what the fuck? why does the d change to lower case?
::Golf Clap::
When you attempt to change the way things have been established, it never happens overnight. Dr. King didn’t change the circumstances for African-Americans overnight, nor was he able to stop the more violent riots of the civil rights movement. Does that mean that he was also a bad leader and an “empty shirt”?
You won’t get a chance with Bricker for one of two reasons:
- He never said any of the above, and everyone his misinterpreted what he really said
or
- He’ll vanish, because he’s a pussy.
I guess we’ll have a 50% chance of seeing if I’m right in early November…
-Joe
Stop gloating.
Creationist Barbie?
That is fucking hilarious. Sorry, mad props, but that made me fall over.
What doesn’t make me fall over?
Well, when folks so viciously toe their particular party line. I don’t care who you vote for, but vote for them for a good reason. Let it be slightly more than “because they said so.” Please.
Anyone remember back when Perot ran? Do you know what many people said? That they would not vote for him “because he will not win.” You know how people win elections? By being voted for. The logic failed many.
I don’t consider myself a democrat or republican. And I have to be honest, if Palin is the best possible VP candidate they can come up with, the republicans are in a sorry state. Really, the best? If she isn’t the best possible, then why is she there? That is the question I’m asking myself. There are always reasons, the question is what are the reasons?
I know why Obama is there, it is because Bush has such an intolerably low level of respect of the people. The number of people that say we are better off right now are few and far between. People don’t rebel by raising a hemline 1/4 of an inch, they do it by going as far the other direction as possible. What is the farthest you can get from an old, white, established, good-ol’ boy from Texas? Howz about a semi-black, young, fresh young upstart from a state that BARELY existed as such before he did. DING DING DING, we have a winner.
So Bricker, vote for who you are gonna vote for, the curtain will be closed and we’ll never know, but remember, those curtains close for a reason. Who you vote for should be important and personal to you, and whether or not it is any one elses business is entirely your business. And? You can lie through your teeth about your vote.
And for that? Rock on United States.
While I don’t agree with the way Bricker has now pledged his vote, I too have almost used up all of the political optimism that Obama and his decision to run have instilled in me. I don’t find Obama at fault for this, however, I blame the status quo. All sides of it.
The behavior of so many in an election year is ludicrous, be they candidates, media, pundits, staffers, bloggers, voters, non-voters. Why? Why do we devolve to children in the playground when the teacher isn’t watching during these crucial decision-making times?
For my part, I’ve made some eyerolls in Palin’s general direction on these boards (based on video of her speaking as opposed to rumors and innuendo) and I don’t agree with her at all on many issues that I consider very important. But the signal to noise ratio as far as relevant vs irrelevant (imho) information about her with which the voters of this country are supposed to consider when making an informed decision is, again, ludicrous. As is the case, and will be the case, for all politicians until we have some sort of paradigm shift.
Speaking only for myself, lacking an 'ilk, actually, I’m not a frothing liberal. I’m a moderate and an Independent. I think extremists on either side of the spectrum are stupid at best, but often actually damaging to the country.
My unabashed fury, with Bricker and Starving Artist and the ever-fatuous Shodan, on the blithe disregard for the damage Shrub’s assassination politics has done to the political process and the Republican party itself. The mindless Coulter/Hannity/Limbaugh rantings of the usual assholes mentioned, and Bricker’s crocodile tears over how mean election campaigns are nowadays obscure how completely the Republican party has been hijacked.
Voting Republican, save in local elections, isn’t viable anymore to anyone who actually respects conservative values. SA’s’ cheery references to ‘religion and social engineering’ is blatant Big Brotherism. Do I think those are bad ideas? Hell yes. Do I think people holding them are bad people? Fuck yes. I don’t respect arrogant assholes who want to use government as a handy lever against other citizens. I loathe bullies.
But here’s the Big Lie that ardent neocons still love: attack hard enough, lie big enough and some people will believe black is white, up is down, anything, if it suits their tendencies. That way neocons can try to enforce fundamentalist ‘Christianity’ by the state while still claiming to insist government should keep the hell out of peoples’ lives. Oh, and claim to be victims whenever somebody mentions gee, they’d rather make up their own minds about religion, thanks anyway.
Same goes with anybody who still excuses or accepts the vicious political assassination tactics Rove/Bush established. And that, my children, is why Bricker and his little neocon buddies are clumps of reeking shit. I say that as a moderate and an Independent. Fruit of the poisoned tree, folks. Can’t celebrate and accept the vicious assholes who won, Rove and Cheney and inane little Shrub, without accepting the tactics they used to win. I have friends, genuine conservatives and proud Republicans, who’ve denounced Rove/Shrub’s assholishness–and insisted the GOP must return to its real core values, not the behind-the-looking-glass neocon distortions. You know, government actually not throwing money around like confetti, staying the hell out of peoples’ bedrooms and letting them choose their own religions. They aren’t liberal any stretch of the imagination…but they have integrity to burn. They also had hopes. They’re ones most directly betrayed by McCain the whore and Creationist Barbie but of course the whole country is poorer.
