit-filled ditch we're seemingly getting comfortable in.

I would've voted for Ron Paul, but he didn't get nominated. Even if I wrote him in, it wouldn't have counted in my state. And not to mention, Ron Paul supporters are also separated between him and Gary Johnson. And then there are people who think it'll be a wasted vote because they would be voting for someone they actually want because he's somehow predeteremined to lose. (Idiots)

And finally, I think that shit is rigged. Electoral votes are the only one that counts anyway.

[Flame]

It's shameful that the country that touts Democracy and loves to throw around Freedom and bring it places like a fucking birthday gift,  does not have a direct vote, and instead, relies on an out of date antiquated system, where electors are selected per state to actually vote. The Electoral College was created in an older time when people were far less educated and there was very little information readily available about a particular candidate. especially once you left the campaign places and went further out from there. So it was deemed that the people were not educated enough on the matters to vote and they would have electors who would, basically, vote for that state. (Not to mention, only the rich or people involved in politics and such ever really voted, so that cut the list down even more)

But nowadays, where information is available on a whim, wherever whenever, it is a system that is fucking outdated, unnecessary in this day and age,  and fucking shameful. Because it basically turns that "constitutional privilege" that "right" to vote and choose the leader, and flips it on it's head and throws it out the window. they say "people have died" to protect our right to Vote. Well their deaths were in vain and worthless, because our right to vote does not matter when there is a higher group of voters who actually decide the presidency despite what the rest of the country decides. 

Because if nobody in any state voted, the electoral college would still be there to do it. Look at some elections like Gore/Bush. Gore won the popular vote, in other words- the United States people CHOSE HIM, but the electoral college just so happened, because lets not be confused by fancy terminology here- becoming an elector is as random as being selected for jury duty- to be more republican than democrat. And so despite the vote winning Gore the presidency, The Electoral college shat all over that and selected Bush instead.

How the hell do people accept this? I don't get it. Why don't more people complain or protest the electoral college still existing? (well, we all know why, because of ignorance, thats why. half the people in the country probably either dont know it exists, or know the name but dont know what it really is)

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Let me tell you this, PFG, my country has a political system completely different, and let me tell you this, everybody hates it.
Unlike USA who uses a majoritarian-state vote, it's a one-voting region proportionality vote which lets you vote for a party for parliament rather than state leader. Since the country is very split ideologically, we have 14 parties, that's right, 14 parties in the parliament ATM, 4 of them big parties with over 10 seats. The parties are VERY different ideologically, starting with social, liberal parties and ending with religious ( some almost racist) parties who try to promote religious legislation. Since no party has a majority they are forced to construct coalitions of at least 3 parties and whoever manages to build a bigger coalition becomes PM. All the politicians hate each other and often when a party leader has major ideological disagreements with his party members he leaves it to form a new party, fucking up the system. And then people annoyed by the party system go into politics forming their own parties, like a popular journalist who recently formed a new party, which is popular but its agenda is totally unclear.

Problem, officer?

Indeed, other countries (my experience with this is in Ecuador) have many many MANY political parties, going from actual left (Communist Party lawlz) to actual right (Christian Conservative Party).  Let's not kid ourselves: The United States does not truly have a LEFT to RIGHT party mentality.  On a global prism, the USA is more like "Center Right" to "Extreme Right".  The more 'liberal' party (which I guess would be the Democrats) actually has what the world would view as centrist/moderate views, going more towards right.

For true "Left" examples, take a look at countries like Venezuela (though with that corrupt asshole Chavez buying popularity and making gas cheaper than water there, it's really more like a willfully-ignorant dictatorship).

[PFG9000]

For the record, I never said don't vote.  I think it's almost one's civic duty to vote.  I just think it's irresponsible to place your vote for somebody who isn't your #1 choice.

And Flame, I agree about the electoral college.  I've never understood the rationale behind it, and I think it's defeating the purpose of the popular vote.

[Gunlord]

I voted for Gary Johnson cause I truly believe in him

[Neobelmont]

Hmmm.... interesting so much stuff. Yet again it's politics and politics tend to make my head hurt I tell ya

[Mooning Freddy]

But like PFG9000 mentioned don't vote if you don't like any of the people or parties who're running.

Don't do that. Seriously, don't do that. In my city, currently there's a campaign the goal of which is to encourage people to vote. A really cool motto that they brought goes like this:
Johnny, a 24 years-old secular college student, voted for closing down the Smadar Cinema on Sabbath (Saturdays) ~ When you don't vote, some one else gets your vote.
You all remember the saying "the only thing required for evil to prevail is for good man to do nothing." This is exactly the way it is in politics- many liberal people choose not to vote because they are okay with how their life is, and as a result they may find that changes occur which they didn't know about. I think that political ignorance is in a certain way the enemy of democracy.

[TheCruelAngel]

I voted for Gary Johnson cause I truly believe in him

Hell yeah, Gary Johnson FTW! (Though he techincally didn't win and was chumped out of the debates, but I digress...)

