US Presidential Election 2012

Ally wrote:Hurr dee hurr durr. I'm gay. -Eldo

You're welcome to your opinion on that last part.



You alter my posts at your own risk - Orwell
I'm just following your lead. -Eldo

My son: "I'm gay" (this is the moment where I give him a hug and say "cool i love u")


I don't think Eldo is gay, Ally - I know he is! - Orwell

Orwell wrote:

Gandalf's Beard wrote:Christian Sharia is the GOP's national platform:

...

This is one fucked up country that these assholes actually have any political power.

Makes even a quasi-Tory like me feel sick in the gut, GB. For some reason, it brings back memories of that girl in Afghanistan who got shot by those Taliban chaps after one of their own had sex with her. What happened to him? Nothing? Arseholes!

I went ahead and took out the pictures and videos since they're right there two posts up and quoting them is really long. -Eldo

I've been doing some research for an article on rape in US politics and I've come across some other disturbing stories very similar. Not all of them from third world countries.

Police rape woman in Tunisia, then charge her with indecency
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/02/world/africa/tunisia-rape-protest/index.html


http://www.loop21.com/life/houston-cop-arrested-handcuffing-and-raping-woman-after-traffic-stop



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/opinion/07kristof.html?_r=2

"Jasmine Caldwell was 14 and selling sex on the streets when an opportunity arose to escape her pimp: an undercover policeman picked her up.

Instead, the policeman showed her his handcuffs and threatened to send her to prison. Terrified, she cried and pleaded not to be jailed. Then, she said, he offered to release her in exchange for sex.

Afterward, the policeman returned her to the street. Then her pimp beat her up for failing to collect any money."

And EVERY DAY Child Sex Slaves are treated as criminals in the US.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/18/new_york_struggles_over_child_prostitution/

Then put these stories in the context of the Republican Assault on Rape Victims and you can see why Conservative Republicans (which is the entire party now) are TOO DANGEROUS to be allowed into office.

The way things look, the Republicans won't get their man in --- but pleeeeeease don't get complacent you Americohobbits!

Complacency. No way! It'll take every effort to beat the GOP Election Stealing Machine.

They do seem to have a bit of money behind them.

Why is it that republican candidates have to show they drunk the kool-aid to get elected, while democratic candidates have to show they are moderate?

Perhaps one of the voter bases are more reasonable?

I ind that word very appealing, Halfwise: moderate... Should be more of it...

But to Halfwise's point, sometimes "moderation" is the UNREASONABLE response to extremism.

A seesaw won't balance with someone on one end and someone in the middle.

A seesaw won't balance with someone on one end and someone in the middle.- GB

That may well be true GB but I dont want to live in the idealogical nightmares sitting either end of the seesaw either.

To moderate is to BE reasonable. For instance, if I need to cut off your head for being an outrageous Lefty, GB, then I think that a moderate response. But if I have to shoot Romney dead for his Fascism - then I'd call that a moderate response as well. It's about having a balanced view of politics.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:A seesaw won't balance with someone on one end and someone in the middle.- GB

That may well be true GB but I dont want to live in the idealogical nightmares sitting either end of the seesaw either.

Hey! Did we just agree about something, Petty?

I think the problem with "centrism" in the U.S. is that the definition of centrist keeps changing as the entire ideological spectrum swings right, yet the notion (unspoken or otherwise) that centrism is the most reasonable path doesn't change. Modern American "liberals" would be considered conservative in nearly any other first-world democracy, with centrists even further to the right. It's meaningless to speak of an ideal middle in such a skewed system.

Edit: I should add that if someone's genuine beliefs happen to lie in between the two major parties then that's totally their prerogative and I have nothing against them. It's the sort of people who advocate centrism for the sake of being in the center that bother me. This isn't necessarily directed at anyone on this forum, btw.

Eldo, you are on the money. "Moderate" and "Centrist" are two terms nearly always conflated in the media. They are NOT synonymous.

Centrism is an ideology--in the US and many Western nations though, Centrism really means Right Wing Lite. One can be a Centrist Extremist just as easily as a Right Wing or Left Wing Extremist.

Oddly enough I am listening to Ed Milibands speech at the Labour conference and he seems to be arguing that the Tories have abandoned the centrist ground and moved to the right and that New (New) Labour can take up the gap -but um doesn't that just mean New (New) Labour are now just old Tory?(Again)

Centrist is NOT what I mean by Moderate. (You guys! )

Gandalf's Beard wrote:Eldo, you are on the money. "Moderate" and "Centrist" are two terms nearly always conflated in the media. They are NOT synonymous.

Centrism is an ideology--in the US and many Western nations though, Centrism really means Right Wing Lite. One can be a Centrist Extremist just as easily as a Right Wing or Left Wing Extremist.

Huh? I'd call Moderate an ideology: don't take any one view too far for risk of excluding others. Centrism is more of a mathematical concept. How can you say centrism is an ideology?

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Oddly enough I am listening to Ed Milibands speech at the Labour conference and he seems to be arguing that the Tories have abandoned the centrist ground and moved to the right and that New (New) Labour can take up the gap -but um doesn't that just mean New (New) Labour are now just old Tory?(Again)

I think that was probably inartful phrasing. Lib Dems already have that spot.

halfwise wrote:

Gandalf's Beard wrote:Eldo, you are on the money. "Moderate" and "Centrist" are two terms nearly always conflated in the media. They are NOT synonymous.

Centrism is an ideology--in the US and many Western nations though, Centrism really means Right Wing Lite. One can be a Centrist Extremist just as easily as a Right Wing or Left Wing Extremist.

Huh? I'd call Moderate an ideology: don't take any one view too far for risk of excluding others. Centrism is more of a mathematical concept. How can you say centrism is an ideology?

"Moderate" is not a political agenda, it is a state of mind or behaviour that implies the ability to compromise (just as "Extremist" implies the inability to compromise). Persons of any ideology can exhibit extreme or moderate behaviours.

Centrism (in the US) is a political ideology that advocates Right Wing policies but with a softer tone.

Where the political centre is depends on the overall political perspective of a given culture or nation. Capitalism is Right Wing by definition and the US is a Capitalist nation. There is no Left Wing party in the US. The Democrats are a coalition in which the Progressive wing is a minority. And even a lot of Progressives don't challenge the validity of Capitalism (the very definition of Left); so the Left has very little political representation. Thus, in this day and age, the Democrats are the Centrist party, advocating for a watered down version of Keynesian economics.

I'm sure Petty would point out that the above similarly holds true in the UK at the moment. See his post regarding Milliband.

Up early GB ?

It's 9:30PM my time.

Sorry GB thought you lived in the UK

No worries. Just born and partly raised there.

No worries, sounds like theres a bit of Aussie in you as well

That's from spending so much time with Odo.