Anonymous Vote

Just for grins and giggles........how about registering an anonymous vote here for your choice of President. I just pasted the above out a previously provided list in the election thread. Unfortunately, I couldn't include everybody. Oh well.

I will not be the first vote in order to maintain anonymity.

Quote: steeldco

Just for grins and giggles........how about registering an anonymous vote here for your choice of President. I just pasted the above out a previously provided list in the election thread. Unfortunately, I couldn't include everybody. Oh well.

I will not be the first vote in order to maintain anonymity.

I think you needed to include John Kasich (as I've said before). He has a great shot at being the Last Man Standing on the Republican side. He's also got some skills and positions that would prove popular in the General Election to those not wanting to vote for Hillary, beyond simply being a Republican.

Quote: beachbumbabs

I think you needed to include John Kasich (as I've said before). He has a great shot at being the Last Man Standing on the Republican side. He's also got some skills and positions that would prove popular in the General Election to those not wanting to vote for Hillary, beyond simply being a Republican.

Of all the GOP candidates, John Kasich is the least radical. I think Kasich is not radical enough for RonC and other the GOP primary voters.

Quote: beachbumbabs

I think you needed to include John Kasich (as I've said before). He has a great shot at being the Last Man Standing on the Republican side. He's also got some skills and positions that would prove popular in the General Election to those not wanting to vote for Hillary, beyond simply being a Republican.

Thanks beachbumbabs. I really didn't know who to leave off. It would have been nice if there were more slots available to vote.

Quote: 777

Of all the GOP candidates, John Kasich is the least radical. I think Kasich is not radical enough for RonC and other the GOP primary voters.

I find it interesting that the term "radical" has come to apply to the zealous members of either political leaning. In the late 80's I was taught, in basic terms, that those who were happy with the status quo were "Conservatives," and those who were in favor of change were "Liberals." "Radicals" were extreme liberals. The term for extreme conservatives was "Reactionaries," in that beyond the status quo, they wanted things the way used to be.

I get confused now when Conservatives are labeled "Radicals," as it is a contradiction of terms, at least how I learned them in my American Government class. Did anyone else learn this in their Government class, or am I just a victim of textbooks written by the lowest bidder? ;)

Quote: Joeman

I find it interesting that the term "radical" has come to apply to the zealous members of either political leaning. In the late 80's I was taught, in basic terms, that those who were happy with the status quo were "Conservatives," and those who were in favor of change were "Liberals." "Radicals" were extreme liberals. The term for extreme conservatives was "Reactionaries," in that beyond the status quo, they wanted things the way used to be.

I get confused now when Conservatives are labeled "Radicals," as it is a contradiction of terms, at least how I learned them in my American Government class. Did anyone else learn this in their Government class, or am I just a victim of textbooks written by the lowest bidder? ;)

This is the first time I am aware of the term “reactionaries”, and the definition of radicals as “extreme liberals. In the current political climate, radical is the appropriate label for person or group with extreme left or right views. No, you are not confused nor you are a victim of any textbook, but you are a “victim” of the information age.

It is the power of information technology, and time changes and we change with time. Here is an example of the power of the information technology: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the GOP attempted to mock President Obama. The GOP and many of its radical supporters hate ACA, and they decided to mock President Obama by labeling the ACA as Obamacare. The GOP had fun with the term Obamacare, and many thanks to their propaganda effort in this information age, the term is Obamacare had replaced the term ACA and it is now a common household term used by all in a respectable manner.

I'll give 50 to 1 against that

Thank you to everyone who participated!! Would the same group mind chiming in on "Anonymous Vote II"?

Quote: 777

Of all the GOP candidates, John Kasich is the least radical. I think Kasich is not radical enough for RonC and other the GOP primary voters.

"Radical" is an interesting word. Based on this usage, I actually feel that every one of the candidate's us "radical" enough for me. They all want to change the tax code (a disaster that is unfair to way too many) and help the middle class. I didn't hear one candidate that I could not cast my vote for in the primary. It will come down to who is still in when we get to the primary in my state. Some will surely be gone between now and then.

