Need some help.

[bu villain]

hmm.. I'm already tired of Obama vs Romney. Maybe we could discuss how rediculously long the election cycle is and how the amount of time, money, and energy is spent on campaigning rather than governing.

I honestly don't feel there is really much to extrapolate from the Wisconsin recall election. Something like 20% of people who voted for Scott Walker also said they would vote for Obama.

Citizen's United Decision - I would be interested to hear if anyone felt this was a good thing.


What I would really like to see is more discussion on solutions. How do we fix a broken political system? How do we reform entitlement programs that could actually pass through congress? How can we get the media back to reporting objective evidence and cutting out all the angry commentary? How are we going to prepare the next generation to move the country forward? etc.

[BanginJimmy]

Maybe we could discuss how rediculously long the election cycle is and how the amount of time, money, and energy is spent on campaigning rather than governing.

I couldnt agree more. The election cycle is far too long. The first primaries this year were in January. Move the primaries back and start them in late May. 5 states per week with the final primary the Tuesday before Independence Day. With the 24 hour news cycle and social media candidates dont need to go to every state to get their message to the people.

I honestly don't feel there is really much to extrapolate from the Wisconsin recall election. Something like 20% of people who voted for Scott Walker also said they would vote for Obama.

The one thing I got from the Wisconsin election is that Unions need the ability to force people into unions in order to keep their roles up. Wisconsin lost something like 45% of its union workers in the year since you no longer had to rent your job from a union.

Citizen's United Decision - I would be interested to hear if anyone felt this was a good thing.

At first I thought it was. Now that I see it in practice I am not. More than ever I am for the idea of public funding of federal elections and the repeal of the 17th Amendment. House members and their opponents get 5 mil each to run their campaign. Presidential primaries get 25 mil, general election get 100mil. I also believe a sitting official should have to resign his or her post before running for higher office.

Today's politicians rarely, if ever, run on their own record. Instead they simply attack anything their opponent has ever said or done. I dont care that Obama snorted a few lines of coke 30 years ago while he was in college. Nor do I care that Romney bullied a kid when he was 16. These things say absolutely nothing about who these 2 are today, they say these 2 were immature before they matured. Shocking.

What I would really like to see is more discussion on solutions. How do we fix a broken political system?

The system is fine. Its the people that are screwed up. We all know the people we are voting for have only their own interests in mind, yet we continue to vote for them. For this, we have no one to blame but ourselves, the electorate.

How do we reform entitlement programs that could actually pass through congress?

Again, it comes to people. How do you expect an honest debate when both sides of the argument tell bold faced lies about every proposal? Maybe its time for legislation requiring truth in political advertising.

How can we get the media back to reporting objective evidence and cutting out all the angry commentary?

The angry commentary isnt the problem when it is advertised as commentary. The problem is angry commentary that is advertised as news. How many times have we gone back and forth over an article on this site or that site?

How are we going to prepare the next generation to move the country forward? etc.

They are fucked and as a result so are we. The educational system is geared towards mediocrity with no stimulus for the truly gifted students and no hope for the numbskulls.

[bu villain]

The system is fine. Its the people that are screwed up. We all know the people we are voting for have only their own interests in mind, yet we continue to vote for them. For this, we have no one to blame but ourselves, the electorate.

The people are part of the system and if one part of the system is broken, the whole system is broken. You could have a seemingly perfect system based on rational, educated voters but if the voters aren't rational or educated, the system won't work. We need a governing system that takes people's ignorance, biases, and irrationality into account.

The angry commentary isnt the problem when it is advertised as commentary. The problem is angry commentary that is advertised as news. How many times have we gone back and forth over an article on this site or that site?

I'm not saying fiery commentary should be banned or anything but when it becomes the primary source of news for many people and creates an us vs them mentality between Americans, it is a problem. I guess my main concern is why do people find it so appealing? Honestly when I listen to it, it almost makes me queasy. I'd rather listen to a respectful, intelligent debate any day of the week.

[BanginJimmy]

ON-TOPIC Also Jimmy, you're MODified, couldn't think of a more level-headed mod for this section.

Me?? Level headed?? I think you been sniffing too much of that Chinese smog. I'll make sure to only lightly abuse my power though.

The people are part of the system and if one part of the system is broken, the whole system is broken. You could have a seemingly perfect system based on rational, educated voters but if the voters aren't rational or educated, the system won't work. We need a governing system that takes people's ignorance, biases, and irrationality into account.

I agree when you put it this way. The theory of a democratic republic is great, the real question is how do you put in checks and balances to limit the risks posed by those that seek to corrupt the system or are too stupid or lazy to use the system as it was intended. The only way I can think to do this, would in itself hurt the system.

I'm not saying fiery commentary should be banned or anything but when it becomes the primary source of news for many people and creates an us vs them mentality between Americans, it is a problem. I guess my main concern is why do people find it so appealing? Honestly when I listen to it, it almost makes me queasy. I'd rather listen to a respectful, intelligent debate any day of the week.

Again, I agree, but dont limit this to commentary. You can add the politicians and their staffs into the equation also. When was the last time we saw a politician who opposed a measure actually give an honest account of the policy and why he or she opposes it? I cant think of a single one over the last decade.

[RandomGuy]

Me?? Level headed?? I think you been sniffing too much of that Chinese smog. I'll make sure to only lightly abuse my power though.

Moderation is key to avoid getting spotted!

lol

[BanginJimmy]

Moderation is key to avoid getting spotted!

lol

I shall try, but I can make no promises.

[bu villain]

Again, I agree, but dont limit this to commentary. You can add the politicians and their staffs into the equation also. When was the last time we saw a politician who opposed a measure actually give an honest account of the policy and why he or she opposes it? I cant think of a single one over the last decade.

True and there is kind of a vicious cycle here where pundits and politicians divide the electorate into warring tribes which makes people less likely to vote for moderate candidates which in turn leads to more divisive rhetoric. One of the three groups has to take the moral high road to put an end to it and the politicians seem the least likely to do it.

[BanginJimmy]

True and there is kind of a vicious cycle here where pundits and politicians divide the electorate into warring tribes which makes people less likely to vote for moderate candidates which in turn leads to more divisive rhetoric. One of the three groups has to take the moral high road to put an end to it and the politicians seem the least likely to do it.

They divide the electorate in a way that helps them gain more power. Look at the way redistricting works. Whoever controls the Sate govt rigs districts to favor their own party. Look at the district map of any state. If it is run by GOP they will remove a red area from a majority blue area, then add that red area to a purple district in order to make it a solid red district. When dems control it, they do the same thing.

A moderate candidate cannot survive in this climate. Look at what has happened to the blue dog dems in the last 2 election cycles. In '08 they took a beating by far left liberals. As a result, many moved to the left. In '10, they got their whooping from conservatives because they moved too far left for many of the swing voters. Moderate GOP hasnt done much better in the last 2 years. Many were replaced by the Tea Party in '10 and many more are in a fight this year with 3 already losing in primaries.

[bu villain]

Right, so how do we begin to close the huge partisan gap? That's what I want to discuss. I think discussion is a good way, but for that to happen on a large scale, the media has to be on board and stop giving so much air time to the most extreme, most ideological, and most partisan people. The journalistic endeavor to inform people has taken a back seat to entertaining them.