tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post5710053596951661612..comments2010-08-13T20:27:29.414-04:00Comments on sc(c)oots: Process of a fair electionscootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14648062432937107093noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-86745852227721202332008-02-05T10:29:21.000-05:002008-02-05T10:29:21.000-05:00I think a lot of this gets solved, especially in t...I think a lot of this gets solved, especially in the primaries, if people would just vote for the person they think is the best candidate for President (not the candidate most likely to win). When you start trying to make your vote “count” I think it subverts the democratic process. You vote counts simply as long as you vote. It may not result in an outcome that you want, but that is being part of a community. It seems sad that elections simply turn into contests of who do I dislike the least.Micahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-26057456620296826322008-02-05T10:55:29.000-05:002008-02-05T10:55:29.000-05:00Ron Paul and Barack Obama seem to have some pretty...Ron Paul and Barack Obama seem to have some pretty significant differences. Paul’s philosophy about the legislature seems to be pretty libertarian … in other words, you can’t use government to do social programs like welfare and social security, and Business reigns supreme. Do you line up with Paul on those things, or is there some other reason you’d consider him?Matthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-91008841699314014122008-02-05T13:40:35.000-05:002008-02-05T13:40:35.000-05:001. Given that 3 of the 4 candidates would make fin...1. Given that 3 of the 4 candidates would make fine presidents and have large, enthusiastic constituencies, I can’t agree that American politics are in ruin.<br><br>2. Ron Paul is a fringe guy. His appeal lies in his ideological purity. By definition, he has no chance.<br><br>3. Proportional voting is a nice idea, but it will never happen. A constitutional amendment requires 2/3 of both houses of congress + 3/4 of the states. Swing states won’t give up their attention, small states won’t give up their disproportionate influence, and Republicans won’t give up their love for majoritarian politics.texpatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-28075262985565938932008-02-05T16:01:49.000-05:002008-02-05T16:01:49.000-05:00@Micah: I’m trying to be pragmatic. I don’t think ...@Micah: I’m trying to be pragmatic. I don’t think there’s any way you can ever get everyone to simply vote for who they want, so I’m trying to think of ways that the system can overcome that. To put it another way, I don’t think you can persuade people to change the way they vote (and by “way,” I mean how they go about making their decision–obviously you can persuade people to vote for someone different). So, the alternative is to find the best system to work with what people will predictably do.<br><br>@Jeremy: Whatever you think of Ron Paul, there still are a certain number of people who are going to vote for him or any other fringe candidate, and I think the nation would be better off if those same people ended up having input in choosing between McCain and Romney. So yeah, the system I’m pushing would help fringe candidates only marginally, but it would make the selection of the major candidate more reflective of the will of the people too. As for the impossibility of proportional voting, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re right–but I still find that depressing. Even if the candidates are worthy, the process should be worthy as well.<br><br>@Matt: I have no great defense here, except to say that I don’t like what *any* of the candidates want to use the government for. I like Obama for his character and the way he seems to engage ideas (I know that’s vague), and I feel like he will genuinely engage our real social problems–but I’m guessing the way he’ll push to solve them will be more liberal than I would prefer. I like Ron Paul for his stance against the war, foreign intervention, and abortion.<br><br>Other than that, I honestly haven’t read enough about issues to have a real opinion — that’s why I tried to focus on process instead of ideology.scootsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-30134085419467129682008-02-06T14:13:54.000-05:002008-02-06T14:13:54.000-05:00the new york times compares obama to a mac and hil...the new york times compares obama to a mac and hillary to a pc. i’m afraid the analogy is apt:<br><br>While Apple’s ad campaign maligns the PC by using an annoying man in a plain suit as its personification, it is not clear that aligning with the trendy Mac aesthetic is good politics. The iPod may be a dominant music player, but the Mac is still a niche computer. PC, no doubt, would win the Electoral College by historic proportions (with Mac perhaps carrying Vermont).texpatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-42791939097605304992008-02-27T03:42:00.000-05:002008-02-27T03:42:00.000-05:00Why don’t you just vote for Huckabee??? He seems t...Why don’t you just vote for Huckabee??? He seems to have God’s support since God makes people vote for him! Well, that’s at least what Huckabee claims …..Daldianushttp://bloggingthent.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-41855195041329625072008-03-06T01:19:10.000-05:002008-03-06T01:19:10.000-05:00You like Obama as a leader? That’s funny. The guy ...You like Obama as a leader? That’s funny. The guy voted “present” 130 times in the Senate.<br><br>Where is his leadership? The Marxist can’t even take a stand on issues that he is tasked on voting.likwidshoehttp://sayanythingblog.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-89668489815690946682008-03-07T15:40:15.000-05:002008-03-07T15:40:15.000-05:00Sorry, likwidshoe, but I’m a moderate, and my eyes...Sorry, likwidshoe, but I’m a moderate, and my eyes glaze over as soon as you use “Marxist” as a blanket insult. I support social programs, as flawed as they admittedly are, and I don’t think a person has to support the abolition of private property in order to hold the position I hold.<br><br>In all honesty, I don’t really know enough about politics to know what voting “present” means, so unfortunately I can’t give anything like an adequate response. I think that puts me on par with the vast majority of Americans, which could raise questions as to why I should get to vote, but then we do live in a representative democracy.<br><br>Anyway, I lend no credibility at all to simple numbers like voting records, unless they’re put into some context. You know: lies, damned lies, and statistics.<br><br>I think voting for a president is generally a crap-shoot, and my gut says Obama gives us the best chance of not running the country further into the ground. Granted that it’s risky, e.g., to remove the troops from Iraq quickly, but I’m convinced it would be more damaging to our nation to leave them there. Sincere people can disagree, but I have to vote as best I can.scootsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25333016.post-16936336471337400352008-03-08T05:40:21.000-05:002008-03-08T05:40:21.000-05:001. likwidshoe’s comment is a non sequitur. Saying ...1. likwidshoe’s comment is a non sequitur. Saying yea or nay in a rollcall vote is not leadership. Leadership occurs where somebody inspires a group of people to pursue common goals. Obama does that better than anyone I’ve ever seen.<br><br>2. The votes referred to were not in the US Senate, but in the Illinois senate, where voting “present” is a common practice.texpatnoreply@blogger.com