In Search of Rational Voters

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  • Posted By: carolinesp @ 09/10/2008 4:45:30 PM

    I am an immigrant, now a naturalized citizen of the United States of America and I am constantly amazed at the ignorance of the electorate. I actually blame the culture of the land. The system is not pro-family despite what is preached. People are so busy trying to earn a living to "pay the bills" that they actually do not have the time to research and get the facts about what is actually happening around them. The education system has been hijacked or probably was created to promote the agenda of those in power. What is actually being teached to our citizens and residents? Is the political process an important aspect of our curriculum? The answer is an emphatic no! Not only are families not encouraged to spend time together and have substantive discussions around the breakfast, lunch or dinner table, the system is actually not designed to give families such times. No to make a long story short, the electorate is ignorant and disillusioned.

  • Posted By: LYRICOSPINTO @ 09/10/2008 4:42:26 PM

    Listen to many of you! He is correct and among Obama's many repeated mistakes is the statment that Americans are smarted than this - No we are not - We have dummied up our public - shame

  • Posted By: uuforyou @ 09/10/2008 4:11:15 PM

    I'm a perfectly rational voter.
    I look at the issues, I read about the candidates.
    I put aside the tabloid noise, and listen carefully.
    I vote for a candidate, I do not vote against one.
    I vote for not a party or a personality.
    I vote on many issue, not just a single one.
    I'm voting FOR Obama, not against McCain.

    • Posted By: totylanica @ 09/10/2008 4:41:57 PM

      I wish every American would understand what's going on. You do. Congratulations

  • Posted By: Nomccain-palin @ 09/10/2008 4:41:54 PM

    Wake up , ppl. If Mccain really puts the COUNTRY FIRST, he would have picked someone who is more qualified and anytime ready to be a president & is not there just to draw crowd, coz nobody knows better than mccain himself that the VP is one heartbeat away from taking over the presidency. Obviously,the reason mccain picks Palin out of all other experienced republicans,is not coz of her so-called ebay jets,not coz of her "bridge to nowhere",he is exploiting her family background as having a pregnant teen & a child with special needs so the GOP can get the votes from women especially hillary's supporters.I feel sorry for those kids esp the pregnant teen. None of her private matters would come out if it wasnt for mccains plot. People really need to think rationally and focus on the issues around our country instead of just thinking about race, gender, or personality. Nodody would argue that our country's situation is definitely worse than 8 years ago ever since we have republican up in the white house. We have such a high national debt of 9.2 trillion now and its so high that the debt clock in new york is not big enough to show when it hits 10 trillion. Back in the clintons era, this clock has once been shut down and covered because the national debt was $0. Peaple in this generation really has to step up and think for the generations to come, if we dont do sth now, our children and our grandchildren will have to pay for our mistakes.

  • Posted By: good conscience @ 09/10/2008 4:20:22 PM

    The tragedy of McShame/Palin is that when they realize they've lost the election, they will continue with their megalomaniacal self-absorption publicly, rather than do the only dignified thing left to them - to fade into political oblivion. Perhaps Sarah will run for the senate to fill the empty hole created by her buddy Ted Steven's demise. And she may even win so that she can go to Washington and try to impress everyone with her self-proclaimed fabulousness. Whatever they do, they're destined to live out their lives knowing that the whole world found out about their astounding small-mindedness in very short order.
    Come on Republicans, get up and defend to the world why McCain wasn't criticized for using the exact same phrase a couple of times already in his campaign. Like all good thinkers, I'm waiting to hear how you excuse and condone his pomposity. I still can't HEAR you...!!!

    • Posted By: Timotheus_DC @ 09/10/2008 4:40:19 PM

      Anyone with half a brain would know that it is all about context. When Mccain spoke it was obvious that he used it in the usual context, not even liberal spin doctors could spin it. However, even if Obama wasn't speaking about Palin, he shows real lack of competience to use the old phrase since the RNC convention. If he meant it, it shows his total lack of charactor, trying to excuse it now but slinging mud back at repubs if the same of sleazy politics that he claims to run against. He isn't change, he is indeed more of the same, same old liberal politics and slimeball tactics that liberals have always used, Hooray for Mccain and conservatives for standing up and fighting back against the total ignorance shown in all this. Go Mccain...

