Fuck You, Voters

The BBQ Pit
81

So you, who says such things as “I want you to die, writhing in agony, as your flesh melts from your bones” are on the side of tolerance and consideration?

And you say this over political disagreements? Are you consider yourself to be on the righteous side?

It doesn’t matter which side you are on, when you demonize your opposition in the way that you do there isn’t a chance for anything but hate. It has come to the point on where hate is acceptable, instead of discussion. Anyone who disagrees with the standard opinion on the SD is automatically labeled evil. That isn’t a very good way to a)convince the other side that your ideas are correct or b) understand what the other side actually thinks. Both sides have people who do this (the OP is a perfect example) and it is simply dumb. It is politics by fear and hate, which is rather funny, because you are spewing hate in the name of tolerance.

How very silly.

Slee

82

Well, there’s absolutely no guarantee that such a strategy will continue to work indefinitely-sooner or later you’ll need results, not witch hunts, to grab those swing voters.

Between '08 and '10 they amounted to only about 5% of the electorate: 53% 47% Democratic majority becomes (yes roughly) 52-48% GOP (feel free to make further adjustments based on the much discussed variations in turnout demographics, etc.). People seemed to think that Obama had this huge mandate, despite the fact that 47% of the '08 voters voted against him-it doesn’t take much to turn that around.

I’m bummed because any substantial response to global warming, the greatest challenge of our era, the one thing which absolutely dwarfs all other issues into relative insignificance (along with environmental degradation in general, natch) will be tabled for at least 2 years, and probably a lot longer than that. And before someone accuses me of being a one-issue voter: yes I am-I want to see our race, our civilization, and our world grow and thrive (i.e. more than mere survival). One planet, one people, one issue. So, what good does it do you to cavil and complain about 20% unemployment now, when it might be 100% for your grandkids in 50 years? [Or, rather, 20% unemployment and 80% dead] I mean for Chrissakes we may be losing a substantial amount of our phytoplankton to GW-people, we need them so we can breathe, ya know? <sigh>

So yeah, I’m more than a little sore (tho mainly distraught more than anything else) that the American electorate is so short-sighted, so selfish, so willfully ignorant and so thoroughly brainwashable by the most obvious and pernicious of propaganda techniques that they vote against their own interests time and time again. Each election year I keep hoping that they will wake the fuck up, and each year they become more somnambulent. I’ve seen numerous colleagues, friends and family members fall for the right-wing trolling bullshit line far too often for comfort for the last ten years or so. For some unfathomable reason a large chunk of the electorate simply refuses to recognize the true enemy in their midst, the stranglehold that corporations have on the entire system, from top to bottom. Big business has somehow convinced them that it’s their best buddy. They keep bleating about freedom, but they have no real idea what the word means, and all the while they become more enslaved (without realizing it) to said system, all the while continuing to worship it while it fucks them in ass all the harder.

Oh, don’t worry, Obama and the other Demo leaders certainly deserve some of the blame; I look to the Tao that one day we’ll finally get a Democratic President who isn’t a wimp, and who is perfectly willing to toss the moneychangers out of the temple (sorry for the mixed religious metaphor), but I ain’t going to hold my breath.

83

Ah, the good old “the tolerant should tolerate the intolerant” canard.

84

Sestak’s loss was very disappointing all the way on this coast even. Is it likely he will bounce back and run for the senate again in the future or perhaps for a different office? I’d really like to see the guy stick around in some capacity.

85

It’s just the normal cycle of things. Politicians promise the moon, then can’t deliver and blame it on the other guy. The electorate knee-jerks and votes in the bastards who fucked it up the last time, hoping that human nature will somehow change. This cycle has become alarmingly short in the past 15 years, which should have alarm bells clanging in WDC that people are fed up with business as usual, but WDC is completely out of touch with the rest of the country. I saw that first-hand when I lived there. Issues that caused hysteria there were not even on the radar in, say, California. Until there are mobs at the gates with torches, it will never sink in, and we will continue to elect the same lame assholes over and over again, based on promises they can’t or won’t keep. For a perfect example: John McCain has been decrying that “the system is broken” since he first started running for office. It’s one of his standard schticks that he trots out for every campaign. He never does anything about it, because it if it gets fixed then he’s got no platform. He’s just another lying demagogue.

