Now That We've Narrowed Down The Candidates...

[Raiha]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']In fact, I'm not too interested in any of the candidates really, maybe I'm becoming jaded, but all of them seem to have too many problems. It's how it's always been I'm sure, but for some reason, this election just seems to embody that stupidity even more than usual.[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well Romney's a liar. Clinton's a liar. Obama hasn't been around long enough for us to really know if he's a liar.

But there's a word here that describes all of them and is pretty much synonymous with liar. I believe it's 'politician'?

Anyway, I agree that this is a rather lackluster election. It's actually quite distressing because this'll be the second time I can vote in the general election and I'd like for it to count for something but alas. It's going to be another time of rolling die or flipping a coin. If only I could vote for Cthulu, because an Elder God would just destroy every enemy he had. And then devour Congress AND House and not even get a stomach ache.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[The Spectacular Professor]

Chtulhu? Seriously? The Flying Spaghetti Monster would be a much better president.

[are i]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']In fact, I'm not too interested in any of the candidates really, maybe I'm becoming jaded, but all of them seem to have too many problems. It's how it's always been I'm sure, but for some reason, this election just seems to embody that stupidity even more than usual.[/QUOTE]
[SIZE="1"]It seems to me that people are far too willing to insult politicians. I know that might sound insane, but considering all the stupid things I say, I wouldn't look very good on tv either--particularly when no one wants you to.
The government is full of checks and balances, so it's not as though the pres is the final factor in everything that sidles out of the white house anyway. (Though, for some reason, the President is blamed for all the evils plaguing the world at large.) In the end, I don't care how many stupid things the guy's said behind a podium or how many times he's been filmed drunk (they're humans, remember?). I just want someone who will make the best possible decisions his position allows, which most likely won't conform to any idealistic dogma that most people want the world of politics to fit into.[/SIZE]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

[quote name='are i;805379][SIZE="1"]It seems to me that people are far too willing to insult politicians. I know that might sound insane, but considering all the stupid things I say, I wouldn't look very good on tv either--particularly when no one wants you to. [/SIZE][/QUOTE]Seems I should have been specific here since unless you?re quite a bit older, I?ve been voting in elections since before you were born. ;) I?m not talking about looking good on TV or saying something that isn?t all that bright. I?m talking about fundamental contractions to the very heart of a candidates stance or belief on different issues. Which is part of why I dislike a lot of politicians.[quote name='are i'][SIZE="1"']The government is full of checks and balances, so it's not as though the pres is the final factor in everything that sidles out of the white house anyway. (Though, for some reason, the President is blamed for all the evils plaguing the world at large.) In the end, I don't care how many stupid things the guy's said behind a podium or how many times he's been filmed drunk (they're humans, remember?). I just want someone who will make the best possible decisions his position allows, which most likely won't conform to any idealistic dogma that most people want the world of politics to fit into.[/SIZE][/quote]You should be thinking about those stupid things and being human has nothing to do with it. I?m not talking about perfection here, or getting drunk. Nor did I say the President is responsible for all the evils plaguing the world at large, that?s besides the point. Now since you seem to have mistakenly assumed that I?m just insulting the candidates, I?ll go into depth on Romney here since I object to him more than the others.

Early in his presidential bid, Romney was asked what he thought about polygamy. Now for someone who is LDS, it is something that was done based on what was considered a divine revelation. So for him, a member of the LDS/Mormon church to outright say he couldn?t imagine anything more awful than polygamy, well many Mormons were taken aback. It was in it?s time considered a commandment from God. His own great-grandfather had five wives. Polygamy was discontinued since it was a condition for the state of Utah to gain statehood, not because of revelation from God. It?s one thing to tolerate the stereotypes and jokes by outsiders, but for someone like that? It?s unsettling, since many people are proud of their ancestry. I've grown up without it and would not accept it, but I don't consider it one of the most awful things ever.

