So my Dad's an idiot.

judasmachine

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2002
8,515
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Now that it looks like Hillary got beat, my Dad, who has been a die-hard Dem for decades (I know he voted for Reagen the first time around), just told me he is voting for McCain, because he can't vote for Obama, because he beat Hillary.

So...

Are we really this stupid in this country that we are contradicting our own interests, just because we think this is American Idol, and not our very future at stake?
 

SpunkyJones

Diamond Member
Apr 1, 2004
5,090
1
81
People have been doing this forever, its human nature. There is nothing new in what your father is doing.
 

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
Maybe Hillary should just run as an Independent???

I might even donate a few dollars to see that.
 

zephyrprime

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2001
7,512
2
81
Originally posted by: judasmachine
Now that it looks like Hillary got beat, my Dad, who has been a die-hard Dem for decades (I know he voted for Reagen the first time around), just told me he is voting for McCain, because he can't vote for Obama, because he beat Hillary.

So...

Are we really this stupid in this country that we are contradicting our own interests, just because we think this is American Idol, and not our very future at stake?

It's not that we're this stupid as a country, it's just that we're this stupid as people. It doesn't help that we have a culture that doesn't value rationality, intelligence, or education.
 

judasmachine

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2002
8,515
3
81
I know, I'm just lamenting it coming from a pretty intelligent person. He reads all the books, and articles, and keeps up on the news. The most frustrating thing is that he even turns off the TV when the news networks start talking about Brittney, or whoever their spoiled brat of the week happens to be. And yet he falls for it.
 

judasmachine

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2002
8,515
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Originally posted by: piasabird
Maybe Hillary should just run as an Independent???

I might even donate a few dollars to see that.

Heh, I'd like to see that too, with the exception that a party would break in two.
 

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Aug 24, 2001
31,796
2
0
Originally posted by: judasmachine
I know, I'm just lamenting it coming from a pretty intelligent person. He reads all the books, and articles, and keeps up on the news. The most frustrating thing is that he even turns off the TV when the news networks start talking about Brittney, or whoever their spoiled brat of the week happens to be. And yet he falls for it.

Maybe he just honestly believes that Obama isn't for him then? Which is why he was voting for Hillary over Obama?

I'll take someone like your Dad over someone who votes for or against Obama based on his skin pigmentation.
 

jonks

Lifer
Feb 7, 2005
13,918
20
81
Originally posted by: judasmachine
Originally posted by: piasabird
Maybe Hillary should just run as an Independent???

I might even donate a few dollars to see that.

Heh, I'd like to see that too, with the exception that a party would break in two.

Look, she's going to lose, and then she's going to go state to state campaigning for Obama. It's been said on here before, but one more time can't hurt: if your number 1 chioce loses, and you then have the option of voting for someone with 95% similar policies or someone with 10% similar policies, it's really not a hard choice. Voting for someone you disagree with across the board in a fit of pique is biting off your nose to spite your face. Well, that would be true if any individual's vote mattered, but it doesn't really.
 

judasmachine

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2002
8,515
3
81
Originally posted by: Queasy
Originally posted by: judasmachine
I know, I'm just lamenting it coming from a pretty intelligent person. He reads all the books, and articles, and keeps up on the news. The most frustrating thing is that he even turns off the TV when the news networks start talking about Brittney, or whoever their spoiled brat of the week happens to be. And yet he falls for it.

Maybe he just honestly believes that Obama isn't for him then? Which is why he was voting for Hillary over Obama?

I'll take someone like your Dad over someone who votes for or against Obama based on his skin pigmentation.

you do have a point in that a lot of people are voting Obama based on his being black. i find this as bigoted as those voting Hillary because she's a woman, and McCain because he's a old white man.
 

Aimster

Lifer
Jan 5, 2003
16,129
2
0
my parents are voting republican because democrats are going to push up the capital gain tax.

 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
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76
Originally posted by: sirjonk
Look, she's going to lose, and then she's going to go state to state campaigning for Obama. It's been said on here before, but one more time can't hurt: if your number 1 chioce loses, and you then have the option of voting for someone with 95% similar policies or someone with 10% similar policies, it's really not a hard choice. Voting for someone you disagree with across the board in a fit of pique is biting off your nose to spite your face. Well, that would be true if any individual's vote mattered, but it doesn't really.

You are 100% right and I would be saying the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot and Obama was going to lose. Unfortunately you seem to be in the minority (at least here) with that view.
 

judasmachine

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2002
8,515
3
81
Originally posted by: Aimster
my parents are voting republican because democrats are going to push up the capital gain tax.

That is their class interest, so it seems to make sense.
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: judasmachine
Originally posted by: Queasy
I'll take someone like your Dad over someone who votes for or against Obama based on his skin pigmentation.

you do have a point in that a lot of people are voting Obama based on his being black. i find this as bigoted as those voting Hillary because she's a woman, and McCain because he's a old white man.

There's also people voting McCain/Clinton simply because Obama is black. There was a quote in another thread where a WV resident stated just that.

 

Mursilis

Diamond Member
Mar 11, 2001
7,756
11
81
Originally posted by: zephyrprime
Originally posted by: judasmachine
Now that it looks like Hillary got beat, my Dad, who has been a die-hard Dem for decades (I know he voted for Reagen the first time around), just told me he is voting for McCain, because he can't vote for Obama, because he beat Hillary.

So...

Are we really this stupid in this country that we are contradicting our own interests, just because we think this is American Idol, and not our very future at stake?

It's not that we're this stupid as a country, it's just that we're this stupid as people. It doesn't help that we have a culture that doesn't value rationality, intelligence, or education.

