Mid-term American elections

[Deleted]

The whole world is talking about this event, but there is no mention of it here. Are people indifferent?

Since I do not pay taxes in the United States, I do not think that I should vote there. The one and only time I ever voted in the United States was in 1972, and I was not pleased with the results of that election.

However, now that I am an outsider, the only thing I really care about is American foreign policy. Everything else the American citizen-residents are doing, they are doing to themselves voluntarily.

It dismays me, but does not concern me personally, although I do worry a bit about family members living there.

[mich64]

To be honest, I am just so happy their voting day is finally here. The commercials were especially fear based, negative and sometimes inexcusably rude. I do not see how they are helpful for people to form an opinion based on these ridiculous ads.

I hope that all people go and vote. It is a right that not all countries have. We had our municipal elections last month and we went and voted. We were surprised to learn that only 47% of eligible voters voted, disappointing.

[lola]

I voted, and care a lot.

Don't really watch TV since the World Cup ended, so I haven't had to deal with the ads so much. TV political ads do such a disservice to democracy; what numbskull would decide based on them?

[hwinpp]

Ah, elections.

I was discussing that last night with two old colonials, we were talking about the coming elections in Burma though. Surprisingly we all agreed that Aung San Suu Kyi is actually blocking the reconciliation process with her stubbornness.

Re the mid term elections in America I'm not really that worried. The real power lies with the president anyway, and he won't be changed ;D

(I think I'm right, right?)

[bixaorellana]

Not really, HW. The shithook conservative faction in the US is willing to block anything, no matter how beneficial, if it comes from the other party. And there are millions of butthead sheep in the US willing to blame this president for the ungodly mess created in the eight years before his presidency.

[hwinpp]

I thought he has 'executive' powers that allow him to make policy decisions without having to consult congress?

[Deleted]

The President can refuse to sign unpleasant legislation.

[hwinpp]

Then what happens? How many times can he refuse to sign (which is actually opposite to what I meant above with 'executive powers')? And is he sort of forced to sign after the final 'no'?

[LouisXIV]

Kerouac2, it is also important here in the USA. Our current president seems to have not understood the importance of the the phrase; "It's the economy, stupid". He spent the first year of his presidency pushing through Obama Care, the people do not like it, they told him so and he and the congress employed all their devious tricks to get it passed.

We currently have the highest unemployment that I can remember in my lifetime. This should have been his number one priority. His almost trillion dollar plan to get the economy going is not working and is to slow in getting the money into the economy and many of the programs were of questionable value to the country. The quickest way to get money in the pockets of the people is a tax cut that the people will immediately see in their pay checks.

This election is the voice of the people expressing their dissatisfaction of the recent president and congress actions. I do think that even though there has been a huge shift in power in the congress, not much will change or be done to improve things. Tomorrow all the new senators and congress will be working on their number one priority, raising money for their next election in the next four or six years.

"The real power lies with the president anyway". Yes and no. The president has power mainly because of his position and the use of his voice to sway opinion, but after today it looks like the people are not to happy with his opinions. The president is the administrative arm of our government to implement the laws passed by congress, with some powers, but the law making is the function of the congress and the senate. The president can recommend laws, but it is still the job of the congress to pass the laws. After yesterday the president has had his influence considerably eroded. The president is also looking at two years from now when he is up for election.

Yes the president can veto legislation. When a bill is passed by the House and Senate it goes to the president and he has ten days to sign the bill or veto it. If he does not sign the bill it automatically becomes law. If he veto's the bill it goes back to the congress where there has to be passed by a 2/3 vote to make it law.

I am sure the new congress will try to repeal the new Obama Care, but it is likely that the president will veto that attempt and then I feel their is a slim chance of congress putting together the 2/3 votes to override his veto. The election two years from now will be most interesting, particularly in the ability of the of the president to retain his job.

Our country has some difficult economic problems and we are not alone. France with the raising of retirement age, Germany with the cuts in their government spending, the recent attempt by the UK prime minister to have the budget cut in Strasbourg and the recent economic problems in Greece. I am happy to see these world leaders are making an attempt to control spending and am concerned that in the USA similar actions are not being taken.

I personally fell that the president or the congress will have little affect in an immediate improvement in our economy. The people here in the USA have been hit hard in the last couple years and many are looking in the mirror and see that much of the problems have been brought upon themselves. Buying homes they really could not afford and generally spending money like fools. The people have learned a hard lesson. The president says that we need to get the people back spending again to get people working. The people were burnt by their foolish ways and many will not be buying that extra car, going out to eat, buying expensive gifts for themselves, and will now be thinking of saving some money for a rainy day. Business are afraid to spend or hire more people because they are uncertain of the future and don't what to be caught like they were in the past few years. The cost of Obama care is going to be really expensive to business and the businesses have a hard time hiring more people when these costs are increasing.

