How bad is this election? Post Your Stories from the Trenches.

[Pangloss]

I started this as a reply but I think I'll make it a new thread. How bad is this election? How are your friends and family members dealing with the stress? What kind of emails have you been getting from friends?

 

I thought it was bad four years ago, but it's far worse this time around. I'm actually kinda glad I went through the whole argue-with-your-friends-about-politics thing the last couple times around, so I knew better than to fall into that trap again, but I've seen some real knock-down, drag-outs between some of my friends, and my in box has been flooded with "absolutely essential" information from partisan friends on both sides of this thing for months now.

 

And the ironic thing is, when I talk to them about the destructiveness of partisanship, they invariably nod their heads and immediately ask why it is that the other side does such things.

 

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What, nobody has any stories?

 

Friends who send you email unsolicited, demanding that you take action in this most important election year?

 

Family members who can't understand why anybody would vote the way you plan to?

 

Coworkers who INSIST on talking about politics but haven't the foggiest notion of how little grasp they have of the issues and seem offended when you straighten them out?

 

Bosses who inform you that if you vote for Obama that at least two of you will be laid off before inauguration day due to his tax policy? (Heard that one on the radio today.)

 

Come on now, let's hear those stories!

[big314mp]

I haven't taken much of an active role in this election, but my roommates have a few good stories:

 

One had his girlfriend break up with him over politics. Kind of sad, I guess.

 

The other is a devout republican, and decided to vote early at possibly the shadiest poll in the state. Obama supporters were actively campaigning inside. No ID was required. You could register to vote, and then vote, with no ID presented, all in one sitting. The woman handing out the ballots asked if he was voting for "that one candidate that all of the other college students will vote for *wink*."

[Gilded]

Well, recently it has been all over the TV news, newspapers and news websites that there's this country called the United States of America where an election has been going on for what seems like decades (Conan O'Brien joked a while back that this particular one started in 1955). Crazy, crazy stuff. A lot of people here are taking it very seriously, but of course there's really nothing we can do except sit back and watch the show.

 

My dad heard some stories from his American colleagues back in 2004 (one even gave him a Kerry campaign button), but not this year. Might be that they're too busy harrassing their countrymen.

[Saryctos]

Living around Ann Arbor and watching TV through bunny ears I get detroit and toledo stations. Almost no political ads from the D, but when I watch Toledo station I am assaulted by them almost twice a commercial break! It's crazy I tells ya. I'm almost willing to just say **** the whole thing and keep Bush in office, better for people to keep hating him and realize that just voting someone into office to change what they themselves could do is only going to breed more complaining whiney people who refuse to help themselves. Seems like the election is just a proxy war of minds with no net gain in the end. You can raise 151 million dollars in a month but can't seem to get funding for government programs? take that money and send it to congress with a bill, see what they say to free money...

[Pangloss]

LOL! I think that one belongs in ParanoiA's "grumpy old men" topic, Sarcytos!

[ecoli]

I hate the emails I get from people bashing big spending governments... while supporting big spending government candidates.

[bascule]

I don't have any personal stories, but here's some video of people leaving a McCain rally in my hometown:

 

 

The Republican base certainly seems to hate Obama...

[Pangloss]

I wonder what those people are going to do after Obama is elected. Burn a cross on the front lawn of the White House, perhaps?

[Phi for All]

The lies are what stands out most to me. I've had scores of costly glossy pamphlets mailed to me that were completely wrong in what they claimed. Not just spun, but out-and-out lies. A little fact checking debunked them all and left me with a really bad feeling.

 

Then when I see people claiming Obama is a communist or a Muslim, it makes me wonder how many people don't really want to check the facts.

[john5746]

Then when I see people claiming Obama is a communist or a Muslim, it makes me wonder how many people don't really want to check the facts.

 

Yeah, this one amazes me. I see it online mostly, usually from the same people that will argue against observed facts till the cows come home. They whip up a huge conspiracy theory about Obama as a muslim being able to lie to non-muslims, etc. Delusion.

