Voting...

[Jabe Adaks]

Just curious.

[Skarr]

I am not voting because fucking Illinois never sent me my absentee ballot, but it really doesn't matter because Illinois is going to the guy I was voting for anyway

[Krusshyk]

Yes, I will vote tomorrow. however, I must say that I do not support encouraging people to vote.

/soapbox

Puff daddy is a douche bag. Vote or Die? Please...Ted Nugent said something in response to this movement, and I think it is quite well thought out...

Bare with me, I don't remember the exact quote but here is the gyst of it...

Telling people to just go out and vote is like telling people to just do SOMETHING without telling them how or why. If see someone drowning in a lake and tell your buddy, "Hey go do something" he could just as easliy decide to chuck a brick at the person in the pond.

What is the point of voting if you are going to be uninformed? What steams me, is that this whole campaign is aimed at people in my age group (18-24ish). My irritation is 2 fold...1) P diddy thinks I give a shit about what his ass thinks...and 2) that people my age buy into the shit that MTV peddles.

/stepsdownfromsoapbox

The end

[Seret Sajet]

Yes, I will vote tomorrow. however, I must say that I do not support encouraging people to vote.

/soapbox

Puff daddy is a douche bag. Vote or Die? Please...Ted Nugent said something in response to this movement, and I think it is quite well thought out...

Bare with me, I don't remember the exact quote but here is the gyst of it...

Telling people to just go out and vote is like telling people to just do SOMETHING without telling them how or why. If see someone drowning in a lake and tell your buddy, "Hey go do something" he could just as easliy decide to chuck a brick at the person in the pond.

What is the point of voting if you are going to be uninformed? What steams me, is that this whole campaign is aimed at people in my age group (18-24ish). My irritation is 2 fold...1) P diddy thinks I give a shit about what his ass thinks...and 2) that people my age buy into the shit that MTV peddles.

/stepsdownfromsoapbox

The end

Wow, well said there Del'tar. And here I thought you were all comic relief.

Oh, and I agree with your 100%.

[E-bo Obi]

My only rant on voting is that as a citizen of the United States it is your right to vote. If you don't vote you are effectively allowing others to make a decision for you as to who will lead our country, your state, your local municipality, and even your respective school board. I think people focus too much on the national elections and not enough on local elections. For the government to significantly change your life it happens much easier at the local level than the national level.

If you think your vote is meaningless at the national level, which I disagree with, at least look at the local elections which will directly affect you. Don't vote for a national candidate. When I vote this year I will not be voting for a senator to represent my views in washington because neither candidate represents my views. I will however sit down and vote for each individual candidate in the other cateragories.

Just food for thought.

edited to say: no wonder I don't watch MTV.

[Jabe Adaks]

Del'tar, I whole heartedly agree.

Jabe

[Illbleed]

First off all these statements are clearly my own opinions. Your vote counts just like mine. Who cares how celebrities are voting? They do not have your interests in mind, only publicity. Vote for who you think will get the job done. On that note..

I'm in agreement. It's a shame that this election year you have to pick the elected official that lies the LEAST. Is this anyway to pick our elected officials? Kerry, I wouldn't trust to defend this country because of his track record voting and Bush exaggerates everything. For me, it comes down to who I feel the most safe with? In post 911 culture, our national security is of upmost importance. Kerry doesn't strike me as having any balls to do anything.

[Dwilah]

Does anybody have like, a cheat sheet to the candidates? You know...he's for this, he's for this, he's for this kind of thing? Would be helpful for the first time voters who are somewhat-kinda informed but not like, entirely sure because of all the freaking yak that goes on.

Note: Helpful before tomorrow.

[X'an Shin]

Does anybody have like, a cheat sheet to the candidates?

Note: Helpful before tomorrow.

rotflmao

I'd vote, not that it matters in the national elections around here, if I knew if I was registered or not. Problem is I did motor-voter registration at my last house, but I never changed my driver's license (been moved for over a year now. Lazy? Me?)

So I'm afraid to vote as my old address and perpetuate the Chicago: Vote Early, Vote Often mantra.

And whoever said "vote local," go you! I wholeheartedly agree, but I wish to god I knew who was running here.

The shitty thing is that I've never felt more motivated to vote, and less enthusiastic about the candidates, like, ever.

[Lok'i Vidaar]

I totally also agree with Del'Tar 110%, I literally no longer watch MTV.
It IS NOT programmed into my Television. (the channel gets skipped when surfing).

And as Ill said, Vote for who you think will get the job done. I also agree with E-bo, your vote towards local politicians will help you see the benifits of our democracy alot sooner than the national vote....

Just Read what E-bo said.. I can't put it any better


Ohh yeah, I'm voting tommorow..

[Zannon]

Does anybody have like, a cheat sheet to the candidates? You know...he's for this, he's for this, he's for this kind of thing? Would be helpful for the first time voters who are somewhat-kinda informed but not like, entirely sure because of all the freaking yak that goes on.