I was actually glad to see some of the doddering old farts lose their seats, even if it means someone younger from the opposing party takes it. Entrenched cronyism and graft is destroying the country, IMO. A divided Congress may encourage bipartisanship. Or not. But both houses in the control of one party certainly won’t.

86

I don’t really know. Even though I’m somewhat active in politics I haven’t met him personally. My gut feeling is that he’ll remain active, but that’s all it is, a gut feeling.

87

Meh, the Redneck Revolution is already running out of steam. Plus, from CNN:

So, hopefully a lot of them will die before the next election.

88

Blank Slate,
I think this shows us what we need to do. Register young people then GOTV! I think that’s the key.

89

Also, kill old people.

What?

90

Damn, what the fuck happened in PA? I just saw that Patrick Murphy lost too. :frowning: So much for having *any * fierce-advocates of ending DADT. What will become of this now?
ETA: I seem to recall Sestak also being in favor of overturning DADT, was this specifically an issue in your state?

91

Except, if your only plan for the next two years is to stall and blame everything on Obama, then what’s the point? Getting re-elected is all very well, but if you never actually accomplish anything–like, you know, reducing spending–then why bother?

Thing is, everyone knows that most of the budget is interest on the debt, social security, medicare, and the military. The other stuff is piddly. So we’re not going to balance the budget by rooting out waste and redundancy at NASA, or aid to Haiti. We’re going to have to cut popular programs. Which would result in a firestorm of indignation. So that’s not going to happen. And so there ain’t gonna be ANY substantive budget cuts, just symbolic ones like defunding public radio. Great, we cut the budget by 0.00001%! It’s a great start! Until the tidal wave of baby boomer retirees that starts in a few years. Yeah, thank Christ we’re not gonna be paying 10% of Terry Gross’s salary anymore, or we’d be in trouble.

92

Very proud to be a Californian this morning, where sanity prevails in a big way.

93

What do you think the death panels were designed for in the first place?

94

Accompanied by a recording of their collective howling like broke-dick dogs. It would be soul-soothing music to the ears.

95

Gangster Octopus, I’m so pleased with my fellow Bay Staters, I’ve almost forgiven them for the embarrassment of Scott Brown.

96

I just wanted to register my appreciation for this post. Well done on several levels, VT. :smiley:

97

Let the teabaggers abolish medicare and the movement wipes itself out…

98

Ya know, there’s the other thing that burns. What, logically speaking, should be motivating senior citizens when they vote? They should know their time on this Earth is limited, and that they need to consider what is best for the future generations, am I right or am I right? Alright, before the Geezer Brigade here lynches me, yes I don’t blame you for being fearful some demagogue is going to steal your SS, but frankly wouldn’t you primarily vote with your children and grandchildren in mind? Yes I know I’m in my Naive Zone again, so sue me. The last Idealist in a dreary world, ho ho ho! :cool:

99

I’m in the Philly suburbs, which is a relatively blue part of the state. I don’t recall hearing too much talk about DADT, but I doubt that there’s strong support for LGBT rights in the red parts of the state.

But I can’t just blame Pennsyltucky for the losses. Trivedi lost to Gerlach in my District and Murphy lost in the 8th. We really need to do better at GOTV in the off years. We need to get out more young people and minorities. People just don’t seem to get excited if it’s not a Presidential race.

100

So the tolerant should only tolerate the tolerant?

A person can’t very well insist on tolerance from a certain group and then display hatred and intolerance toward that group. For decades I’ve watched as the left has pleaded for tolerance from the right for everything from hair styles and clothing to drug use to gangsta rap to entitlement programs to…well, you get the idea. Yet at the same time they’re yelling at every opportunity about how evil, selfish, racist, sexist, backward, homophobic, provincial, red-necked, stupid and ignorant the members of that group are.

To those who are upset at the lies and fear-mongering and rape of rhetoric that you see going on now, all I can say is “You reap what you sow”. This very same type of behavior has been coming from the left since at least the late sixties. It goes on in spades here on this very board. Now the right is fighting back, and they’re doing it by fighting fire with fire. I don’t particularly like it myself, but with the windstorm of insults, hatred, lies and distortions coming so relentlessly from the left, the right really has no other choice if they want to stay in the game.