 

I really think it is all a reflection of the deep cultural divide in the country. Regardless of who is running, the other side must be reduced to evil. The left are godless or the "wrong god" communists who are against the country, while the right are racist, homophobic jesusfreaks set out to destroy the world.

 

Hard to discuss policy with those two options.

[Dave]

Wow, that really is quite bad. It's just completely insane that people would go out there and actually say that Obama is a communist. I mean, that just doesn't even make any sense at all. Unfortunately, the Republican party appears to be extremely good at subtly encouraging this kind of behaviour by motivating irrational fear by essentially telling a load of porkies. I hate politics sometimes.

[bascule]

It's just completely insane that people would go out there and actually say that Obama is a communist

 

It follows recent statements by both McCain and Palin that Obama's economic plans (specifically in regard to redistribution of wealth) are "a little bit like socialism"

 

And from there, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump away for the base to start calling Obama a Communist

[iNow]

Yeah. This whole "flouridation of water" plan he's been presenting has me worried. Have you ever seen a Commie drinking a glass of water, Mandrake?

[Phi for All]

What lies are the radical left spreading about McCain? Or do they really need to lie since the McCain = Bush equation solves most problems? Would things be different if McCain were up by this much? Would we be hearing about McCain's ties to the Nazis?

[Pangloss]

Yeah. This whole "flouridation of water" plan he's been presenting has me worried. Have you ever seen a Commie drinking a glass of water, Mandrake?

 

Your Commie has no regard for human life, not even of his own. For this reason men, I want to impress upon you the need for extreme watchfulness! The enemy may come individually, or in strength. He may even appear in the form of our own troops. But we must stop him!

 

What lies are the radical left spreading about McCain?

 

There've been quite a few, but I think I have to agree that they haven't been as popular or widely spread as the anti-Obama lies. There was a bit going around a few months ago about McCain not being a US citizen (born in Panama), but that petered out pretty quickly (it certainly didn't reach the level of Berg v Obama -- a federal case based on a completely unsupported allegation!).

 

There was also that stuff last year about his alleged affair with DC lobbyist Vicki Iseman, which seemed to bring more criticism of the New York Times' editorial policy than anything else. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to raise questions even when we can't find out the answers, but I think a reasonable case could also be made for bias at the Times and the general dirtiness of the affair allegation, coming from only one anonymous source. Even so that's a long way from the kind of crazyness people are spitting out at McCain rallies.

 

There have been plenty of misleading and/or incorrect allegations about specific votes or political positions from the Obama campaign and/or its surrogates, but I don't think that's really what you're asking about here.

 

I think you can find stuff amongst the Hollywood and anti-war crowds that's pretty crazy, but that stuff never seems to find much purchase really.

[Mr Skeptic]

The lies are what stands out most to me. I've had scores of costly glossy pamphlets mailed to me that were completely wrong in what they claimed. Not just spun, but out-and-out lies. A little fact checking debunked them all and left me with a really bad feeling.

 

Then when I see people claiming Obama is a communist or a Muslim, it makes me wonder how many people don't really want to check the facts.

 

Yes, that bothers me a lot as well. I got my first whiff from my grandma who thinks email is a reliable news source. That wasn't really very surprising since she does that with other crap as well, and will forward it to everyone if the email says to do so.

 

But my grandpa also was telling me about how Obama is a muslim, etc, etc. He doesn't do computers, instead he got that from TV and newspapers and maybe radio. He hates black people, but still I am really surprised about how he will happily eat up lies about Obama and then help perpetuate them, even when they are obviously false.

[ydoaPs]

Yeah, this one amazes me. I see it online mostly, usually from the same people that will argue against observed facts till the cows come home. They whip up a huge conspiracy theory about Obama as a muslim being able to lie to non-muslims, etc. Delusion.