Another example is how It?s puzzling to hear Romney say he reads the Gideon Bible, a version popular with evangelicals when Mormons uniformly study the King James version, in a special Salt Lake edition that is cross-referenced to all other Mormon scripture. It was him playing safe to appeal to the others instead of sticking to what is considered the only acceptable version to read. And I mean that quite literally. We do not study other versions unless one is a historian or curious.

In a speech on religion and politics, he said that if he was elected, that his oath to the office/position would become his highest promise to God. Members of the Mormon church are suppose to regard their temple covenants as their highest promise to God. And nothing is suppose to come between that, absolutely nothing.

When asked about the possibility of divine revelation conflicting with his duties as president he responded by saying? I don?t recall God speaking to me. I don?t know that he?s spoken to anyone since Moses in the burning bush. Uh, right. After all members believe that the church was restored to Joseph Smith after not only a spoken revelation but an actual visitation from God and Jesus Christ. And one of Mormonism?s core beliefs is that everyone, not just the current prophet, is entitled to receive personal revelation from God.

I find it troubling that he?s willing to outright lie in order to woo evangelical voters and to blur the differences between the two groups. Mormonism is not some sort of idiosyncratic brand of Protestantism and I hate it when people pander in an attempt to gain votes. It smacks of dishonesty on a level that I am not comfortable with.

So please, don't assume I'm just hating on the candidates or insulting them. I do have reasons as to why I don't like some of them and it is the honest truth that this time around, it's disappointing really. I haven't found a single one that I can really identify with enough to want to actually vote for them.

[eleanor]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom'] In fact, I'm not too interested in any of the candidates really, maybe I'm becoming jaded, but all of them seem to have too many problems. It's how it's always been I'm sure, but for some reason, this election just seems to embody that stupidity even more than usual.[/QUOTE]

[font="trebuchet ms"] As South Park put it, it's always between a giant turd and a douchebag. But vote anyway! :D [/font]

[[Sound_Nin]]

It sounds to me as if Romney doesn't know a thing about his own religion. I could be wrong, but it seems that way.
I'd like to see more people providing a reason for their religion other than 'it's how I was raised'.
But alas, that's another subject altogether.

I've been wondering why people take so easily to Hillary and yet when Barrack says something it's analysed again and again and over and over. Shouldn't we be doing this with EVERY candidate, regardless of party? And Obama in the northwest is a sure thing. Is that already over and done with? If so, give me the details. I don't watch much news, sad to say.

[ZeitGeist]

[quote name=''[Sound_Nin];805361'']Other countries have done it too. It's a bit old-fashioned of us... but to each his own, hmm?[/quote]

Agreed. Although I don't agree with gay marriage, I'm not into imposing my views on other people and not letting them make their choice. America has a deep ingrained religious foundation and it will take more than "but Canada did it." That was my point.


[quote]
No, no, no. Not what I meant. Of COURSE you can be religious. 1st Amendment. What I meant was, and I should've clarified this, is that it shouldn't be part of politics to impress your personal religious beliefs on someone else. I.e. trying to make everyone in the US Christian. That's a bit dramatic, it was just an example. I think you get the point.[/quote]

I see what you mean. I think it's a bit of a stretch to think that a Huckabee or Romney presidency would put sword to the unbeliever and cause them to convert, though.


[quote]
I laughed at this. But it's not so much her as her husband. And yes, I spelt her name wrong on purpose, emphasis on the N. I should've added one more N to avoid confusion. Cute, though. ;)[/quote]

I'm glad you saw that for the humor intended. ;)

[quote]
As for Ron Paul, well, this certainly doesn't constitute his views, but if you check out the Stormfront.com (white nationalist) forum, you see pro-Ron Paul everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE. This doesn't make him one of them, and it doesn't mean their political views are wrong. No one's are... well, with few exceptions. Just pointing out that he's the candidate of choice among White Nationalists.[/quote]

"With friends like these, who needs enemies?" The old addage springs to mind. :animesigh

[quote]
Giuliani wasn't so bad, except for the fact that he went on and on about 9/11 and changed his views around so much.[/quote]

I seriously thought that Giuliani would be able to ride the "9/11 hero mayor" wave all the way to the White House. I was surprised he became one of the first casualties.

