"The Lesser Of Two Evils"...Why, Obama Isn't That Bad!

[Nordic]

Fine, but voting is meaningless now, so what I'm trying to say is ignore all this election stuff and concentrate on the "trying to make it better" without thinking and assuming the vote is a part of that.

The whole system is designed right now, in a psyops kind of way, to make us think that this is our one chance to make change, and the next one won't come along for another four years. So it's gotta count, thus all the hysteria and fearmongering. I'm now old enough to have lost count of the times I've heard the mantra "this is the most important election of our lives!"

Let's say we want to change things. We have to change SO MUCH before elections will matter again.

So why all the concentration on the elections? I've watched in the last year, especially, as the election fever has taken over. Of course it starts with the fucking media, but pretty soon everybody's all caught up in it, and it's bullshit. It sucks away all thought, work, motivation, and intelligence. It's been taken over by the propaganda department into a "branding" contest, and it's as meaningless as the fucking Superbowl.

If we would all kill our TV's and ignore the election and just worked as if the elections didn't exist, then maybe we could get something done and maybe SOME DAY we could have elections that matter again.

And the 60's killed it all. Those images from RFK's funeral train -- that's when it ended. They assassinated American Democracy for once and for all with that.

[ninakat]

The whole system is designed right now, in a psyops kind of way, to make us think that this is our one chance to make change, and the next one won't come along for another four years.

Yeah. Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw not long after Obama got in.


1/20/13 ARE WE THERE YET?

The obvious: partisan believers, exactly in the mindset you were talking about, Nordic.

The obscure: Are we there yet? is something children say. Children. Yep.

[Hammer of Los]

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I think with John Bolton in office the doomsday clock might just start tickin' up again.

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[FourthBase]

If you believe in democracy, as an aspiration if not a reality, you should feel morally obligated to vote.

Not necessarily for either Romney or Obama. But for someone or something.

(Although, just like in 2008, if you live in a swing state, you should probably vote for Obama because, yes, Romney would be worse. Right, there are a dozen ways Obama is just as bad as Bush and a few ways he's worse. But there are probably a hundred ways Bush was worse than Obama, and Romney will be worse in a hundred different ways, too. So if you live in, say, Ohio and you don't vote for Obama, then you might as well put a bumper sticker on your car or pin a button to your backpack that says "Don't blame me, I effectively voted for Romney. Oh no, wait, blame me.")

Vote for your favorite guitarist, vote for some long-dead president you wish were alive, vote for your pet golden retriever, vote for the concept of nothingness, vote for some fringe 11th party candidate, vote for Anonymous, vote for yourself, vote for the nice old lady who lives next door. But vote, for fuck's sake. Vote. Vote because voting is something that would be a backbone activity of any utopian vision of the world you can imagine. It doesn't really matter if these elections are rigged, if the candidates are puppets, if all hope is lost because at some point the permafrost will thaw. The right to vote is too precious for even the deepest parapolitical pessimism to spoil. Nobody who considers themselves an anti-fascist should be willing to contribute to post-election statistics that will show an increasingly disengaged and compliant populace. A defiant refusal to vote by a lefty intellectual is literally no different in impact than a forgetful failure to vote by a mallrat moron.

It might seem like a cheap sentimental ploy, but it's the motherfucking truth: On election day, as you bask in the smug, futile satisfaction of inactivity, think of how many good people in the history of the world have died, suffered, and killed for the right to exercise what you would so casually piss on.

[8bitagent]

Nordic: http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012 ... weeks?lite

It truly will take "special watchers" at the behest of Romney pulling something to have Mittens win at this point. Mitt may not just be the Dole Mccain of 2012,
but the court jester too.

[8bitagent]

but do we deep down truly, truly believe the elections are not rigged?
Some of you believe 9/11 was not quite the work of simply Muslim jihadis. Well, if you're the one making sure such a ghastly event happened,
you sure as hell do not want Al Gore in office. You need to make sure Georgey Boy and the hawkish neocons are in place for their special gift.
If we are to believe 2000 and 2004 was 'rigged', why would 2012 by any different?

Also I don't mind being flamed for saying this, but c'mon. Osama, Obama. "They" are fucking with us. "Breaking news: Obama just killed Osama". This shit is scripted with a twilight wink and a nod from a mile away

[ninakat]

If we are to believe 2000 and 2004 was 'rigged', why would 2012 by any different?

You left out 2008. Of course, they didn't need to rely on the rigged voting machines as much for that one, just the gullibility of the American people primarily. A con job is just another form of rigging, ya know. But I do think they have multiple means to achieve exactly what they want.

[dada]

In other countries, boycotting a vote is a legitimate way to protest a corrupt system. But in America, voting is like a religion.

