The 2012 Three Ring Circus AKA The US Presidential Election

[Gauntleted Fist]

You give the American public too much credit. The fact that entities like Fox News or Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh continue to exist and haven't been laughed into AM radio obscurity tells the whole story.

The sad and scary fact of the matter is that using the tactic of "the other" is still very much valid, and the election of 2010 and the campaigns this year speak volumes to that tactic. Look at Romney's campaign, how they've painted Obama as anti-American in a myriad of subtle ways again and again (apologizing for American values, apology tour etc. etc.), or the fundamentalist neo-conservative attack campaigns against not only liberals but even people in their own party (Lugar/Mourdock anybody?).

So here's the shameful truth; Obama faces a real chance of being voted out of office. Not because of his policies, or because of his actions as president. It will be because he's black, whether or not everyone voting for Romney knows it or not.

Limbaugh is in am now. I haven't heard him on a fm station in years. And I patrol fm nightly.

And didn't Glenn Beck's show get cancelled?

[Frisivisia]

Limbaugh is in am now. I haven't heard him on a fm station in years. And I patrol fm nightly.

And didn't Glenn Beck's show get cancelled?

Yeah, but he this internet thing, with an internet TV channel and a University, so he makes more money than he ever has.

[Socialist EU]

Obama presidency:

-Profits grown by 63% as real median income is down.
-Appointed Larry Summers as White house director of National Economic Council and Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary, both are proponents of bank deregulation.
-Bush era tax cuts remain
-300 drone strikes launched
-Twice as many whistle-blowers prosecuted under Espionage Act as Bush.
-Twice as many undocumented immigrants deported in four years as Bush did in eight.
-Extended key parts of Bush's Patriot Act
-Wiretaps at all time high

Where's the outrage from Obama supporters? Where's the letter writing to their Democrat representatives?

Well, given the runner-up was someone who said on national TV that we should stay in Iraq for another 100 years or more, and picked as a VP someone who demonstrably did not know their ass from a hole in the ground, most of us are too busy counting our blessings.

Fair enough I suppose.

[Northern Dominus]

The sad and scary fact of the matter is that using the tactic of "the other" is still very much valid, and the election of 2010 and the campaigns this year speak volumes to that tactic. Look at Romney's campaign, how they've painted Obama as anti-American in a myriad of subtle ways again and again (apologizing for American values, apology tour etc. etc.), or the fundamentalist neo-conservative attack campaigns against not only liberals but even people in their own party (Lugar/Mourdock anybody?).

So here's the shameful truth; Obama faces a real chance of being voted out of office. Not because of his policies, or because of his actions as president. It will be because he's black, whether or not everyone voting for Romney knows it or not.

As I've said before - to the extent that racism is a factor in this election, it's racism in the service of partisanship. Had Hillary been elected President, all of the racism that you see today would be misogyny; every racial innuendo of the last four years would have been a sexist innuendo instead; and if somehow a white male Democrat had been elected, then the GOP would have simply turned its historical tendency towards Red-baiting up to "11", as they tried to do with Bill Clinton.

Most NSGers are too young to remember what it was like from 1993-2000; and even those who were old enough but who maybe weren't as into politics might not recall the level of partisan rancor we saw in the 90's. Republicans may pretend like they think Bill Clinton was a great President today, but twelve years ago they treated him like he was the Devil Incarnate. The villification of Barack Obama is nothing new: We saw it all many years ago, the last time a Democrat was in the White House.

Which brings us to the heart of the matter.

It's not about a black man being in the White House. If it were - if this were just racism - I wouldn't be half as disgusted by it as I am. Racism is a dying force, and eventually it will be gone; if it lingers for a while longer, it's still headed for the middens of history.

And if Hillary were President, and every racist slur were a sexist jab, it wouldn't be about a woman being in the White House. And if it were - if it were just sexism - I wouldn't be half as disgusted by it as I am then, either. Sexism, too, is a dying force, and eventually it will be gone; if it lingers for a while longer, it to is headed for the middens of history, albeit with a later "sell by" date.

