tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post1202154422592193069..comments2023-09-25T04:26:51.568-06:00Comments on The Barefoot Bum: I am not a DemocratLarry Hamelinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-65417077048212427112008-05-15T02:17:00.000-06:002008-05-15T02:17:00.000-06:00Fortunately I live in California where I have the ...Fortunately I live in California where I have the comfort of knowing my vote is entirely irrelevant.Samuel Skinnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01587994908818534357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-55109892206211128662008-05-11T11:11:00.000-06:002008-05-11T11:11:00.000-06:00But there's a non-zero chance too that space alien...<I>But there's a non-zero chance too that space aliens will land on the lawn of the White House and use orbital mind-control lasers to make us all sensible, intelligent and rational.</I><BR/><BR/>Good point! I'll put that on my hope list, too! <BR/><BR/>Seriously, we're truly well fucked, ain't we?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-57681049771003190702008-05-11T06:48:00.000-06:002008-05-11T06:48:00.000-06:00I hope I'm wrong too.But there's a non-zero chance...I hope I'm wrong too.<BR/><BR/>But there's a non-zero chance too that space aliens will land on the lawn of the White House and use orbital mind-control lasers to make us all sensible, intelligent and rational.<BR/><BR/>You'll pardon me, please, if I don't hold my breath. Clinging to unsubstantiated hope gave us religion, and look how well that's turned out for us.<BR/><BR/>I won't yell at you by any means if you vote for the Democratic party. But if the Democratic party wants my vote, they'll actively endorse at least <I>some</I> of my positive values, and not rely on just being less bad than the Republicans.Larry Hamelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-27996493746741157262008-05-11T04:28:00.000-06:002008-05-11T04:28:00.000-06:00The choice is not between McCain and Clinton/Obama...<I>The choice is not between McCain and Clinton/Obama in 2008. The choice is between McCain in 2008 and Stalin, Torquemada, Hitler or Giuliani in 2012.</I><BR/><BR/>I hear you, but I hope you are wrong. My thinking is that there is a non-zero chance that Obama will create a long-lasting Democratic power coalition that will provide some room for fulfillment of liberal goals. I could be wrong, but I am willing to give it a shot.<BR/><BR/>And even if I am wrong, at least hope makes life a little more bearable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-53414441776448969802008-05-10T16:25:00.000-06:002008-05-10T16:25:00.000-06:00I can't think of one positive reason to vote for t...<I>I can't think of one positive reason to vote for the Democratic candidate, not even to punish the Republicans.</I><BR/><BR/>To clarify, I think punishing the Republicans would be a good positive reason to vote for a Democrat. I don't see the tiniest reason to believe that either Obama or Clinton would even inconvenience them. They would just get to warm the seat for four years so everyone can forget <B>yet again</B> how the Republicans have royally screwed this country every fucking time they gain power.<BR/><BR/>The choice is not between McCain and Clinton/Obama in 2008. The choice is between McCain in 2008 and Stalin, Torquemada, Hitler or Giuliani in 2012.Larry Hamelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-35690667227547563402008-05-10T16:15:00.000-06:002008-05-10T16:15:00.000-06:00Much as you might want to bury your head in the sa...<I>Much as you might want to bury your head in the sand, there is no escaping the fact that failing to vote for the Democratic nominee is an act of omission that increases the likelihood that McCain... will become the next President.</I><BR/><BR/>I am not burying my head in the sand. I specifically mention this possibility in almost those exact words: <B>If I (and others like me) don't actually vote for the Democratic nominee, McCain has a greater chance of winning. I understand that completely...</B><BR/><BR/>I'm making a judgment on the totality of the facts. I can't think of one <I>positive</I> reason to vote for the Democratic candidate, not even to punish the Republicans.<BR/><BR/>I've been voting the lesser of two evils my entire god damned life, I've come to the point where the gorge rising makes me seriously reconsider. My vote means more to me than some abstract game-theoretic choice; it's an expression of my values. Maybe if I'd voted my conscience instead of for conservative Democratic fucktards, the party would have, you know, grown a fucking spine by now.<BR/><BR/>You're telling me I <I>must</I> vote for a pro-war, corporatist civil-liberty-destroying abortion-restricting Republican-enabling asshole just because he or she is slightly <I>less</I> of those things than the alternative?