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Voting

Discussion in 'Mature Discussion' started by Kitty, Sep 9, 2015.

  1. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    I know presidential elections are still a little ways away, but they're coming up quick, and every day in the news there's something about some candidate or another. So I was wondering how many of you have voted in the past, and/or are planning on voting in the future, either in presidential, state, or local elections. I think the majority of active members are of voting age. No one necessarily has to share which parties or candidates he or she endorses, or anything like that.

    ---

    I've never voted before, partly because when I was younger I was under the erroneous assumption that registering to vote put me in the jury duty pool, which I wanted to avoid, and partly because I've always sort of felt that regardless of who wins, he or she is probably a liar who won't keep any of his or her promises anyhow, so what did it matter? But I have changed my tune, and will most definitely be voting in the next elections, all the way up from city/county. My change of heart is partly because, living in Kentucky, I am so incredibly ashamed of my state's behavior in regards to the recent Supreme Court decision about same sex marriage, among other things. Just, I swear this is one of the most hillbilly, backwards states. It's embarrassing. And maybe my one vote wouldn't vote out bigots and idiots, but maybe it would, you know? Likewise, as far as the presidential race, some of these candidates are downright terrifying, and the idea of not voting against them isn't something I can live with this time around.

    Is anyone else planning on voting? Or not have any plans to do so? It's something I've been thinking about more and more while reading/watching the news, and I wonder if anyone else feels the same.
     
    Angel likes this.
  2. Angel

    Angel Lion Heart Staff Member Administrator

    I have voted before, ironically I had just turned 18 when it came time. I didn't have the slightest idea about the candidates nor did I really care. But what was beaten into me for the better part of 18 years at the time. Democrats were generally in support of my income bracket and demographics, so my cast was to them.

    But this time around, I'm going to be a little more informed. I'm kinda scared about people who will vote for Donald Trump for the lols. It really terrifies me.
     
    Kitty likes this.
  3. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    I would 1000% times rather Trump take the office than Huckabee or Cruz. Those two are religious nutcases who apparently want to turn this country into a theocracy and go back to the days of stoning people who are different or don't agree with them, based on some of the comments I've seen out of them recently. They also don't seem to have a problem with people picking and choosing to follow or not follow laws when it suits them, in defiance of lawful court orders, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution. Scary.

    Trump blurts out whatever the hell he's thinking (and what he's thinking is frequently moronic, IMO), and I think he will be a complete embarrassment as far as dealing with foreign leaders goes, given the hissy fits he's already thrown with American reporters, but at least he appears to respect the Constitution and the laws of the land. Realistically, I don't know what his chances are of getting the nomination, though. What I've read so far seems to think he'll start fading into the background the closer the election gets. What's sad is that when you look at the rest of the Republican nominees, what else is there to choose from? Please not another Bush.

    ---
    I'm usually in an awkward place as far as the two main political parties go, because as a business owner (albeit a small one), Republicans tend to keep the taxes down and make more beneficial decisions in that regard, while I align much more closely to the Democrats with regards to personal beliefs like my right to have a freaking abortion if I want to. As far as this election goes, I'm pretty sure I'd vote for Satan himself if he was running as a Democrat, if the alternative was voting for one of these Republicans.
     
  4. Become

    Become Resident Tashian Staff Member Moderator Content Writer

    The first election I was eligible for (2008) wasn't of much concern to me. Needless to say I didn't vote in that one.

    I did throw my vote in for the 2012 election. I voted Gary Johnson, who had been running for the Libertarian Party. His positions as stated seemed to fall in line with my own views. In general, I find myself identifying more prominently with third party candidates. Between Democrats and Republicans, and the respective media that gets forced down peoples' throats from them, I feel that the country has been jostled too much from one side to the other, and the best way to branch the two sides and get them working together is to put more people in that can fit inbetween and find compromises that benefit everyone; that's how I view the Libertarians. I feel that getting more people to vote third party can help open eyes to the fact that it's not necessarily the choice between a lesser of two evils.

    All I can really say about 2016 is that I'm going to do whatever I can to not see someone like Trump in office. Hell, I might just vote Democrat if it means keeping to crazies on the right out of office.
     
