# State of the Nation: WE'RE SERIOUSLY FUCKED \[long\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 3, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717 "2002-10-03T18:10:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/61 "2002-10-03T23:57:55Z")
**An Arky** : Indeed. I’m sure we could all do without such rhetoric. We could all do without such ominous times, too. ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/62 "2002-10-03T23:58:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by An Arky \* > \*\*Republicans have successfully managed to appeal to the base and visceral in many of us, and in tough, scary times like these, there’s little thought given to the altruism Democrats are known (or wish to be known) for. > > I really wish that a full understanding of American History and Civics was a prerequisite for voting, but of course, requiring knowledge is discriminatory and so this is what we have to live with, a Dumbarchy. The armbands are in the mail… \*\* Would that full understanding of American History and Civics be a part of the altruism about which you are so proud? You are an elitist piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/63 "2002-10-04T00:05:37Z")
I believe that the OP read [**this**](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0210.confessore.html), and has injected it with his own over-the-top ranting style. The article itself does scare the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/64 "2002-10-04T00:34:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by An Arky \* > \*\*Though I could do without the gaseous rhetoric, I rather agree that one political party in control of all three branches of government is indeed a scary proposition. I doubt our founding fathers intended for this sort of thing to happen when the system of checks and balances was devised. \*\* Of course not. They didn’t intend for there to be political parties when they were drawing up the Constitution. Much less for there to be only two. Maybe you need a better grasp of American History and Civics yourself before you start spewing out such “brilliant insights” to the rest of us. > [@](#): > > **Republicans have successfully managed to appeal to the base and visceral in many of us, and in tough, scary times like these, there’s little thought given to the altruism Democrats are known (or wish to be known) for.** Give me a break. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/65 "2002-10-04T00:38:49Z")
Hey, Ace, I’ve shat things smarter than you. I plan on voting Replican come this November. And when I punch my hole in the ballot (making sure not to leave any pregnant chads), I’ll be thinking, “Boy, that guy Ace sure is an idiot.” ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/66 "2002-10-04T01:34:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ace0Spades \* > \*\*“Lowers their stength by 10?” > > Put _down_ the RPG’s, fan-boy. 😃 \*\* ::Looking up to make sure this is the PIT, Well damn, it is:: Hey Ace, you fan-boy of Clinton, thanks for truely proving to me that you are an idiot. I mock your whole OP and the best come back you have is to call me a roll game player? Can’t you come up with somthing else? Geez, you need help. Slee (who has never played a RPG) ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/67 "2002-10-04T03:08:19Z")
Hey hey hey. It’s _role_ playing, not _roll_ playing. Also: what **Scylla** said. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/68 "2002-10-04T03:30:12Z")
**Ace** , this Democrat says shut the monkey hell up. And lay off **divemaster** , what are you expecting from him, anyway, an engraved blow job? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/69 "2002-10-04T04:28:04Z")
My goodness, I believe my thread has been blessed with the pitter-patter of little minds! **Spoofe** : That’s just mean. Hope you enjoyed it. **Sleestak** : Jeez, man, get your panties out of a knot; I didn’t feel the need to post a full-on riposte to your elegant batman analogy. :rolleyes: Did you want me to be more pissed, or something? Whatever. **Tars** : I was expecting him to fully retract his asinine remarks. I still am. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/70 "2002-10-04T04:38:37Z")
Say, next time, I’ll put this is MSPSIMS, eh? Not that I don’t enjoy being flamed for my heartfelt emotions, but still. Between the accusations of plagarism, and the annoying conservative cloud of nonsense, it’s too much to defend at once. Oh, and SPOOFE? When the Democrats win back the house and keep the senate, I’ll be thinking of you. About what a schmuck you are, true, but still. If you give me your address, I’ll be sure to send you the victory boquet. -Ace ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/71 "2002-10-04T04:45:59Z")
