How old were you when you actually understood politics enough to choose a party or affiliation?

[kevin corms]

I'm old enough to know that is a terrible idea. Generally speaking the person who wins is the one who has the most money behind them. It doesn't matter what they say or do, the one with the $$ behind them gets the best press coverage and constant attacks are aimed at their opponents. Third parties usually have much better campaign promises, but it doesn't matter. I'm not American, but I think most people here are. 2020 was an election between 2 of the most criminal, incompetent and racist choices possible. Most people just seemed to be voting against the person they were told not to like, most people couldn't really say much good about the person they voted for.

 

[x65943]

I'm old enough to know that is a terrible idea. Generally speaking the person who wins is the one who has the most money behind them. It doesn't matter what they say or do, the one with the $$ behind them gets the best press coverage and constant attacks are aimed at their opponents. Third parties usually have much better campaign promises, but it doesn't matter. I'm not American, but I think most people here are. 2020 was an election between 2 of the most criminal, incompetent and racist choices possible. Most people just seemed to be voting against the person they were told not to like, most people couldn't really say much good about the person they voted for.

Interestingly the Rs actually spent more money on the 2020 election than the Ds and lost

 

[kevin corms]

Interestingly the Rs actually spent more money on the 2020 election than the Ds and lost

View attachment 397550

Where did you find this? Every other source shows the opposite.

 

[x65943]

Where did you find this? Every other source shows the opposite.

https://www.fec.gov/updates/statistical-summary-24-month-campaign-activity-2019-2020-election-cycle/

edit: I suppose this doesn't include PACs

 

[kevin corms]

https://www.fec.gov/updates/statistical-summary-24-month-campaign-activity-2019-2020-election-cycle/

edit: I suppose this doesn't include PACs

It doesn't, it also doesn't show how much either party spent. This portion of funding was especially alarming. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...joe-biden-s-path-to-the-white-house#xj4y7vzkg

All those soulless celebs becoming "activists" isn't cheap, but that's just the tip of the ice berg.

 

[Windaga]

My parents were on opposite sides of the voting spectrum, came from two radically different places, and had two drastically different upbringings. They kind of abandoned most of that when they had us, picked it back up right before Gore/Bush, and then dropped it again around 2018. They were pretty insistent on us forming our own opinions on just about everything (my dad actually put me in debate club thinking it would get me to think?), but I didn't take a personal interest in politics until I started studying to become a teacher.

I actually registered to vote (specifically in local elections) when I turned 20 I think? Our local elections were very tame, though. I chose an affiliation based on the positions my statesmen took on issues that were important to me, but both sides were pretty similar on most of the issues at the time.

 

[tabzer]

If you don't vote you don't get to bitch about it so I always attend. In Holland we've got like 18 parties so lots to choose from but not 1 thinks the same as me (obviously). So I choose the one closest to my thinking. I've been doing this since my 18th birthday...

I interpret a non-vote as a vote of no confidence. Democracy is intent on representing everyone, right? People who don't vote are people too. Maybe if there was a checkbox for such a category, then even more people would show up to "vote". How long will the trend of voting for the more appealing turd continue? The results is always a greater turd downstream. I'd rather vote for a toilet that can flush it. But I can't be confident that the "toilet" is just another turd in disguise.

 

[Xzi]

I interpret a non-vote as a vote of no confidence.

But the system interprets it as you bending over a barrel and saying, "I'm gonna close my eyes now, you do whatever you want to me."

Voter apathy is exactly how we got to where we are now, behind the rest of the world in nearly every metric.

 

[poughstings]

48 years old here, still not fukkin interested enough.

privilege

 

[Ryab]

You're not missing much.

Truthfully I'd say being politically aware is a bad thing. Just another thing to diminish mental health.

 

[AncientBoi]

During the.......... Nixon era.

 

[tabzer]

But the system interprets it as you bending over a barrel and saying, "I'm gonna close my eyes now, you do whatever you want to me."

Voter apathy is exactly how we got to where we are now, behind the rest of the world in nearly every metric.

"The system" is about as intelligent as any other corporation. Blaming people for not participating in it for the the actions of those who do is ridiculous. There are entire countries not participating in American politics.

Oh right, you do blame your election of Trump on Russia, after all.

 

[Xzi]

"The system" is about as intelligent as any other corporation.

The system is democratic until people start taking democracy for granted.

There are entire countries not participating in American politics.

Yet you seem quite involved in them personally.

 

[tabzer]

The system is democratic until people start taking democracy for granted.

