2008 Presidential Election: Who are you voting for?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

Yeah, Barr is a problem for me, so I'm leaning towards Baldwin. I guess my comment was geared more to all those voters who hate the two "crappy" choices, but won't even look at ANY third party candidates.

Is there a politican out there that you WISH were running for president? Someone you could support, but who is not a candidate?

There will only be two Presidential candidates on the ballot in Oklahoma. We have some of the toughest ballot access laws in the state. To be eligible, you have to either circulate a petition which achieves a number equal to a certain percentage of the last presidential ballot cast OR you have to have had 5% in the previous election.

There was a time in our state' history, way back, when the Democratic party was the only party allowed on the ballot.

[RU OX Alum]

I don't like Barr, or Nader, the others I've seen haven't really tanked out.

I was a Clark supporter, but then he won some primaries but then decided to quit, so that's kind of hard to get behind.

Really, there's no one. I like my congressman. I would vote for him if he were running, I guess. But seriously, we are the leaders of the free-world we should have better candidates.

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by Kevin

There will only be two Presidential candidates on the ballot in Oklahoma. We have some of the toughest ballot access laws in the state. To be eligible, you have to either circulate a petition which achieves a number equal to a certain percentage of the last presidential ballot cast OR you have to have had 5% in the previous election.

There was a time in our state' history, way back, when the Democratic party was the only party allowed on the ballot.

Yikes! Democracy, indeed . . .

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

Yeah, Barr is a problem for me, so I'm leaning towards Baldwin. I guess my comment was geared more to all those voters who hate the two "crappy" choices, but won't even look at ANY third party candidates.

Is there a politican out there that you WISH were running for president? Someone you could support, but who is not a candidate?

Sent you a PM.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

Uhhhh no one ever said GC was a scientific representation of the entire Greek Population in the U.S.

Right. But you suggested that the reason that I thought GC would go for overwhelmingly for Obama was because I assumed you all were hippies. I was just explaining my reasoning.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

why? b/c we're all liberal hippies?

see. I can see the smilie, but I gave a real answer anyway.

[ThetaPrincess24]

Well I dont like the current results of this opinion poll, however I'm glad to see that out of those who have taken this poll everyone plans to vote!!! That to me is the most important thing for us to do--exercise our right to vote!

[KSigkid]

I didn't know where else to post this, because essentially every thread has become a "let's bash the opposing candidate" battle, rather than a political discussion. But, I thought Lehrer did a good job moderating the debate last night. I think he walked a good line between letting the candidates speak, and stepping in when needed.

[Senusret I]

What was your take on him making a point to ask the candidates to look at each other and talk to each other?

[summer_gphib]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

What was your take on him making a point to ask the candidates to look at each other and talk to each other?

I think he was trying to facilitate real conversation as opposed to standard political rhetoric.

[jwright25]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

I didn't know where else to post this, because essentially every thread has become a "let's bash the opposing candidate" battle, rather than a political discussion. But, I thought Lehrer did a good job moderating the debate last night. I think he walked a good line between letting the candidates speak, and stepping in when needed.

You know - I noticed that too. I felt like last night was more of a traditional debate where they were allowed to go back and forth and react to each other's statements. In the past it was more like Question-Answer-Answer-Next Question-Rebut the first Question-Rebut the rebuttal and so on. It just got too twisty-turny when they were still going on about the first issue 30 minutes later.

Although I didn't turn it on until a half hour in, I have to say that I didn't really hear or learn anything that I didn't already know. Which makes me wonder if these things aren't put on to see who can deliver the most one-liners. There is some value in determining who can think on his feet, but the questions are pretty general and expected. Presidential debates probably had more value back in the day before 24-hour news channels and the internet - before we were bombarded with Presidential Politics at every turn.

I like this thread. Some of the others are hard to get to the substance because of all the gratuitous bashing.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

What was your take on him making a point to ask the candidates to look at each other and talk to each other?

I really liked that - it seemed like he was trying to make it less of a series of stump speeches, and more of an actual debate. I also like it more when it becomes a real point-counterpoint.

Originally Posted by jwright25

You know - I noticed that too. I felt like last night was more of a traditional debate where they were allowed to go back and forth and react to each other's statements. In the past it was more like Question-Answer-Answer-Next Question-Rebut the first Question-Rebut the rebuttal and so on. It just got too twisty-turny when they were still going on about the first issue 30 minutes later.

Although I didn't turn it on until a half hour in, I have to say that I didn't really hear or learn anything that I didn't already know. Which makes me wonder if these things aren't put on to see who can deliver the most one-liners. There is some value in determining who can think on his feet, but the questions are pretty general and expected. Presidential debates probably had more value back in the day before 24-hour news channels and the internet - before we were bombarded with Presidential Politics at every turn.

I like this thread. Some of the others are hard to get to the substance because of all the gratuitous bashing.

I completely agree with that last sentiment; that's why I haven't posted about the election, or specifically about the candidates, in a while. There are a few people on here who I can have a really good give-and-take with (KSigRC, nittanyalum, MysticCat, etc.) but other than that it's been mostly bashing. I understand that partisan politics get nasty, and that each candidate has obvious "warts," so to speak, but people just can't seem to see the flaws in their own candidate. Plus, the GC posting format makes it almost impossible to have much of a political discussion (they always seem to be better in real time).

I don't think you learn a whole lot from the debates - the candidates don't have a whole lot of time to speak (even more so in a real debate format), so it becomes a series of one-liners and sound bites. Each guy is just trying to get in the one line that will be remembered after the debates (like Reagan's "I won't make an issue out of my opponent's youth..." or Lloyd Bentsen's "You're no John Kennedy.").

That's what I liked about Lehrer - even if it didn't work perfectly, at least he tried to do something different.

[AGDee]

I liked Lehrer also. I liked how hard he tried to get them to answer the question about which of their programs they'll cut/give up due to the $700 billion bailout. I think that was the least expected question and neither one of them would answer it straight out.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I liked Lehrer also. I liked how hard he tried to get them to answer the question about which of their programs they'll cut/give up due to the $700 billion bailout. I think that was the least expected question and neither one of them would answer it straight out.

Didn't McCain say he would cut ethanol subsidies and consider freezing everything but military spending, or am I thinking of a different response or occasion?

ETA: I think that I'm ODing on politics. I'm watching the Ole Miss vs. Florida game, and as they interviewed Meyer going into the locker room for half time, I though his voice sounded like Obama's.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by lawgal

There should have been a category that said " I am voting against Palin"
(Or Biden for that matter, although he hasn't raised the hackles like Palin has.)

I agree.

Since Palin has the potential to be in D.C. for 16 years, I cannot bring myself to vote for McCain. As the mother of a daughter, I cannot vote for a party that wants to take away a woman's right to choose. (Of coruse I hope that is a choice my daughter is never faced with, but regardless, I would want the decision to be hers and not the government's.) McCain, although pro-life, doesn't seem too interested in the abortion issue right now (I think it's all about war for him). But Palin? It's scary to think of what her staunch views could eventually mean for our kids.