# Which person on the other side of the aisle would you vote for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 13, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313 "2014-05-13T00:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/81 "2014-05-15T22:57:22Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > “acknowledge reality” > > That’s really what its about. If you acknowledge that its real, then you’ll be forced to do something about it, and so far Republicans have been avoid reality like the plague. Not necessarily. There are lots of bad things going on, we don’t take government action to correct all of them. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/82 "2014-05-15T23:00:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > This is true. And who’s to blame? Who has been loudly, furiously, incessantly battling the very notion of climate change, let alone the need for both corporations, individuals, and governments to take action right freakin’ now? The REpublicans can be blamed for not agreeing to pick the low hanging fruit, but the problem with low hanging fruit is that the cost/benefit analysis doesn’t favor picking it. When other nations come up with good examples for us to follow with their government intervention, then maybe we can follow their examples. As long as they continue to not have success, we shouldn’t follow their example. > [@](#): > > Nobody can solve climate change. We can, however, mitigate its worst effects with the knowledge and political will we have today - as soon as certain people stop yelling that it doesn’t exist. Government must be, and will be, a huge part of this. Huge - and inextricable. I’ve seen no scientific analysis that any of the proposed solutions we’ve seen so far would make much of a dent. It’s like the drug problem. You can attack the supply all you want, but as long as consumers hunger for cheap fossil fuels they will get them. You have to attack the demand side. There’s no political will to do that. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/83 "2014-05-15T23:51:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not necessarily. There are lots of bad things going on, we don’t take government action to correct all of them. Can you requote what I posted and redo your response without putting words into my mouth? Specifically the part about assuming I want government solutions for “all” problems. I’d rather respond to something I said than something you think I said, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/84 "2014-05-16T00:01:10Z")
You said that if I acknowledge that it is real, then I’ll have to support doing something about it. Which is not really correct. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/85 "2014-05-16T02:19:05Z")
In response to pizzaguy: all of the moderate republicans are democrats. See: Obama, Harry Reid, and about half the Democratic party really, maybe more. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/86 "2014-05-16T06:16:15Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Abe Lincoln, Thaddeus Stevens, Benjamin Wade, Robert LaFollette, Theodore Roosevelt, Fiorello LaGuardia, Hiram Johnson, Jacob K Javits, Nelson Rockefeller Yikes. Even _Qin_ isn’t naming any present Republicans! ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/87 "2014-05-16T06:38:37Z")
> [@Askthepizzaguy](#): > > To respond to some well argued posts regarding “its an administration” not a person that I’m voting for, firstly, a solid point. > > Secondly, okay… I might be speaking more hypothetically than I let on. > > Pretend the Democrats have a majority in both houses, which won’t happen again for a while. > > **Now, which Republican would actually lead the country properly?** That’s a fair pivot. The answer is still, “None of the above”, however. A President needs a base of support and there aren’t any organized neurotypical Republicans left. You can be a sensible guy, but you can’t govern without a base of support. I’m not saying that couldn’t change. There are plenty of conservatives in the country like Bricker for example insofar as post 65 is concerned. Anyway, Huntsman was neurotypical, but he couldn’t have governed effectively without a constituency. So the answer is, “None of the above.” ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/88 "2014-05-16T06:43:00Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > I’m saying they are the same because they both benefit from the SAME cash cows, those on Wall Street. Of course they will differ on social issues that Wall Street types don’t care much about, like abortion and gay marriage. But on economic issues, the Democrats and Republicans are as one. > > Seen any real action on wealth inequality from the Democrats? You won’t. Jobs for the middle class? You won’t. Hell, I doubt they will make any serious efforts on raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour … and that’s a MARGINAL issue to the Wall Street boys. (They’d really rather not, but it’s no big deal to them.) The Affordable Care Act is a substantial expansion of the safety net. It was done in a deficit cutting manner, so it involve a whole new raft of progressive taxes, in particular the [net investment income tax](http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Net-Investment-Income-Tax-FAQs), applying to married households with income above $250,000. Also, in the absence of record obstructionism by the Republican Party, we probably would have gotten higher infrastructure spending. So no, you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/89 "2014-05-16T15:48:07Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You said that if I acknowledge that it is real, then I’ll have to support doing something about it. Which is not really correct. That’s not the part I was referring to. Looks like no candy for you ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/90 "2014-05-16T17:43:55Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > My son has an idea. We should all vote for the most lunatic fringe pubs/tea party morons we can. If they end up in charge and totally fuck the country then maybe, just possibly the horde of ignorance will perhaps learn to stop voting for those who pander to them and actually vote for those trying to do what is actually best for the nation. > I don’t think hes completely wrong. Ah yes the burn down the village in order to save it idea. 😃 The problem is that the connection between politics and results is not always clear, especially to voters with a vested interest in an idological world view. The rising crime, disease, and homeless due to the gutting of the well fare system, can be blamed on the legalization of gay marriage and marijuana for example. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/91 "2014-05-17T03:34:54Z")
So what was rising crime and homelessness to blame on when the welfare system was expanding in the 1960s and 1970s? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/92 "2014-05-18T01:38:12Z")
Actually visible homelessness skyrocketed during the Reagan administration. Crime rose from 1960 to 1980, _continued rising from 1980 to about 1992_, and fell during the Clinton administration. It continued falling after 2001, albeit at a slower rate. Charts here: [Lead: America’s Real Criminal Element – Mother Jones](http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-link-gasoline) To be clear though, I’m making no causal claims with regards to federal policy, though I find the lead hypothesis to be a compelling one. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/93 "2014-05-18T03:12:50Z")
I do as well. However, I think many 90s policy changes also contributed. Stiffer sentencing(crime has dropped, but the prison population continues to rise), policing changes(especially in New York, which went from one of the most dangerous cities in the country to one of the safest), welfare reform certainly didn’t hurt either. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/94 "2014-05-18T11:39:56Z")
Nope, not voting for any Republican. I can remember when there were sane ones, but the concept of “Loyal Opposition” has died. Especially when all successful Texas Republicans belong to the batshit wing of the party. (I never voted for Kay Bailey Hutchison, but she was always The Sane Republican Senator from Texas; Ted Cruz succeeded her.) I don’t feel all warm & fuzzy over Bush The Smarter–his pardons in Iran/Contra didn’t endear him to me. And I remember Jeb Bush for his part in getting his brother appointed President. Third party advocates need to begin organizing locally. I’m not going to waste a Presidential vote for one of their pretend candidates, even if the Electoral College means my vote probably won’t count. I was glad I voted for Gore–not Nader… ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313/95 "2014-05-20T21:57:31Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Ah yes the burn down the village in order to save it idea. 😃 > > The problem is that the connection between politics and results is not always clear, especially to voters with a vested interest in an idological world view. The rising crime, disease, and homeless due to the gutting of the well fare system, can be blamed on the legalization of gay marriage and marijuana for example. Oh I know it would be bad, maybe not post apocalypse bad, but pretty rough for quite a while. I just honestly think sometimes its worth it to bring about a better change for the long term future. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-person-on-the-other-side-of-the-aisle-would-you-vote-for/688313.md?page=4)