Okay, it's happening today, and we're all online all day, so let's share news and thoughts and stuff as it happens (and if you're one of those people who says "who cares? it's America not here" you'd better shut up real quick smart).
I'll start. Last week The Onion ran a piece about "Republicans fully getting behind reminding African Americans to vote November 3rd". Now today on Salon I read that apparently, there have been phone messages sent to African American households reminding them to vote on November 3rd. The world kinda stops being funny when satire becomes reality.
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this is a good site for elections all ...
this is a good site for elections all over the world.
it has a great set of links to USA political parties. my favourites are:
the Usability Party ("I expect that within four years my ideas will be widely accepted, and the American people will be fully prepared to vote me as permanent God-Emperor of USAbility. Failure to obey this prediction will result in more catastrophic deaths due to poor interface design."),
the Pushy Party ("Bring SEX back to the workplace; Castrate violent criminals & tatoo their foreheads with the name of their crimes; Artify (Fund Art, Teach Art, Bring Art Back to Culture); Young Male Interns; Subsidize Day Care; Localize; Organic Farming; Presidential Challenge for personal integrity; Walk around your neighborhood a lot; Platform Shoes"),
and the Thermodynamics Law Party (who are, surprisingly enough, single issue).
[ external link ]
Bring back the Yogic Flyers to NZ, I ...
Bring back the Yogic Flyers to NZ, I say!
wow. they american nazi party ...
wow.
they american nazi party website,
ummmmmmm
Yes, the whole thing is farcical. I've ...
Yes, the whole thing is farcical. I've learnt lots about their voting system, and even if most people in the states think Bush should go, he'll still probably win.
The different states each get allocated a number of electoral college votes, if you win a state, you get those votes. Each State gets a different number - eg: California gets 55 and Alaska gets 3. If you get 270, you become president.
This site is a good one for seeing whats going on, but its not looking good - at the moment Bush leads 191 to 149 over Kerry
This website is very good
[ http://www.presidentelect.org ]
// Bring back the Yogic Flyers to ...
// Bring back the Yogic Flyers to NZ
I never understood the Natural Law party's need to campaign. If there was anything at all in their yogic flying and other theories, then they could deploy them without even being the government, and we'd all be so imprseed we'd then vote them in. But no, they did the spoil sport thing and said, vote us in, then we'll do our magic.
well all i can say that i'm doing is ...
well all i can say that i'm doing is that on inferno 107fm here in dunedin i'm playing as much anti-bush, anti U.s Government music that i can get my filthy lil hands on.
so angry and fustrated about the whole pridicament ol' GW has put the world in. the fact that i can't participate,
two final thoughts;
clinton almost got impeached for oral sex, yet bush lies TO THE ENTIRE PLANET....and....nothing.
The U.s claims to bring freedom and democracy to the world, why is it that they have the most fucked up form of both?
//well all i can say that i'm doing is ...
//well all i can say that i'm doing is that on inferno 107fm here in dunedin i'm playing as much anti-bush, anti U.s Government music that i can get my filthy lil hands on.
think/hope I've tuned in. nice work.
good to hear....i'll be doing that ...
good to hear....i'll be doing that again 'bout 3pm today, few beers in the studio i reckon :)
Hehe - if only you had the secret Clear ...
Hehe - if only you had the secret Clear Stream Temple Cd that fell into my hands when I was doing radio shows: through some nice electronic trickery, she has mnaipulated George W Bush's words so that he takes full responsibility for the war in Iraq and apologises to the world.
Unfortunately it is a part of their ...
Unfortunately it is a part of their job, as the hegemonic nation, to fuck things up. All Bush's talk bout making the world safe for democracy and he will never sort out certain places of a similar ilk to Iraq, such as Myanmar. Could it be the number of sweatshops run there by American companies? Is it a herder sell to convince the world the burmese have nukes?
All I hope for is the hawks are derailed allowing a more dove-like govt to take over. I think I'm going to be disappointed.
That said my ancestors, the british, were evil little buggers when they ruled the world too.
when voting in the NZ elections a while ...
when voting in the NZ elections a while ago, i was charmed by the Animal's First Party logo - a cute pawprint, next to where you put a tick. they almost got my vote for being ingenious ... nah, not really.
speaking of logos, and someone who knows these things might be able to point out the legitimacy of it, but on CNN's page the Republican logo appears to be stars and stripes, while the Democrat's logo appears to be a donkey. or mule. it's all very subliminal, but if you look hard you'll see what i mean. odd.
[ http://www.cnn.com/election/2004/ ]
isn't the democrat mascot a donkey, ...
isn't the democrat mascot a donkey, while the republican one an elephant? or vise versa?
but U.S media, i'm interested to see what Fox says all the way thru...so very very biased
// isn't the democrat mascot a ...
