I'm not watching the debates, and here's why

[flatlander]

This isn't along party lines, or necessarily for any specific office. I'm just frustrated with the state of the people.

I believe that if you are a responsible voter, you should understand the candidates' positions on the issues that are important to you, and vote according to what YOU deem important. If you are waiting to see what the candidates positions are in a televised debate, you are at best an uninformed voter, IMO. You can't believe what these guys are saying when the camera is on, and looking at past voting records is probably the best way to get an idea of where they REALLY stand (although there are others that I'm not going into--we all know). The only thing that you could do (again, IMO) that is crazier than using the debate for a decision making tool, would be to listen to someone else's interpretation (i.e. media) of how the debate went. It completely blows my mind that so many people pick a candidate based on how well he dresses up and presents himself on a debate stage. Who cares how good he looks and talks if he is busy violating the positions that you hold to be important?

Ignorant voting has to be one of the biggest things to blame for the current state of our country at the moment. All of the crazy polls, and propaganda wouldn't be nearly as effective on an informed population that actually cared about what they were doing in the government.

That's OK, though. Everyone should just go back to their sitcoms and your media of choice will summarize what you should care about and how you should feel. It's too complicated for the average person to work through on their own.... Willful ignorance is not the vision our founding fathers had for this country. In fact, it is likely it's downfall if things don't change.

Rant over. I think I'll read a book this evening. And to anyone taking the time to read this, I encourage you to vote your principals, not your emotions.

[SwampThing762]

Well said, Sir.  may I suggest JW Rawles Patriots or Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged as your timely reading material?

Enjoy your book.  I am only going to watch bits of the debate so I can ogle my favorite infobabe, FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly.

ST762

[twoshooter]

I watched snippets, and listened to both sides extoll why they won. I agree that debates don't tell us much. What I heard from Obama pretty much IS what he has done. He has not got much done, he admits that. They say he wants to soak the rich. He admits he does. I don't see him dancing around many issues.
   Romney on the other hand, I have watched shift like a weathervane for over a decade.  I would rather have a predictable opponent than a flighty friend. I plan to vote for Gary Johnson, regardless, because I am pretty certain Romney will carry the state anyway, so no use to waste a vote. I would like the Libertarians and others get into all the debates, they would be more likely to bring out the truth that the two parties won't.
   I don't agree with Obama on many things, but I trust him to do what he says more than Romney.

[LONGTOM]

I don't agree with Obama on many things, but I trust him to do what he says more than Romney.

 
 
and you are not let down by your choice?
How can you trust a person to do what he says when he hasn't done anything he said.
He has lied about almost everything he stated while campaining.
He continues to tell lie after lie.
He told several tonight during the debate and there are plenty of tapes to prove it.
4 years of  lies is enough for me.
If  Romney wins and then does the same thing in 4 years he will be gone also.   
 
 
LONGTOM

[justme]

How has Romney conducted his life up until this point? You can't figure out what kind of guy he is by his previous acts? Same with obie (well, with the few bits that are not sealed and such...)

[twoshooter]

I would agree with that if Romney did not try to tell me things I know to be obviously untrue on their face, so why change liars? I remember all the way back to the late , hell, the early 60's, when every election somehow became the MOST important of our life. BS. This started seriously with LBJ and the adds against Goldwater. It has been like an uncontrolled skid every since, every adjustment has been an over correction, when that continues, sooner or later you start doing 360's. Lets take our foot off the gas, and let her hit the ditch. I am as ready as I need to be. When it comes to rest I will get out and see where we are, and go from there.

[twoshooter]

As per how Romney has lived his life, yeah, what about it? Romney started with every advantage and tons of money and made more. WOW. Thats..... underwhelming. Obama started as a bi-racial black child of a single mom, and is where.........? So tell me, who has come farther? I don't like being put in a position of supporting a guy I am not voting for, but make a coherent argument, not some emotional crap, you guys sound like the girls at work talking about soap operas.
     Have any of you watched "Idiocracy"?? That is where we are headed.

