Obama: Mandatory voting to counteract BIG money

[Jhhnn]

And maybe if you would stop and think for a moment, you'd realize that Democrats are no more your friend than Republicans are.

Yeh, yeh- They're all the same, so don't bother. Have a beer, watch some football, let your capitalist masters take care of you. They already know what you want from what you buy, anyway.

 

[SMOGZINN]

I think it's important for people to remember who makes the rules. The only people that can change the system are the same people that benefit from the system. In other words, it ain't gonna happen. There won't be reform and there won't be mandatory voting. There is too much invested in the status quo to change it.

Oh, I agree with you. There are ways to implement change, if we demanded it strongly enough. But people are too complacent for that. We are being expertly controlled, as this and every other thread in P&N shows pretty clearly. People believe that their party is doing the right thing, that their candidate is the one good one. Politics has been turned into professional sports. Each person rooting for their team, while the organization rakes in the cash no matter who wins.

 

[highland145]

Why not just give everybody a pony?

Hell, Repubs are opposed to accountability for political spending, let alone having any limitations on it at all. They created an elaborate system where money might just as well fall from the sky into the hands of various non-profits.

Does it do tricks?

And you think the middle or left would actually go for real finance reform/accountability? None of them want it.

 

[dank69]

Does it do tricks?

And you think the middle or left would actually go for real finance reform/accountability? None of them want it.

Sure, the liberal justices didn't vote against CU and the other similar floodgates or anything.

 

[highland145]

Sure, the liberal justices didn't vote against CU and the other similar floodgates or anything.

?

Either way they aren't elected. When the left held congress and the WH, why didn't they pass finance reforms? They like the $$ just as well as the right.

I think the goal of most of the elected is to keep their power and to line their pockets as much $$ as possible. If the country happens to benefit from their actions, great but that's secondary for them. Yeah, I'm a "glass is 3/4 empty" kind of guy.

 

[dank69]

?

Either way they aren't elected. When the left held congress and the WH, why didn't they pass finance reforms? They like the $$ just as well as the right.

I think the goal of most of the elected is to keep their power and to line their pockets as much $$ as possible. If the country happens to benefit from their actions, great but that's secondary for them. Yeah, I'm a "glass is 3/4 empty" kind of guy.

Right, they aren't elected just appointed by people who are elected. Why didn't Dem Presidents appoint judges that were willing to help them line their pockets as much as possible?

 

[highland145]

Right, they aren't elected just appointed by people who are elected. Why didn't Dem Presidents appoint judges that were willing to help them line their pockets as much as possible?

Are you arguing that the left doesn't sop up as much $$ as they can? That's it's only the right that are greedy tools?


"CU" what is that?

 

[Pens1566]

Won't fix anything. You need to get the funding out of elections. Full stop.

 

[DrPizza]

How about this: mandatory voting, but part of the voting is a brief quiz. If you fail the quiz, your vote doesn't count. Simple quiz - the basic questions they ask people with a green card before granting them citizenship. Too dumb to prove you're a citizen? Your vote doesn't count.

 

[boomerang]

How does one propose to mandate voting without IDs, and linking a ballot to an individual?

This has massive privacy and disenfranchisement written all over it, but Democrats will fall down and worship anything uttered by The Obama.

I get your position 100%, I just didn't explain my thinking. 1prophet summed it up real well in post #43 . These rummy dummies never think anything through. They want people to get friggin' tax credits but anonymously - I guess.

 

[dank69]

Are you arguing that the left doesn't sop up as much $$ as they can? That's it's only the right that are greedy tools?


"CU" what is that?

Citizens United. You know, "corporations are people" and "money is free speech."

The Dems have to accept money now to even keep up with the GOP. It sucks, but don't mistake the symptoms with the cause.

 

[dank69]

How about this: mandatory voting, but part of the voting is a brief quiz. If you fail the quiz, your vote doesn't count. Simple quiz - the basic questions they ask people with a green card before granting them citizenship. Too dumb to prove you're a citizen? Your vote doesn't count.

Nope. Stupid people have just as much of a right to vote as anyone else and shame on you for not recognizing that.

 

[IronWing]

Does it do tricks?

And you think the middle or left would actually go for real finance reform/accountability? None of them want it.

What is this left you speak of? The left has been locked out of national politics for decades. The Dems are total whores like the Reps, just not meth-crazed total whores like the Reps.

 

[boomerang]

"CU" what is that?

Citizens United. The butt-hurt proggies will carry all the way to their graves.

 

[highland145]

Citizens United. You know, "corporations are people" and "money is free speech."