I love the hate for the systems around here, makes me feel at home! Agreed, don't vote for someone you don't believe in. Lesser of two evils is an idiotic mindset and I just can't comprehend why you would even bother? I didn't vote between Obama and McCain because I didn't like either candidate. Does it mean I threw away my vote? Technically, no! Because the electoral college is there to make sure my voice is not mine and is heard.

Which brings me to my next point, electoral colleges. Why? We live in an age of computers and free information, so why can't the people's votes be their votes instead of a charade parading as the people's votes? I don't know, I make no claims to be knowledgeable about politics but even I can tell when something isn't right. I mean, it really brings on a "why bother?" mentality and I don't like it.

And ANOTHER point that was brought up that I also agree with, corporate agendas in politics. Corporations spend so much on campaign ads and donations that it isn't unheard of for them to bully politicians to vote for the corporation's agendas even if they are borderline unconstitutional. RIAA or SOPA anyone? I think the more we can separate corporate influence in politics the better.

I'm not excited about Obama's re-election, but it wasn't unexpected either. I felt he had the election in the bag from the get go and whoever he was running against was screwed. Regardless I hope the best for him and his family and this country some of us live in.

Also big wins for Washington state, legalized gay marriage and marijuana. But go to Colorado anyway guys, I'm tired of out of staters not knowing how to drive in the rain. 

[crisis]

I always felt that Mitt Romney is a Reptilian Humanoid in disguise.


X would know what I'm talking about~

[X]

I tend to think extra terrestrials are a lot smarter then Romney is...at least when it comes to religion anyways.

[beingthehero]

Aren't the grey aliens Jewish?

[Profbeanburrito]

I voted, and am very pleased with the results! The one thing I will say is that I feel the president did in his first term the best he could with what he had to work with. Unfortunately congress is still split and it will continue to be difficult for the country and the president. I just hope they can all com to some compromises that can benefit the country

[Ratty]

Let's not kid ourselves: The United States does not truly have a LEFT to RIGHT party mentality.  On a global prism, the USA is more like "Center Right" to "Extreme Right".  The more 'liberal' party (which I guess would be the Democrats) actually has what the world would view as centrist/moderate views, going more towards right.

Indeed, but there are many reasons why America has been so uniquely conservative among first world nations, and fortunately there are also reasons that this uniformity is changing. I think it's fairly safe to say that in most cases extreme conservatism is a position of fear, you wouldn't want a lot of guns and a huge military unless you (consciously or unconsciously) were very afraid of something. There have been studies supporting this http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/09/03/conservatives-and-liberals-have-different-brains-studies-show/ Very broadly speaking the conservative view is that the world and change is something to be fought against and kept out, while the more progressive one is to embrace progress.

There are many causes of this widespread fearfulness in the US but the single most important one is probably the Cold War. Two entire generations of Americans, first the baby boomers then the generation X'ers, grew up with the constant looming threat of total nuclear annihilation, preparing to fight a third world war that never came.
45 odd years of going to sleep not knowing if you and everyone in your city will be dead before you wake up understandably bred quite a bit of paranoia.

Consequently the cold war period saw a rejection of any ideas that might remotely be considered communist or socialist because of paranoia over possible communist influence or infiltration. The popular term for something or someone who wasn't entirely communist but seemed sympathetic to or reminiscent of ideas from it was "Pinko", not entirely "Red" but close enough. This was probably the start of the fear of "big government" which we still see today.

This era also saw a strengthening of ties of Christianity to the conservative side of government. Initially as a way to distinguish Americans from "godless atheist" communists (this was when "One nation under God" was added to the pledge of allegiance, and when "In God We Trust" was made our official motto) then further when an amalgamation of the historically bickering and backbiting myriad Christian denominations settled their differences to become a political force following the legalization of abortion with Roe. v. Wade in 1973.
Particularly but certainly not only Evangelical preachers steeped themselves deeply into politics, and the hardy fraternity between religious leaders and American conservative talking heads and politicians is held firmly to this day. You can see an example of this in play for the just-passed Presidential election in this humorous montage put together by a prominent atheist on youtube.

(click to show/hide)

NON-STOP TOTAL FAIL!!

I could go on for a long time about other things, how most Americans are sheltered from the more unpleasant facts of their own history such as the well documented genocide of millions of Native Americans. But those listed above are the main reasons American conservatism flourished in the last century.

In the 20th Century when America still had a vast wealth of natural resources and the benefit of being one of the few first world nations without a country to be rebuilt following two world wars, it didn't much matter how insular and conservative Americans wanted to be, they still had enormous clout. But with a modern world which has unprecedented travel of both physical bodies and (especially) information the xenophobia of yesteryear is more outdated every day. The cultural and racial makeup of America is changing and changing fast, and the 1950s will never come back. For which I am eternally grateful.

[Flame]

amen to that. i hope modern ideas and rationality and reason win out over the antiquated fears and phobias and irrational behaviors of yesteryear