Presidents say stupid things

[agent compassion]

and even though I would probably fall into the "liberal" category (I prefer the term "progressive"),

:happy dance:

. However, what you DID say was that you intend to find serious fault with ANYONE who runs.

You know, they just make it too damn easy these days. You have to look hard to find someone WITHOUT serious faults.

AC,
who only votes democrat so she can get two ballots.

[Cain]

Oh hell I have to vote soon. I bet the Monster Raving Loony Party (possibly the closest thing to a discordian party) cant afford to put in candidates here, so I'll have to settle for writing a political statement on my ballot and then spitting on it.  Again.

[Ghost In The Machine]

true, but it's more with the intention of getting all of the relevant information out in the open than anything else. America loves to get it's informed opinions from 30-second sound bites. I just think that we should gather all of the available information about a candidate, including and especially all of the serious dirt. They've all got it, but some of it may be more relevant to the issues confronting POTUS than others. Do I care about a sex scandal? not really. Do I care about influence-peddling and shady land deals? probably more so.

But according to the post that I paraphrased, you've already decided, in advance, that you WILL find something wrong with them.

[agent compassion]

But according to the post that I paraphrased, you've already decided, in advance, that you WILL find something wrong with them.

And he'll probably be accurate.

Most politicians are filthy and corrupt these days. You have to really look around to find the ones who aren't.

[Ghost In The Machine]

But according to the post that I paraphrased, you've already decided, in advance, that you WILL find something wrong with them.

And he'll probably be accurate.

Most politicians are filthy and corrupt these days. You have to really look around to find the ones who aren't.

I suppose it's a matter of degree.

Being overly cynical, however, can land you in the situation we are in today.

Sure, our economy is disintegrating, our troops are locked in a horrible quagmire, and our children will drink filthy water for the rest of their lives.

But at least the smart people weren't fooled, right?

[agent compassion]

If we had had a bit more cynicism, we might not have re-elected all those chumps in the House and Senate who really didn't deserve their jobs, and we might have picked a candidate to run against Bush with more cojones than Kerry.

Que sera sera, but don't you dare tell me we need LESS cynicism. People are sheep, the last thing they need is to tell themselves the problem is that they just don't trust that nice wolf enough.

[Ghost In The Machine]

If we had had a bit more cynicism, we might not have re-elected all those chumps in the House and Senate who really didn't deserve their jobs, and we might have picked a candidate to run against Bush with more cojones than Kerry.

Que sera sera, but don't you dare tell me we need LESS cynicism. People are sheep, the last thing they need is to tell themselves the problem is that they just don't trust that nice wolf enough.

You misunderstand me.  I am not saying to blindly accept any given candidate.  What I AM saying is that you really only have two choices in a given election...and it is something less than a felony to vote for the lesser of two evils.

The cynicism I referred to is the idea that, if given the choice between a monster and a jerk, you won't vote for the jerk, because he's...well, a jerk.

For example, the last election.  Kerry wouldn't exactly have changed the world, but at least I seriously doubt he'd be trying to provoke ANOTHER war, as the moron-in-chief that we have now is.

Bad, or worse.  Decide.  (keep in mind that not deciding is still, in itself, deciding)

[agent compassion]

There's a little thing called "all the time in between elections" that we never ever use.

We wait till the last minute, when the two evils have been chosen FOR us, and then we bitch about the poor choices.

When it comes to the last minute, yes, you do have to vote for someone.

But before all that happens, it's on your head to do the homework and find out who's who and what's what and dig up the bones in their backyards, and point out things that need pointing out, and protest if you wish.

Before the final two choices there are other stages of decisionmaking. The primaries. The caucuses. The nominations. The debates.

If people sit all that out, it's no wonder they get dud candidates - they were asked for an opinion and gave none, and then wonder why their opinion isn't asked anymore.

[Ghost In The Machine]

There's a little thing called "all the time in between elections" that we never ever use.

We wait till the last minute, when the two evils have been chosen FOR us, and then we bitch about the poor choices.

When it comes to the last minute, yes, you do have to vote for someone.

But before all that happens, it's on your head to do the homework and find out who's who and what's what and dig up the bones in their backyards, and point out things that need pointing out, and protest if you wish.

Before the final two choices there are other stages of decisionmaking. The primaries. The caucuses. The nominations. The debates.

If people sit all that out, it's no wonder they get dud candidates - they were asked for an opinion and gave none, and then wonder why their opinion isn't asked anymore.

You're preaching to the choir.  Face it, the TV owns the elections...because you are one of the 5% or so who are actually willing to think about things.

Unless you can find a way to deal with the TV culture, you're always going to be choosing the lesser of two evils...and sometimes, a half-decent candidate sneaks through the cracks.

[agent compassion]

While we may agree that things are fucked up, I don't agree that it's hopeless.

A big step towards regaining responsible media would be to have the Fairness Doctrine restored, and equal time rules in ALL states.

[Ghost In The Machine]

While we may agree that things are fucked up, I don't agree that it's hopeless.

A big step towards regaining responsible media would be to have the Fairness Doctrine restored, and equal time rules in ALL states.

Get the Senate to do THAT.  While you're at it, ask them to balance the books.

The same people that own the TV stations own the Senators.  It will never happen, barring revolution.  And there will be no revolution.

[agent compassion]

And there will be no revolution.

You're funny.

[Ghost In The Machine]

And there will be no revolution.

You're funny.

I wish I was joking.

There will be no revolution.

[Chaplin_Sinatra_Fonzarell]

Barthony, I agree with most of the things you've been saying in this thread, but there's one thing you've been saying that's incredibly perposterous, and that's that Hillary Clinton and John McCain's respective parties would nominate either of them. So you're telling me that the party that got their pansy asses handed to them by the inbred, fundamentalist Christian zealot majority (or at least they think they did) would be stupid enough to nominate a despised bulldyke from hell who (probably rather inaccurately) has a reputation as a "pinko", "feminazi", "tree-hugger", and "meaningless right-wing insult number 4" and an obscene trail of unsightly conspiracy theories about her ranging in various degrees of credibility, and is married to the Conservatives' whipping boy to be processed by the right-wing media zeitgeist on the trail to election day? If the cable news networks could milk so much controversy out of a centre-right moderate billionaire senator who went to Vietnam and has no testicular fortitude, imagine the orgiastic field day they'd have with Hillary. If anything, the person running on the Democrat ticket will be even more of a toned-down limp-dicked moderate pansy who appeals to the lowest common denominator, sadly.

And the fact that you think anyone as pure-hearted as John McCain could ever get past the primaries in today's G.O.P. is quaint.

[Chaplin_Sinatra_Fonzarell]

I don't get it, man, I thought we were supposed to be all about peace, love and understanding.

oh, you wanted the hippie forum...that's down the hall. Discordianism as I see it has absolutely nothing to do with peace, love, and understanding. In fact, it has alot to do with chaos, strife, and realizing that there is probably no understanding to be had.

Peace, and love are pretty fucking chaotic, and the metaphysical teachings of Discordianism require at least minimal amounts of understanding. I don't think hippies and Discordians are mutually exclusive.