Boy, I hate quoting something that hasn’t been commented on yet that’s on the first page of a multi-page thread… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Delta-9 \* > \*\*Um, if the Democrats lose both the House and Senate, it would be because they got voted out, right? Why else would they get voted out, unless they suck? \*\* Well, one could argue that the Republicans have so emphasized “their” (meaning Bush’s) “war on terror” and hyping the Iraq war possibility so much that it’ll scare enough Americans into voting for them, regardless of how they might’ve done things otherwise, because they’ll think that only the GOP can protect them from terrorism. Or something like that. It HAS been argued on this very message board, in fact. Not that I’m defending the OP; I still haven’t quite figured it out yet, and I’ve been a liberal Democrat all my life… ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/72 "2002-10-04T05:03:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Leaper \* > **Well, one could argue that the Republicans have so emphasized “their” (meaning Bush’s) “war on terror” and hyping the Iraq war possibility so much that it’ll scare enough Americans into voting for them, regardless of how they might’ve done things otherwise, because they’ll think that only the GOP can protect them from terrorism. Or something like that.** Well, one could argue that people voting for Republicans might actually be evidence that the people believe in, and support, what the Republicans are saying. Some Democrats just can’t understand that there are people who don’t think the way they do. They would rather believe that the ‘masses’ have been ‘tricked’ than accept that people have actual beliefs. It all goes along with their paternalistic elitism. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/73 "2002-10-04T05:45:21Z")
**Ace0Spades** , meet [**Halo13**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=128244). **Halo13** , meet **Ace0Spades**. You guys should rant at each other, not to us. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/74 "2002-10-04T06:11:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ace0Spades \* > > **Spoofe** : That’s just mean. Hope you enjoyed it. > > \*\* So was the OP, hypocritical twit.:wally ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/75 "2002-10-04T06:42:18Z")
The thing that gets me about the changeover in power in the House and Senate is that they are seen as a huge deal and affect so much policy, yet are really insignificant. In 1994, when Newt and his pals took over, it was heralded as a new day for American Politics and “everything had changed” blah blah blah when you could really trace the whole shift to pretty much only a couple thousand votes nationwide. It’s all in Mike Moore’s “Stupid White Men”. Yes, I know he’s a very liberal (even more than myself), but in this instance the man is simply quoting numbers: the margin of victory of several Republican Congressmen was so slim as to destroy any true “nationwide shift to the right”. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/76 "2002-10-04T09:27:40Z")
An Arky wrote: > [@](#): > > Though I could do without the gaseous rhetoric, I rather agree that one political party in control of all three branches of government is indeed a scary proposition. When has it ever been otherwise? The Democrats favor increasing spending by 4%; the Republicans by 2%. Democrats want to continue the 30-year-old War on Americans I Mean Drugs; so do Republicans. Democrats established the Department of Energy; Republicans the Department of Education. Democrats vote themselves pay raises while people are being laid off left and right; Republicans same same. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/77 "2002-10-04T12:15:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ace0Spades \* > \*\*My goodness, I believe my thread has been blessed with the pitter-patter of little minds! \*\* Okay, that’s just rude. I said it earlier, and **Rhum Runner** echoed it above–just because people have different political beliefs than you doesn’t mean that they’re stupid, gullible, or selfish. We all have different backgrounds and life experiences, and they lead us to different conclusions about the way things should be run in this country. One of the most valuable “ignorance-fighting” functions of this board is to encourage reasonable debate on important issues. Through this board, I have learned to appreciate the ways in which a person can take the same data and arrive at a different conclusion. I think **Libertarian** overstates the case a bit, but he’s essentially on the right track–the Democrats and Republicans aren’t really all that different. Compare our government to the government of another country. You will find a much greater disagreement between “us” and “them” than between the Democrats and Republicans. We’ve done pretty well for ourselves over the last 200 years or so. I doubt that a few years of Republican control will change that. Might I dislike some of the decisions that are made over the next few years? Yeah. Are we “SERIOUSLY FUCKED?” Of course not. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/78 "2002-10-04T12:32:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > \*\*You sir, are a total fucking idiot. \*\* Ditto. And just so you know, Ace, after we win, and my Republican posse rolls through your town, your name’ll be at the top of my list of Troublemakers. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/79 "2002-10-04T12:46:12Z")
Your Republican posse might want to re-think rolling through Park Slope, Brooklyn. You’ll be chased off by by a horde of lesbians wielding baby carriages. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717/80 "2002-10-04T14:24:03Z")
Can someone tell me if Republicans are so bad, anyone would ever be one? Ace makes it seem like they are the devil incarnate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-nation-were-seriously-fucked-long/130717.md?page=5)