// isn't the democrat mascot a donkey,
// while the republican one an elephant?
yep. that's what's in the background. the GOP elephant usually has stars and stripes painted on it, and, now that I look, it appears the democrats donkey often does too...
http://images.google.com/images?q=gop%20elephant&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=N...
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=democrats+donkey&bt...
I can't see any logos on the cnn ...
I can't see any logos on the cnn page... but the Republican party official symbol is an elephant; democrats symbol is a donkey although it's never been officially endorsed. Different states seem to adopt different symbols every now and then.
[ http://www.meckgop.com/elephant.html ]
bah! too slow....
bah! too slow.
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// I can't see any logos on the cnn ...
// I can't see any logos on the cnn page
they're watermarks behind the electoral count votes near the top right.
top left, that is....
top left, that is.
ah, yup, gotcha....
ah, yup, gotcha.
I was watching breakfast this morning, ...
I was watching breakfast this morning, and came up with three interesting observations.
1. I understand that they are in for what looks like a record election turnout, but it seems that they must have far fewer polling stations than we do. I mean, I've never had to queue to vote, and if double the volume of people turned up, then you might have to wait five minutes. Whereas, there are *enormous* queues in the US today. If I cared less, I'd find it tempting not to vote (or do an absentee ballot ahead of time) if I had to wait more than 10 minutes.
2. I find the electoral college system really odd. That is, each state elects a number of people to the electoral college (based on state population), and these people actually vote for the President. Some states if there is a majority all their electoral college people vote the same way (e.g., if more than half of Californians vote for democrats say, then all of californias 30+ electoral college delegates vote for democrats), whereas in other states, the electoral college reprenatives are in balance (e.g. for 10 electoral college members and 60% vote for democrats it would be 6 democrat and 4 republican people to the electoral college). So anyway, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in NZ reckoned this was good, in case your vote was caused by a sudden rush of blood to the head or something. I don't know of any other country that has such a convoluted process, but to me, I'd like my vote to count just as much as everybody elses.
3. I already knew this, but I find it hilarious that Republicans are red, the colour of communism. Most places Red is associated with left leaning, and Blue (Blue blood) with right-leaning parties.
that actually the most sensible and ...
that actually the most sensible and concise explanation of what the elctoral college is...
what a bullshit system
is it so hard to do i person = one vote?
Actually, apparently the allocation of ...
Actually, apparently the allocation of seats in the electoral college isn't entirely on a per capita basis (although bigger states tend to have more seats). This is possibly designed to make the election less likely to be overridden by bigger more populous states at the expense of smaller states OR to provide a more independent body to elect. Either way, it seems quite odd. More here
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Its even crazier - there is one state, ...
Its even crazier - there is one state, Colorado I think, that has had the traditional winner takes all system bjut this year is running a referendum to try and decide if there should be a more proportional system (I think Maine is the only state that is fully proportional). If the referendum succeeds, then the voting will become preferential for THIS election - but that is the subject of litigation, which may go all the way to the Supreme Court. Once there, we have a deadlock, as there are 4 Dem and 4 Rep appointees and CJ Rehnquist, who is so near dead he can't actually do the job but is holding on to his post so that Bush can appoint his replacement.
Nebraska also does a ...
Nebraska also does a pseudo-proportional thing. Also, apparently in 2000, one of the members of the electoral college didn't vote as would normally be anticipated -- now that's starting to get REALLY dodgy.
as of 2pm our time, Bush has four ...
as of 2pm our time, Bush has four states, Kerry has one.
time to start chewing your fuckin nails people!
I have specially reserved a bottle of Jack Daniels on the shelf for a celebratory drink when Kerry wins, or a dispairing chug straight from the bottle if Bush wins, while I spend the rest of the evening contemplating how much more fucked up the world can get in 4 years with him around.
can you say... "armageddon"? four ...
can you say... "armageddon"?
four more years, four years where he doesn't have to worry about pesky matters like re-election or public opinion.
on the up side, it will probablly destroy the republican party for many years
Don't forget though that the states ...
Don't forget though that the states that Kerry will win (like New York and California) have more electoral college votes than other states, cos they have more people, so it's not over yet.
I am loving the BBC's map of coverage:
[ external link ]
And I think all of the cliff hanger ...
And I think all of the cliff hanger states, the ones that will actually determine the outconme, are going to be the last to have results in. then those results will be litigated until half the current Supreme Court are dead.
That BBC map is the shiznuts!...
That BBC map is the shiznuts!
Yeah. Except the BBC map tells me there ...
Yeah. Except the BBC map tells me there are already legal disputes in Florida. heheh.
Did anybody see that great spoof on an electonic voting system for Florida going round? That was pretty funny.
CNN election tracker is addictive. ...