It’s a genuine pity that, once again, the GOP only offers whores, bullies and religious extremists. And of course the fawning little sychophants, like Bricker and Starving Artist and Shodan, who derive some personal satisfaction from gladiatorial politics. Or who support shitting the Constitution into a theocracy.
That’s an interesting stat. I suspect that the difference is only because Obama had a much longer nomination fight. The media like to ride on controversies.
(NETA: I am not trying to suggest that Bricker is blaming Obama for this either, though his pledge does smack of trying to punish the Obama campaign for the ludicrous behavior in the single most powerful way he can, by not voting for him)
Let me see if I can condense that for ya:
Pubbies have fucked up, ergo all future pubbies will fuck up, so if you’re really a conservative, you have no choice but to vote liberal or be an asshole!
But having said that, I honestly never have seen this side of you before. I believe it when you say you’ve always been a ‘moderate’. However, you’ve really been going off the deep end the last few days and I can only attribute it to fear over Palin’s nomination and the energizing effect it has had on the electorate.
I’ve only edited the above so that I can have it for circumstances more general than this thread. Thank you, Dead Badger, for putting my feelings into words.
And so I go my fearful way betwixt heaven and earth and all their active forces; and all I can see is a monster, forever devouring, regurgitating, chewing and gorging." — Goethe
As much as I admire your passion on this, the quoted bit is as hard to swallow as Weirddave’s claim of being a moderate.
I should have said “Let me see if I can condense that for ya, TVeblen.”
I didn’t notice I had hit the post button rather than the reply button. Sorry for any confusion, DarkSide and Tomba.
That’s retarded. We’re talking about accountability and not electing someone who openly supports G. W. Bush. If McCain were running on a platform of reforming his party, that would be fine. But he’s not, and it’s ridiculous to say that we should expect him to be fundamentally different when he’s not even marketing himself as such.
Look, I am more conservative than I used to be. I sympathize, but do not wholly agree, with conservative fiscal policy and my libertarian side makes me take issue with the Dems at times. But, I simply in good conscience cannot do that - the Republican party has been totally taken over by the religious right on one hand and horribly corrupt corporate spin-doctors on the other for whom any means necessary is the only rule. I can see myself voting Republican when and if the GOP starts holding their candidates to a higher standard (well, and starts running on true conservatism rather than neo-con pander-to-the-religious-zealots bullshit). That hasn’t happened and probably won’t as long as people continue to tow the party line regardless what’s happened - in this case, massive misuse of the public’s trust.
fluiddruid, unfortunately work calls and I have to leave. I’d like to address some of the points you make (the answers are not quite so simple and cut-and-dried as you might think) and I’ll try to keep them in mind for when I return later.
That’s what I was asking myself the other night when they had the governor of Hawaii talking about how great Palin is. Here is a Republican governor of a state who has been in office much longer than Palin, runs a much more populous state, was mayor of Maui prior to being governor, and was the first Republican governor in the history of her state, a traditionally Democratic stronghold. Oh yeah, and she’s a woman too. Why was she passed over?
raises hand
I hope you don’t follow through on trash-talking if McCain wins, Bricker. That will actively work against the changes you’d like to see.
Bullshit. Principled conservatives were betrayed by McCain. Simple enough for you? He took the stale joke of a ‘Big Tent’–remember that knee-slapper?–and made it worse. McCain had a chance, a real chance, to be a maverick in fact and clean up some of the shit left over by Rove/Shrub. Get it yet? I’m furious that McCain whored himself out, right back to the assassination politics Bricker cried so many tears over, and then removed any hope of restoring power to Republican middle by appointing a ridiculously unqualified, near-lunatic level religious fanatic.
McCain the whore just made a bad problem worse. He shit on his own party; he took a massive, reeking shit right on top of conservatives. I’m pissed as hell, at him and anybody else who decides to continue the neocon assassinations because I’d hoped it was fucking over. The tactics and extreme polarization were never excusable and Bricker’s convenient amnesia about that makes him just another whore. Oh, and so does his inane “You meanies made me do it” tactic.
It was not about campaining and how it would be performed. It was about how he would move the national discourse on issues. [
](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9867485&postcount=43) You seem to have rather lofty and unattainable expectations there, Rick. Did you really think that after decades of contentious debate about some of our most divisive topics, that Barack Obama was going to magically change the tone in a matter of 6 months, and without the benefit of being our nation’s actual leader yet?
I don’t think your mind change has anything to do with thinking Obama’s message is suddenly unworkable. I think it’s because you’re pissed off that there’s been so much negative attention crammed into such a short window about someone on your own side. It’s interesting that you’re only now so angry because it’s being directed towards Sarah Palin. I’m wondering how you felt about all the exact same arguments being made by those on your side about Barack Obama and/or Hillary Clinton.
Here’s some back-to-back clips for your consideration. Yes, it’s the Daily Show, which is comedy. But ignore the messenger and look at the actual content to understand why some of us on this side are so fucking annoyed.
You’re smart enough to know that not only does the kind of change that Barack Obama’s talking about, take time – lots of time, but also the pulpit from which to execute it. If what you really, genuinely want, is the kind of atmosphere Barack Obama is offering, then it is as incumbent upon you as it is on any of the rest of us, to pony up and be a participant and not fall back into old habits and ideologies.