The leader in the poll is "Not Hillary" at this point. It is easy for her to be in the lead in the polls and yet still vulnerable. She has to strengthen her candidacy to win...she is way weaker now than last cycle. She has been proven as a liar and will eventually be asked to answer why she lied. Some of her skeletons will be revived.

I am not saying she can't win, but she has as much or more work to do as anyone else.

My view of Hillary Clinton can be expressed with 2 terms:
Computer illiterate
Liar

I want neither of those 2 terms to be applied to our President.

Quote: RonC

The leader in the poll is "Not Hillary" at this point. It is easy for her to be in the lead in the polls and yet still vulnerable. She has to strengthen her candidacy to win...she is way weaker now than last cycle. She has been proven as a liar and will eventually be asked to answer why she lied. Some of her skeletons will be revived.

I am not saying she can't win, but she has as much or more work to do as anyone else.

That's kind of a bizarre spin on the poll. The leader in the poll is "Not...anybody" by that logic.

As Nate Silver said at least a year ago, "this election was always going to be 50/50". So, yeah, there's going to be a fight for the middle.

Quote: Joeman

I find it interesting that the term "radical" has come to apply to the zealous members of either political leaning. In the late 80's I was taught, in basic terms, that those who were happy with the status quo were "Conservatives," and those who were in favor of change were "Liberals." "Radicals" were extreme liberals. The term for extreme conservatives was "Reactionaries," in that beyond the status quo, they wanted things the way used to be.

I get confused now when Conservatives are labeled "Radicals," as it is a contradiction of terms, at least how I learned them in my American Government class. Did anyone else learn this in their Government class, or am I just a victim of textbooks written by the lowest bidder? ;)

My opinion on this as a late baby boomer who heard the words, too:

I learned it as you did, civics in the late 60's through the 70's.

Radical was the hard left from the early 60's and 70's. Anti-war activists, race activists, hippies, communists.

Reactionaries were the hard right in the 60's, trickled off in the 70's, became part of the Moral Majority.

With Watergate, the weak Carter presidency and subsequent election of Reagan, (the 70's) many evangelical Democrats transitioned from Dixie Democrats to Reagan Republicans, also aligning with the Moral Majority.

Mainstream Republicans were socially progressive, fiscally conservative, hawkish. A sizeable faction were now socially repressive as well as fiscally conservative in the wake of AIDS and the resurgence of fundamentalist ideologies. It is that second group which became the Radical Right (by referral). And they took over the party, platform by platform, most notably in the '94 election with the Clinton backlash bringing conservatives into the House and Newt Gingrich to the Speakership.

There are still a few Mainstream Repubs in positions of power, but most have either resigned or been forced from office over the last 20 years, usually for the crime of working collaboratively with Democrats on something, or out of their frustration from not being able to vote their conscience or for the common good. Most anyone who is not aligned with or to the right of the previous Radical Right crowd, most notably the Tea Party Republicans, is known as a RINO and is vulnerable to someone running to the right of them.

The Democrats have moved significantly to the Right also over the past 50 years. Where before, most of the middle aligned with Republican positions, most of the middle now aligns with Democratic platforms and recent stances. But the Republican base turns out for off-year and local elections much better than the Democratic base, so we get predominantly Republican state legislatures and Congressmen in the off-years, and favor Democratic presidents and candidates in Presidential election years.

Quote: RonC

The leader in the poll is "Not Hillary" at this point. It is easy for her to be in the lead in the polls and yet still vulnerable. She has to strengthen her candidacy to win...she is way weaker now than last cycle. She has been proven as a liar and will eventually be asked to answer why she lied. Some of her skeletons will be revived.

I am not saying she can't win, but she has as much or more work to do as anyone else.