<BR/><BR/>And my vote didn't even fucking count in the last two elections; why should I think it's going to count in this one?<BR/><BR/>It's a very tough decision, and I have considerably sympathy for your position. I'll probably go back and forth until the moment I pull the lever.<BR/><BR/>But don't give me this "blood on my hands" bullshit. I'm one fucking voter in a couple of hundred million. If I <I>can't</I> vote my conscience, if it's <I>evil</I> to vote my conscience, it's not a fucking <I>vote</I>.Larry Hamelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-17108411484536780082008-05-10T14:29:00.000-06:002008-05-10T14:29:00.000-06:00Much as you might want to bury your head in the sa...Much as you might want to bury your head in the sand, there is no escaping the fact that failing to vote for the Democratic nominee is an act of omission that increases the likelihood that McCain--a sick bastard cut from the same cloth as Bush, but even more untethered from reality--will become the next President. And the likelihood is extremely high that more soldiers and civilians will die in Middle Eastern wars with him as President, than with a Democratic President. You really want some of that blood on your hands?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-70880827950601586572008-05-09T12:25:00.000-06:002008-05-09T12:25:00.000-06:00Call me naive, too, though I'm mostly cynical. I ...Call me naive, too, though I'm mostly cynical. I have a small hope that with President Obama, things will get better. I think I have just enough hope versus cynicism to get me through this election cycle and maybe into 2010. After that, if it becomes apparent that the status quo contintues, then I'll be cynical enough to swear off the whole thing entirely (politics). Time will tell. Maybe I just don't want my hope entirely snuffed out just yet, before even reaching age 40. (Which I will pass by the time of the next presidential election).DBBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17805375811782552873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-62395737031571752772008-05-09T06:10:00.000-06:002008-05-09T06:10:00.000-06:00Because, let's face it, we could spring Manson and...<I>Because, let's face it, we could spring Manson and stick him in the White House with OJ Simpson as Vice President and we'd be better off than we have been.</I><BR/><BR/>No argument there!Larry Hamelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-44366096866114131862008-05-08T23:14:00.000-06:002008-05-08T23:14:00.000-06:00It could be that I'm naive. Or it could be that I'...It could be that I'm naive. Or it could be that I'm idealistic. Or it could be that after these last eight years, I'm hopelessly desperate for someone to believe in, even at the risk of disappointment.<BR/>Because, let's face it, we could spring Manson and stick him in the White House with OJ Simpson as Vice President and we'd be better off than we have been.Shawn McBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986854895773370648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-5437995278016772982008-05-08T22:31:00.000-06:002008-05-08T22:31:00.000-06:00Shawn, let me be blunt: I think you're a little na...Shawn, let me be blunt: I think you're a little naive. Or, perhaps, I'm way too cynical. Regardless, you're a young man (at least a younger man than me), and your idealism and confidence are refreshing. Please, vote for Obama — or anyone but McCain — in the general, with my blessing.<BR/><BR/>Me? I've been burned too many times by too many assholes, scumbags and retards. Reid and Pelosi have destroyed my confidence in the party, and Obama has not restored it. Nor, frankly, has Clinton.<BR/><BR/>Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. But I can't choke down the bile anymore and vote for what I see as just the lesser of two evils.Larry Hamelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-74869044434350740062008-05-08T18:55:00.000-06:002008-05-08T18:55:00.000-06:00See, I see him as not remotely corporatist, a blee...See, I see him as not remotely corporatist, a bleeding-heart liberal, someone with a decent (though not perfect) healthcare plan, and..well, I know he HAS an economic plan, but I haven't really looked at its specifics.<BR/>I find it humorous that you say he's weak on abortion (by which I assume you mean that he has pro-life leanings) because just today I read someone complaining that he supports late-term abortion. I have not had time to look into the matter, but I know that he states unequivocally in his book that he supports a woman's right to choose.<BR/><BR/>On Iraq, he's been no more ineffectual that the other 50 democratic Senators or the more than 200 democratic House Reps.