Who are the idiots who nominate these idiots?
I can't recall a presidential campaign in which all of the candidates were not considered by the majority of citizens to be no better than dolts, with voters lamenting the necessity of either casting their ballots for whom they consider to be the lesser of two evils, or not voting at all. Some have gathered around a "third party" candidate, largely to no avail.…
Article comments
26 - Ruvy
Baritone,
if all the candidates have been less than stellar, whose fault is it? Shouldn't we look to ourselves as the ultimate culprit? It is all of us collectively through our involvement, or actually in most instances our lack of involvement
At least you put the blame where it belongs. If you want a participatory democracy, you need to participate, not fart and drink beer while watching the boob tube or even whining on blog sites.
In Minnesota, we had an opportunity at participatory democracy. Anybody could walk into the parties' precinct caucuses and participate. Most preferred to fart and drink beer while staring at the boob tube, looking for the bouncing boobs and the occasional bared boobs. I participated.
The precinct caucuses are still there, withering on the vine. Participatory democracy is dying because Americans want to be spectators, not participants.
You've had your chance; and the vast majority of you have consistently thrown that chance away. So, you get the idiots you get.
And you deserve them.
27 - Baritone
Thank you so much, Ruvy. How are things up there on your ivory tower? Kosher, I presume.
B
28 - Dr Dreadful
Dread, are you sure that BC is dominated by right-wingers? From my biased perspective, we have a pretty good mix here, both in writers and commenters.
I didn't say we were dominated by the
bastardsgentlemen and ladies in question, Baronius, just that they usually seem to get their way.You're right that the balance is about even, although Dave, who is by far the most prolific writer in the Politics section, ensures that the debate takes place on his terms most of the time.
It's also noteworthy that our two most industrious left-leaning writers, Realist and Ruvy, are hardly what you'd call orthodox liberals in their outlook.
29 - Jordan Richardson
fart and drink beer while staring at the boob tube, looking for the bouncing boobs and the occasional bared boobs
AKA Jordan's Weekend Wind-up.
30 - Baritone
"...fart and drink beer while staring at the boob tube, looking for the bouncing boobs and the occasional bared boobs"
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Right?
B
31 - Jordan Richardson
If there is, I don't wanna be right.
32 - Baritone
I have long lived life in the fart lane.
B
33 - Clavos
Boobs? Did somebody say boobs?
Where? WHERE?
Looks about frantically, afraid he's missing some skin...
34 - Baritone
Easy Clav. I think maybe they were all talking about the "boob" tube. I mean, I didn't see any boobs. Wait, wait! No, it was just Bill O'Reilly.
B
35 - Baritone
Thanks Doc. By the way, I think you omitted the cube root of the azimuth in syzygy which would have resulted with Rob Schneider in the White House.
B
36 - Dan Miller
I must apologize. In an unthoughtful and erroneous article, I opined that Senator Clinton was favored by God and that she (Senator Clinton, not God) would win not only the Democratic nomination but the Presidency as well.
I was wrong, and this comment, inadequate though it doubtless is, is my penance. Speaker Pelosi has shown me the light. She said yesterday that Senator Obama is "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time."
Now that She and She have spoken, we can put aside all doubt and acknowledge the winner. Hosanna! Praise be to Him in the highest!
Dan
37 - Baritone
I just wish everybody would keep god the hell out of politics. What are the chances?
B
38 - Dan Miller
Baritone,
As long as we Atheists/Agnostics enjoy bringing Her into the fray, the chances are minimal.
Dan
39 - Ruvy
DD,
I'm not complaining, but why do you assert that I'm a left-leaning writer? And when are you going to learn to stop confusing liberals with socialists?
40 - Dr Dreadful
I'm not complaining, but why do you assert that I'm a left-leaning writer?
Because you've said so yourself. I distinctly recall you writing in a comment somewhere that your political sympathies were socialist.
And when are you going to learn to stop confusing liberals with socialists?
That's not me, that's Dave. Didn't you read my comment? I said you were hardly an orthodox liberal.
41 - Ruvy
Somewhere 0 and none. And since even supposed atheists like Dan Miller can't manage it, don't expect the rest of us to, Baritone....
42 - Ruvy
[Ruvy] why do you assert that I'm a left-leaning writer?
[DD] Because you've said so yourself. I distinctly recall you writing in a comment somewhere that your political sympathies were socialist.
At least somebody takes me at my word....
[Ruvy] And when are you going to learn to stop confusing liberals with socialists?
[DD} That's not me, that's Dave. Didn't you read my comment? I said you were hardly an orthodox liberal.
The point is that liberals are right wingers. Don't believe me, ask Stan Denham from his "perch" at the arse end of the world. He'll tell ya.
In the revolutionary Assemblé Nationale from which this terminology was taken, the Conservatives and Liberals sat on the right side of the chamber, and the Radicals sat on the left side.
Dave, unfortunately, shares the short-sightedness of his other American friends in confusing liberals with socialists, and in confusing state socialists with syndicalist socialists, and finally screaming "you're a fuckin' commie!" at those whose views he dislikes.