    Kitty likes this.
  5. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    I've been curious about some third party candidates in the past (though I haven't really gone looking at anyone besides the obvious 'in my face' candidates for this upcoming election yet), but I can't shake the feeling that voting for them is throwing away my vote because there's no way in hell they'll be elected. Probably, I think a lot of people might feel that way, and if everyone who did actually did vote for them, they might actually win. o_O

    It's hard not to agree with that. XD
     
  6. Desert Warrior

    Desert Warrior Well-Known Member

    It's funny. Everybody makes it seem to be that "If X gets elected, this country is going to be destroyed" or some other kind of fear mongering. But even if Trump gets elected, I'm not going to be afraid for this country or anything. The person who wins the Presidency has always had somebody saying they're going to ruin the country. Hell, this goes at least as far back as Andrew Jackson. So at the very least, understand that we will survive no matter who our leader is.

    Y'know, I can admit that back during the 2008 elections, I supported Huckabee. I didn't know much about the candidates and there was some stupid class thing where we had to write a paragraph or something about who we supported (I really don't remember what the assignment was, only that there was a school related reason for me to pick somebody). Anyways, I briefly looked over what his stances were at the time and I tended to agree with him. At the very least, I agreed with him more than the other people who were in the running. That being said, nowadays he is coming off as too religious for me and I definitely don't want him to become the next President.

    That's what's annoying me with the Republican party and Conservatives in general today. I feel that they're coming off as too religious and it is that religious aspect that is turning people away. They need to tone it down and not have it be a main facet of their stances.

    The general stance on Ben Carson seems to be rather positive. At the very least I know the Democrats are more okay with him than somebody like Trump.
     
  7. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    True. Besides, the odds of the president getting anything accomplished with Congress there to potentially block him or her every step of the way is probably not too good.

    I have to admit that I kind of have a morbid curiosity to see what would happen if Trump won.

    I honestly don't have a problem with a president with a strong religious background. I don't believe, exactly (more like I have a healthy dose of fear), but I've never had a problem with anyone who does as long as they don't try to force their beliefs on others. And I feel like Huckabee and Cruz in particular are trying to do that, and it doesn't sit well with me. I don't want the government telling me what I can or can't do based on some old book that not everyone agrees with. And I have huge problems with any politician who supports Kim Davis. No matter how they want to spin it, she's a criminal, and a president who thinks it's okay for someone to violate court orders and illegally discriminate against others from a position of power in government, not to mention being elected and earning a salary from taxpayers while refusing to do her job, does not deserve to be in charge. Huckabee is also not doing himself any favors by aligning himself with people like the Duggars, another group of holier than thou hypocrites.

    Yeah, I haven't heard too much negative about him, especially compared to the other Republicans. I believe the early polls show him pretty close to Trump, not that they mean all that much yet.
     
  8. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    So, the presidential race has narrowed some after these recent primaries, probably for the better, as it has been a bit too crowded to really pay good attention to everyone. Unfortunately, now that we can hear, too many of the candidates seem like they've just escaped from the loony bin, even the ones who previously seemed sane *sigh* I will definitely be following this race closely, and suggest that my fellows out here get off their asses and register to vote if they haven't yet. Do you really want a bunch of old people dictating the policy that's going to directly affect you for years to come?

    Speaking of, shout out to my Kentucky brothers and sisters who've allowed just that in our most recent election. Less than 30 percent voter turn out, leading to the win of one of the most inept for the job I've ever seen. There is something to be said for willful ignorance, when 60-70 percent of entire counties are on expanded Medicaid or on the state health care exchange, yet 60-70 percent of those same counties also voted for the tea-party douchebag whose entire platform was focused on scaling back Medicaid and dismantling the state exchange. Way to have your own health at heart, Kentucky! It's amazing. I've read articles from people with quotes like "Yeah, I'm worried about keeping my health care, but I've always voted Republican, so...", or who admitted that they were willing to throw their own health care to the wind because they wanted to cast a vote for someone who was against gay marriage and abortion. Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to cut off your own nose because you disapprove of how other people lead their lives?! Which has zero effect on you?

    This angry word vomit is my PSA to people to educate themselves on the issues, and to freaking vote, yes, even in midterm elections. Goddamn.
     
  9. Angel

    Angel Lion Heart Staff Member Administrator

    Guys, these primaries are scaring me!

    Trying to decide the lesser of two evils
     
    Kitty likes this.
  10. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    Feel The Bern, @Angel. Sanders is legit the only honest guy in the race, and the only one who seems sincere in wanting to help average citizens like us, rather than lining the pockets of big business and the other rich assholes.

    Can we all agree that the whole world will laugh at us if somehow Trump gets elected? But yet somehow, to someone like me with rather liberal social values, he's somehow the least scary GOP candidate. I never thought I'd say this, but I am so disappointed that Jeb! is out of the race. His family who came before him were fuck ups, but at least they weren't pushing for a Christian theocracy, or carpet bombing civilians overseas.