 

I really think it is all a reflection of the deep cultural divide in the country. Regardless of who is running, the other side must be reduced to evil. The left are godless or the "wrong god" communists who are against the country, while the right are racist, homophobic jesusfreaks set out to destroy the world.

 

Hard to discuss policy with those two options.

The thing that gets me is: even IF Obama IS a Muslim, so what?

[Mr Skeptic]

The thing that gets me is: even IF Obama IS a Muslim, so what?

 

You mean other than losing the votes and support of maybe 90% or more of christians, and also most of the votes from people too dumb to realize that only some muslims are terrorists?

[ydoaPs]

You mean other than losing the votes and support of maybe 90% or more of christians, and also most of the votes from people too dumb to realize that only some muslims are terrorists?

 

Here's an example:

 

A lot of Americans have become so insulated from reality that they imagine that America can suffer defeat without any inconvenience to themselves.

 

 

Pause a moment' date=' reflect back.

 

These events are actual events from history..

 

They really happened!!!

 

Do you remember?

 

1. 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by a Muslim male extremist.

 

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by Muslim male extremists.

 

3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by Muslim male extremists.

 

4. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by Muslim male extremists.

 

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by Muslim male extremists.

 

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by Muslim male extremists.

 

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens , and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by Muslim male extremists. ( remember the pilot of this flight was from Richmond , MO )

 

 

 

8. In 1988 , Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by Muslim male extremists.

 

9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by Muslim male extremists.

 

10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Muslim male extremists.

 

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take down the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by Muslim male extremists.

 

12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against Muslim male extremists.

 

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by-- you guessed it-- Muslim male extremists.

 

Now, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you? So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people... Absolutely No Profiling!

 

They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winner and former Governor Joe Foss , but leave Muslim Males alone lest they be guilty of profiling.

 

According to The Book of Revelation:

 

The Anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40's, of MUSLIM descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal....the prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in power, he will destroy everything.

 

And Now:

For the award winning Act of Stupidity Of all times the People of America want to elect, to the most Powerful position on the face of the Planet -- The Presidency of the United states of America .. A Male of Muslim descent who is the most extremely liberal Senator in Congress (in other words an extremist) and in his 40's.

 

Have the American People completely lost their Minds, or just their Power of Reason ???

 

I'm sorry but I refuse to take a chance on the 'unknown'

 

Candidate Obama...

Let's send this to as many people as we can so that the

 

Gloria Aldreds and other stupid attorneys along with Federal Justices that want to thwart common sense, feel ashamed of themselves -- if they have any such sense.

 

As the writer of the award winning story ' Forest Gump' so

 

Aptly put it,

 

'Stupid Is As Stupid Does'

 

 

Each opportunity that you have to send it to a friend or

 

Media outlet...do it!

 

Or again. . .. Just delete if you disagree.[/quote']

 

Do they not understand that Christians have done just as bad(and worse) things IN THE NAME OF CHRISTIANITY? I guess we shouldn't vote for McCain either. Where's the Buddhist candidate?

[Mr Skeptic]

I have a sudden urge to compile a list of all the deaths that were caused by kittens.

[ydoaPs]

I have a sudden urge to compile a list of all the deaths that were caused by kittens.

 

Dude.....you should NOT vote for kittens.

[Mr Skeptic]

But they're so cute! I bet that if we each started a campaign, I could get more people to vote for a kitten than for you.

 

Obviously, the kitten could not actually be elected because it wouldn't be 35 years of age.

[Saryctos]

Here's an example:

 

 

 

Do they not understand that Christians have done just as bad(and worse) things IN THE NAME OF CHRISTIANITY? I guess we shouldn't vote for McCain either. Where's the Buddhist candidate?

 

Since 1968?

[ecoli]

I'm going to be liveblogging the election this year, jumping between a couple of parties going on at my university campus. Be sure to check my SFN blog on election day to stay informed!

[john5746]

The thing that gets me is: even IF Obama IS a Muslim, so what?

 

I know, I mean hell he's black, what more do they need?