[quote]
At least Schwarzenegger isn't running.[/QUOTE]

Oh yes![B] Governator [/B]is bad enough. Do we really need the [B]Predatisident[/B]?

[Morpheus]

[quote name=''[Sound_Nin];805389'']It sounds to me as if Romney doesn't know a thing about his own religion. I could be wrong, but it seems that way.[/quote]

Well, it seems Huckabee doesn't know a thing about the office he's running for. He seems convinced that the constitution is some dry erase board and the president is the one with the marker and eraser.*




*though this is much better than our current president's belief that the constitution is a figment of our imagination.

[DeathKnight]

[quote name='ZeitGeist]Heck, the founding fathers who wrote it [I]were[/I'] christian.[/quote]

[color=crimson]They were Deists, Christians, or a mix of the two.

Deism being a strong possibility, especially for Franklin.[/color]

[quote name='Zeitgeist']Don't feel too bad about that. I still don't even know who he is.[/quote]

[color=crimson]Ron Paul is from Texas. He is more of a Libertarian dressed as a Republican.

I would say he is one of the more colorful people Texas has spit out into the national scene.[/color]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name=''[Sound_Nin];805389'']It sounds to me as if Romney doesn't know a thing about his own religion. I could be wrong, but it seems that way.[/quote]I'll clarify a bit on why what Aaryanna_Mom is talking about is unsettling to Mormons, even though I haven't been one for over six years. The real problem is he does know his own religion, he's done things that require more in depth knowledge instead of the simple going to church and listening to the talks, lessons, etc.

He did what's known as serving a mission, where one literally gives up two years of their life to go and spend every single day going from door to door to preach the Mormon religion. He served in leadership positions, that requires one to be far more familiar with it than just someone teaching a lesson or giving a talk at church. He's married in the Mormon manner, in one of the temples.

These kinds of things require one to be fairly active and to have a decent knowledge of how the religion works, so it's a stretch to think he doesn't know a thing about his own religion. Being in a leadership position, even on a simple level for a group requires knowing more since you're responsible for everyone who attends the meetings in the group you're overseeing so to speak. And there are a lot of Mormon's who are disgusted by how he's presenting himself since they know he knows better.

Ironically it's the one's who don't know the religion all that well who are not offended by what he's doing. Because they think, oh he didn't really mean that. XP Anyway... I still need to learn more, since I need to figure out which one is the lesser evil to vote for, and I'm still not to a point where I'm clear on who that's going to be.

[The Mask]

I'm a Filipino, and I can never vote for any U.S. Presidential candidate. But I support the candidacy of [B]Ron Paul[/B] because he has an extensive background on the issues, respects the Constitution, and has a tremendous amount of integrity. Also, he'll stop the Iraq war and fix the economy.

That is why it always makes me depressed to see Mr. Paul not winning a single state in the recent primaries, caucuses, and convention. I always keep on wondering why people would choose Huckabee the religion-user, and McCain the war-lover. (PLEASE REMEMBER THIS: MCCAIN SAID THAT HE'S WILLING TO LET THE U.S. STAY IN IRAQ EVEN FOR 100 YEARS! A VOTE FOR MCCAIN MEANS THAT U.S. CITIZENS WILL LET THE NEXT GENERATION FIGHT A WAR THAT THEY DIDN'T CREATE! THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN, DAMMIT!)

Plus, much of the mainstream U.S. media is providing little and biased coverage of Ron Paul. Seeing all of these things happen just make me heartbroken. I see an honest, intelligent, and peace-loving leader in Ron Paul, and it breaks my heart to see a great man like him not getting the nomination because many citizens are too lazy to actually see behind the facade of the mainstream media.