  • Posted By: Phoenix AZ @ 09/10/2008 4:39:25 PM

    Talk about more of the same... can Palin and McCain say even 1 thing that's new? Really, aren't you
    all getting a bit tired of hearing about the bridge to nowhere and all the same ol' BS they repeat day after day after day after day?

    She is so protected by the Republicans. Since when is a politician so priveleged to be protected and unreachable? McCain's campaign became so transparent when he chose SP for VP. Anyone who actually listens to the words coming out of their mouths see's through McCain's reason for choosing her. So far I haven't heard anything that convinces me to think any different. Look at how the Republican analysts do not answer a Sarah Palin question without getting defensive, if they will even answer the question at all. They play the double standard game when it comes to Sarah Palin. And now, from what I've seen, it appears she is running for president and John McCain is in the background. (wondering how thrilled he is with that) She says nothing we haven't heard over and over ever since she came out like a viper at the GOP convention. I'd like to know what is the hype about this woman? I, being a woman, don't care who is running as long as she/he can actually fulfill her duties to this country and the world. How on earth can people say Sarah Palin is capable of this role?

    I'm trying to keep an open mind but McCain/Palin are making it difficult to buy their weak strategy. Do we really want this 'celebrity', who is taking a Politics for Dummies crash course, in charge? I'm losing faith in my fellow Americans that they are falling for the lack substance with this ticket. AND guys... what about you? I hope you don't vote for the Republican ticket because Sarah Palin is a 'hottie'. I agree with you, she's an attractive woman, she's tough yet feminine. Guys like that, but as I'm sure you know, the packaging isn't everything. And fellow women... look at the issues not the gender, p-l-e-a-s-e!

    A final note, I have great respect for our military and for John McCain's horrific experience as a POW, but wasn't he just laughing (on John McCain Revealed) about he didn't read 'the manual' on how to eject from the plane he flew in Viet Nam when he became a POW? Hey, just food for thought... Personally, I don't want a 'Maverick' running my country. To me it's not a complentary trait. (and another highly overused word)

  • Posted By: suzieqmarie2000 @ 09/10/2008 4:37:29 PM

    The complete irrationality of today's American voter is what scares the living daylights out of me - I'll say it: in their stupidity they will sentence us to at least 4 more years of the same by pressing the button in the voting booth based on a diet of quotes taken out of context, rumors, half-truths and outright lies.

  • Posted By: bdhotwheel @ 09/10/2008 4:37:19 PM

    Posted By: KaceyPA @ 09/10/2008 4:31:33 PM
    Comment: The beginning of the end of the disgraceful and fear plagued McCarhy era in this country was accelerated with the line "in the final anaysis, Senator McCarthy, have you no shame?" ... that line seems to be appropriate again to hopefully get the Republican Presidential candidate and campaign back on track and addressing the very serious issues this country now faces:

    "In the final anaysis, Senator McCain, have you no shame?"

    You have gone from a puroported "maverick" who bucks his own party to a cliched party hack who uses obfuscation and misdirection and political spin all in the name of winning. The use of these incessant and insulting "Rove"-like tactics is beneath you and all of us.

    You deserve to present yourself better and, far more importantly, the country NEEDS and DESERVES better.

    Please begin to speak to the issues and avoid the totally unhelpful word-play and spin that tells no one anything and does not advance our ability to make progress against our enormously challenging problems.

    Signed,

    A homeowner worried about mortgages and heating,
    A parent worried about college,
    A worker worried about his job,
    A human worried about the environment and
    An American worried about his country's future and place and leadership in the world.


    Wait till the debates and they will unveil their plans. Obama will be exposed for the weak link in the Presidencial candidacy. For those Obama knee huggers, it will be a win win situation no matter what he says because they are "keeping hope alive" and love to have their ears tickled by Obama's eloquent speeches!

  • Posted By: dulpins @ 09/10/2008 4:36:54 PM

    Yes, bdhotwheel, liberals spend all day passing out condoms, being extremely gay, and leeching off the government. Think for one second about how much your world view revolves around belligerent exaggerations, misplaced anger, and generalizations. Just one second. I think that's all the time you'll need to realize that YOU are one of the irrational voters that this article describes.

