Opinion Forum

Election Day Silliness

November 6th, 2012

The last time I voted in person in the U.S. was, to the best of my memory, in 1984. (I voted for Walter Mondale; just shut up…!) Every election after that, I was living somewhere overseas, and I voted by absentee ballot. Sometimes I voted only for the big offices — president, governor, U.S. senator, congressman. I didn’t know enough about all the local candidates to vote for anyone. In the last few elections, thanks to the wonder of the Internet, I researched the local candidates and voted for those jokers, too. Only once, in 2000, was I so unmoved by either presidential candidate that I didn’t vote at all.

I moved back from overseas last year. I’ve always voted in Texas, my state of legal residence (no income tax, doncha know), and this year I did it in person. I voted a week ago, during early voting. I’ve always thought of myself as a Democrat, with one foot solidly left of the line and another slightly on the right with the Republicans, with a toe among the Libertarians.

After researching the candidates for all offices without regard to party, here’s how I voted in 19 races:

♦ 74% Republican
♦ 16% Democrat
♦ 10% Libertarian

Maybe I need to revise my party affiliation image. In past years, if memory serves, the majority of my votes were for Democrats. I haven’t changed my political opinions on the issues, so maybe the line shifted under my feet without without me noticing.

Enough about me. There’s a lot of other silly stuff happening today.

* * *

I’ve been switching between Fox News and MSNBC today, and it’s no surprise that one hopes Romney will win and the other hopes desperately that Obama will win. Their projections match their biases — again no surprise. It’s also pretty clear what their reactions will be if their beloved candidate loses. Fox will talk a lot about voter fraud, citing examples that are thin on evidence. MSNBC will scream about voter suppression (not the same thing), using examples that are based on even less evidence. Each, of course, will pontificate on how the winner is a liar and a scoundrel. Business as usual.

* * *

Some conservatives are in high dudgeon over the presence of international election observers in the U.S. A couple of states have even warned that the observers will be arrested if they even get close to polling places. Lots of conservatives are decrying the presence of “U.N. observers” in the U.S., saying they ought to go back to their own countries and fix their own problems. Here’s what Connie Mack, U.S. Senate Republican candidate in Florida, said:

The very idea that the United Nations — the world body dedicated to diminishing America’s role in the world — would be allowed, if not encouraged, to install foreigners sympathetic to the likes of Castro, Chavez, Ahmadinejad and Putin to oversee our elections is nothing short of disgusting. …

Every American should be outraged by this news. The United States must defund the United Nations. The United Nations should be kicked off of American soil once and for all. And the American people should demand that the United Nations be stopped from ‘monitoring’ American elections. The only ones who should ever oversee American elections are Americans.

Notwithstanding what ignoramuses like Connie Mack may think, the election observers are from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a 56-nation body of which the U.S. is a founding member. It has no affiliation with the U.N., although it partners with the U.N. in some cases and has observer status. It’s a non-treaty, cooperating group of nations that, among other things, observes elections in many countries. At the invitation of the U.S. government, the OSCE has observed U.S. elections since 2002. And, under the auspices of the OSCE, the U.S. has been able to send election monitors to many countries, such as Russia and Ukraine. Apparently there weren’t any rednecks there threatening to arrest U.S. observers….

Think about this for a moment: International observers actually learn from U.S. elections, and in most cases the lessons they take home might do them some good. On the other hand, “The most often noted difference between American elections among the visitors was that in most U.S. states, voters need no identification.”

* * *

A voter in Michigan died at the poll — no pulse, no breathing — and then suddenly revived and asked, “Did I vote?” Very determined, this guy. (In a similar incident, showing less spunk and more stupid, a man made a deathbed confession to murder and then survived. Bet he wishes he’d kept his mouth shut, that one.)

* * *

Meanwhile, a Democratic heavyweight speaking in support of President Obama said, in regard to Governor Romney, “…who wants a president who will knowingly, repeatedly tell you something he knows is not true?” Hmmm. Here’s something else he said:

I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I’m going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people. Thank you!

Thank you, Mr. President!

* * *

On the sidelines, federal response to the storm disaster in the northeast has been as bad as Katrina, and it’s getting worse by the minute. The Administration’s incompetent handling of the Libya terrorist attack still looms, and the cover-up is leaking badly at the seams. The media, most of them anyway, aren’t paying a lot of attention. Oh well, maybe after the election.

And now, back to the silliness. I’m overdue to switch from Fox back to MSNBC….

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Clinton, election, Fox, MSNBC, Obama, observers, Romney, silliness, voting
Categories: Media, Politics | Comments (5) | Home

5 Responses to “Election Day Silliness”

Madrabbit375 | November 6th, 2012 at 11:31 pm

There is fact, perception and reality. It seems in today’s world they are not at all related. Most people live in their own little world and have very little idea of how things which happen outside of their world affect them. For that you need information and exposure to outside events. I was against Communism/Socialism but did not really understand until I was in Germany and saw the border and saw the difference with capitalism up close. It really opened up my eyes. The military provided me with an outstanding education. Most people do not have that chance.

My bottom line here is that the political parties have mutated since the 1950’s. In my view the Democrats are now Socialist, the Republicans are now Democratic and the ‘Tea Party/Libertarians’ are rather conservative. Next the media which no longer reports all the news accurately. They have a tendency to either ignore major issues or to edit it like a Philadelphia lawyer (sorry Vince Farina) to suit their own agenda. Then there are the politicians. They take things to a new high (or low). You cannot trust anyone for the truth.

Tom Carter | November 6th, 2012 at 11:46 pm

Tom, you’re right that everyone has their own perceptions, even of truth, especially when it’s kind of squishy. I see today’s Democrats further to the left but certainly not socialist, even in a soft “European socialist” sense. The Republicans are further right and more conservative. That leaves a whole bunch of folks, including me, more or less in the middle.

As I write this, the election is being called for Obama. The Senate remains Democratic and the House Republican. Guess we’ve got four more years of gridlock, confusion, and no progress ahead of us.

But the most amazing thing of all — Vince is a Philadelphia lawyer? Who’d of thunk it….

d | November 7th, 2012 at 7:32 am

Just wanna say, YAHHH!!!!!! Women won,we aren’t gonna be sent back 100 years,to barefoot and pregnant. WOOHOO!

Tom Carter | November 7th, 2012 at 12:40 pm

So Romney wanted to set women back 100 years and keep them barefoot and pregnant? I guess he also wanted to destroy the environment, take Medicare away from those now receiving it, give huge tax breaks to all his one-percent buddies, prevent all but the wealthy from having decent medical care, murder poor people, commit felonies left and right, and … yada yada. Hmm. I wonder where all that came from?

Truth is, Obama and Romney are both decent people who want to do what they think is right. Problem is, they have very different views of what’s “right” and how to get there. That’s what the election should have been about, not all the wild charges thrown back and forth by the campaigns and their supporting PACs.

d | November 7th, 2012 at 4:35 pm

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..sore loser? Yes,he’s a great guy who thinks 47% of us are losers who just want a hand out,duh,he said that. He said everything I based my vote on,believe me. He believes,like most Mormon men,or rather prophets,,that women are inferior to the almighty man,and should not get equal pay for equal work. Plus,he is against abortion,that is more than enough for me.
It’s over,he lost,now,we don’t have to see if he is a descent man or not.