# Politics & Elections **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/politics-elections/22.md?page=291 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 292 --- ## [Biggest debate of the year! \[Stewart vs O'Reilly\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-debate-of-the-year-stewart-vs-oreilly/636915)
**Author:** [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-debate-of-the-year-stewart-vs-oreilly/636915 "2012-10-08T07:20:09Z")
Is anybody watching this live tonight? I thought it was Pay-Per-View, but now I see it is online only. That’s useless for me, unless I can go in to work very early or get it on iTunes. --- ## [Hanky Panky: Did Mitt Cheat At the Debate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanky-panky-did-mitt-cheat-at-the-debate/636930)
**Author:** [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanky-panky-did-mitt-cheat-at-the-debate/636930 "2012-10-08T06:33:51Z")
It is a pretty serious allegation if it is true. --- ## [Venezuelan presidential election, 10/07/12: Chavez v. Capriles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venezuelan-presidential-election-10-07-12-chavez-v-capriles/624750)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venezuelan-presidential-election-10-07-12-chavez-v-capriles/624750 "2012-10-08T03:27:18Z")
Venezuelan presidential election, October 7, 2012. President Hugo Chavez Frias, in office since 1999, is running for another six-year term. Even though he has cancer. He has already survived a coup attempt in 2002 and… --- ## [The Romney Tapes - thoughts as to how they'll affect the election?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-romney-tapes-thoughts-as-to-how-theyll-affect-the-election/635007)
**Author:** [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Replies:** 542\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-romney-tapes-thoughts-as-to-how-theyll-affect-the-election/635007 "2012-10-08T01:24:39Z")
In a fundraiser between the primaries and the convention, Romney had this to say about… Obama Supporters: Why his Dad should have been born Hispanic: On his opinion of the ability of the American electorate to vot… --- ## [NPR's Third Party Debate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nprs-third-party-debate/636944)
**Author:** [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nprs-third-party-debate/636944 "2012-10-08T00:46:24Z")
Anyone catch this? Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. I thought there was a surprising relative amount of specificity, especially w.r.t Johnson on taxes and Stein on health care. N… --- ## [Focus on the family's 'Letter from 2012' predictions in 2008](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/focus-on-the-familys-letter-from-2012-predictions-in-2008/636983)
**Author:** [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/focus-on-the-familys-letter-from-2012-predictions-in-2008/636983 "2012-10-07T14:33:03Z")
A documented case of false prophecy: Four years later, ‘Letter from 2012′ makes Focus on the Family look ridiculous Out of 34 predictions they got 0 right. (Though they get half credit for predicting the end of Don’t A… --- ## [The American Presidency Project: Fun Site With Historical Electoral Maps (And More!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-presidency-project-fun-site-with-historical-electoral-maps-and-more/636943)
**Author:** [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-presidency-project-fun-site-with-historical-electoral-maps-and-more/636943 "2012-10-07T05:51:35Z")
I happened to stumble across The American Presidency Project with a history of all the Presidential Elections and the Red/Blue states, and how things have certainly changed over the years! Use the drop down box to choos… --- ## [Barack Obama is a terrorist.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-is-a-terrorist/636378)
**Author:** [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Replies:** 150\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-is-a-terrorist/636378 "2012-10-06T16:04:58Z")
Just a reminder for anyone planning to vote for him in a month. Under Barack Obama, your country is waging a war of terror. It indiscriminately kills civilians with drone strikes, then classifies any male adult victim a… --- ## [Why the GOP hates public schools? Creationism and mandatory prayer.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-gop-hates-public-schools-creationism-and-mandatory-prayer/635952)
**Author:** [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-gop-hates-public-schools-creationism-and-mandatory-prayer/635952 "2012-10-06T15:54:41Z")
Conservatives know they have lost the Constitutional argument regarding the Establishment Clause. Therefore they have lost the primary Culture War of today. There will be no Creationism/Prayer return in public schools… --- ## [What will Romney winning the election mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-romney-winning-the-election-mean/636700)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-romney-winning-the-election-mean/636700 "2012-10-06T14:10:23Z")