The Dems have to accept money now to even keep up with the GOP. It sucks, but don't mistake the symptoms with the cause.

lol That's why O had to collect nearly 3/4B in 2012. Just had to. The R's made him do it.


Not real comfortable with the corporations being people either.

 

[highland145]

What is this left you speak of? The left has been locked out of national politics for decades. The Dems are total whores like the Reps, just not meth-crazed total whores like the Reps.

So you're saying the Dems are high $$ whores and the Reps are the street walking whores?

 

[IronWing]

So you're saying the Dems are high $$ whores and the Reps are the street walking whores?

Yes, exactly.

 

[Attic]

Oh, I agree with you. There are ways to implement change, if we demanded it strongly enough. But people are too complacent for that. We are being expertly controlled, as this and every other thread in P&N shows pretty clearly. People believe that their party is doing the right thing, that their candidate is the one good one. Politics has been turned into professional sports. Each person rooting for their team, while the organization rakes in the cash no matter who wins.

Yes.

How to fix? Obama says empower the individual through the proxy of mandated voting. I'd go as far as to say incentive rather than mandate voting, and up min wage to $15 an hour while significantly increasing the progressive tax rate structure and removing deductions. Economic freedom is far to cordoned off in our system in order to fatten the few at the expense of the many. People need to actually, in reality, be included in the American Dream and system in order to give a shit about it.

We still need the voters to pull the lever on a decent working mechanism, our system has gotten corrupt enough that often times pulling the levers of it don't do anything despite the claim that that they do. Special interests control politicians, so changing politicians doesn't really fix that.

Real change will be fought viciously. Those in power would rather face complete ruin rather than give up any portion of control. The answer is certainly not located solely within either political party or their ideas.

 

[Bowfinger]

How does one propose to mandate voting without IDs, and linking a ballot to an individual?

This has massive privacy and disenfranchisement written all over it,

Nonsense. Polling places already keep a list of who has and has not voted. When you show up to vote, they check your name against their list and record the fact that you've voted. No "massive privacy and disenfranchisement" found.

but Democrats will fall down and worship anything uttered by The Obama.

Let me correct that for you: BoberFett will enrage and attack anything uttered by Democrats. You're welcome.


For the record, I don't currently support mandatory voting, though it's an interesting idea to consider. It would definitely be transformative. I knew Republican heads would explode when I heard Obama's remark, however. Great fun to watch the meltdown.

 

[BoberFett]

Yeh, yeh- They're all the same, so don't bother. Have a beer, watch some football, let your capitalist masters take care of you. They already know what you want from what you buy, anyway.

You realize that those "capitalist masters" have control of you BECAUSE of government, and not in spite of it, don't you?

 

[dank69]

lol That's why O had to collect nearly 3/4B in 2012. Just had to. The R's made him do it.

Yes he "had" to if he wanted any chance of being reelected.

Not real comfortable with the corporations being people either.

Neither am I but apathy, false equivalency and fear of the liberal boogeyman helped make it happen. People like boomerang think it's a big joke and a real feather in their cap against the evil proggies.

 

[BoberFett]

Nonsense. Polling places already keep a list of who has and has not voted. When you show up to vote, they check your name against their list and record the fact that you've voted. No "massive privacy and disenfranchisement" found.



Let me correct that for you: BoberFett will enrage and attack anything uttered by Democrats. You're welcome.


For the record, I don't currently support mandatory voting, though it's an interesting idea to consider. It would definitely be transformative. I knew Republican heads would explode when I heard Obama's remark, however. Great fun to watch the meltdown.

"WAAAH VOTER ID IS OPPRESSIVE AND DISENFRANCHISING TO THE POOR!!!!!!111!!!"

But now apparently all those poor and elderly people who can't possibly get IDs are going to shamble down to the polls.

If you can't see the logical disconnect, I can't help you.

 

[dank69]

You realize that those "capitalist masters" have control of you BECAUSE of government, and not in spite of it, don't you?

No, anyone with any sense knows that government is our only line of defense against corporations. Yes, corporate influence over government is out of control, but without government we'd all be proper fucked. Corporations aren't going to stop raping and pillaging just because people voted against them.

 

[dank69]

"WAAAH VOTER ID IS OPPRESSIVE AND DISENFRANCHISING TO THE POOR!!!!!!111!!!"

But now apparently all those poor and elderly people who can't possibly get IDs are going to shamble down to the polls.

If you can't see the logical disconnect, I can't help you.

Voter ID is one extra bit of effort required to vote. We are talking about incentives for voting and penalties for not voting. If you can't see how they are polar opposites, I can't help you.

 

[highland145]

Yes he "had" to if he wanted any chance of being reelected.

So he had to take in $275M more than Romney to win? Buy the election, you say?