stop the world, I wanna step off

[veronica_rich]

Politically, I'm an independent. I think left of center, so my choice of voting Democrat often falls in the purview of "well, at least he/she's not from the newly reformed GOP" (i.e., non-Eisenhower philosophy). So I get why someone would want someone other than Obama to vote for, even if they're not a Republican. I get why his supporters are disenchanted with him and want another choice, perhaps more liberal (I mean, he's NOT; he never has been very much); I've gone into that before and don't need to do it right now.

But, DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN - that ANY of the current crop of GOP hopefuls could be considered comparable and electable nauseates me. Really, America? You like these candidates? With all your criticisms (and mine) of the incumbent, you honestly think any of these entertainers and snake-oil sales hacks and religious freaks are the answer, somehow?

Holy shit, I weep for the intelligence we've lost, as well as the ability to discern what is in our own best economic and social interests. I just wish I knew for sure it's only a vocal minority that thinks these clowns are viable candidates fit to hover over the red button. (Of course, I worry less about who's president and more about who gets into Congress, since that's where the real action is. The presidential election's just a bellwether for attitudes. Still, I can't believe there's anyone watching our economy fall apart around our ears who can honestly NOT blame the modern GOP's fucked-up financial and social priorities for much of it.)

Comments

[lizzie-omalley.livejournal.com]

Not to make you feel worse, but I think it was Einstein who said: "Thinking is hard, that's why so few people do it."

If it wasn't Einstein, it was someone of that ilk and generation.

But, for what it's worth, it makes me weep as well.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I like to think. I don't always like the results it gets me, but I like being able to do it and operate on logic, geesh.

[a-silver-rose.livejournal.com]

Me, I'm keeping an eye out for the inevitable backlash against the GOP when they block these tax cuts. Could be interesting.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

It didn't happen a decade ago. You think it'll happen now? I mean, I'd hope so, but I'm not sure I have that much faith.

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

Disgusting isn't it? You should look up Bill Maher's show - it's available as an iTune podcast or YouTube video segments. It would make you feel a little better, at least there are some intelligent liberals left, but whether we'll have acceptable candidates to vote for is another thing.

Even Michael Moore has lost patience with Obama though.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

What I've always liked about Moore is he's hard on everyone who doesn't live up to promises or expectations - he doesn't just pick on the GOP (though they certainly deserve every bit of it). He sticks to looking at how things affect average people, and brings up topics not discussed elsewhere in the context of why they started or why they're still important (like labor unions, insurance, etc.). He's the only person I've seen bring up the air traffic controllers' strike in the 1980s and how it affected the way things are today (well, I actually know somebody else who brought it up to me several years ago, but she's not a national pundit).

Have you heard the phrase "cutting payroll taxes" being bandied about now in the media? I don't know where it's coming from, but I'd bet my year's salary it's the Teabaggers/GOP/Koch brothers. It's still talking about cutting/reducing payments into the Social Security and Medicare fund from corporations, but by lumping them in with income and other payroll taxes and addressing it generally, they're hoping to snow people into supporting "cutting" them under the guise of thinking "hey, that means I pay less income tax, more for me! Yay!" Devious assholes; they knew people were starting to catch on to the idea that privatizing or cutting SS and Medicare was a bad idea.

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

The really scary thing is that the poll shows the Republican/Tea Party tactic of tanking the economy so Obama won't get re-elected is working as planned.

Voter memory is short though and if the economy turns around, by some miracle, even if in the last 6 months before the 2012 election, he can get re-elected.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Really, I'd like to knock everyone in the head who's on the ballot right now and just run for the damn thing myself. It's just that I know I don't have the energy, patience, or all the smarts to do the job, that keeps me from trying.

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have more than enough smarts. And you wouldn't need an entourage of speech writers to come up with smart* remarks.

*ass ;-)

[keechakatt.livejournal.com]

I'm a registered Republican, but I don't vote party lines. I just wish everyone could drop the party bs, and do what's right to get Americans working again, and stop letting the banks and insurance companies have so much power.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Well, we got to this point through a series of steps, and we're not going to be able to just drop current practices like that - we have to unsnarl what got us here. Sadly, there seems to be little interest in doing just that. And so, we WILL be going through another Depression. It's just a matter of when.

[keechakatt.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

Plus or minus 4 percentage points means that you could also be looking at a substantial Obama victory in any one of those potential races. Ron Paul's numbers were quite interesting and he, his racial views notwithstanding, would at least be a respectable option. I'm not entirely comfortable with the numbers but I'm trying to think positively. I live in Nebraska where even our Democratic senator is really a Republican in drag but I've been hearing and reading a lot of discontent with the economy and the blame here is not falling on Obama but on the Republican incumbents, most of whom always vote with their party. There's only one thing we can do to make sure Obama is reelected--get out there and help!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I don't know that I want him reelected. I'd like a third choice. We don't need Republican or Republican-Lite - we need someone who will do things actually differently and quit pandering to a side whose policies ARE. NOT. WORKING.

[bonnie-halfelvn.livejournal.com]

Our choice is between a leader who doesn't lead, who starts off with the compromise and moves to the right to get a deal, and the GOP led by the tea party, whose motto is "my way or the highway" and "God bless a theocracy."

Not a hard choice for me, but it's disgusting that these are the choices.

Too many people in this country want to be spoon-fed, so they go where someone feeds them all the answers and where the other side is "evil and godless."

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Too many people in this country also have busy lives and things to do other than follow the news 10 hours a day. Fortunately, it's my job, so I get to be more aware than most. *G*

We don't need much, really. Just more common sense and less trying to pull God into the running of this country. If God wants to run things and there's a God to do it, It will run things. Until that happens, we need to concentrate on securing civil rights for those who can't do it for themselves, and quit treating corporations like fucking people with the same rights as living, breathing entities.

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

But Mitt Romney said corporations are people TOO!!

How Soylent Green of him.

[bonnie-halfelvn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really think breathing should be a requirement to be considered a person. Call me crazy.

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

I agree, obviously, but unfortunately I don't think we're going to get that anytime soon.

I wish I did, but I don't.