The people are learning the lesson that debt is a sin. But I am sure in ten, twenty or thirty years they will forget this lesson learned and do it all over again. That is the nature of man.

[lola]

One reason I don't put political yard signs in our yard: I don't want to give half of our neighbors an instant reason to dislike us. Call me chicken. Also don't discuss politics at work, same basic reason, and some of the people I most admire there have totally wrongheaded misguided idiotic political views.

More on political ads: there was a proposition up for vote statewide to regulate puppy mills. Outstate the vested interests (like veterinarians who work for these places, and the puppy mill org for all I know) were running ads warning that this bill would outlaw cattle farms.

[lola]

I think the puppy mill prop barely passed.

[bixaorellana]

Louis, we've semi locked horns over this before. What you're calling "Obama care" was an extremely belated attempt to put the US in line with other first world countries. That would be the countries that know that a healthy population is less of a drain on resources on the long run. Furthermore, they have already long since proved that such plans can be implemented successfully.

The US is #37 -- disgracefully low. Maybe a populace who begs to be raped by insurance companies deserves poor health care. www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html

[Deleted]

In France, political ads on television have not ever been authorized. This was basically decided after observing the way they are used in the United States. In the last 10 years, even political billboards were outlawed if there is an election within the next six months or some such. I remember that when they still existed, it was already forbidden to use the blue-white-red color scheme of the French flag on any ad.

Meanwhile, the French media analysis of the election has been very supportive of Obama, while understanding that it is indeed the economy that sunk him. This is considered in Europe to be extremely unfair since the economic situation was left by the previous administration and Obama deployed monumental efforts to save the auto industry and the banks. Anybody who believes that any government could have possibly snapped the economy out of its problems with a magic wand is considered to be incredibly naive.

In fact there has been much talk about how the Republican party has now condemned itself to horrible failures since it has not presented any sort of plan to save the economy. I did see that Republican crybaby on television today trying to get the whole country to cry with him but not having any project for the future. I have noticed that all such politicians talk about the past (the number of children their parents raised, the problems they have had running a business) because for some reason they do not have anything to say about the future.

After all, since they spend all of their time saying that government is bad even though they themselves are politicians, they are forbidden from proposing any sort of government solution. People seem to have voted for "every man for himself!" The lack of any sort of solidarity in a nation that believes that it is great depresses me.

[bixaorellana]

Nov 3, 2010 17:40:29 GMT kerouac2 said:

Meanwhile, the French media analysis of the election has been very supportive of Obama, while understanding that it is indeed the economy that sunk him. This is considered in Europe to be extremely unfair since the economic situation was left by the previous administration and Obama deployed monumental efforts to save the auto industry and the banks. Anybody who believes that any government could have possibly snapped the economy out of its problems with a magic wand is considered to be incredibly naive.

In fact there has been much talk about how the Republican party has now condemned itself to horrible failures since it has not presented any sort of plan to save the economy. I did see that Republican crybaby on television today trying to get the whole country to cry with him but not having any project for the future.

*applause*
Perfect, succinct, accurate portrayal of the situation -- THANK YOU!

[lola]

Nov 3, 2010 17:46:37 GMT bixaorellana said:

Nov 3, 2010 17:40:29 GMT kerouac2 said:

Meanwhile, the French media analysis of the election has been very supportive of Obama, while understanding that it is indeed the economy that sunk him. This is considered in Europe to be extremely unfair since the economic situation was left by the previous administration and Obama deployed monumental efforts to save the auto industry and the banks. Anybody who believes that any government could have possibly snapped the economy out of its problems with a magic wand is considered to be incredibly naive.

In fact there has been much talk about how the Republican party has now condemned itself to horrible failures since it has not presented any sort of plan to save the economy. I did see that Republican crybaby on television today trying to get the whole country to cry with him but not having any project for the future.

*applause*
Perfect, succinct, accurate portrayal of the situation -- THANK YOU!

Speaking of crybabies, picture me wiping away exasperated tears.

[bixaorellana]

Picture me holding a lit match dangerously close to my passport.

[Deleted]

I was watching the crybaby guy (I'm sure I will have to learn his name sooner or later) on the evening news here talking about how afraid he was that the health care bill would knock the U.S. out of the #1 position and bankrupt the country. Did he just move to Earth from some other planet (which must have had bad satellite reception)?

[Deleted]

Time for that great old song again.