    Also, let me step up on my soap box again and bitch at all you eligible members who aren't voting, even in the primaries. Us young folk are hugely underrepresented because we're too damn lazy, or too busy with school/work, or too disillusioned to think our votes count to show up and cast a vote. And that needs to stop. I realize I was one of those not too long ago, but this is a damn scary election for a lot of reasons, and we're going to have to live with the consequences.

    Edit: And the Senate and House races, as well as your local elections, are just as, if not more important than the Presidential race. As we've seen with Barack Obama, a president can't do much good if his Congress is full of opposition who refuse to work with him.
     
    Angel and NeRo like this.
  11. NeRo

    NeRo Your Supreme Lord And Savior Staff Member Administrator

    i honest to god, am scared that Trump is winning things. like this is really bad and people don't even see how much harm he can cause to us. Bern gets my voite because he seems to be the only on willing to help the average citizen not the suits. especilly since he wants to help college folk like myself who have loans. hilary is a joke and everyone i've met that's voting for her tells me this

    " im voting for hilary because that means bill will be back in office" That's literally their reasoning. though i can understand it. it's not the right move. If youre not for trump you need to be for bernie. My mom's boyfreind is voting for trump and i had a big fight with him because he's a dumb ass. he said that because trumps a businessman he'll change things.

    He's a shitty businessman though and a shitty person. god people are so fucking dumb these days.

    WATCH THIS NUFF SAID

     
    Kitty likes this.
  12. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    ^ John Oliver is fantastic. I saw this a few days ago and laughed so hard. He's absolutely right, too. #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain.

    Drumpf fans are actually scarier than he is, and that's saying something. They blindly follow him even though he's put forth like no real policies to show how he's planning to "make America great again," and they eat up his racist and bigoted comments and spread the hate around to others. He had a rally here in Louisville on Tuesday which had legit white supremacists trying to recruit from his supporters, and they attacked at least one black woman, physically pushing her while calling her a nigger and cunt (all caught on camera, while Drumpf shouted to get her out), and there were a couple other people attacked, too. How the hell is Drumpf supposed to take care of this country when he can't even hold a rally safe for everyone to end, whether they blindly agree with him or not? Contrast that with Bernie Sanders, who stepped aside from his own rally when Black Lives Matters protesters came up to the stage, gave them his microphone, and let them speak, then finished his own speech. He honestly seems like a wonderful human being, and his wife is also an activist, a classy lady, and would make a perfect first lady.

    I would suggest that any Democrats or Dem-leaning Independents vote for Bernie. I know the media is pushing Hillary, and claiming she swept Super Tuesday and all, but the states she won are deep southern states (except Massachusetts, where they virtually tied anyway) that almost always vote Red in the general elections anyway. Bernie won swing states, and traditional Blue states. Despite the way the media tries to swing it, he's performing very well. Polls that I've seen online suggest that Bernie can beat any GOP candidate in a head to head, while Hillary would only barely squeak by with a victory or outright lose. Plus Bernie's just the most honest, and has a long track record supporting his goals. Hillary, in my opinion, tends to pander to whoever she's talking to at the moment, and there's no denying she's in with the banks and big corporations, and the media favors her for that reason. Don't get me wrong; if she's the candidate, I'll vote for her anyway, because I think four years of Republicans, especially these Republicans, would be disastrous. But I'm really hoping Bernie pulls through and takes the lead.

    We all just need to get out and vote, and get our friends and family to vote, too.
     
    NeRo likes this.
  13. NeRo

    NeRo Your Supreme Lord And Savior Staff Member Administrator

    You know what you mention the media trying to swing the idea of hilary but in truth, Bernies numbers are better. here just take a listen





    i don't have all the answers sometimes when people ask me about bernie or trump but i have the ability to direct them to the answers and resouces.
     
    Kitty likes this.
  14. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    ^ Spot on in both of those videos, in my opinion. Those were the numbers I'd seen regarding Hillary or Bernie vs the GOP clown car. It just makes sense in this case to vote Bernie. If Hillary can't defeat someone 30% of polled Floridians (as well as a chunk of the (albeit mostly trolling) internet) believe is the Zodiac Killer, why would we put her in a position to be crushed and give right wing nut jobs the upper hand? It's idiotic.

    And there is definitely a huge bias in the media about Bernie. Even when the media acknowledges something good about him, they write it up and spin it in a condescending or negative way. And hell, did you see how Bill Clinton was actually inside polling places in Massachusetts? That's totally illegal, but I'm sure nothing will come of it. And Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard had to step down from her position on the DNC in order to endorse Bernie, because the rest of the party was giving her shit about it. Ridiculous.