  • Posted By: dulpins @ 09/10/2008 4:35:55 PM

    Yes, bdhotwheel, liberals spend all day passing out condoms, being extremely gay, and leeching off the government. Think for one second about how much your world view revolves around belligerent exaggerations, misplaced anger, and generalizations. Just one second. I think that's all the time you'll need to realize that YOU are one of the irrational voters that this article describes.

  • Posted By: rbolend @ 09/10/2008 3:54:28 PM

    gvillagran3:

    You say:
    In comes Sen. Mccain promising to keep Bush's taxes for the rich (the candidate of "change" in action for you) , and adding now tax cuts for Corporations.

    I say:
    Again, McCain never said for the rich when he talked about keeping Bush???s tax cuts. You are repeating the MSM again. Read the math problem above to clarify.

    • Posted By: 4carol @ 09/10/2008 4:35:01 PM

      MCShame does not have to SAY that HE'S keeping the tax cuts for the rich; just look at GWB's enactment and you can plainly see that the cuts support among the top 5% of income of the population only!!
      There are NO CUTS for the lower or middle class!! But then, the GOP has rarely supported anything that might help the average American!!

  • Posted By: KaceyPA @ 09/10/2008 4:31:33 PM

    The beginning of the end of the disgraceful and fear plagued McCarhy era in this country was accelerated with the line "in the final anaysis, Senator McCarthy, have you no shame?" ... that line seems to be appropriate again to hopefully get the Republican Presidential candidate and campaign back on track and addressing the very serious issues this country now faces:

    "In the final anaysis, Senator McCain, have you no shame?"

    You have gone from a puroported "maverick" who bucks his own party to a cliched party hack who uses obfuscation and misdirection and political spin all in the name of winning. The use of these incessant and insulting "Rove"-like tactics is beneath you and all of us.

    You deserve to present yourself better and, far more importantly, the country NEEDS and DESERVES better.

    Please begin to speak to the issues and avoid the totally unhelpful word-play and spin that tells no one anything and does not advance our ability to make progress against our enormously challenging problems.

    Signed,

    A homeowner worried about mortgages and heating,
    A parent worried about college,
    A worker worried about his job,
    A human worried about the environment and
    An American worried about his country's future and place and leadership in the world.

  • Posted By: bdhotwheel @ 09/10/2008 4:30:40 PM

    Posted By: lola_lolafun @ 09/10/2008 4:28:27 PM
    Comment: Who are you to decide if I am rational or not?


    We can't but Obam the Messaiah, King of America, who takes speeches from Martin Luther King, and preaches about the change that changed change can!

  • Posted By: bdhotwheel @ 09/10/2008 4:29:07 PM

    Obama could sell me a used car, but NOT the Presidency of the United States. This is and always will be "One Nation Under God". Liberals need to be reminded of that! They need to move to France if they want to have condoms passed out, live gay lifestyles, and leech off the government!

  • Posted By: mkroman @ 09/10/2008 2:25:18 PM

    "Ok,so let me get this straight.Now that Mccain/Palin are ahead in the polls,the electorate are,at best,un informed?What a croc.This is the exact kind of thinking that will cost Obama Hussein the election this November.Not that his elitist condenscending Holier than Thou attitude is unique for his party.The Democratic party could only nominate two people this year who could lose to McCain.One was Hilary.The other one.....the former Muslim from that bastion of clean politics,Chicago.NObama 08.And keep the change"

    -The Irony of this post kills me. This is EXACTLY the non-sense that fools believe.

    • Posted By: bigair199 @ 09/10/2008 3:03:46 PM

      What they are referring to is the group of middle class American's who are voting for McCain simply because they don't want an African-American as a President. Maybe it's because they are the one's who are gonna be the firts to complain if McCain gets elected and thing's get worse. Or could it be just because some people are just too stupid to make a smart decision and shouldn't be allowed to infect the rest of us with their votes! You can't fix stupid! That's why right now we need bigger government because right now the majority of American people's judgement can't be trusted to do what's in the best interest for everyone involved.

      • Posted By: SueZQ @ 09/10/2008 3:41:53 PM

        No, we're middle class American's who are voting for McCain simply because he is qualified to make a change in this country. I don't care that Obama is an African-American (or muslim), has poor judgement regarding his close friends, goes to church where they are all anti-american, starts his campaign at a terrorist's house, where does it end??? But mark my words, we'll be the first to complain if Obama is elected and things get worse - like when our taxes go up and up and up. You think the economy is bad now, just wait til Obama gets his hands on our money and the government. You'll be sorry too.