No, this is about a Democrat being in the White House.

This is about a political Party believing that it has an absolute, God-given right to power - and being unwilling and unable to accept the fact that, in a society that elects its leaders, it must spend its share of time out of power; it cannot always be in charge, and it cannot be the entire system; it can only be a part of the system.

And that disgusts and offends me deeply - because it's an attitude that is fundamentally antithetical to the principles on which this Nation was founded. It's neither racism, nor sexism, nor nativism, nor homophobia that animates the GOP: It's a deeply anti-democratic authoritarianism - indeed, almost to the point of being a form of fascism, save without the "third way" component. It's the American form of the same belief that animates Salafists to seek to win power at the ballot box, and then - upon winning - to prevent anybody else from using the ballot box as a means of supplanting them. It's a form of ideological fanaticism and intolerance that commands the destruction of electoral institutions in the name of securing the permanent triumph of a would-be revolutionary (or, in this case, counter-revolutionary) vanguard.

And that makes it something that isn't going to die out with the passage of time.

No, it makes it something that will only grow worse.

Really? It's just the fact that Obama is a Democrat?

I don't recall Clinton ever being harped at to produce a birth certificate. He never was called a liar during the State of the Union address, didn't have some pissant racist governor shove a finger in his face. Did Ken Starr and the rest of the "moral majority" waste our time with an impeachment hearing because they felt like everyone should know about the president's private affairs more than we needed to in the first place? Yes, but even then you didn't have Newt Gingrich using the same vitriol and venom that the neo-con GOP rhetoric uses these days.

And that's just the abuse he gets from his "peers" in government. It gets worse when you consider the Tea Party and their blatant crass bigotry.
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Hell yes the whole GOP plan has been structured around old-school WASP racism and fear. Sure the end result may be a return to absolute power like the US experienced...well before it was a nation and just a bunch of colonies on the east coast. But make no mistake, the core underlying motif behind the GOP platform since at least 2008 is "the other", and how much "other" can you get in this country than a black man when your core demographic is under-educated, caucasian (mostly), and easily swayed by fanatical dialogue?

[Gauntleted Fist]

if Obama wins, I think people are going to look back at this election as one that was won by the candidate with a phenomenal ground game, and lost by the candidate that lacked the ground game to match it.

Both of them are pretty terrible candidates. The fact that the Obama campaign is goddamn masterful at GOTV and run by wizards in the battleground states is going to cinch him this election.

Edit: Haha what the fuck, I just used one for won. Time to sleep!

[The Land Fomerly Known as Ligerplace]

if Obama wins, I think people are going to look back at this election as one that was one by the candidate with a phenomenal ground game, and lost by the candidate that lacked the ground game to match it.

Both of them are pretty terrible candidates. The fact that the Obama campaign is goddamn masterful at GOTV and run by wizards in the battleground states is going to cinch him this election.

Kind of easy to win a race against a guy with bulletholes in his foot.

[Gauntleted Fist]

if Obama wins, I think people are going to look back at this election as one that was one by the candidate with a phenomenal ground game, and lost by the candidate that lacked the ground game to match it.

Both of them are pretty terrible candidates. The fact that the Obama campaign is goddamn masterful at GOTV and run by wizards in the battleground states is going to cinch him this election.

Kind of easy to win a race against a guy with bulletholes in his foot.

You mean both of them? President Obama had plenty of legitimate weak points for Romney to pick up on, and the primaries gave President Obama tons of material to work with early on in the race.

They were both pretty weak in the beginning, we're just seeing the effects of having wizards run your campaign for you. I don't think this will be a repeat of 2008, but it'll be close enough.

[New Chalcedon]

And once again, the Christian Taliban starts the usual intimidate-the-voters-in-Jesus'-name drive.