    Hopefully, his supporters who have yet to vote in their state's primaries refuse to be deceived by this bullshit, and continue the fight. My shitty state's Dem primary isn't until May 17th, so by that point, most everyone else will have voted already (and my state will no doubt go Red in the general anyway, no one gives a shit about Kentucky), but I'll be voting for him no matter what.
     
    NeRo likes this.
  15. Become

    Become Resident Tashian Staff Member Moderator Content Writer

    I suck as an American, seeing as I need to ask this, but are the presidential primaries open or closed elections? Like, do I have to be affiliated with a party in order to vote?
     
  16. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    @Become: it varies by state. I know Kentucky is a closed primary, meaning you have to be registered as a member of that party to vote. Some states are semi-closed, meaning you can be registered as a member of the party holding the primary or registered independent. Some states are open, and anyone registered can vote regardless of affiliation. And the states have different laws about how close to the election you can register or change affiliation and still be eligible to vote. Election information is found on the state's secretary of state website, I think.

    Also, is anyone else tired of hearing shit like "So-and-so's got the black/Hispanic/women vote"? I don't know, it just sounds presumptuous and rude. Also, why do politicians have to pander to different groups? Just have one clear message that's good for most everyone.

    Edited because I think my reply sounds a little Know-It-All-esque. Sorry, didn't mean it to come across that way. >_<
     
  17. Become

    Become Resident Tashian Staff Member Moderator Content Writer

    Yeah. I just researched it before I read your post. My state is a closed primary, so I'm pretty much at a loss. I don't want to affiliate myself with a party. I personally think the party system has pretty much become a huge fault in our political processes anyways.
     
  18. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    You could always change back to independent after the primary, if you wanted to vote in one. That might be more of a headache than anything, though. *shrugs* I don't know, I think closed primaries are pretty stupid. I understand not letting the other side in to skew the results in favor of someone not electable, but I don't see why there should be a problem with independent voters getting a say. Given the antics on both sides, I could see why someone wouldn't want to be affiliated with either party.

    Yeah. I think the majority of politicians are too invested in bettering themselves or promoting their own agendas to vote in the people's best interests, and they've closed ranks so much that they're incapable of compromising anymore. While I wish that other parties would manage to get up enough popularity to compete with the Dems and GOP, I think the main problem is term limits. In theory, the people can give term limits by voting congress out after too long, but in reality, people get stuck in their ways and just keep voting the status quo. I think we need a constitutional amendment for congress just like we have for the president. It'd probably cut back on all the bribery going on.
     
    NeRo likes this.
  19. NeRo

    NeRo Your Supreme Lord And Savior Staff Member Administrator

    What kitty just said is what a few of my friends were talking about the other night. Congress should be rotated just as often if not more often than the president. doesn't make sense to have the same outdated thinkers in there year after year. pretty much if they haven't changed their mind by now they won't and they will just stick to their same beliefs keeping the party tilted in their favor.

    US politics is such a headache. Also yea i heard about the whole " gained the black vote" etc etc, It's just BS " ill tell this demographic what they want to hear so they will vote for me" Why cant your message be clear enough for everyone so that the nation supports you not just a certain demographic that you happen to pander to just to secure votes and line your already heavily money'd down pockets. Why in this world Good people don't succeed or have a hard time doing so but people with greed, bribery and bad intentions continue to prosper. like i really dont understand.
     
    Kitty likes this.
  20. Kitty

    Kitty I Survived The BG Massacre Staff Member Administrator

    Practically every day, I wish my state would wise up and send Mitch McConnell the hell packing. He's awful in every way, and he's leading this obstructionist pack of do-nothing GOPers. Unfortunately, he just eked out a victory, two years ago, I think it was, so we've got a while with him yet, unless he drops dead. He's the epitome of "been in Washington too damn long." I'm embarrassed on behalf of my state every time I see his face. People like him are why we desperately need term limits.

    I think this is why it is so important for young people to vote. Those dudes up in Washington and in the state capitols are old as fuck. They're set in their ways, and they're not nearly as progressive as I think the majority of students and young adults these days are (at the least, I feel this generation is more progressive than the last, even if individuals might not be). We need people who think like we do making decisions for us. Or at least people willing to consider us.

    Agreed. There was some bullshit from Madeleine Albright who basically said there was a special place in hell for women who don't vote for Hillary. So like what, because I have a vag, I have to vote for the candidate who has one too? Women who are voting for Hillary only because she's a woman are stupid. Look at the policies, trustworthiness, the candidate's track record (or lack of one), etc.
     
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