[Jazz]

I agree with the French analysis. No man in history has ever taken office with so much responsibility and so many problems. To expect them to be ‘solved’ in two years is ludicrous and very much a part of the American philosophy of a ‘quickie’ approach to life. In my opinion, many of these issues will take a decade, if not more, to turn around. Patience is not an American characteristic. It has been depressing and frustrating watching Obama’s support erode over the last year. Especially since the Republican critics seem to have nothing concrete to offer, except for blocking Obama whenever possible and vowing to do more of the same. Not only that, they crow that they will attempt to go back and undo legislation, such as the health plan. Great. On the whole, the midterms seemed to indicate that the American people were fed up with both parties. My feeling is that the American people are feeling increasingly desperate and frightened. There’s been so much talk of ‘rolling up the sleeves’, time to do so. Help your president.

The situation of today may not be that bad, the House controlled by the Republicans and the Senate, by the Democrats. Given this new status, the Republicans will be forced to be concrete. Instead of mumbling or strident negative and destructive pronouncements, they will need ‘to put their money where their collective mouths are’. ‘Crybaby’ (John Boehner) will probably be the Speaker of the House.

Today I watched Obama’s press conference. He was sober, tired, and almost wounded as he faced the press. Both Reagan and Clinton were ‘trounced’ in their first mid-term elections. Both were masterful in dealing with the average Joe. I think Obama needs some time to process all of this. Of course, the commentary afterwards was critical…’was distant, didn’t take responsibilty’ blah blah blah. (After all, he’s had 12 hours to re-assess his presidency to date, actually, all the results are not yet in.) When asked ‘How did you feel?’, he answered, “I felt bad.’ And, ‘no one likes taking a shellacking’. Not good enough for the press and commentators.

Today the Federal Treasury Reserve ploughed 600 billion into the American economy.
Obama will be leaving for a trip to Asia at the end of the week (planned months ago) and I am sure that they will attempt to annihilate him. Perhaps Obama is not at his best immediately relating to the average Joe, but he is a strong and vital man of integrity who is capable of thinking in the long term and who respects the peoples of the rest of the world.

[mich64]

Jazz, I totally agree with your position and comments. I like your assessment, well presented too.

[lola]

People have bizarre expectations of leaders. They want Santa Claus, Don Draper season 1 episode 1 glossy perfection in looks, family, charisma and sex appeal, s spotless past, and Harry Potter wand up sleeve.

[Kimby]

It's been 7 weeks now, and we begin to see how Obama will deal with the split Congress and the intransigent Republicans. By becoming a better statesman forging compromises with the opposing party. More has been accomplished during the "lame duck" session than in the previous two years, or so it would seem. Though fellow Democrats rue the concessions that are being made, they are getting more of what they wanted than anyone expected was possible. (And all at the cost of a couple years extension of tax breaks for people who don't need them.)

BTW, I disagree with mich64 that "all people should go and vote". I only want people who have taken time to educate themselves on the issues and candidates to vote. Not those who watch biased media (Fox News, anyone?) and automatically mark the box for the candidate with the "R" behind his name....

Perhaps the 2nd half of Obama's (first) term will resemble the Clinton administration, moving more toward the center and generating enough approval to result in re-election in 2012. Time will tell.

[mich64]

Kimby, I agree with you.

I too want people to be educated before they vote. I guess my comment was more of a dream/wish that people do take the time and effort to keep current with issues and party positions from multi sources and was more so complaining that people do not make all efforts to get to the polling station on the day.

I watch, read and listen to national and international news daily and I admit that I forget that perhaps most people are not as interested in political/current affairs like I am.

[hwinpp]

Nov 4, 2010 0:18:21 GMT lola said:

People have bizarre expectations of leaders. They want Santa Claus, Don Draper season 1 episode 1 glossy perfection in looks, family, charisma and sex appeal, s spotless past, and Harry Potter wand up sleeve.

Yes, but at least 50% Jack Bauer too. ;D

Jack Bauer wasn't born, he was unleashed.

Don't beg Jack Bauer to shoot you. He will simply shoot your wife. No man tells Jack Bauer what to do.

Jack Bauer could strangle you with a cordless phone.

Jack Bauer sleeps with a pillow under his gun.

Jack Bauer played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.

When Jack Bauer was a child, he made his mother finish his vegetables.

Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.

Sun Tzu once wrote, "If your enemy is weaker, conquer him. If he is stronger, join him. If he is Jack Bauer, you're fucking dead."

You can lead a horse to water. Jack Bauer can make him drink.

Jack Bauer has been to Mars. Thats why theres no life on Mars.

[onlymark]

He reminds me of Chuck Norris. But whatever you do, don't do a Google search for him -