Quote: beachbumbabs

That's kind of a bizarre spin on the poll. The leader in the poll is "Not...anybody" by that logic.

As Nate Silver said at least a year ago, "this election was always going to be 50/50". So, yeah, there's going to be a fight for the middle.

I'm not sure why you consider it bizarre; I find that finding kind of bizarre. I was simply pointing out that, on a forum that leans left in most political issues AND with the then-current results, that Hillary did not even get to 50/50. Bernie had no votes, which shocked me a bit. Other might have had some O'Malley votes, but I doubt it.

If Bernie and O'Malley had no votes, I would have thought Hillary would either be ahead or tied, again, based on the leanings of the crowd here. Of course, that could be simply that not enough people had time to vote, cared to vote, and any one of a hundred other reasons.

I think Hillary has a lot to do to win a 50/50 election. She seems to be much less popular now than in past cycles overall. She has a weak field working in her favor.

I also didn't say that it was impossible for her to win...

Oh, hell, maybe it is bizarre that it hit me that way. It did, though.

What's with the conservatives on this board always claiming that there's a leftward-lean here? In the political threads, there's easily 4 or 5 of you for every one person who disagrees with you. When you're the only people talking, it seems like it would/could/should be difficult to tell what the other people are thinking...

Quote: RonC

I was simply pointing out that, on a forum that leans left in most political issues

Does it? The left leaners must be really honest then.

(edited link so it won't go to last page)

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/free-speech-zone/6274-best-president-in-last-40-years/

Quote: RonC

I'm not sure why you consider it bizarre; I find that finding kind of bizarre. I was simply pointing out that, on a forum that leans left in most political issues AND with the then-current results, that Hillary did not even get to 50/50. Bernie had no votes, which shocked me a bit. Other might have had some O'Malley votes, but I doubt it.

If Bernie and O'Malley had no votes, I would have thought Hillary would either be ahead or tied, again, based on the leanings of the crowd here. Of course, that could be simply that not enough people had time to vote, cared to vote, and any one of a hundred other reasons.

I think Hillary has a lot to do to win a 50/50 election. She seems to be much less popular now than in past cycles overall. She has a weak field working in her favor.

I also didn't say that it was impossible for her to win...

Oh, hell, maybe it is bizarre that it hit me that way. It did, though.

My impression of this forum is, politically, it's about 3 to 1 conservative or Republican to liberal or Democrat. At least among those who post about political topics.

Quote: rdw4potus

What's with the conservatives on this board always claiming that there's a leftward-lean here? In the political threads, there's easily 4 or 5 of you for every one person who disagrees with you. When you're the only people talking, it seems like it would/could/should be difficult to tell what the other people are thinking...

I disagree. You, however, can count yourself as having won the argument because I don't care to go back and count C/L folks.

Quote: beachbumbabs

My impression of this forum is, politically, it's about 3 to 1 conservative or Republican to liberal or Democrat. At least among those who post about political topics.

I don't know that I can agree beachbumbabs. Having had a few disagreements on the Obamacare thread with the Republican crowd, it seems to me that there are fewer of them than the Democrats. Just my impression. No stats to back it up. Therefore, if my impression is correct then I believe that Ron C have be more right than wrong. At least....here's hoping.

I think both sides see too many of "them" and not enough of "us!"

Maybe we can ask Miplet if he would write another script that will parse the political threads like he did on the DatSL thread. It shouldn't be too hard to add some functionality to sort out the D's from the R's, right? :)

Edit: Thanks for the perspective above, Babs. Sounds like my textbooks weren't necessarily bad, just outdated!

Quote: rdw4potus

What's with the conservatives on this board always claiming that there's a leftward-lean here? In the political threads, there's easily 4 or 5 of you for every one person who disagrees with you. When you're the only people talking, it seems like it would/could/should be difficult to tell what the other people are thinking...

Most internet forums are left leaning. This one is no exception. Not that it matters for me either way, I hate politics.