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Quick Question. (pg. 2)
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| OrangestO |
If Romney wins, it'll be because of like this:
| quote: | | Several states with Republican leaders have recently pursued changes that could make voting more difficult, including key states such as Florida and Ohio, despite objections from voting rights groups that believe that the laws could suppress votes from low-income and minority blocs. |
http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...LZ4V_story.html
And this:
| quote: | Pennsylvania Democrats are fuming over a comment made by a Republican state representative, who said a controversial voter identification law will help Mitt Romney carry Pennsylvania in November.
The comment has Democrats on edge, as they say it further proves their argument that the law was politically motivated and created to help Republicans.
While Republicans argue the new law helps to fight fraud, Democrats make the case that the new requirement aids Republicans in the voting booth-and Turzai's comment, they say, represents further evidence of their claim. |
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...ter-id-comment/ |
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| dj_alfi |
| quote: | Originally posted by meriter
you spelled "appointed" wrong. |
Now that's comedy! :D |
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| dj_alfi |
It has come to my attention that I am somewhat dense - thanks go to Lews for pointing that out, it was very much appreciated - so pardon me for asking, but how exactly is this bill making it harder for democrats to vote? Are democrats not allowed to carry identification or is there some big piece of the picture I'm not seeing? |
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| Joss Weatherby |
| quote: | Originally posted by dj_alfi
It has come to my attention that I am somewhat dense - thanks go to Lews for pointing that out, it was very much appreciated - so pardon me for asking, but how exactly is this bill making it harder for democrats to vote? Are democrats not allowed to carry identification or is there some big piece of the picture I'm not seeing? |
Identifications cost money, state issue ID cards or drivers licenses require a fee in most states. Poor people tend to not have either because they can not afford it, and poor people overwhelmingly vote Democratic. |
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| dj_alfi |
If they're too cheap to pay the $13.50 for an ID card, they don't deserve to vote.
Not to mention not having a picture ID is highly irresponsible. |
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| OrangestO |
| quote: | Originally posted by Joss Weatherby
Poor people tend to not have either because they can not afford it |
| quote: | Originally posted by dj_alfi
If they're too cheap to pay the $13.50 for an ID card, they don't deserve to vote. |
| quote: | Originally posted by dj_alfi
It has come to my attention that I am somewhat dense |
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| dj_alfi |
you, 14 ing dollars is not a matter of not being able to afford, that's a matter of wanting something else more.
I'm even going to be so bold as to say as there isn't a single person in the USA who can't save up for an ID in 5 months. |
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| EddieZilker |
c0r version:
Meatwad make the money, see.
Meatwad get the honeys, G.
Travel in my car.
Livin' like a star.
Ice on my fingers and my toes,
And I'm a Taurus.
1. George Bush's first term was, in part, due to Gore being a colossal bore who'd inherited something of an incumbency from Clinton who'd already tainted it with the Lewinsky scandal. When Gore distanced himself from Clinton, it made him look disloyal. This only relates to the second term because the Democrats seemed to suffer from what could best be described as a massive hang-over, owing to the Clinton presidency.
2. The press. With the advent of the 24 hour news cycle, owing to CNN, raw data and even more raw analysis substituted for legitimate journalism and the requirement to get the story right. Additionally, a new "ethos" that placed an importance on debate rather than objective reporting was becoming more prevalent. The precedence for this came in the form of "spin doctors" who, in the early nineties, were called on by news organizations to reframe debates in a way favorable to the candidate they represented. Currently, they are known as pundits.
Punditry resulted in what some referred to as the echo chamber. An example would be if John Kerry changed his position on some political decision. An e-mail would be sent to everyone who would have any reason to appear on television. The next thing you know, a kid sitting in a coffee shop insists he's not voting for Kerry because he's a "flip-flopper", regurgitating the litany of pundits who'd all been saying the same thing, for weeks.
Republicans were quick to exploit the news cycle and it's altogether less than strenuous requirement for fact-checking. They became adroit at running a constant campaign. Where-as there were normally two to three year breaks from the intensity of campaign seasons, the Bush White House ran the 2004 campaign from day one of his first term.
3. Deregulation. To dovetail with the press's neglect for editorial standards, Congress decided to deregulate multiple industries. Monopoly laws were rolled back, allowing banking, telecommunications, and media companies to merge into larger organizations than previously allowed. A host of acquisitions and mergers were taking place during the dot-com bubble; many of which influenced already flagging editorial standards. When ABC was acquired by Walt Disney, they were not only beholden to new corporate masters but also a variety of newly quasi-monopolistic concerns that either provided advertising revenue or wanted to share in their corporate profits. The result is a return to Yellow Journalism with both incidental shark attacks and Shandra Levy leading the news just prior to 9-11. After 9-11, things became even worse.
4. 9-11. This, probably more than any other reason, helped to solidify the second term for Bush. Yes, it wasn't even the year he was reelected but the population still couldn't get their heads wrapped around the inherent vulnerability posed by such an ostentatious attack. Bush capitalized off of this, deriving a great deal of support initially that, however flagging on the way to 2004, would still serve to keep him in office.
5. Iraq. The reason for the second front of the War on Terror was still just revealing itself as a massive fraud and Colin Powell had invoked the "Pottery Barn" appeal; basically saying, "you break it, you buy it." With the first front opened clumsily in Afghanistan and still active, it was posited that we needed to maintain a continuity in command and keep Bush as Commander in Chief.
6. Democrats try to play Republican propaganda games. Seeing that Republicans are telling multiple distortions and lies to get the public on their side, democrats try the same tactics. The most famous of these have to do with Bush's Viet Nam era military records, brought to the news-cycle to put him in a bad light, that were apparently forgeries. The problem was that the Republicans were skilled at the game and had been playing it on its new level for a lot longer than the Dems. Essentially, the only thing the Democrats really had to do, in order to win the 2004 election, was to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When it became clear they couldn't even lie very well, the American Public sided with the devil they knew.
7. Kansas. That's actually an allusion to the book, What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomas Frank. He discusses the Christian Right; what Nixon referred to as the Moral Majority. Democrats were largely lionized as godless, Volvo-driving, latte-sipping, arugula chewing, hedonistic child-molesters who hated Christ and all the "freedoms" he stood for while they tried to kill any baby who wouldn't immediately convert to homosexual atheism. With the Devil, himself, seducing that poor woman for a cigar and a blow-job, the power of Christ compelled a large cross-section of the Lord's humble servants for four more years. |
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| OrangestO |
| quote: | Originally posted by dj_alfi
you, 14 ing dollars is not a matter of not being able to afford, that's a matter of wanting something else more.
I'm even going to be so bold as to say as there isn't a single person in the USA who can't save up for an ID in 5 months. |
Well, if election day happens to fall within those five months, then I guess Joe Shmoe is out of luck. Maybe next time, eh? |
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| enydo |
| quote: | Originally posted by EddieZilker
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I like you. |
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| idoru |
| quote: | Originally posted by dj_alfi
you, 14 ing dollars is not a matter of not being able to afford, that's a matter of wanting something else more.
I'm even going to be so bold as to say as there isn't a single person in the USA who can't save up for an ID in 5 months. |
You're aware of our current economic situation, yes? |
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| enydo |
| 14 dollars is actually a lot of money to a lot of people. Especially people struggling to even put food on the table. |
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