To think that I once considered Mike Huckabee a sane conservative. Hoo boy howdy, was I ever off on that!

[Farnhamia]

And once again, the Christian Taliban starts the usual intimidate-the-voters-in-Jesus'-name drive.

To think that I once considered Mike Huckabee a sane conservative. Hoo boy howdy, was I ever off on that!

Wiki sayeth:

At 21, Huckabee was a staffer for James Robison, a television evangelist.[16] Robison commented, "His convictions shape his character and his character will shape his policies. His whole life has been shaped by moral absolutes."[16] Huckabee has stated, "Politics are totally directed by worldview. That's why when people say, 'We ought to separate politics from religion,' I say to separate the two is absolutely impossible".[citation needed]

Prior to his political career, Huckabee served as pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas from 1980 to 1986 and the Beech Street Baptist Church in Texarkana from 1986 to 1992. In both Texarkana and Pine Bluff Huckabee started 24-hour television stations "where he produced documentaries and hosted a program called Positive Alternatives.[12] He encouraged the all-white Immanuel Baptist Church to accept black members in the mid 1980s.[16][21] He served as president of a religion-oriented television station.

In 1989 Huckabee ran against the Rev. Dr. Ronnie Floyd of Springdale for the presidency of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.[22] Huckabee won and served as president from 1989 to 1991.

He was a preacher long before he was a politician.

[New Chalcedon]

And once again, the Christian Taliban starts the usual intimidate-the-voters-in-Jesus'-name drive.

To think that I once considered Mike Huckabee a sane conservative. Hoo boy howdy, was I ever off on that!

Wiki sayeth:

At 21, Huckabee was a staffer for James Robison, a television evangelist.[16] Robison commented, "His convictions shape his character and his character will shape his policies. His whole life has been shaped by moral absolutes."[16] Huckabee has stated, "Politics are totally directed by worldview. That's why when people say, 'We ought to separate politics from religion,' I say to separate the two is absolutely impossible".[citation needed]

Prior to his political career, Huckabee served as pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas from 1980 to 1986 and the Beech Street Baptist Church in Texarkana from 1986 to 1992. In both Texarkana and Pine Bluff Huckabee started 24-hour television stations "where he produced documentaries and hosted a program called Positive Alternatives.[12] He encouraged the all-white Immanuel Baptist Church to accept black members in the mid 1980s.[16][21] He served as president of a religion-oriented television station.

In 1989 Huckabee ran against the Rev. Dr. Ronnie Floyd of Springdale for the presidency of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.[22] Huckabee won and served as president from 1989 to 1991.

He was a preacher long before he was a politician.

Yeah, but I always knew he was a preacher first and a politician second. Time was - about 2009 - that I considered him a sane, very conservative, person.

Now I don't.

[Farnhamia]

Wiki sayeth:


He was a preacher long before he was a politician.

Yeah, but I always knew he was a preacher first and a politician second. Time was - about 2009 - that I considered him a sane, very conservative, person.

Now I don't.

My point was, you should have known better.

[Not Safe For Work]

And once again, the Christian Taliban starts the usual intimidate-the-voters-in-Jesus'-name drive.

To think that I once considered Mike Huckabee a sane conservative. Hoo boy howdy, was I ever off on that!

I know some sane conservatives, and I know some sane religious people... and it's just as well, because ads like this could easily make you think religious conservatives are all batshit insane control freaks.

[The Emerald Dawn]

And once again, the Christian Taliban starts the usual intimidate-the-voters-in-Jesus'-name drive.

To think that I once considered Mike Huckabee a sane conservative. Hoo boy howdy, was I ever off on that!

I know some sane conservatives, and I know some sane religious people... and it's just as well, because ads like this could easily make you think religious conservatives are all batshit insane control freaks.

Chuck Norris' wife pulling out the "1,000 years of darkness" kind of blew any semblance of respect I had for religious conservatives out of the water.

