Who are you voting for?

[Zarathustra]

On a local radio station, they were interviewing a woman who voted for Obama. When asked why, she responded, "Because with Obama in office, I'm not going to have to pay for gas and my mortgage anymore. The way I see it, we're doing him a favor so he'll do us a favor."

This is really, really sad. People are voting for him to get something for free. The President is not Santa Claus. That's not his job. Grow up, America.

[aTOMiC]

Arrived to vote 20 minutes before the polls opened. About 40 people ahead of me and I was voting in less than 15 minutes. HOWEVER I live in Florida and it just wouldn't be election day without some kind of idiotic SNAFU. We have paper ballots here and when finished you feed your pages into a scanner that deposits the paper in a protected bin. About 5 voters ahead of me, some guy tried to feed his pages in and of course the machine locked up. The thing is a lot like a copier so the page was caught up in the machine. No one amongst the volunteers knew how to unjam the machine so we had to go to plan B which was to deposit our votes into an emergency bin that was to be viewed by members of each party. When the machine is fixed they are supposed to grab all the unscanned pages and feed them in under supervision.

Only in Florida.

[Brother Charn]

Malik, I hear a lot of high-minded supposition that Mr McConnell's seat is in jeopardy...but I also listen to more liberal sources than not. Trying to get a less spun voice. Do you think his seat is threatened? Isn't Mitch a fixture in KY?

Speaking of Mitch, I voted to keep Mitch Daniels as (GOP) Governor Indiana. I think he's done a remarkably good job... and other than riding on the Obama wave, I haven't read or heard anything particularly compelling about his Dem opponent.

I voted Obama... Even though I have suspicions about the accuracy of the recent polls, I think he's going to win it, and with a margin close to a landslide. I could be wrong..... but no matter who wins, I hope they do a good job with the giant sack of crap they are being thrown.

dw

[SoulBiter]

I saw our polling workers actually sending people away if they had any kind of political sticker or sign. And if their car had a political sign on it they had to park it off site. It was being enforced

The guy in front of me started telling me why he was voting for some of the local candidates so about the third time I told him I was voting against his choise, he quit trying to campaign in line.

Its gonna be a closer race than some imagine so I voted for McCain. If it had been a shoe in for McCain - Bob Barr would have gotten my vote.

My reasons.....
I dont agree with Obama's stance on:
Taxes
spending
Welfare
Abortion
Gun control
The war in Iraq

[Zarathustra]

Atomic, that sucks! God, when are they going to get their act together down there?

The machine we used here in the Redneck Capital of the World was so easy, so intuitive, it took me literally 30 seconds to vote, once I got to the machine.

Of course, there were people who didn't read the instructions--people who really needed to (I didn't)--and were trying to use the screen as a touch screen.

We should have one method of voting. And it should be taught in high school how to use them. You shouldn't be able to graduate without knowing how to do this.

[Plissken]

Well, that woman is a tad misguided - but if the Middle Class continues to vote for their own self-interest instead of against all of the things they're afraid of, the GOP is going to have to seriously re-align.

That said, I've never seen campaigning allowed at the voting stations - but lines seem to be insane in every state that voting has been privatized.

[Zarathustra]

Well, that woman is a tad misguided.

More like a ton!

She's not alone. This is the main reason people are voting for Obama: to get something for free, and to get revenge on rich people. Maybe not here on the Watch, but among the masses, that's the reason.

And they are all going to be massively disappointed. This is really going to hurt the Democratic Party, when their Christmas list doesn't get delivered.

[aTOMiC]

We should have one method of voting. And it should be taught in high school how to use them. You shouldn't be able to graduate without knowing how to do this.

ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!!!!!

[Brother Charn]

This is the main reason people are voting for Obama: to get something for free, and to get revenge on rich people.

Not trying to take away from the short-sightedness of the unwashed masses, but your comment is really harshing on me.... so much for the audacity of hope. I know, I know... hope and $1 will get you a cup of coffee (except at Starbucks). Hope still compels some, though.

dw

[Cail]

Hope? Please. Obama has had the good fortune of running for POTUS following the least popular President in the last century. And he's only polling at a 7% lead.....

I hate to call the majority of the electorate a bunch of suckers, but.....

[Plissken]

Well, that woman is a tad misguided.

More like a ton!

She's not alone. This is the main reason people are voting for Obama: to get something for free, and to get revenge on rich people. Maybe not here on the Watch, but among the masses, that's the reason.