I think all Presidents pretty much run to the center and I don’t think Obama and Romney are that much different. If Obama is defeated, what of substance will change? Is it possible to keep this as abstract and non-part… --- ## [How many voters just go for the incumbent, no matter what?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-voters-just-go-for-the-incumbent-no-matter-what/636702)
**Author:** [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-voters-just-go-for-the-incumbent-no-matter-what/636702 "2012-10-06T04:32:38Z")
Seems to me there’s got to be a certain percentage of voters who subscribe to the philosophy of “Never change horses in mid-stream.” If there’s an incumbent running, they’re going to vote for him. It’s not a totally imb… --- ## [Contingency plans for a crisis if Obama is in Denver?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contingency-plans-for-a-crisis-if-obama-is-in-denver/636747)
**Author:** [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contingency-plans-for-a-crisis-if-obama-is-in-denver/636747 "2012-10-06T04:20:53Z")
So according to Al Gore the President was at a disadvantage last night because he landed in Denver only a couple hours before the debate. We all know he was referring to the somewhat rarified air and lower oxygen level. … --- ## [Letter From 2012 in Obama's America-A Retrospective](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letter-from-2012-in-obamas-america-a-retrospective/636786)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letter-from-2012-in-obamas-america-a-retrospective/636786 "2012-10-06T02:43:18Z")
http://www.wnd.com/files/Focusletter.pdf This letter purpoting to be from October 2012 if Obama won the election in 2008 is rather amusing to read in retrospect. A blogger did an analysis and found that only 1/2 of a pr… --- ## [Responses to this article from Reason Magazine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-this-article-from-reason-magazine/636803)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-this-article-from-reason-magazine/636803 "2012-10-06T02:28:55Z")
The gist of it is that they present six graphs aimed at showing that some common claims about Obama’s economic policies (claims that paint Obama in a good light) aren’t true. For example, the first graph seems to show… --- ## ["Truth Invaders" Game](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truth-invaders-game/636870)
**Author:** [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truth-invaders-game/636870 "2012-10-06T02:12:40Z")
This was designed and run by a friend of mine, and I thought y’all might find it amusing: http://www.truthinvaders.com/index.html It’s basically like Space Invaders, except that you shoot down lies told by politicians, … --- ## [Party switch](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/party-switch/636835)
**Author:** [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/party-switch/636835 "2012-10-05T20:33:42Z")
I’m a dirty furriner, so I only have indirect stakes in the current U.S. Presidential Election. However, I’ve been reading a lot of threads on the SDMB, and I actually find it rather interesting. While reading recent th… --- ## [Sununu: The President is "lazy" and "not that bright." Who believes this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728 "2012-10-05T19:24:08Z")
Said it on television, no less. Since I’ve seen this asserted by conservatives on this very board, I was wondering how widespread this belief is. I was also wondering as to its potential effect. There are certainly lo… --- ## [Keystone XL pipeline extension](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keystone-xl-pipeline-extension/636811)
**Author:** [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keystone-xl-pipeline-extension/636811 "2012-10-05T17:57:38Z")
During the debate Romney brought this up again as part of his position on energy independance. He’s in favor of allowing them to get this pushed through. Can someone tell me what the upside to this would be? From what… --- ## [What was that noise last night at the debates?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-noise-last-night-at-the-debates/636764)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-noise-last-night-at-the-debates/636764 "2012-10-05T17:51:50Z")
Did anybody else notice it? It was very brief but it caught the attention of both candidates; causing them both to look back stage. Here’s one theory as to what it was: Link --- ## [Wake the F\*\*k up! (read by Samuel L. Jackson)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wake-the-f-k-up-read-by-samuel-l-jackson/636023)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wake-the-f-k-up-read-by-samuel-l-jackson/636023 "2012-10-05T12:16:44Z")