[Cannot think of a name]

I know some sane conservatives, and I know some sane religious people... and it's just as well, because ads like this could easily make you think religious conservatives are all batshit insane control freaks.

Chuck Norris' wife pulling out the "1,000 years of darkness" kind of blew any semblance of respect I had for religious conservatives out of the water.

It's sad that there has been so much batshit crazy that I actually forgot about that particular bit of batshit crazy. Under normal circumstances, that batshit crazy should be the most memorable nutty thing that happened.

[The Emerald Dawn]

Chuck Norris' wife pulling out the "1,000 years of darkness" kind of blew any semblance of respect I had for religious conservatives out of the water.

It's sad that there has been so much batshit crazy that I actually forgot about that particular bit of batshit crazy. Under normal circumstances, that batshit crazy should be the most memorable nutty thing that happened.

It scares me that there is so much batshit flying around that I can't keep track of where it's coming from anymore. Bullets, bullets, everywhere, and not a spot to think.

[New Chalcedon]

Yeah, but I always knew he was a preacher first and a politician second. Time was - about 2009 - that I considered him a sane, very conservative, person.

Now I don't.

My point was, you should have known better.

Well, "preacher" and "sane conservative" aren't inherently contradictory.....are they?

It's sad that there has been so much batshit crazy that I actually forgot about that particular bit of batshit crazy. Under normal circumstances, that batshit crazy should be the most memorable nutty thing that happened.

It scares me that there is so much batshit flying around that I can't keep track of where it's coming from anymore. Bullets, bullets, everywhere, and not a spot to think.

Welcome to Ronnie Raygun's America. God, Guns, Gays and the War on Drugs all mandatory. Leave the critical thinking at the door.

[Not Safe For Work]

Welcome to Ronnie Raygun's America. God, Guns, Gays and the War on Drugs all mandatory. Leave the critical thinking at the door.

Cult of Personality administrations usually falter after the demise of the personality. The weird thing about the Reagan cult, is that it's got progressively stronger.

[Farnhamia]

Welcome to Ronnie Raygun's America. God, Guns, Gays and the War on Drugs all mandatory. Leave the critical thinking at the door.

Cult of Personality administrations usually falter after the demise of the personality. The weird thing about the Reagan cult, is that it's got progressively stronger.

Well, the Republicans would have you believe that Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt would approve of what they've become, too. It ain't necessarily so.

[Alien Space Bats]

And once again, the Christian Taliban starts the usual intimidate-the-voters-in-Jesus'-name drive.

To think that I once considered Mike Huckabee a sane conservative. Hoo boy howdy, was I ever off on that!

They ought to put that on a campaign sign, don't you think?

Vote for Romney
or
Go to Hell!

[Jocabia]

My point was, you should have known better.

Well, "preacher" and "sane conservative" aren't inherently contradictory.....are they?

No, they aren't actually. If you've seen the video of the preacher who testified before congress on the issue of DADT, then it's clear there are sane conservatives out there who are also preachers.

[Neutraligon]

Well, "preacher" and "sane conservative" aren't inherently contradictory.....are they?

No, they aren't actually. If you've seen the video of the preacher who testified before congress on the issue of DADT, then it's clear there are sane conservatives out there who are also preachers.

That was truly gorgeous.

[Laerod]

Huh. Joe Biden just called the treatment of transgender people the civil rights issue of our time.

If only he was younger. I want this man to run for president.

Hm?

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Huh. Joe Biden just called the treatment of transgender people the civil rights issue of our time.

If only he was younger. I want this man to run for president.

Hm?

Joe Biden: The Man Will Not Take Any Of Your Shit.

[Neutraligon]

Hm?

Joe Biden: The Man Will Not Take Any Of Your Shit.

Please don't do this I really like puppies.

[Objectiveland]

Hm?

Joe Biden: The Man Will Not Take Any Of Your Shit.

This mans pandering ability is truly magical