(no subject)

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

Comments

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

Yes, if the person they want to convince wins. If that person loses due to voting for a third party to "show him what for," causing an even more regressive option to win, it seems pretty pyrrhic to me.

[madscience.livejournal.com]

The person they want to convince is supposed to lose. That's the whole point. It's not about this election; it's about the next one. And 2012 will be a perfect time to play that gambit, because the leading major party candidates are all basically the same guy.

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

Must be nice having the ability to wait things out another four years in order to try and make some kind of statement no one will even remember the next time around.

[madscience.livejournal.com]

People get paid to remember. They're called analysts, and every candidate has them.

Waiting four years to see the effect of your vote isn't such a big deal. Not when the goal is real change, and both major parties have repeatedly demonstrated their intent to screw us. It's an especially easy pill to swallow in a year when the major party candidates are all basically the same. There is no "even more regressive option", as you put it.

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

There is no "even more regressive option", as you put it.

You must not be following the GOP promises being made. Obama has some disappointing viewpoints and things weren't 100% done like I wanted, but AFAIK he's not hoping to completely decimate our social service programs and revoke any laws that recognize non-straight individuals as human.

[madscience.livejournal.com]

No, he's just doing the same thing in a backhanded way, which is probably even worse because it doesn't provoke the same reaction.

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

No, he's just doing the same thing in a backhanded way, which is probably even worse because it doesn't provoke the same reaction.

Obama: Expanded Pell grants.
GOP: Fuck Pell grants. Let's kill those off.

Obama: Being attacked due to sexual orientation is now a hate crime.
GOP: No it's not. Nothing should be a hate crime. Hate crimes legislation is unconstitutional.

Obama: Let's cut prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients by 50%.
GOP: Let's privatize Medicare and let it rely on the market.

Obama: Let's extend federal employee benefits to same sex partners.
GOP: Let's undo that.

Obama: Let's fund NGOs/etc even if they provide abortions.
GOP: Let's undo that.

Obama: Let's create legislation to help the disparities between the salaries men and women make.
GOP: Let's undo that.

Obama: Let's reauthorize legislation that provides healthcare to 11 million children.
GOP: Sorry kids. BOOTSTRAPS!

Obama: Let's fund stem cell research
GOP: Let's not!

Obama: Let's not permit insurance companies to deny someone insurance just because they're not in a state of health that wouldn't provide the maximum likelihood that they wouldn't need it.
GOP: FREE MARKETS HATE THIS SOCIALISM.

etc etc etc.

Obama's done things I'm not happy with. I'm not oblivious to the fact that he's done things I am happy with, and would rather not empower those who would reverse those things in order to make a statement about how I'm not fully satisfied with the job Obama's done.

[madscience.livejournal.com]

Pell grants should be killed off. All education should be directly funded by taxpayers and free to consumers, like Kucinich advocates.

Obama's been consistently underhanded on gay rights. He's against gay marriage. He half-assed the repeal of DADT, ensuring that it won't be revisited for another 20 years. He stopped defending DOMA, ensuring it will not be reviewed by any court that could overturn it, so it will be on the books for his successor to enforce with a vengeance.

There are no disparities between the salaries men and women make that were not fully addressed by previous laws. Obama was playing lip service to a non-existent issue.

Everything Obama has done with health care has been an unmitigated disaster, worse than the status quo. The GOP would never repeal it; it was all their idea to begin with. They're just saying that to get votes.

Obama has done nothing I'm happy with. And even if he had, there are no bigger issues facing us than the wars, domestic spying, and the loss of our civil rights. On those issues, Obama is in lock-step with the GOP.