Every iteration Americans find a way to vote for more authoritarianism under a the guise of a superior issue. Let's ignore that a vast population is not allowed to vote. Even of those who remain, roughly only %30 of them actually determine who performs the "democracy". That's also ignoring the possibility of the numbers being embellished and unverifiable from an individual's inquiry. The presumption that democracy existed is a fallacy.

"But the system interprets it as you bending over a barrel and saying, 'I'm gonna close my eyes now, you do whatever you want to me.'"

Voting for your favorite rapist isn't going to command any respect from said rapist. Likely, it'll only validate and amplify their contempt of you.

Yet you seem quite involved in them personally.

Please explain how and the effect that it has on the point being given. It looks like a weak deflection. You want to blame people who don't vote. You want to blame other countries. You take no accountability as you empower more tyranny and more welfare, and then have the audacity to blame those who aren't participating when your quality of life declines. You are literally voting for a superficial life and getting paid in full. I agree that talking about politics is some form of involvement, much like having eyes and being capable of expressing an opinion is. Also, much like not voting is some form of involvement.

“The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.

To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.

To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”

 

[Xzi]

Every iteration Americans find a way to vote for more authoritarianism under a the guise of a superior issue.

Incorrect, the superior issue for several election cycles now has been resistance to authoritarianism. Clearly you'd rather the US just give in and skip to installing a dictator, but we aren't that far down the drain yet.

 

[titan_tim]

Of all people, Rush Limbaugh got me into American politics.

I remember every Thursdays I had to drive an hour to get to my job location, and in the car there was only a radio. It was either listen to J-pop or listen to the American Military station, which played Rush Limbaugh at the time I drove. So I was kind of being held hostage to listen to SOMETHING for that hour.

This was the time when Bush Jr was going against John Kerry. And Limbaugh would go off on Kerry for bringing up the fact that he had multiple purple hearts from serving in the military. He was mocking him, and saying he was waving it in front of everyone like it meant something. I knew that the US praises the military, so I knew that he was just being a whiny ass. The more I listened to him, the more I knew that he was full of crap, and just saying the worst things to get ratings. I just couldn't understand how anyone listening to him could ever agree with his bombastic and idiotic takes on reality.

One thing is for sure: American politics is the drama that keeps on giving. Canadian politics is boring as shit in comparison.

 

[tabzer]

Incorrect, the superior issue for several election cycles now has been resistance to authoritarianism. Clearly you'd rather the US just give in and skip to installing a dictator, but we aren't that far down the drain yet.

You haven't been paying attention. Every time America wants to declare war on something, it does so through the process of giving it a bigger role. How trite to pay attention to the only detail you thought you'd have a retort to. Are you a politician? Electing Trump was the biggest proof that your machine is broken. You plan on fixing it through the process that got him elected. Right.

 

[Xzi]

Every time America wants to declare war on something, it does so through the process of giving it a bigger role.

We never declared "war" on authoritarianism, the vast majority of Americans have always been implicitly and explicitly opposed to it. Sadly our voices don't always win out against the flood of dark money in politics, money flowing in from foreign interests included.

Electing Trump was the biggest proof that your machine is broken. You plan on fixing it through the process that got him elected. Right.

No, we plan to constitutionally disqualify Trump from running and convict him of crimes that will put him in jail for the rest of his life.

 

[tabzer]

We never declared "war" on authoritarianism, the vast majority of Americans have always been implicitly and explicitly opposed to it. Sadly our voices don't always win out against the flood of dark money in politics, money flowing in from foreign interests included.

I never said that you did, and the nuance is irrelevant to the point. Back to blaming money and foreigners, zig-zagging with you is losing appeal. Wouldn't it be great if money didn't buy your votes? Maybe it'd help by recognizing that fiat is dark, by design, and has no meaningful limit to how much can be printed. It's only valuable because you live, fight, and die for it--like you do for your presidents. "Money" is as close to a democracy you have established, so far.

No, we plan to constitutionally disqualify Trump from running and convict him of crimes that will put him in jail for the rest of his life.

Everyone knows that and everyone knows why...and has for years. It further reinforces my point of your presumption on the existence of democracy. It doesn't change the fact that he got elected, which is America's clearest declaration of non-confidence in the political establishment.

 

[Jayro]

I voted for Obama in 2008. Never voted before that tho in 2004 even though I could have. Realizing he stood for the good of all people, I chose the democrat side. I'll always side for the humanitarians over the shit-throwing angry mob flag cult.