In 2000, the biggest thing on most folks’ minds regarding the election was, “Which candidate, if elected, is least likely to diddle an intern in the Oval Office?”
In 2004, the biggest thing on most folks’ minds regarding the election is, “Which candidate, if elected, is least likely to start an unprovoked war, twist the national agenda to benefit his cronies, and inflame anti-American sentiments worldwide?”
Bigger stakes, louder shouting.
At least I find myself in good company.
Um, Nuh uh!
I wasn’t around these boards during the Monica Lewinsky case, Ken Starr inverstigation, and impeachment. Was there a lot of vitriol then?
A quick search of the term “Lewinsky” brought up some old threads that indicate that the vitriol on SDMB is nothing new
<aside> BTW, from these old threads, there are a lot of usernames that aren’t around anymore. I guess people just get tired and stop posting </aside>
I totally get the point of the thread.
The answer is we go batshit because we’re right.
Good point, and you may well be right, but every action has an opposite reaction.
In my own experience lately, Ive encountered quite a few people who normally vote who (at least say) they arent going to this time. The level of partisanship, of loonies on Left and Right, the complete lack of any attempts at pragmatic, non-ideology based problem solving is overwhelming this time. Its like we are all being asked to validate one or the other of two nutcase ideologies, propounded by either starry-eyed naivite or glossy-eyed obeiscence…like watching the Moonies and Krishnas go at it, and we’re all supposed to pick a ‘winner’.
I dont know, maybe your point is more right in the long run; I really hope Im wrong, but my impression is we may see one of the lowest turnouts in quite some time.
I’m under no illusion that it’ll do anything. But actually doing things is so prosaic. What’s the point of life if you can’t take part in a few quixotic gestures?
In theory people who talk incessently about politics are like trolls, ignore them and they’ll go away. But, like with trolls, it never seems to quite work in practice.
Yeah, that’s the ticket… :rolleyes:
I think the OP is dead on. Take our good friend Diogenes. He’s one of my favorite people to debate with on this board, but it’s gotten to where you cannot have a rational discussion with him about Iraq, or pretty much anything related to Bush. A shame, really.
I’m one of those infamous undecided voters, but I often find myself hoping Bush will win just to see all the Bushwhackers here squirm. And don’t fool yourself-- the -whackers outnumber the -istas by a considerable margine around here.
I don’t have an answer to the OP – but I admit I have a problem. I am increasingly irrational where Bush is concerned. Yesterday I flipped off the driver in front of me when he looked into the rear view mirror. Why? He had a Bush bumper sticker. I used to just glare. Now I gesture. What’s next?
Just the sight of a Bush sign makes me furious. While out walking the other day, I saw a company that has a Bush banner – I seriously considered throwing rocks at the building. Since there were people standing around, I didn’t – I just glared and spit in their direction.
I’m angry, really angry. I’ve been angry for 4 years. Maybe the only thing keeping me in check is the possiblity of prison – can’t go there. Civil disobedience, no problem. Offensive behavior, yep. Assault, no.
If, heaven forfend, Bush actually wins an election, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I hope it’s just depression, again, and not that I go off the deep end. But I’m invested like never before. I truly believe that this election will decide the future of the planet. It’s not business as usual.
I feel like it’s life or death.
You know what dude, it ain’t about us squirming, I’m a big boy, I’m not even worried about myself. Bush and his cronies are running this country down the crapper. They’re squandering precious international goodwill, money, and resources on some half-assed crusade chasing ghosts around the world. This isn’t partisan bullshit, this is purely an issue with the Bush admin. If anyone else was taking the same steps as him, my ire would be drawn the same.
Bush is more concerned with creating the illusion of “winning” a war then taking the actual steps to secure our country. He’s pulling smoke and mirrors on people, and they’re not even questioning the motivations, or what’s really going on behind the scenes. Take Afghanistan, things are going to shit there. Karzai controls about 3 blocks of Kabul. The taliban are alive and well, and even controlling areas of the country. Shit, there are huge chunks of Iraq we don’t even go into, let alone control (no go zones, look them up). The competence of our our intelligence services seems to change everyday. When bad things are going on, they’re infalible (Powell at the UN). When things are going bad (recent CIA report), Bush says they don’t know what they’re talking about.
Politically we’re losing friends, and half these places would love to see us twist in the wind. When a country like Spain, or the Phillippines (sp?) pulls out because of the will of their people, we call them a bunch of pussies. So the precedent has now been set. Any country for any reason that pulls out of this “WOT” is automatically labeled as giving into terrorists. Context, and common sense are been thrown out the window.
Invading countries and killing mostly innocents isn’t going to fix terrorism, it’s going to create more of it. The laughable notion that we’re going to capture hearts and minds with our current actions is ignorance at it’s worst. I think even they’ve given up on that line of BS. We’re breeding a new generation of terrorists. Every kid out there that has lost someone is going to grow up and want to kill Americans, and they’re losing people in droves. MILITARY FORCE will not get us out, it will only get us in further.
We’re taking the wrong approach, we’re not dealing with the real problem. We need a radical change of direction in this country, and a long, deep look in the mirror.
Kerry won’t do much, he’d probably being a boring idiot of a pres. I don’t even like the guy. The difference is people aren’t out to get him. He’s not responsible for the mess we’re in today, he’s a fresh slate, and that alone is worth a lot.
In general, I think people get riled up because to them, their view seems very obviously correct, and it’s tough for them to see why their view isn’t obviously correct to everybody.
You do have a serious problem. Look inward for the solution. Maybe it’s you, and not the rest of the world?
Since you admit that your anger goes back 4 years, you can’t even use the excuse of the Iraq war. A visit to a doctor might be in order.
You know despite the best sugarcoating efforts of the opposing view, sometimes people are correct. There’s a difference between POV and fact.
Plenty of people hold the view that SH and OBL were in bed together, they’re dead wrong.
You’re not alone Danalan. Just keep in mind that doing something stupid is not going to help anything, or anyone.
Got a rocket in your pocket? Stay cool boy. 
Well, yeah. I was speaking about all political views, correct or not.
Or try to think of how you’d feel back in the mid 60s. Would you be so pissed off at Johnson that you’d want to throw rocks thru the windows of people you knew were Democrats? The Vietnam War was much, much worse in almost any measureble way than the Iraq war.
I can understand, to a point, when people get passionate about war issues. But are tax cuts that you disagree with worth rocks thru windows?
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned the tax cuts. I don’t think I’ve mentioned rocks through windows either.
That’s why we need to emphasize truth over spin. It’ll never happen of course.
It’s very simple: In politics, not only do some people have really fucking stupid ideas, those really fucking stupid ideas are something I may have to put up with on a daily basis, should those ideas be voted upon favorably. Sometimes, after having the umpteenth Really Fucking Stupid Idea™ foisted upon me, and then being confronted with Still Yet Another Really Fucking Stupid Idea (patent pending), I lose it; I go batshit crazy. Crazier than a shithouse rat, even. It’s a natural response.
Sorry, I meant my post to be in response to Danalan. I thought that would have been clear, but obvioulsy I was mistaken.