We were discussing it, but bear in mind that there is no factual answer available - we can only speculate. But you listed a bunch of what you considered pieces of evidence including Obama both supporting socialism and being anti-patriotic. Those, unlike the question about malaise, should be able to be supported quite clearly with facts.
See, when you make statements in a debate, the people participating have the right to ask on what those statements are based. I understand that your original question is not about Obama, but about the existence or non-existence of voter malaise, and toward that end you offer up some statistics about Europe that lead you to believe there is voter malaise there and ask us if we think they can indicate where the US is going. Since that question can’t be answered factually (how can you answer a question like that factually - with answers from the Oracle at Delphi?), Fear Itself gave his opinion - the only thing available, and, by the way, a self-evident statement - European trends can hardly be the only influence on what happens in the US. Then he asks you in what way you feel that Europe influences the US.
You then go on to show what apparently was your real intent - you ask for other evidence that voter malaise is occurring, something which the rest of us have not agreed is even happening, and which the record registrations and turn-outs at the primary have argued against. (Seriously disliking one of the candidates or an elected official is not evidence of voter malaise, btw. “Voter malaise” would suggest a lack of interest/enthusiasm, and a general disillusionment with the entire process, not just for some of the candidates.) Then you list a bunch of statements which you apparently believe support your claim. You list these statements as if they were facts.
Since then (Post 9), you have been asked by both **Fear Itself ** and me (the only particpants other than yourself in this thread) to substantiate several of the statements offered up as factual evidence in post #9. Since you have now repeatedly refused to do so, anyone reading this thread can only conclude that it is because you have no evidence and are talking through your hat.
BTW, my evidence that most people do not perceive Obama as socialist or anti-patriotic is that he’s about to win the nomination, and even in the states he didn’t win, he has gotten a sizable portion of the vote. Don’t you think that if he were supporting either socialism or anti-patriotism, the Clinton campaign would have been screaming it to the rooftops? Also, he has energized and excited new voters in a way that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. Are they all socialists and anti-patriotic?
YOu offered a few statistics about Europe and the US and ask if they are indicative of a trend. Since we have only one data point, we can’t even say whether we are headed in the same direction as Europe (whose direction we also don’t know), let alone that we are being influenced by them. You then state outright that we can use European figures (which direction they are headed we don’t know, so we can’t say whether drinking is increasing or dropping, or population is increasing or dropping) to predict the future of the US. You also put all these figures out without explaining how they connect to your rather nebulous concept of ‘voter malaise.’
In short, sir, you don’t seem to have a clue about debate or any interest in learning. I’m outta here.