<BR/><BR/>He wants to put Republicans on his Cabinet? Good! His ability to work with the other side is his greatest strength. It's why he's passed more legislation than Clinton (with less time in office to do so) and has more support behind his bills in general, whether they pass or not. It's the line in the sand between the GOP and the DEMS that hurts this country more than anything. Party-line voting has reached a ridiculous level, and getting the two sides to work together for the greater good is the best talent (or desire) that a president could possibly have right now.<BR/><BR/>As for his compliance-by-silence? That's kind of selective reasoning. He hasn't gone negative in the way that Sen. Clinton has, and has spoken highly of her and publicly stated that she would be an excellent president. If he (or any candidate) were to take the time to condemn every disingenuous or bigoted statement made by the media, they'd never talk about actual issues; there'd be no time.<BR/><BR/>Also, let's face it: It's not media Misogyny that's hurt Hillary: it's her own reprehensible tactics. THAT's what Obama's reaping the rewards of.Shawn McBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986854895773370648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-41570590377275105842008-05-08T18:19:00.000-06:002008-05-08T18:19:00.000-06:00Great Caesar's ghost! I'm actually in agreement wi...Great Caesar's ghost! I'm actually in agreement with you, Jim. We really are all well and truly fucked.<BR/><BR/>Shawn, I hold Obama's <I>politics</I> are rotten to the core. He's corporatist, conservative, he has no health-care plan, no plan about the economy and he's weak on abortion. He wants to appoint Republicans to the cabinet. On Iraq he's been ineffectual in the Senate and wishy-washy in the campaign. The only thing he's got any credibility on is Black civil rights.<BR/><BR/>I hold him complicit in misogyny by virtue of his silence. He knows he can let the media do his dirty work, and he's been happy to profit. I don't know what else he <I>can</I> do as a viable candidate, but that's not my problem as a voter.<BR/><BR/>If you want to vote for a Democrat, more power to you; I wouldn't hold it against anyone the way I would hold a vote for McCain against them. I honestly and sincerely hope I'm wrong and everything works out.<BR/><BR/>But I'm not holding my breath.Larry Hamelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-47891609898384336162008-05-08T15:47:00.000-06:002008-05-08T15:47:00.000-06:00The scary thing is that we don't have a third part...The scary thing is that we don't have a third party to stop this bipartisan march to self-destruction. Social issues are very important, my dealbreakers are directly opposed to yours, but "we'll all go down together" as Billy Joel sung about when chronic deficits, inflation, and the abandonment of the dollar in the currency markets comes home to roost. In lieu of a viable third party that is actually competent, having one party control both houses while the other takes the White House is the only thing that might hold off disaster.......might....<BR/>I'm learning Mandarin by the way. Might come in handy. :-) <I>Xiao gen</I>.Jim Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12456957270007304493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-62419245798248491282008-05-08T15:29:00.000-06:002008-05-08T15:29:00.000-06:00I have to admit, I have backed off my normal fervo...I have to admit, I have backed off my normal fervor of following politics in recent weeks due to the desire not to have a massive coronary before I'm 30. But I haven't seen much in the way of Misogyny on the part of Obama, nor have I seen any indication that he's "rotten to the core."<BR/><BR/>I think that it's important to remember that politics is, of course, political and that compromises must be made in order to get things done. I want the same world you want, 100% -- but I know for a fact that these things aren't going to happen instantaneously. Policy, like life, has to evolve gradually. Both the opposition and the general public have to be eased into change, or they'll be scared off. That's why Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul had no real chance. They're too radical.<BR/><BR/>Any political changes need to take baby steps. We just need to pick the person who will start walking in the right direction. To me, that's Obama. I may end up being wrong, but I'll take that chance over the alternative. I don't think it's a choice between the lesser of two evils, I think it's choosing between something you KNOW to be evil and something you don't really know about one way or the other.<BR/><BR/>Do you cast a vote for certain evil, or a vote for 50/50 chance of good or evil? Me? I'll gamble.Shawn McBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986854895773370648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28755195.post-5762299496443296662008-05-08T14:25:00.000-06:002008-05-08T14:25:00.000-06:00Fuckin' A, Bum.Fuckin' A, Bum.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com