If Paul really won't get the nomination, then I'll support the Democratic nominee. I don't want a religion-user copycat to be a powerful world leader, and even more for a war-lover who's willing to turn make today's children tomorrow's Iraq soldiers. At least Obama and Clinton will provide some positive change.

'Till then, I will continue supporting Ron Paul, especially with the Freedom March under way. My support is not only for a better USA but also for a better Philippines (which is getting affected by the economic recession that --- take note --- Ron Paul had predicted before and is very much ready to beat if given a chance) and a better world.

[Ryan]

I've been stuck between Obama and Clinton ever since the primaries began. It's extremely difficult to decide since both candidates are almost mirror images of each other when it comes to their policies. At first I was leaning towards Clinton, then I was somewhat for Obama, then I was back for Clinton. I'm still not so sure my current choice is firm, but I'm for Obama now. I need to make up my mind soon considering I have about two weeks to decide.

When it came down to it, I did not like the fact that Hillary is going to mandate her health care plan. Yes, some people may not have health care now because they can't afford it, but some also may not have it because they just don't want it. I know someone that does not have health care even though he could easily afford it. He just does not wish to have it. I can't say that I agree with his choice, but he's definitely entitled to his decision and I don't think that anyone should be able to take that away.

[Retribution]

[quote name='The Mask']I'm a Filipino, and I can never vote for any U.S. Presidential candidate. But I support the candidacy of [B]Ron Paul[/B] because he has an extensive background on the issues, respects the Constitution, and has a tremendous amount of integrity. Also, he'll stop the Iraq war and fix the economy.

That is why it always makes me depressed to see Mr. Paul not winning a single state in the recent primaries, caucuses, and convention. I always keep on wondering why people would choose Huckabee the religion-user, and McCain the war-lover. (PLEASE REMEMBER THIS: MCCAIN SAID THAT HE'S WILLING TO LET THE U.S. STAY IN IRAQ EVEN FOR 100 YEARS! A VOTE FOR MCCAIN MEANS THAT U.S. CITIZENS WILL LET THE NEXT GENERATION FIGHT A WAR THAT THEY DIDN'T CREATE! THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN, DAMMIT!)

Plus, much of the mainstream U.S. media is providing little and biased coverage of Ron Paul. Seeing all of these things happen just make me heartbroken. I see an honest, intelligent, and peace-loving leader in Ron Paul, and it breaks my heart to see a great man like him not getting the nomination because many citizens are too lazy to actually see behind the facade of the mainstream media.

If Paul really won't get the nomination, then I'll support the Democratic nominee. I don't want a religion-user copycat to be a powerful world leader, and even more for a war-lover who's willing to turn make today's children tomorrow's Iraq soldiers. At least Obama and Clinton will provide some positive change.

'Till then, I will continue supporting Ron Paul, especially with the Freedom March under way. My support is not only for a better USA but also for a better Philippines (which is getting affected by the economic recession that --- take note --- Ron Paul had predicted before and is very much ready to beat if given a chance) and a better world.[/QUOTE]
[font=arial][url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=7884Z6-FiMY][b]This[/b][/url] is all I can muster in response...[/font]

[Sandy]

I found this extremely enlightening video about the democratic candidates... I think it's safe to say they're playing it [I]hard[/I] now.

[youtube]FOTAfGuLA-0[/youtube]

[[Sound_Nin]]

[quote name='Sandy']I found this extremely enlightening video about the democratic candidates... I think it's safe to say they're playing it [I]hard[/I] now.
[/quote]


[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua]Notice the word 'FOX' in the lower right corner. Figures. :rolleyes:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[quote name=''[Sound_Nin]'][COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua]Notice the word 'FOX' in the lower right corner. Figures. :rolleyes:[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]Well, it [I]is[/I] fair and balanced, right?

[I]Right??[/I][/FONT]

[Morpheus]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Well, it [I]is[/I] fair and balanced, right?

[I]Right??[/I][/FONT][/QUOTE]

It does indeed lean very far to the right.