Note: Helpful before tomorrow.

This is not going to help you, but I do think it will put things in perspective for you as a first time voter, so here it goes.

When it comes to a presidential canidate, issues that the perspective president supports really have no bearing on how the canidate will perform or represent you. Because of the way the American legislative process works, any issue-based bill first has to pass in the house and senate before getting to the president's desk. In the end, the president has the final word on the bill becoming law or not, but it is not very common for the president to vote against the majority in the house and senate (although it is not unheard of). If a president does veto a bill that was passed by both houses, it is (most of the time) a bill that only just barely passed in the house and senate (this is when the president's support of an issue would come into effect).

In an ideal world, presidential canidates should be voted on policy and not issues because that is what a president does...he (and one day she) establishes policy...ie, domestic, economic, military, etc. Your local elected officials (Senators and Representatives) vote on issues and represent your views in the US govenment. It is when you're voting for these officials that you should compare their stand on issues and vote for the person that is most representative of how you view the issues.

When looking at a presidential canidate, you should look at the encumbant's record for foreign and domestic policy (based on fact and not what the media tells you) and at the challenger's voting record on issues (mainly in the past 4 years) concerning US policy at home and abroad.

The real issue is to be informed by facts and not feelings. I could give you a comparison that I feel is fair and unbiased, but the fact of the matter is, it would be biased, no matter how hard I tried not to be. Everyone has an opinion and in influenced by the world around him or her...it's just a matter of being objective in your reasoning and choices and understanding how goverment operates.

I'm a Republican, but that does not mean that I vote for every Republican on a ballot each time I vote. I look at the canidates that will most directly effect me and compare them. The canidate that gets my vote is the one that I agree with the most and that will represent me the best. I can honestly say that, in every election I have voted in, I have NEVER voted 100% for either party. Hell, the last state election had me voting for more Democrats than I care to confess to, but at that time, those canidates represented me the best.

Anyway...that's my take on politics. Take it or leave it...and have fun flaming me.

[Krusshyk]

Woman can't be president. They have small brains. Their brains are at least 1/3 the size of my brain. You can't argue with that...its science.


(PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE SEEN ANCHORMAN)

[Keer]

While I'm not going to get into my personal political mindset, here are some provocative (positively) and hopefully amusing personal impressions on American presidential politics in history (no sides, just facts and ideas):

#1. You can go out and vote today to get your candidate elected or...

...you can lobby, coerce, suborn, or bribe one of the members that hold the true final word in presidential elections, the Electoral College.


#2. Senator John Kerry is attempting something that hasn't been done in 44 years. That is be elected president while serving as a U.S. Senator. The last person to do that was John F. Kennedy and when he did it, he had a little help from the family. Or should I say The Family :lol: I'm sure you Chicagoans may have heard of a few gents from a certain Outfit that "campaigned" for JFK in Illinois and West Virginia back then. :lol:

(Though I think that Kennedy turned out to be a very good President, I do think he stole the 1960 election with help from Organized Crime. And in a way...I'm glad it happenned. Because I honestly don't think we would be here today if Nixon was President during the Cuban Missile Crisis...but then again there may not have been a Crisis if Nixon was President during the Bay of Pigs invasion *shrug* Catch-22).

Suffice it to say that Kerry is going up against some stiff tradtional statistics. All of the elected presidents since 1960 were:

a. Incumbent presidents going for a second term (Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton)
b. Vice Presidents who were elected after their old bosses left.(Bush Sr.)
c. State Governors (Reagan & Clinton again, Bush Jr.)
d. Former Vice Presidents (Nixon again)

(Johnson first became president after JFK was killed, then he was elected on his own; Gerald Ford after Nixon was impeached, not elected afterward)

Combine that with the fact he's partnered with another Senator (Edwards) and he's looking at a serious statistical upset.

#3. Whatever happens with tonight's vote, 2008 looks interesting. Lil' brother Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, is doing warm-up laps. With the family name, a freight train of cash, a Mexican wife (yes, it does matter), and twice his big brother's I.Q. and charisma, Jeb Bush is tailor-made for a serious run at the White House and a shot at the first presidential family "dynasty" ever. (can't really count John Adams and John Quincy Adams. There were 3 presidents between them. Similar with the Roosevelts).

Once again, I'm just sharing interesting knowledge here. My vote has been cast and despite my pick, I still uttered a quiet hope to myself at the booth:

"May the least harmful man win."

[Jorhel]

I voted this morning.

It's easier to vote when you aren't reading message boards with peoples opinions on it.

I'm all for people getting involved and voting.

[X'an Shin]

I elected to be a participant in the large 60% of apathetic voters who forgot/didn't vote.

I really wanted to vote this year, but I was too damn lazy. I found my voter registration card this morning, and it dated to 1997. It also said that my registration would be forfeit if I didn't vote every 4 years.

/shrug.

Oh well. Time to get my new driver's license and re-register.