[LONGTOM]

refering to your reply #5
 
Now that was well said twoshooter and I agree on all except the part about why change liars.
Romney has told some also but he doesn't seem to spout them everytime he opens his mouth.
They will all try to tell you what you want to hear.
That has always been the case.
I just know that the past 4 years things in this country haven't gotten any better and for many they can't stand another 4 of the same.
We tried his ways and they haven't worked.
Let's try something else and see how it goes.
If they don't work either then in 4 he will go and we can try again.
Maybe one day we will hit it right!!!
 
 
LONGTOM

[twoshooter]

The problem with that is that we DID NOT "try" his way. The republicans made it plain from the git go that they were not interested in the country, they were just interested in making sure O failed. McConnell said very plainly that his number one goal was to make O a one term president. He did not say we will try our best to work with him to moderate his positions, to find areas we can work on , we will try to pass meaningful legislation etc etc. HE WON. The rest was all just sour grapes. When you come to a fork in the road and you just park the car and start slapping one another, you cannot claim that the OTHER road was a mistake, because you went NOWHERE. If you had gone and it really sucked, you could say to the driver, "you have not chosen wisely". But just setting there, NO. You could then have reversed course and tried the other way.
     Columbus did eventually prove you can reach the east by going west. The world is NOT really flat.
    I know, I supported Ron Paul, or Libertarian positions, and EVERYONE was OMGGGGG!, None wanted to make a deal. When my kids fought over toys enough, my solution was to just crunch the toys into pieces and see how well they liked the remains. I am just about to that point.

[LONGTOM]

You can't really use that whole REP arguement because the DEMs had complete controll of all of the congress the first 2 years and he still couldn't get much passed.
It must be really bad when your own side won't even vote with you!
 
 
LONGTOM

[thumper113]

Twoshooter's got a point.  I can't stand Obama but the Republicans have to shoulder the blame too.  We need a "Not incumbent" spot on ALL the ballots.

[LONGTOM]

I agree and the second 2 years the REPs have done all they can to stop him but the first 2 it was all DEMs and nothing really was done.
 
 
LONGTOM

[P.A. Myers]

Debate? What debate?

[flatlander]

I don't agree with Obama on many things, but I trust him to do what he says more than Romney.

Which is exactly my point. If what he is trying to accomplish follows what your values, great! Otherwise, don't vote for him. Or if what you value is someone who tells the truth and you don't care what he does economically, politically and socially, then you've just found your candidate.

[magooch]

Some people do just see what they want to see.  Of course the Republicans were determined to make Hussein a one termer and I'd be outraged if they hadn't.  As if the Dumycrats didn't do everything they could to knock Bush out. 
 
As far as Obama not getting anything done; where the heck were you guys.  Obama and the Dumycrat Congress has turned health care on its head.  They've also mangaged to maintain a very high unemployment rate and they've wasted more money on ridiculous green-energy boondoggles than is even believable.  Give them four more years and this country won't be recognized by anyone.  I thank God that the people of this country were wise enough to rip the House away from Nancy Pilosi and the Dumycrats in 2010--maybe in the nick of time to salvage some semblance of our once great country.  Hopefully the same spark of wisdom will send the commie packing and maybe, just maybe we can start to put things right.

[twoshooter]

Therein lies the problem. "Put it right". Right for whom? Probably 25-30% of what I hear here I would agree with and support. Another 15-20% I could live with, especially with a little horse trading. The other 50% I would be the first one to cut you off at the ankles. The question becomes, can we get started on achieving the 25%, or just start cutting? The congress has for almost 20 years at least said lets do the cutting first. How long must we set in our own offal before we can agree to move? It is like arguing about which door to run out of in a burning house. First, we just need to get OUT.

[justme]

Why can't you just admit you're a liberal and be done with it.....      You seem to not grasp the dems failures on most every front. Where is their budget???  Why did no dem vote for dear leaders budget? Must have been the republicans fault....

[LONGTOM]

Hate to say it but this is getting old.
No matter how you feel just vote on Nov 6th and we will see where we go from there!!!
 
 
LONGTOM

[oldandslow]

twoshooter, I'm just glad that the republicans manged to take the house and put a raodblock in front of the dims (misspelled on purpose) and stall what was happening. I can't imagine the damage the dims would have done if allowed a full four years of what went on during the two years they had.

LONGTOM, I agree this is getting old and I'm done with it.

Voting tomorrow.