And they are all going to be massively disappointed. This is really going to hurt the Democratic Party, when their Christmas list doesn't get delivered.

I'd be surprised if she was representative of the non-Tank Dem voter, Mal - any more than the cancer patient I heard about on the Leftie Radio who didn't want "everybody to have health care," because she might have to wait to see her doctor.

Folks are watching a lot of things this year. It's about the first time God, Gays, and Guns weren't worthy enough distractions to keep folks from noticing that things are going down the tubes. Too bad it takes being broke to get people focused.

[Brother Charn]

Hope? Please. Obama has had the good fortune of running for POTUS following the least popular President in the last century. And he's only polling at a 7% lead.....

I hate to call the majority of the electorate a bunch of suckers, but.....

But is that because Obama is really a bad choice who is winning, or just that McCain isn't so terrible that the difference between the two is epic?

To me, the biggest problem McCain has is the party he has to run with. A deal with the Devil...

dw

[Zarathustra]

Plissken, perhaps I'm wrong to extrapolate from the limited examples I've seen. However, where do people get these ideas? I think it comes from Obama himself. His campaign. His tax plan alone gives this impression that the rich owe us more. His rhetoric of "spreading the wealth" makes people believe that they will indeed receive the benefits of rich people's hard work. The Joe the Plumber comment only reinforced that belief with his voters: he literally wants to spread riches to you. What else are people supposed to conclude from this language?

When I agreed that the woman was misinformed, I didn't mean that she was ignorant of the campaign promises. I meant that she was misinformed about what a President's job is.

[Plissken]

Hope? Please. Obama has had the good fortune of running for POTUS following the least popular President in the last century. And he's only polling at a 7% lead.....

I hate to call the majority of the electorate a bunch of suckers, but.....

Says the ex-Bush voter.

(Oh. And the Redskins got blown-away last night, so this thing's a lock for Obama!)

[Cail]

Says the Bush voter who would vote the same way if he'd known then what he knows now. OK, I might have voted 3rd party then too, but still.....

BC- The fact that McCain is so close is a testament to his candidacy, though I still think that the RNC could've/should've done a better job with a candidate.

I hope that this election, should the 'Pubs lose the top seat, gets the fundie wing of the party out of the policy-making position(s) they're in.

[aTOMiC]

A United States president is a leader not a dictator. Presidents get far more blame and credit than they deserve. Circumstances far beyond their control influence the perception of their terms in office. A great economy doesn't translate to a great president and vice versa. A president can certainly kill legislation but he cannot write it. The ultimate political power in this country lies with the Congress. My only problem with this scenario is that there are no term limits. I may not like who we elect today but I also know said candidate (unless we someday become some kind of totalitarian regime) is only capable of so much for good or for ill. Those that believe otherwise are probably misinformed or extremely idealistic.

[Plissken]

Says the Bush voter who would vote the same way if he'd known then what he knows now. OK, I might have voted 3rd party then too, but still.....

BC- The fact that McCain is so close is a testament to his candidacy, though I still think that the RNC could've/should've done a better job with a candidate.

I hope that this election, should the 'Pubs lose the top seat, gets the fundie wing of the party out of the policy-making position(s) they're in.

That might be the best thing that happens to this Country. I really do still miss the days when people actually argued over issues like school lunch funding and national defense, instead of what other folks are doing in their bedrooms and the most recent bit of spin 'n smear.

(You'd still have voted for Bush and it's the electorate who are the suckers? Wow. I suppose it's because he's turned out to be such a Unite-er, as opposed to a Divider?)

'TOM: After the last 8 years, you're still able to make the "Elections/Presidents Don't Matter" argument?

[Cail]

Put it this way Pliss, given a choice between Kerry and Bush, I'd still vote for Bush. Given a 3rd party option, I'd vote 3rd party. Kerry was not the man for the job. Bush really wasn't either, but the evil we know....

[Plissken]

Alright, I'm off to work. See you all on the other side...

[dlbpharmd]

I went to vote this morning and was at the polls at 8am, only to be turned away because my dumb ass county doesn't open the polls until 9am (while most other counties in East Tennessee open at 0800.) PISSED! Hopefully I'll be able to vote after I leave work at 7pm tonight (polls stay open until 8pm.)

TOM, I can't believe that Florida still uses a paper ballot. I can't believe any state would use a paper ballot in this day and age.