Gonna piss off some liberals on my flist now....

[wolfrose]

My family has been yellow dog democrat for as long as I can remember. My great grandmother was PERSONAL friends with Ann Richards and was a delegate to the infamous 1968 Chicago DNC. Eight years ago I told a lot of people that I would never vote for Bush because he's an asshole and that I knew that from personal experience. I was serious. Just as serious then as I am now saying that I will not vote for Obama. He just pissed me off. I want a president who isn't in it for his ego, I want someone who will do what is best for the people. INCLUDING taking that second seat if that is how the nomination process ends up. Obama has stated that he will not accept that position if that is the case. WTF??? Now I know you're in this to win the nomination but heaven forbid something happens that you don't get it, you're going to turn down the opportunity to be the FIRST black VP and be the head of the Senate??? That is stupid and ASININE! It also says to me that you're going to deny half, no wait, you have most of the delegates right now because the process is open to non democrats in a lot of states so half isn't right, you're going to deny OVER HALF of the democrats who are voting to give her the nomination a chance to have the first woman VP as well.

I'm also ASTONISHED that Obama supporters who I know were among the LOUDEST screaming about the disenfranchisement of Florida voters in 2000 are now all for disenfranchising voters in Florida.

AND YES, caucuses are generally made up of party activists and not generally representative of the general voter. Sorry if that fact offends. A caucus is intimidating to some people. A caucus is contrary to why we have private voting booths and anonymous ballots.

While I'm sitting here ranting about all this when you really get down to it voting and caucusing to determine who gets how many delegates is outdated, just as outdated as that damn electoral collage. Let the people decide. The way it is now politicians can rig the whole process to favor their party so that more delegates or electoral voters end up in their colloum and the popular vote is just a fucking number. I would like to see every vote mean something. I think the president and the nominations should be decided on by popular vote PERIOD. That would be democracy.

I had already resigned myself to the fact that he was going to win the democrat nomination and that was going to be who I would vote for and I was perfectly ok with that because I didn't have a problem with him. I felt he was going to be the first black president the first time I saw him speak. Like I said though, he just changed my mind about him. Now I think he's just another politician like all the rest... well not like all the rest, he's a naive idealist too.

Oh well, not like my vote matters anyway, I live in Wyoming and it'll be a cold day in hell before this state's electoral votes go blue.

edited to add:
This has become an issue of uniting the party. People really need to start looking at the numbers. Obama is not blowing Hillary out of the water, they are essentially even, especially when you take into account that he is ahead because of cross over voters. If it were a registered dem only vote across the board he wouldn't be in the lead. For the sake of the party they need to unite and I don't care which one has the top spot.

Right now I'm so ticked off that I hope they dead lock at the convention and in the second round of votes the delegates throw them both out on their ass and elect Gore.

Comments

[delusionalangel.livejournal.com]

I agree with most of your post. Though I don't blame him for not wanting VP. Mainly because I don't think he and Hillary can work together. I don't hate her like most do, I'll vote for whichever gets the nomination though I prefer Obama right now, I wanted Edwards personally.

But She is a bit Multiple Personality when it comes to him and I could see why he'd not want to be her #2. Obviously I'd never run for president but if I did and if someone I clearly hated who clearly hated me would be someone I'd want to work under, it would feel like all I said in my campaign about them was a lie if I now said hey I know I'll be their #2. I feel the same in reverse, I don't think she should be his VP either.

The rest is right on though. I don't friggin get the whole Caucus thing either. I think it's incredibly unfair. To go have to go at a certain time = hey let's leave out people who don't work 9-5. To say you have to go discuss your vote = not everyone wants to do that, not everyone CAN do that, transportation issues, health issues, babysitter issues, so many issues.... etc. I hate that. I think Caucuses shouldn't exist period.

I also think popular vote in primaries AND general elections should be all that matter, period end of story. It shouldn't matter where you live, districts, states, blah blah blah. All of these attempts to make it "Fair" with delegates, etc is crap. 1 vote = 1 vote. Should be that way in every election.

[swisscelt.livejournal.com]

I disagree with your thoughts on the Electoral College. The President, quite frankly, isn't supposed to represent the people. S/he is supposed to run the government. Ideally, we should have something like a Prime Minister running the government, who answers to our elected representative.

Direct election, though, is a recipe for fraud. If a Congressional representative is fradulently elected, the damage to Congress isn't terribly great, as s/he is one of 435. (See also Dan Rostenkowski, Jim Traficant, et al.) A crook in the Senate is a bigger deal, which is why Senators weren't originally elected by popular vote either.