It's not the culture, it's the nature of humanity. Humans aren't as rational as we like to pretend we are.
 

judasmachine

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2002
8,515
3
81
Originally posted by: Robor
Originally posted by: judasmachine
Originally posted by: Queasy
I'll take someone like your Dad over someone who votes for or against Obama based on his skin pigmentation.

you do have a point in that a lot of people are voting Obama based on his being black. i find this as bigoted as those voting Hillary because she's a woman, and McCain because he's a old white man.

There's also people voting McCain/Clinton simply because Obama is black. There was a quote in another thread where a WV resident stated just that.

That's what I meant by stating McCain because he's a white man. I was lumping sexism, and racism into the same statement. And trying to show it runs both ways.
 

daveymark

Lifer
Sep 15, 2003
10,576
1
0
Originally posted by: sirjonk
Originally posted by: judasmachine
Originally posted by: piasabird
Maybe Hillary should just run as an Independent???

I might even donate a few dollars to see that.

Heh, I'd like to see that too, with the exception that a party would break in two.

Look, she's going to lose, and then she's going to go state to state campaigning for Obama. It's been said on here before, but one more time can't hurt: if your number 1 chioce loses, and you then have the option of voting for someone with 95% similar policies or someone with 10% similar policies, it's really not a hard choice. Voting for someone you disagree with across the board in a fit of pique is biting off your nose to spite your face. Well, that would be true if any individual's vote mattered, but it doesn't really.

have to agree here. Many conservatives disagree with a boatload of McCain's policies, but since the other choice is even worse, it's a lesser of two evils situation.

The error is in those here who think that a vote for a candidate means lockstep agreement with their ideologies.

This is why the dems have it so easy this time around, both dem candidates are mirror images of each other, you'll get the same results when you vote for either of them. with mccain it's such a drastic difference of ideology, so it's a little harder for a conservative to get rid of the aftertaste when the lever is pulled
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
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Why call him an idiot for doing the right thing?

If he believes Obama will hurt him and the country, he's doing the right thing.
 

mxyzptlk

Golden Member
Apr 18, 2008
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Well I jokingly said that I'd vote for Guliani out of spite if Hillary won, so I guess this is fair.

Originally posted by: Aimster
my parents are voting republican because democrats are going to push up the capital gain tax.


Do they actually have anything to lose from a higher capital gains tax or are they just voting that way because talking heads on TV told them so.. in other words, are they just rich, or REALLY rich? Do they keep large a large cache of jewels and cash and gold around the house and if so, where and what hours do they sleep...

this is just.. uh.. marketing research ;)
 

judasmachine

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2002
8,515
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Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Why call him an idiot for doing the right thing?

If he believes Obama will hurt him and the country, he's doing the right thing.

Because that's not what he said. He stated that if Obama got elected that everything would be about race, and he didn't want to hear it. To listen to my dad you'd think you were listening to a die-hard liberal; unions, universal health care, bringing the boys home (or sending them to Afghanistan where they can do some good), tax the rich, blah blah blah...

To throw all that away because he doesn't want to hear about race is stupid in my book.
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
126
He may turn out to be correct. We are already hearing it about WV.

If Obama doesn't play the race card, I'll be amazed.

We hear little about the majority of blacks voting for Obama, though.

If the majority of whites vote for Hillary or McCain, it is, or will be, attributed to racism.
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,785
6,187
126
I love how Obama supporters feel entitled to the Hillary vote in November. What you will find out is that a lot of people are voting for Clinton because she is a Clinton, not because she is a Democrat.
And your dad is right, if Obama is going to be dealing with a lot of racial issues that a lot of people either don't much care about or feel uneasy talking about. You may think so, but the overwhelming support he's getting from the African American community comes with some expectations that Obama deal with the racial issues that concern them. What's Obama's position on Affirmative Action, BTW?

 

mxyzptlk

Golden Member
Apr 18, 2008
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Originally posted by: LTC8K6
He may turn out to be correct. We are already hearing it about WV.

If Obama doesn't play the race card, I'll be amazed.

We hear little about the majority of blacks voting for Obama, though.

If the majority of whites vote for Hillary or McCain, it is, or will be, attributed to racism.

How is it not racism when someone out and out says "I wont vote for candidate X because of his/her race"??

In the same light, how is it racism for a black person to vote for the person who most closely reflects their own interests? Isn't that what you're supposed to do in an election, vote for the person who most closely holds your own political views?
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,785
6,187
126
Originally posted by: mxyzptlk
How is it not racism when someone out and out says "I wont vote for candidate X because of his/her race"??

I don't know, ask the blacks not voting for Hillary. :)
 

mxyzptlk

Golden Member
Apr 18, 2008
1,893
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Originally posted by: senseamp
Originally posted by: mxyzptlk
How is it not racism when someone out and out says "I wont vote for candidate X because of his/her race"??

I don't know, ask the blacks not voting for Hillary. :)

Show me the blacks not voting for Hillary because of her race, not because of her behavior as a politician and I'll ask them.


edit: I'll even accept because shes a woman, because that is just as preposterous of an idea..
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
83,717
47,406
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Originally posted by: senseamp
I love how Obama supporters feel entitled to the Hillary vote in November. What you will find out is that a lot of people are voting for Clinton because she is a Clinton, not because she is a Democrat.
And your dad is right, if Obama is going to be dealing with a lot of racial issues that a lot of people either don't much care about or feel uneasy talking about. You may think so, but the overwhelming support he's getting from the African American community comes with some expectations that Obama deal with the racial issues that concern them. What's Obama's position on Affirmative Action, BTW?

Obama supporters don't feel entitled, it's just what's going to happen.