Election 2012!

[Mysterious F.]

So, instead of spamming Chatboard discussions with my posts about the upcoming election, I'll just make a topic for them in the GD. (The fact that this will increase my post count is a nice bonus.  ) Included a poll so we have a good idea of who TDC prefers.

Let's get things started with some things about me! I registered to vote not too long ago, although I did not register for either party and have chosen to remain an independent for the rest of my life. (George Washington, yo.) I'll make it no secret that I am voting for President Obama. Unemployment has decreased by over 2% since he took office, millions of new jobs have been created, the stock market has almost doubled in value, and the economy has improved every month for the past two years. On nearly every front, the economy has shown signs of starting to swing back to how it was before the economic crisis began, not bad considering that it was the worst economic downturn since the bubble of prosperity burst in 1929. He also gains big pluses with me because of his open support of gay marriage, and because I don't think that, unlike Romney, he's just full of it (and you know what I mean).

So... who watched that election last night?

[MagmarFire]

I didn't see it (I tend to find stuff pertaining to political campaigns as pleasant as rusty nails on slate...and because of apathy about that stuff in general), but I, too, will probably vote for Obama once again. His stances on the economy and the environment, not to mention his track record on Internet freedom, are only good things in my book.

Romney's just full of it, as you said. In one of his speeches, he attacked Obama's environmental stance as a promise that never came (as if the environment is going to immediately recover) and only used that to frame his own "promise" that had the fun of a PR ploy and sincerity worth less than a nickel. That was all I could personally put up with before dismissing him as a viable candidate outright.

But eh, I'm biased.

[Mysterious F.]

Mr. Romney was already declaring the Obama administration to be a failure a mere eight days after the man took office. (link; skip to 7:03 in the video) All that stuff in the convention speech about wanting to cooperate with the President to get the economy back on the right track? Nada.

[Twilight Wolf]

I'm keeping an eye on this thread because I have a terrible feeling it's going to go downhill quickly.

[Hi no Seijin]

I've been joking, saying that I'm going to vote for Batman this year, but in all seriousness, I'm most likely going to go with Obama (supposing I can remember to get to the polls in time this year; I have this bad habit of not realizing what the day is).  Romney has been coming off as a complete douche to me.  Supposing that the smear campaigns aren't lying out of their ***es, he doesn't support gay marriage, he doesn't think that women have a right to make decisions about their own bodies, and he doesn't think that the government has a responsibility to help all of the people they govern and not just a small percentage of it (that is, the millionaires and billionaires).  Mike Huckabee's recent comment especially doesn't help Romney's case.  Supposing this is correct, Huckabee has said that people should do whatever is necessary to stop Obama supporters from voting this year, even if it means letting the air out of their tires.  Smear campaigns are despicable enough, but this sort of tactic is going way too far.  We've put in place laws and constitutional amendments to ensure that everyone has the right to have their voice heard; if ever anyone has deserved to be kicked in the groin, it's Huckabee.

[Mysterious F.]

I agree. The Republican Party used to be a very legitimate political party that was honestly trying to help the nation. Now they've become more like a gang that spreads hateful lies in a desperate attempt at power. Just the other day I was reading about how one conservative writer basically wrote that President Obama's mother was a w****, and at least one prominent Republican praised the book. I may be an independent, but I will not stop voting for the Democrat Party until the Republican Party stops such behavior. It's a disgrace to actual politics.

[MagmarFire]

I still want to believe it's a legitimate party, personally; it's just being represented horribly. I'm willing to bet there are plenty of Republican voters who are disgusted by their party's choice in candidate, just as there are probably quite a few Democrat voters who want Obama off the ballot.

[Zelda Veteran]

I'm surprised someone was ballsy enough make a thread about politics here at the colossus. Let's just make a religion thread too, while we're at it. I'd like to say first that I don't debate politics with friends, almost ever. Some of my friends seem really intelligent until they start talking politics, and I wish I could go back to seeing them as informed individuals with a good amount of self-awareness. That being said, I hope we can all stay friendly about this.

I'm voting for Barrack Obama.

It's not that I support all that he's done, and it's not that I hate Romney. It's just that for one, Barrack's presidency has been an all around successful one. People say he hasn't done anything- it's the everyday pinhead's most common argument. He's done plenty, and it has already affected me personally in a positive way. A bill was passed that allows children to stay under their parents' health insurance until the age of 26. I was able to get my chest surgery because of it.

