US Elections
- Thread starter Morbyd
- Start date
Yes.
Nowhere near the utopian vision that everyone makes out - but the lesser of two evils and despite America's Nationalist ways we have much to celebrate.
It's important to reflect on what an attack on Iran would've meant for the world (Romney). With their nuclear capabilities, it really can't be underestimated.
fatphilb
Well-Known Member
But one of the most striking things about the us political system is how much criticism obama has come in for not getting enough done yet to me it seems the partisan politics have hindered him at every step over the past two years. Its a bizarre system. like Ed Miliband being PM with a Tory majority.
The war on drug is a farce and should be stopped. As a great American poet saidAnd America seems to be leading the way on at least cannabis legalisation.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...o-legalise-recreational-cannabis-8293459.html
"They have a war on drugs so the police can bother me"The US system has worked like a parliamentary system the last two years, it was not set up to work that way. Things will have to change.
In an act of shameless self-promotion, here is my take on the election, and the state of American journalism:
http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2012/...-the-us-presidential-election-to-nate-silver/
If you were pleased with Obama's victory, some of the links of Glenn Beck and others are worth watching - so much Schadenfreude to be had!
http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2012/...-the-us-presidential-election-to-nate-silver/
If you were pleased with Obama's victory, some of the links of Glenn Beck and others are worth watching - so much Schadenfreude to be had!
Last edited by a moderator:
The war on drug is a farce and should be stopped. As a great American poet said
QUOTE]
Is That Chuck D?
Hit the nail on the head
Morbyd
Moderator
Glad to see my vote made a difference
Arizona is the joke this time around, they are still counting.Glad to see my vote made a difference
I think Grego was more excited about Obama's election 4 years ago than I was!
this makes me happy, aside from being true.
I remember really really well in 2004 when bush got re-elected, hearing obama speak for the first time in 2004 at the democratic national convention and thinking "f*ck me", this is the future. I remember all too well morbs denying the possibility he had it in him so soon to become president.
more than anything though and this is not diminished in any way by how people measure him as a president, the mere fact he was elected and the manner in which he did will remain a truly historical event.
he totally re-engaged people in the idea of democracy by making people feel like they were enfranchised and had a personal stake in the victory. his campaign being funded by millions of small donations rather than relatively few large ones. he obviously overcome entrenched racism, i.e. a huge amount of people just not voting for him just because he was black. the personal smear campaigns he's suffered are nothing short of scandalous. he always said the right thing, he wasn't just right but he made the bad guys look like the fools they are in the process (sarah palin, donald trump, mitt romney).
more than anything though, he showed that nothing can stop the sound of millions of people calling for change. the wave of optimism from his election was global and unprecedented. anyone who can inspire so much hope is a remarkable human being, regardless of what happens after.
i'd argue being black (mixed race surely?) is obama's biggest asset...its the reason millions of black americans bothered to vote and gives the democrats something to beat republicans about without any comeback / or without even having to say anything..it was a statement in itself that he was picked..having a non white candidate in the race energised the democratic voter base (or expected voter base) because it was the trailblazing move...
good calculated move really, as whether the democratic candidate is black or white, it probably doesn't make any difference as by and large you've got to figure that the racists in america are probably only going to vote for the republicans anyhow (or are too busy up in the mountains prreparing for armageddon / and or a visit from louis theroux to get to a polling station)
as to how the republicans break out from their narrow pigeonhole voting demographic...now that is interesting considering the ever increasing non-white population of america & the older republicans dieing off.
you could argue the conservatives have the same problem here....why cameron is trying to get on board with more liberal politics (gay marriage), be seen as nicer..small c / less white conservatives
Morbyd
Moderator
But remember, the Dems' choice was between Obama and Clinton so it would have been a groundbreaking candidate either way.
And sure, Obama carried the black vote but also every other minority plus women so his appeal is broader than that. And blacks aren't a big enough percentage of the population to carry a candidate on their own.
Obama as a candidate was a lot more than a skin color, and I think he was elected despite his race, not because of it.
And sure, Obama carried the black vote but also every other minority plus women so his appeal is broader than that. And blacks aren't a big enough percentage of the population to carry a candidate on their own.
Obama as a candidate was a lot more than a skin color, and I think he was elected despite his race, not because of it.
Last edited by a moderator:
Well put, you hit the nail on the head
Spot on!
The person race cuts both ways in the USA. Some people voted for him simply because of his race and other voted against him for the same reason. The larger group voted for him on issues. The republicans had us in two war (one of them with lies) and wrecked the economy with bad policies. America was ready for a change away from bad policies. In a post racial country candidate and now President Obama would have won both elections by a very big margin. The American democracy is held up as the ideal for the world. It can not be the ideal democracy when segments of the population have no chance of ever being President (minority groups or women). The right wing of the USA tried to say the election of 2008 was a fluke, but the re-election says America have move on a bit from it's past. When it is no longer the first woman or minority president then things have changed permanently for the better.
a 2 party state..or ross perot!!...not much democracy going on there.