I single him out because as someone born and raised OUTSIDE the United States, he should know better. Even the great Scandohoovian Mestizo, Clavos, appears to know better.
The left wing of American political chicken was chopped off during the Red Scare of 1918-1919. What passes for the "left wing" in the United State is just next to the cloaca on the American political chicken - and stinks like it, too.
Take it from a former DFLer. I know what the hell I'm talking about....
43 - Andy Marsh
I was pondering this last night and I've come up with a new term for the way Barry talks...
...in my opinion, he uses what has to be called Jimmy Stewart speak. Think about it...while he's doing all that thinking prior to answering a question he does a lot of i...i...i...just like Jimmy Stewart used to do. A nice, slow, barely perceptible stutter, just enough to appear innocent, giving himself just enough time to come up with the most generic answer. It's almost quaint!
But after reading the comments , I may have to change my line of thought...I really like the way baronius put it...talks like a sailor indeed!!!
44 - Clavos
Jimmy Stewart speak
I like that...
I might be borrowing it in the future, Andy.
45 - Andy Marsh
Feel free Clavos! I guess that means you kinda hear it too?
46 - Clavos
Sure do. Thought it sounded familiar.
47 - Baritone
Who was ever considered to be more trustworthy, or a better father figure than Jimmy Stewart?
B
48 - Baronius
Ruvy et al: would you prefer the term "statist"? I think that has an internationally-agreed-upon meaning.
We keep complaining about political terminology in the same way we complain about the weather, but never do anything about it. (Everything ok where you are, Clavos?) Maybe we should try to find words we accept, or make new ones.
---
Dread, you note that a lot of the "left" on BC isn't traditional left. But you also mention Dave as (over?) representing the right. Dave's a gay atheistic environmentalist libertarian. There's hardly one orthodox anything on this site, which makes our debates much more interesting.
---
As to keeping God out of politics - if BC is representative, about 95% of the population is atheist. The 9/11 Truthers are better represented here than the Religious Right.
49 - Clavos
Dave's a gay atheistic environmentalist libertarian.
Excuse me, but, while I don't know for sure (he's never, to my knowledge, actually said, one way or the other), I don't think Dave's gay.
He's (heterosexually) married, with at least one child.
50 - Clavos
Baronius,
Yes, thank you, we're fine.
Looks like we dodged the bullet this time. For Miami, it's been a night and day of blustery winds and LOTS of rain, tides about a foot higher than normal, and not much more.
Fay is currently (1 PM EDT advisory) located on the NW shore of Lake Okeechobee (Hallelujah!! We desperately need rain on Lake O), and headed NNE at 8 mph, with max sustained winds of 65 mph, making her a tropical storm, not a hurricane.
51 - Baronius
Clavos - glad to hear it. It was kind of funny listening to the weather forecasters, who weren't quite saying that they wanted Fay to destroy Cuba, but kept talking about how storms get stronger over water and weaker over land, and that we should hope it weakened before hitting Florida.
As for your other comment, I thought that Dave had said that he's gay, and I didn't intend to point fingers at anyone. Now that you mention it, I do remember something about kids. But I'm bad at keeping track of personas.
52 - Baritone
Dave as a conservative libertarian gay Texan? Hmmm. I don't think so, but maybe there is a reason why he lives in a walled compound. I do know he has spoken of kid(s) before. I imagine he loves all of us making comments speculating on his sexuality.
Yeehaw, all you "brokeback" buckaroos!
53 - Melinda Loomis
"A number of people who post and comment here at BC look upon our current crop of major party candidates as clowns or lightweights."
Yep. I find myself frustrated by the choices that "the powers that be" have determined for me and not for the first time. And I'm sick of it.
I'm not a multi-millionaire-billionaire with the financial resources to foist my will on the rest of the country (ala Soros). Nor am I an influential member of a lobby or special interest group that can elevate the candidate of my choice into the stratosphere of government with hype and imagery...and obligations to reciprocate.
I can't imagine what it's like to have that kind of influence. I'm just your average American citizen who knows our system is flawed as hell but doesn't have the clout to fix it. Or isn't crooked enough to fix it, take your pick. That doesn't mean I don't care, or that I'm not frustrated as hell by it.
I'm not sure what the answer is. I wish I had a better response to this whole subject, but I don't.
I guess the good news is that we know something is wrong. Now if we could just figure out how to fix it.
54 - Baronius
Melinda, the real answer is to get involved at the local level. Every politician starts locally, even the political aristocracy. You can help get the right people elected, or you could run yourself. Knock on doors, stuff envelopes, be the guy on the other end of the nuicance phone calls and junk mail. Sign up to be a poll monitor.
The Ron Paul people are following the surest road to disappointment, trying to revamp the entire system in one year, starting at the top. Even the middle is more realistic, the Salazars and Jindals who are on their way up. But they all come from the menial jobs and local elections.
55 - handyguy
I actually think these are the two best presidential candidates in a while. Certainly better than Kerry or Bush. Voters in both parties went for candidates who at least nominally offer some fresh air. The campaign apparatus around the two men may resort to unfortunate bad habits like attack ads based on lies. But the guys themselves? Pretty impressive, IMHO.
56 - Baritone
So do I.
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