Is anyone here voting for Romney?

[Lady_Foxfire]

Way back in 2008, I logged onto the internet one day and was greeted with the news that McCain had selected Sarah Palin as his running mate. My first thought was, "Wow, cool, a major party candidate just picked a woman as his vice president for the first time in history! I am so glad that women's rights have come so far in this country, considering we weren't allowed to vote 90 years ago." There's nothing sexist about that, and there's nothing racist about being happy that we finally elected a black president.

Because the fact is, in 58 presidential races over 228 (1776-2004) years, we had never, ever, not even once, had anyone other than a white christian man as a major party presidential or vice presidential candidate. That is absolute, undeniable proof of institutionalized prejudice in our country, as if there wasn't enough proof already. And it is a wonderful thing that we finally overcame that prejudice enough that in the 2008 election we had a woman on one ticket and a biracial man on the other. It's not about thinking that women or biracial people are better than white men, it's about being happy that we have finally achieved something resembling equality.

Please understand that I did not decide how to cast my vote based on either Governor Palin's gender or Senator Obama's race; I decided based on the candidates and their positions. If you want to call it racism or sexism, then go ahead, but you're wrong.

[Nekojin]

Ow. Lime green on white is hard to read. =>_<=

[Nekojin]

Way back in 2008, I logged onto the internet one day and was greeted with the news that McCain had selected Sarah Palin as his running mate. My first thought was, "Wow, cool, a major party candidate just picked a woman as his vice president for the first time in history! I am so glad that women's rights have come so far in this country, considering we weren't allowed to vote 90 years ago."

Mondale/Ferraro would have words with you.

[Gravekeeper]

Nope, I refuse, until the hypocracy of the negro race in voting for Obama because he's also of the negro race. Until then all votes for or against, disagreements with Obama are based upon race.
Until Obama comes on TV and publically says playing the race card is wrong then everyone is racist.

I don't know why I'm bothering to step into the sick world you live in, but oh well...

Black people have voted overwhelmingly Democrat since 1948, because Republican policies offer them fuck and all. Much like minorities in general. End of story.

John Kerry, who was *hilariously* white, still got 88% of the black vote. So you have no god damn idea what you're talking about.

If you still can't comprehend that, here's a helpful graph:



Also, you're god damn delusional if you think there are no Republicans that voted for Romney because he *wasn't* black. Like you yourself, apparently.

Finally, Obama DID denounce racial politics. It was one of the most famous fucking speeches he ever gave. So everything you have said is not only embarrassingly untrue, but utterly delusional and I am frankly embarrassed for you.

Put the Koolaid down.

[CaptainJaneway]

Sorry about that. I was cutting and pasting from word and it would make the words all black. So i thought i had the right color green when i changed the fonts.

[CaptainJaneway]

I am hoping that Hilary Clinton will run in 2016. I know she tried before but maybe the next go around she may get it.

[Lady_Foxfire]

Mondale/Ferraro would have words with you.

Huh. Color me corrected, then. I'd heard of Geraldine Ferraro, but I had no idea she was Mondale's running mate. In my defense, that election was 3 years before I was born. But anyway, my point still stands, even if it was the second time in 200+ years and not the first.

[bex1218]

I think people were expecting Obama to name her Vice President.

I think what turned a lot of people off in '08 is that Palin was (is) an idiot. The joke back in high school was that McCain would die of a heart attack if he was elected and Palin would be POTUS.

[CaptainJaneway]

Well the SNL skits didn't help either. LOL Tina Fey did such a good job of potraying her as an idiot.

[bex1218]

I remember watching part of her damn show a couple years back getting stoned with my friends. Oh so glad she wasn't nominated.

[Panacea]

So tell me how is voting for or against someone based upon racial reasons any less valid than other reasons???

Because it is irresponsible voting. Voters should make their choices based on the candidates vision, leadership abilities, and what they expect the candidate to actually do in office. Skin color is irrelevant and should not be a factor for the responsible exercise of a civic duty.

I voted for Romney because I'm racist just like millions of negros are racist because they voted for Obama. Am I more racist than they???

Why is voting for someone based upon race any less a good reason than any other reason???

If you voted for Romney because Obama is black, then you are indeed a racist: because you are injecting race into a subject where race does not belong. That is the very definition of racist.

If blacks voted FOR Obama for no other reason than he is black, then they are also racist.

Neither is right, and one does not justify the other.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Is your ultimate reasoning here essentially boil down to "It's okay if I'm racist because I think they're racist"?

Seriously? Christ.

It is essentially the argument he is making. It is childish and logically flawed.

One of my friends is a reasonable republican (by reasonable I mean we can have political debates and not hate each other afterwards.) He said he leans republican because he thinks that democratic economic policies are bad for the deficit, and claims Clinton was only able to balance the budget by gutting the military, which was why we had such a hard time in Iraq.

We had a hard time in Iraq because we over extended our military fighting a war we did not need to fight. We had problems because Donald Rumsfeld refused to listen to the commanders on the ground about what they really needed to win the fight, and refused to give them the right equipment to do the job. Then he complained that "You go to war with the Army you have, not the one you want to have." Dumb fucker was the worst Sec Def we've ever had.

Granted, the military didn't fare well under Clinton. But he also didn't use it to solve every problem, like Bush did.

