We’ve been lucky here. We don’t watch TV or listen to the radio, so we’ve dodged the negative ads there. We’ve gotten phone calls, of course, but not as many as in the past. It does make us laugh that being on the do-not-call list doesn’t protect us from political calls. The argument is that they’re not selling anything. Yeah, sure. 😀
I am disturbed that political action committees are trying to take control of our state legislature and have been mailing lies about the candidates they oppose. Both sides are doing it, and the candidates don’t have any say in the matter. In fact, they often don’t even know about what is being sent. Both candidates running for our state House of Representatives deplore the practice, but they’re helpless to stop it. Have you ever seen this sort of thing where you are?
I didn’t vote for either Romney or Obama in the presidential election. (I voted for the Libertarian Gary Johnson as my “none of the above” candidate.) I’m afraid I’m as pessimistic as The Economist. They wrote:
We very much hope that whichever of these men wins office will prove our pessimism wrong. Once in the White House, maybe the Romney of the mind will become reality, cracking bipartisan deals to reshape American government, with his vice-president keeping the headbangers in the Republican Party in line. A re-elected President Obama might learn from his mistakes, clean up the White House, listen to the odd businessman and secure a legacy happier than the one he would leave after a single term. Both men have it in them to be their better selves; but the sad fact is that neither candidate has campaigned as if that is his plan.
As a result, this election offers American voters an unedifying choice. Many of The Economist’s readers, especially those who run businesses in America, may well conclude that nothing could be worse than another four years of Mr Obama. We beg to differ. For all his businesslike intentions, Mr Romney has an economic plan that works only if you don’t believe most of what he says. That is not a convincing pitch for a chief executive. And for all his shortcomings, Mr Obama has dragged America’s economy back from the brink of disaster, and has made a decent fist of foreign policy. So this newspaper would stick with the devil it knows, and re-elect him.
What about you? Are you as pessimistic as The Economist and I are? If so which devil would you pick, or would you too vote for “none of the above”?
Probably more. To quote the cover of Newsweek: It’s Climate Change Stupid. That neither candidate was willing to even raise this says much – and what it says is appalling.
Obama’s foreign policy (generally cravenly supported by Aus – but not NZ Cathy) has been dreadful – just more of US empire building.
I realise he has to work with Congress, he isn’t a monarch, but I think he could have done much more about the lunacy that is Wall St.
Having said which I still prefer Obama to Romney.
If I was an American, I would vote for Obama. Not that it would matter unless the balance of power in your senate and congress changes heavily in favour of the Democrats.
Badmouthing the opposition is a great game played here too. Indian politics is as bad as yours is! Perhaps marginally better I would say.
I’m a slightly left-of-center independent on social issues and somewhat right-of-center on economics and foreign policy. I haven’t voted for a republican since 1988. My view is that any economic recovery has been in spite of Obama, rather than because of him. I fear that a second Obama term will send us back into recession or worse. I have, only somewhat in jest, told some of my colleagues that I am working my current contract as a hedge against an Obama second term and that — should he win a second term — I’ll probably continue to take contracts as long as he is president, though I would dearly prefer to retire fully.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuLuOH0FMBM
About Jean: (Don’t know a post to put this.)
I first met Jean on a 16 mi. hike 25? years ago. For about 15 years I had put on one of my 16 lb weight belts when I got up & wore it all day/everyday ’til bedtime (except while bicycling) because I only weighed 108 lbs & wanted to strengthen bones. I didn’t wear it on that hike, being 16 mi. with much elevation.
The other hikers were too slow so when we got to “Stone Lions” Jean & I lick-a-ty splinted back by ourselves, me, minus my extra 16 lbs. We were a good match. No heavy breathing needed.
She told me then that she was forming a Stress Management class. I didn’t latch on to that because I thought it costs $$. (It was free, she told me later. –I joined later.)
She has two blogs. StressToPower & CheerfulMonk. (I told her she’s an optimist. She said, “No, I’m a cheerful pessimist.)
gov’t elections here are of course rather thin on the ground/population wise but the parties still get into “declaring the other side(s) are useless” – always something unsavory comes up as well – as it’s was “storm in a teacup” or some such thing which culminated in someone who recorded the “chat” being taken to court…can’t remember the full details.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/election-2011/election-comment/6001536/Tea-cup-saga-causes-John-Key-to-lose-the-plot
In the last week PM: John Keys in trouble with “language slang” with a variety of factions! When questioned by reporters, Key said the word was in the dictionary and it meant “weird” which has caused even more trouble for him…
I never much looked at politics and I still don’t but now I’m at home, I tend to look more closely at the online paper for TheHerald…and front page news catches my eye 🙂
Evan,
From what I’ve been reading a lot of foreigners like Obama. They’re afraid Romney would be too much like Bush.
About Congress–as far as I can tell the partisanship is going to be even worse after the election. Head for the hills!
Rummuser,
From what I’ve been reading it looks as if the Democrats might hold on to the Senate and the Republicans the House of Representatives. And the number of moderates will decrease even more. Sad news.
Mike,
Whoever wins it should be interesting! A friend of mine wanted to move to Canada after Bush was elected–because of the erosion of civil rights. He bought a house there but Canada wouldn’t let him stay full time, so after 2008 he sold the house and moved back here.
bikehikebabe,
:D!
Cathy,
The life of a politician is a hard one. Any number of people are waiting to pounce on any mistake, or anything can be portrayed as a mistake. On the other hand, it clearly has great rewards for some people.
i love your cartoon! you are really good at that monk!!!
you could start each post with one as far as i’m concerned.
oh. but that would be a lot of work! but enjoyable i bet.
and as to the politics . . .
i voted for obama. i felt his hands have been tied behind his back this entire term and it was amazing that anything got done at all. i hope this next term will be easier and more productive. but with the ‘separate armed camps’ . . . doubtful.
i am fairly non-political. i get so tired of them bickering.
you will think my next statement makes me out a simpleton. maybe, but when i researched and found that it was true . . .
that romney tied his family dog to the top of his car in a cage
on their vacation. . . then travelled 700 miles . . . with the dog
so frightened that it had diarreha all down the back window . .
then he stopped at a station . . . hosed down the dog and the car . . . now put the wet still panicked dog back on top of the car and proceeded down the highway at 70 mph . . .
that is cruelty in my book.
when interviewed about it (i saw the interview) he just laughed. never apologized or indicated in any way he thought that was wrong. i don’t care how “religious” he is. that’s a cruelty issue. and even worse on the dog being now cold and wet and scared for its life.
that simple act told me all i needed to know about the man’s character. i don’t want somebody like that running the country.
tammy,
Thank you! I agree with you about the poor dog being a victim of animal cruelty.
Evan,
Climate change was a political hot potato during the election because of the recession and so many people being out of work. The superstorm and the end of the election may change things, one can only hope. Whether or not global warming is primarily caused by humans, it’s fairly clear mankind will have to deal with it one way or another.