        • Posted By: sisterkate @ 09/10/2008 4:28:31 PM

          SueZQ get it straight. Obama is only going to raise taxes on those earning over $600,000/ year. Anyone earning under this will get more of a break under Obama's policy than they will under McCain. So if you're one of the elite few than you should support McCain; however, if you're like majority of America you should be voting for Obama to keep dollars in your own pocket. Get the facts straight if you have a brain.....go to www.taxpolicycenter.org and read the facts. Obama/Biden is the only smart ticket for the economy. Even for corporate America. If the average American isn't earning enough, than there's nothing for us to spend and businesses shut down. How much more can we endure?

  • Posted By: lola_lolafun @ 09/10/2008 4:28:27 PM

    Who are you to decide if I am rational or not?

  • Posted By: KvLDenver @ 09/10/2008 4:25:17 PM

    How about introducing a comprehensive exam that qualifies you for being eligible to vote! I am serious because it is too dangerous for stupidity to determine where the world goes. Thanks for articulating that.

  • Posted By: gvillagran3 @ 09/10/2008 2:04:30 PM

    Great article right on the money.

    The American electorate reflects in general terms our overall lack of REAL understanding of the problems of our times. It is the dirty little secret of American political advisors such as Rove to consider the American voter as dumb. They long ago designed political campaigns on the basis or repetition, slander, and lies for the simple reazon that they know the American public can not separate truth from fiction.

    Candidates that want to talk about issues on their merit will be at a disadvantage for the simple reazon that issues are complex, require the voter to pay attention and even research the subject. Our media does not help at all prefering to ignore complex explanations over the sound bite.

    We are loosing our Democracy, and we are sinking our country into a marass of stupidity that is increasingly alarming our trading partners, and our Western Alliance. How long for example can we continue to cut taxes while at the same time spending more than ever, and asking foreigners to pick up the tab?

    At some point in the not too distant future the precarious balance, and circus act our leaders have followed will simply collapse on it's own weight. If we the American people continue to reward corruption, incompetence, and failed policies the rest of the world that has an increasing stake in our political system will simply vote with their feet and live us to pay for the mess ourselves.

    Problem with that is that we can't.

    Time is running out mark my words.



    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 09/10/2008 4:23:13 PM

      Part of the problem, I think, is that a lot of American voters do vote for ignorance and personality over principle.

      I see a lot of what's been happening in America lately as a severe education failure. It's nearly impossible to have considered the invasion of Iraq a good idea from the perspective of someone who understands international relations, political science, or economics. But a lot of Americans don't have any experience with these things, yet *do* have experience with schoolyard fights, poor role models, gangs, and other kinds of "us vs. them" mentalities.

      Many people think the problem is with the politicians. I think it's with the electorate. People say our system of representative democracy (our republic, in the political science sense of the word, not to be confused with the party in the slightest) is failing - it's not. It's working perfectly. Our politicians are generally very good representatives of the people electing them.

      And to me, that says we all need to stop denouncing the politicians. If we really want to make a difference, we need to fix ourselves instead.

    • Posted By: Huberc @ 09/10/2008 3:55:42 PM

      Enter Your Comment
      I agree with you and it scares me. I wish with all my hear that there was something I could do. I really care about this country... we started out with such great ideals.

  • Posted By: bdhotwheel @ 09/10/2008 4:21:51 PM

    Comment: I wonder if Palin was a short, overweight, single person, maybe even gay, would the Gov of Alaska be the VP selection.

    Maybe for the Democrats. Since that is who they cater to!

  • Posted By: DrMan @ 09/10/2008 4:02:37 PM

    What a surprise the sanctimonious libs think they are the only rational voters. Look if you are so intent on the government running everything and telling all of us what we can and can't do there are plenty of countries you can live in. Take your sanctimony and leave...Now!

    • Posted By: Huberc @ 09/10/2008 4:21:10 PM

      Again it is the far right and the far left that are the problem... The old republican party which no longer exists but sort of has come back as the Libertarians were the only ones that believed government should not tell people what to do. The far left and right want to tell us what to do to save us from ourselves... no guns on the left so we don't kill ouselves... no abortions on the right so we don't go to hell.. However you slice it, someone is telling someone what to do.

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