Another reason I'm voting for Barrack is that Romney will only help the rich get richer. It isn't entirely Romney- that's been almost the entire republican party. The rich benefit while the poor suffer. Romney has been coming off as a complete douche to me too, Feet. He's also been coming off as a bit of an ignoramus. He was puzzled as to why windows on airplanes don't roll down. He thinks that tax breaks for the rich will get America back on track. He "refuses to let his campaign be dictated by fact-checkers". He won't show us his tax returns. When questioned as to how kids should pay for college, he suggested that they "borrow money from mom and dad". He addressed the Prime Minister as "Mister Leader", which offended Great Britain, the Queen of England, and later, Israel.

The third reason I'm voting for Barrack is that Bill Clinton AKA President of the World, is standing beside him. Bill Clinton was an extraordinarily good president, and by the time he left office, the economy was roaring. He said that Barrack's numbers add up to success, whereas Romney's numbers point towards economic failure. I trust Bill with all my heart, and he promised that if Barrack gets a second term, we'll start to feel the results of what Obama has been working on.

So there you have it. With complete government transparency, Barrack Obama and Bill Clinton have my trust, where Mitt Romney, who has a "see me after the election about your questions" approach, just doesn't.

[Mysterious F.]

I'm surprised someone was ballsy enough make a thread about politics here at the colossus. Let's just make a religion thread too, while we're at it. I'd like to say first that I don't debate politics with friends, almost ever. Some of my friends seem really intelligent until they start talking politics, and I wish I could go back to seeing them as informed individuals with a good amount of self-awareness. That being said, I hope we can all stay friendly about this.

"We're all friends after 5:00." - Ronald Reagan on his relationship with Congressmen

We're all adults and friends here, and we are certainly capable of having a civilized and intelligent discussion about the political election without breaking into a terrible argument. I have political discussions with several of my friends all the time, even the ones who I disagree with a lot. We know how to have such discussions without getting angry with each other, and we're still very good friends. I've always like to reference that Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, the two lawyers for the 1925 Scopes trial (you know, the evolution one; the famous play Inherit the Wind is based on it), were very good friends who still got along well outside of the courtroom while the trial was still going on. If they can, we definitely could.

Also, I wouldn't call Bill Clinton extraordinarily good, but that's a topic for another day.

[Mysterious F.]

Also, I'm curious to know who voted "Other." Third party/independent candidates, eh?

[Mysterious F.]

Also also, if any of you would like a good site about the election, I recommend this one:

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/

It predicts both the predicted Electoral House vote, the popular vote, each candidate's chances of winning, the outcomes of each state, and, for good measure, predictions on how the Senate will turn out. It also releases daily articles explaining notable news in the election as well as explanations about certain changes in the numbers. Additionally, they link to other polls and prediction websites, which they average out to help form their predictions. I visit it daily.

I'll stop posting after myself now, by the way. 

[MagmarFire]

Hmm, Obama and Romney have taken a relatively-sharp drop and rise, respectively, in stats recently. I wonder what I'm missing here.

[Mysterious F.]

Hmm, Obama and Romney have taken a relatively-sharp drop and rise, respectively, in stats recently. I wonder what I'm missing here.

It began just a few days after the debate, so the probably has a lot to do with it. Plus, historically speaking, such dramatic changes in the numbers aren't uncommon in the weeks just before the election. For example, Ronald Reagan creamed Jimmy Carter in the election of 1980, but Carter was ahead in the polls until just a few weeks before the election. When there's an election involving a sitting president, the incumbent will always have the edge in the polls until not long before election day.

[MagmarFire]

Wow. People are kinda fickle, aren't they? Then again, that's probably a good thing in this case, since bias has less of an influence on the outcome.

[Vaati]

I'm voting for Obama. I don't really like how Romney wants to take away the rights of gays to get married and for women to get an abortion and all that. I can understand people not personally being comfortable with the idea of gay marriage and abortion, but giving people their right to do something is in no way taking away the rights of people who oppose it. If you don't like something, then don't do it. Simple as that.

Also, as a college student myself, I'm all for Obama's plan to make college more affordable for students. This whole thing with Romney about students getting as much education as they can afford is just asinine because if that were the case, almost nobody would have the money to go to college. If the majority of people can't go to college, then they can't get a decent job and then the economy would be in even more trouble. Also, I think Obama did a pretty good job at improving the economy with what he was given. Romney seems to only want to make the rich richer and I really don't support that idea.