What's going to happen, though, when you have another election like 2000? Do we really want a situation where a political party can invent a few thousand votes in key precincts around the country to overcome what should have been a defeat? If the popular vote is close-- and remember, no President has had a majority of the popular vote since 1988-- you can pretty much count on a nationwide recount, opening things up to all kinds of fraud vis a vis Florida in 2000 or Ohio in 2004.

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

Ok, you're the first person who has actually given me a good reason to keep the electoral collage.

This election season has already driven me batshit.

[swisscelt.livejournal.com]

Oh, me as well... and lots of other folks, too. I heard the Libertarian Party candidate on Glenn Beck's radio show on Friday. Normally, I'd be looking to vote Libertarian, but this guy (and unfortunately, as I do most of the time when I tune in to Glenn Beck, I was only half-listening... so I didn't catch the name) sounded like he was pandering to the Right, big time.

Then again, that's been the theme for this election. Red-state candidates are looking purple to appeal to the blue states (and vice-versa), and it's hard to know whether a candidate is a Democrat, Republican, Dominionist, or Socialist. Maybe even a Communist in the running... who knows anymore?

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

Bush 1 said some pretty nasty things about Reagan but he had a lot of support from the party so Reagan took him on as his VP. Kerry and Edward weren't exactly best friends either. This has become an issue of uniting the party. People really need to start looking at the numbers. Obama is not blowing Hillary out of the water, they are essentially even, especially when you take into account that he is ahead because of cross over voters. If it were a registered dem only vote across the board he wouldn't be in the lead. For the sake of the party they need to unite and I don't care which one has the top spot.

Right now I'm so ticked off that I hope they dead lock at the convention and in the second round of votes the delegates throw them both out on their ass and elect Gore.

[seshen.livejournal.com]

From what I understand, he simply said it was "premature" to be looking at that sort of ticket, aka, setting himself up to settle for VP when he's still actively working towards the nomination. I think Hillary's a slick trickster for putting the notion out and forcing him to take a stand on it.

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

I saw what he said with my own eyes watching him say the words. So no, this isn't a case of me misunderstanding the spin.

I don't care who is the top of the ticket, they both have to face the numbers now and he isn't blowing her out of the water. It's not premature to acknowledge that it is very realistic that they should both be on the ticket when all is said and done. Anything else is going to rip the party apart. Denying that is asinine and/or pompous to say the least. No matter what half the party is going to be disgruntled at this point.

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

wayne allyn root!

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

I wish!

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

~steals you~

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

*grins*

[enyo.livejournal.com]

Oh, good. I thought I was the only one that found Obama's messianic complex annoying. His whole campaign has been based on his being the annointed one. One thing that I like about McCain (even though he's not my first choice for president, either) is that he wants to lead because he loves America and is proud to serve, versus Obama's wanting to be president because America loves him. :P

We have no candidate that I'd like to see as our president.

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I floored Parker when I told him I'm thinking seriously about voting for McCain.

[seshen.livejournal.com]

OK, thanks for the clarification. I don't watch much TV and don't have cable, so I get my sources from the online news (yes, I know, bad Seshen, no cookie).

I care who's on top of this ticket. Clinton is acting like she's owed the spot, and I think it's pretty cocky to offer the VP slot to the one who's technically ahead. And with Bill doing basically the same thing, it's like a tag team vs Obama. I don't like that scenario.

[enyo.livejournal.com]

What really sucks for me is that border security is of huge importance to me. I hate illegal immigration. It infuriates me to no end, especially in light of my own immigration experiences. And every single damned candidate is in favor of amnesty. And you know what? The idea of paying for immigrant children's college education with my tax dollars while I have to save up to pay for my American born child's education pisses me off. (That would be the Dream Act.)

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

I understand where you're coming from there. Although I think they are both acting stupid right now... and maybe a bit junior highish.

I wish attack tactics weren't a reality but what the Clinton's are throwing out there at Obama now is child's play compared to what the general election is going to have. To think otherwise is yet more naivety. It would be nice though if she would STFU and not give the other side a head start...

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that and paying for criminals to get a free education while we go into serious debt to send our children to college.

[enyo.livejournal.com]

Seriously. At least the criminals benefiting from our tax dollars are Americans who friggin paid taxes before becoming a burden on the system. :P

[gwenwolfrose.livejournal.com]

lol yeah