CNN election tracker is addictive. looks like Kerry has Pennsylvania so far and Bush a narrow lead in Florida.... absolutely neck and next though. best reading - the results from the exit polls which breaks down how people voted according to colour, creed, income, employment, religion etc etc etc 13,000 respondants so far and of those that were African American 90% voted Kerry.
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That CNN thing is great - well it would ...
That CNN thing is great - well it would be if it was just theoretical anyways - 4% of people who disapprove of Bush voted for him anyways. Why oh why oh why?
And 54% of people think the US is safer ...
And 54% of people think the US is safer from Terrorism NOW than four years ago??????
Dear Florida, please fuck the fuck up. Thanks.
That BBC map is cool - you can look ...
That BBC map is cool - you can look back through history and see who voted for who.
Clinton kicked ass when he ran for president, both times.
Go back to '76 and Texas voted democratic
Presidents Nixon won all but one state in '72, that being Massachusets
President Reagan won all but one state in '84, that being Minnesota
//CNN election tracker is ...
//CNN election tracker is addictive
woohoo!
now shits looking promising
especially since they updated nevada-talk about gambling addiction.
looks like there's been a swing in ...
looks like there's been a swing in michigan too!
regardless of what the outcome of this ...
regardless of what the outcome of this election is, if the US doesnt put a stop to its foreign policies meddling with affairs in the Middle East, armageddon is gonna happen one way or another
dammit, there goes my 2006 holiday to Tripoli
i dont think it would be the end of ...
i dont think it would be the end of world is humans destroyed them seleves again,
(check www.floweroflife.org for details)
My $2 bet is there will be a (state funded and controled) "terrorist" attack before there is an announcement of results,
even if im wrong the illumiati's global plan is rolling along,
so i feel its not so important to askwho will win
more than what can you do to destroy this illusion before its too late :)
any ways its a great day here in Christs Church :) nor wester no clouds yummy
hope your all there.
[ http://www.infowars.com ]
Does anyone know when they're ...
Does anyone know when they're expecting to announce the result?
well the last state to close voting is ...
well the last state to close voting is Alaska at 11pm EST and it's now 9pm over there.
by 7pm tonight (NZ time) we should have a pretty good idea of the fate of the free world
cheers...
cheers
Bush will probably win... :(...
Bush will probably win... :(
fuck, i'm angry enough now.... i ...
fuck, i'm angry enough now....
i dunno thought....they've had the biggest turnout in years, more young people and african americans vtoing than ever before.... i dunno
Most of the states are pretty much a ...
Most of the states are pretty much a foregone conclusion. No point getting distressed just because a bunch of traditionally republican states are voting republican.
Also, contrary to popular belief, bush isn't a harbinger of the apocalypse.
//bush isn't a harbinger of the ...
//bush isn't a harbinger of the apocalypse.
Not a harbinger, but perhaps a cause. And even if he is on the right track with the war on terrorism (haha), even some die-hard capitalists are worried about his handling of the economy. That's why the NZ dollar is hovering at 70c US, not because we're doing anything right, but because of how poorly the US is performing.
What I mean is - I don't think the ...
What I mean is - I don't think the whole world will come to an end in a blaze of anarchy, poverty and terrorism if bush gets reelected. Everyone's gotten so violently passionate about the election, but I just think regardless of which guy wins it'll pretty much just be four years of more of the same.
that's true in that a lot of kerry's ...
that's true in that a lot of kerry's policies aren't that different to bush's - I think the scariest part of bush getting back in is it validates the direction he's taken the US (& flow on effect to the rest of the world), & he'll use it to justify further extremes. As you say heather - it's not the end of the world, but I think bush'll be doing a lot more damage over the next four years than he's done over the last.
Yeah, granted it'll probably be the ...
Yeah, granted it'll probably be the worst case version of "more of the same" under bush. I dunno. I'm just tired of people getting so melodramatic about it. Politico-media whiplash.
I think the US, as a mostly-democracy / unwieldy bureacracy, would need a hella lot of effort to be completely crippled. I can remember lots of handwringing about how the US had already been bankrupted under Clinton. Doesn't appear to have slowed them down any.
I don't want to come across ...
I don't want to come across melo-dramatic, but I'm a bit worried about the information you're backing yourself up with Heather. Somewhat paradoxically, given that Democrats are all about social causes, and Republicans are all about the money, Democrats usually preside over flourishing economies. That is, I think you'll find the economy was better off after Clinton, rather than bankrupt. There are some very serious problems with the US economy at the moment (see for example below).
[ external link ]
That's exactly my point; there's ...
That's exactly my point; there's always a bunch of economists somewhere lamenting the state of the nation. All the doom and gloom reports have to be taken with a grain of salt. What was it like after the Gulf war in the 90s? How easy do you really think it is for the States to destroy itself?
I don't know shit; like I said before I'm just tired of the hysteria. Just venting for the hell of it.
any suggestions for the best radio ...
any suggestions for the best radio station (available online) to hear what's happening?