[justdrew]

In other countries, boycotting a vote is a legitimate way to protest a corrupt system. But in America, voting is like a religion.

a vote boycott is conducted by an organized political party, it's generally not that effective a strategy even then.

[dada]

Well, voting isn't looking very effective to me, either.

I think I'll just ride a turtle.

(No reason, I just wanted to use that one. Is there ever going to be a correct place where you can use the riding a turtle smiley? Ergo, there really is no wrong place to use the riding a turtle smiley.)

[justdrew]

Well, voting isn't looking very effective to me, either.

I think I'll just ride a turtle.

(No reason, I just wanted to use that one. Is there ever going to be a correct place where you can use the riding a turtle smiley? Ergo, there really is no wrong place to use the riding a turtle smiley.)

a very good use, and possibly the first for rideturtle!

Yeah, it's slow going, I hope that more participation in the party political apparatus could lead to some good changes. This means getting involved with the race for local party boards and such, and putting forth better candidates and policy.

We probably need something like a forum for people to join to "rally the troops" and to facilitate a grassroots move on the party state and local offices, too much of that stuff is done in a blackbox.

[8bitagent]

If we are to believe 2000 and 2004 was 'rigged', why would 2012 by any different?

You left out 2008. Of course, they didn't need to rely on the rigged voting machines as much for that one, just the gullibility of the American people primarily. A con job is just another form of rigging, ya know. But I do think they have multiple means to achieve exactly what they want.

Ha, good call.

When I began seeing these covers in 2006, 2007 and 2008 I knew it was over. Obama was going to win it. Never once waivered on that view, Mccain never had a chance



I mean this is October 2006, Time lays it all out. "The Next President"(no question mark)
They may as well had an article on how soon to be President Obama would "get bin Laden in a Pakistani ISI safehouse"

[Hammer of Los]

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Hi FB!

Nice to see your face every now and again.

I hope rl is treating you good man.

How's the tourette's?

...

[dada]

Yeah, it's slow going, I hope that more participation in the party political apparatus could lead to some good changes. This means getting involved with the race for local party boards and such, and putting forth better candidates and policy.

We probably need something like a forum for people to join to "rally the troops" and to facilitate a grassroots move on the party state and local offices, too much of that stuff is done in a blackbox.

I don't know, I'm pretty skeptical. But not against the idea. Figuring out a way to take over the political system from the ground up is a little more in tune with my sensibilities.

It's funny, I really didn't think of the smiley as a sarcastic metaphor. If I had, I would've said "I think I'll just ride a turtle right off a cliff."

[Elvis]

If you believe in democracy, as an aspiration if not a reality, you should feel morally obligated to vote.

Not necessarily for either Romney or Obama. But for someone or something.

(Although, just like in 2008, if you live in a swing state, you should probably vote for Obama because, yes, Romney would be worse. Right, there are a dozen ways Obama is just as bad as Bush and a few ways he's worse. But there are probably a hundred ways Bush was worse than Obama, and Romney will be worse in a hundred different ways, too. So if you live in, say, Ohio and you don't vote for Obama, then you might as well put a bumper sticker on your car or pin a button to your backpack that says "Don't blame me, I effectively voted for Romney. Oh no, wait, blame me.")

Vote for your favorite guitarist, vote for some long-dead president you wish were alive, vote for your pet golden retriever, vote for the concept of nothingness, vote for some fringe 11th party candidate, vote for Anonymous, vote for yourself, vote for the nice old lady who lives next door. But vote, for fuck's sake. Vote. Vote because voting is something that would be a backbone activity of any utopian vision of the world you can imagine. It doesn't really matter if these elections are rigged, if the candidates are puppets, if all hope is lost because at some point the permafrost will thaw. The right to vote is too precious for even the deepest parapolitical pessimism to spoil. Nobody who considers themselves an anti-fascist should be willing to contribute to post-election statistics that will show an increasingly disengaged and compliant populace. A defiant refusal to vote by a lefty intellectual is literally no different in impact than a forgetful failure to vote by a mallrat moron.

It might seem like a cheap sentimental ploy, but it's the motherfucking truth: On election day, as you bask in the smug, futile satisfaction of inactivity, think of how many good people in the history of the world have died, suffered, and killed for the right to exercise what you would so casually piss on.

I think FourthBase has knocked it out of the park with this.

We should at least pretend we're engaged. A widespread public election boycott would be one thing but won't happen. We've got to hang on tight to the idea of voting. There is no "rule by the people" (democracy) without it. (Is there?)

Another part of rule by the people is compromise. I'll sure take a lesser evil.

Once again, we've got four years to find and field a winnable candidate or build up a third party. Maybe the Green Party. But FGS please no Romney.