I am hoping that Hilary Clinton will run in 2016. I know she tried before but maybe the next go around she may get it.

Doubtful. I think she's serious about leaving government, and I don't think she'll be back.

I think people were expecting Obama to name her Vice President.

I think what turned a lot of people off in '08 is that Palin was (is) an idiot. The joke back in high school was that McCain would die of a heart attack if he was elected and Palin would be POTUS.

That was never going to happen. Obama did not want to share power with her. Sec State was an office he could give her where she could do real good, but not compete with him in setting national policy.

Sarah Palin singlehandedly drove me out of the GOP. As soon as I put eyes on her I knew she was loony tunes, and appealed only to the very worst impulses of the Republican Party. I was actually strongly leaning towards McCain until he picked her. Then I jumped ship to Obama and never looked back.

I didn't vote for a single Repub candidate this cycle, and I have never voted a straight party ticket before in my life. I told conservative bloggers on my local news paper I would vote for a Democratic corpse before I'd vote for a Republican, and I meant it.

The GOP could get me back: but they have to stop the insanity. They have to stop trying to control my reproductive life, my faith, my sex life, and stop favoring the rich at the expense of everyone else. They have to stop with the paranoia. They do have good ideas for fixing our fiscal problems, but they are so extreme in some of those positions they will never get a chance to implement the ones that will work.

It won't happen for another presidential cycle or two. Not until they realize they can't win an election with middle aged and old white men, and start catering to broader demographics. But to do that, they'll have to let go of some cherished positions, like the one that all Hispanics are wetbacks out to destroy our way of life, or all black people are welfare moochers who vote Democrat so they can get more free stuff.

But I think they'll have to lose in 2016 in order to get it.

[Mytical]

Tansai, I am going to apologize..because I must be misunderstanding what you are saying. What I am getting is.. "I am just going to say it is due to race, because anybody who voted for Obama is racist. I have reasons, but won't even discuss them, because it is all about race regardless." which breaks down to "I am an actual racist, but want to blow smoke and use mirrors to hide that fact." So I certainly hope I am wrong.

We would like to hear the actual reasons you have. I mean, even I..somebody who would not have voted for a reincarnated Abraham Lincoln had he ran as a Republican ((Because recently they have been bat **** crazy)) know a couple of very valid reasons to have voted for Romney. So please put down the racist card..and actually talk to us. We are not trying to roast you, we are actually interested in your real thoughts. If it is JUST because of race, that is fine..just say "It is because of race." Not what you THINK we think of it, or others think of it. What YOU actually think. Please.

[Nekojin]

Well the SNL skits didn't help either. LOL Tina Fey did such a good job of potraying her as an idiot.

The lines that got the biggest laughs on the SNL skits were actual, verbatim Palin quotes.

[Rapscallion]

One of my friends is a reasonable republican (by reasonable I mean we can have political debates and not hate each other afterwards.) He said he leans republican because he thinks that democratic economic policies are bad for the deficit, and claims Clinton was only able to balance the budget by gutting the military, which was why we had such a hard time in Iraq. He also thinks that gays should be allowed to have civil unions with the full benefits of a civil marriage, but that the word "marriage" should be left to the religious institutions. I don't agree with either point, but I can respect where he's coming from.

Interesting. What would he think of a gay marriage called that if it was carried out by an accepting church? This sounds like a more reasonable version of the republican side, though like you I don't agree with him wholeheartedly.

I really do think (and hope) that there will be a schism in the GOP soon; There's just too much difference between right-of center republicans and the far-right loons, and sooner or later it's going to reach the breaking point. I've seen too many people, both on the internet and in real life, saying that they don't agree with Obama's policies, but they're horrified by what's happening to the GOP, and don't know what to do. Sooner or later, push is going to come to shove, and the sane people are going to kick the loonies to the curb.

Effectively, fiscal republicans are being given less and less choice. They sort of agree on on hand with the basics put forward by the current GOP, but are embarrassed to be lumped in with the batshit insanity that party is currently proud to display. All the talking heads getting their names in the media are saying the sort of things that get attention for the wrong reasons. Standard republican voters are being left with very undesirable choices.

I really think this time around has scuppered the GOP's chances for next time as well. Enough people will remember the insanity and bigotry from this year in four years time.

Looking back, despite the craziness on display, the republicans actually got a disturbing slice of the vote considering what was on offer. Had they not been frothing at the mouth, it's quite possible they could have won.

Rapscallion

[Lady_Foxfire]

Interesting. What would he think of a gay marriage called that if it was carried out by an accepting church? This sounds like a more reasonable version of the republican side, though like you I don't agree with him wholeheartedly.



Rapscallion

That didn't come up in our conversation, but I think, based on his arguments, that he'd be fine with it. He phrased it more as a matter of getting the anti-gay churches to accept that gay people just want civil rights and aren't trying to infringe on the church's rights or force pastors to preform gay marriages against their will.

I still disagree with him; separate but equal isn't equal, and if the church thinks that two gay people getting married in city hall infringes on their religious liberty, then they're being deliberately obtuse and calling it a "civil union" isn't going to make them stop being willfully ignorant. But like I said, I can respect his opinion even if I don't agree with it, and I really truly wish the mainstream Republican party shared his opinions.