We need more political ads like this. NOTE: Both links below are to videos and they contain adult language so may be NSFW: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1862749129001?bckey=AQ~~,AAABsa9scdk~,RokljA1V… --- ## [Have you made up your mind yet ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-made-up-your-mind-yet/636527)
**Author:** [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-made-up-your-mind-yet/636527 "2012-10-05T11:13:17Z")
Is there anyone here who doesn’t know who they’ll vote for in November ? Do you really need the debates to make up your mind ? --- ## [Mitt Romney’s Fuzzy Debate Math](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-s-fuzzy-debate-math/636785)
**Author:** [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-s-fuzzy-debate-math/636785 "2012-10-05T08:29:42Z")
The person who wrote this Blog post is Howard Hill is a retired investment banker. Presumably the guy knows numbers. Maybe someone here can check his work - I’m no mathematician, and I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn… --- ## [Romney - Ryan Tax Plan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-ryan-tax-plan/636772)
**Author:** [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-ryan-tax-plan/636772 "2012-10-05T05:14:57Z")
I get up too early to have watched it but I popped the DVD in my machine at work and then listened to it (I know, Nixon won when you only listened), and I was trying to mainly listen hard to the first half hour or so. S… --- ## [Why not add one more seat to the House of Representatives to avoid a tied Electoral vote?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-add-one-more-seat-to-the-house-of-representatives-to-avoid-a-tied-electoral-vote/636517)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-add-one-more-seat-to-the-house-of-representatives-to-avoid-a-tied-electoral-vote/636517 "2012-10-04T23:30:36Z")
Not so much a question about the current elections, but about the make-up of the Electoral College. Currently, there are 538 electoral votes (derived from 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3… --- ## [Presidential Debate Bingo Cards!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-debate-bingo-cards/636620)
**Author:** [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-debate-bingo-cards/636620 "2012-10-04T19:53:03Z")
For tonight: http://www.bobstaake.com/LINGO2012 Maybe we can think of some things they missed. --- ## [Presidential Debate Deja Vu: Thread From 2008](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-debate-deja-vu-thread-from-2008/636701)
**Author:** [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-debate-deja-vu-thread-from-2008/636701 "2012-10-04T18:55:51Z")
While I was watching last night’s debate with Obama and Romney, about half way through, I suddenly had a deja vu. I remembered the thread from four years ago, with Obama and McCain. Here is the link to that 2008 thread. … --- ## [What does Obama mean when he says Donald Trump is a small business?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-obama-mean-when-he-says-donald-trump-is-a-small-business/636651)
**Author:** [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-obama-mean-when-he-says-donald-trump-is-a-small-business/636651 "2012-10-04T17:55:01Z")
Obama said under Romney’s plan, Trump is a small business. What is he referring to? --- ## [Obama not Kenyan after all](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-kenyan-after-all/636275)
**Author:** [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-kenyan-after-all/636275 "2012-10-04T16:15:17Z")
IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN THAT!!! :eek::smiley: --- ## [Relevant undecided voters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-undecided-voters/636689)
**Author:** [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-undecided-voters/636689 "2012-10-04T15:09:17Z")
The only undecided voters that matter are those in the states that are still tossups (e.g., Virginia, Florida, North Carolina). How many of those voters are there? What percentage of the undecided in each state does ea… --- ## [For American conservatives disenchanted with Romney, what's your move?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-american-conservatives-disenchanted-with-romney-whats-your-move/635292)
**Author:** [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-american-conservatives-disenchanted-with-romney-whats-your-move/635292 "2012-10-04T12:02:04Z")
I’ve been wondering: if there are some American conservatives on the SDMB who think that Romney perhaps isn’t such a great candidate, what is your most likely course of action come Nov. 6? Poll to follow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/politics-elections/22.md?page=290) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/politics-elections/22.md?page=292)