The Polls.

[Tuggan]

Does anyone actually believe in the polls that call this election at roughly 50/50? Notice they almost never site who was polled? 500 democrats and 500 republicans will pretty much guarantee a 50/50 split... what would happen if they polled 1000 American's in general?

My guess is the media would be totally fucked, because all of a sudden they have a 55(D)/45(R)/5(I/U) race on their hands and nobody would care anymore.

I think it's all just a ploy by the 5 guys that own the media to make as much of the 2billion being spent this election with TV/Radio time, and to sell more papers. Turning a ground breaking, deathly serious election into a fucking horse race.

also, any dipshit that wants to call the media "liberal" can blow me.

[brinstar]

also, any dipshit that wants to call the media "liberal" can blow me.

agreed. anyone that calls the media "liberal" has to blow Tuggan. Motion CARRIED.

[Tuggan]

ready and waiting Mindia.

[Gypsiyee]

It's hard to gauge polls this early on, especially when considering the current technology - you have to take into consideration that much of the younger voting base no longer have landlines, and a good percentage of the older base who do tend to lean a certain way.

I'll have to look for it, but I was reading an article the other day on AP that mentioned that the boost for McCain after the RNC might be a little off, because it turned out that there happened to be quite a larger base of republicans that were sampled.

I don't put too much stock into the preliminary polls, to be honest - Gore had something like an 18 point lead after the DNC where Bush had something like 3 after his convention; Kerry had a similar jump and again Bush a tiny one.. and well, we know how that turned out. I never count my chickens before they hatch.

As a big Obama supporter, of course I'm a little bothered by them recently, but I think after the excitement dies down from all this soap opera drama that has become the election, we might be able to find enough people smart enough to get back to the issues.

[Naethyn]

There are so many stupid people in the south you have no idea.

[Haylo]

The south lives outside of time. I went to visit a cousin in Alabama not to long ago and I may as well have been visiting before the Civil Rights movement. It was utterly disgusting. It's quite funny that the Republicans so pride themselves on the fact that these sort of people are the backbone of their party.

[Evermore]

The south lives outside of time. I went to visit a cousin in Alabama not to long ago and I may as well have been visiting before the Civil Rights movement. It was utterly disgusting. It's quite funny that the Republicans so pride themselves on the fact that these sort of people are the backbone of their party.

explains alot don't it?

[Eziekial]

Does your cousin live on a plantation?

[Haylo]

Was that supposed to be funny? If so you missed the mark.

For clarification, what I meant by saying the Civil Rights movement seemed to have missed this town is that the town is very noticeably still separate and unequal. To the point that when visiting the town in the past, I have been told point blank at one of the small country stores that they don't serve "niggers".

Anyway the point is that in my opinion there's a reason most southern states swing Republican and it's not too hard to figure out. I don't know that i'd be flag waving and so proud that my party appealed to an overwhelming amount of people like that.

[leah]

Was that supposed to be funny? If so you missed the mark.

i think his point was that civil rights had to have had SOME effect since your cousin probably does not live on a plantation.

[leah]

(which, i should clarify, does not mean that people are any less racist, so don't think that i'm disagreeing with you. legislation can do away with slavery but it does nothing to abolish racism)

[Arlos]

People didn't live on plantations in the 50s either when the Jim Crowe laws were in effect, and there were separate drinking fountains, blacks had to ride in the back of the bus, etc. He wasn't trying to claim that things were like before the civil war, but that they WERE like they were 50 years ago when Eisenhower had to call out the national guard to protect 5 black kids who were enrolled by court order in what had been a whites-only school.

-Arlos

[Haylo]

Exactly, I didn't say that her town was like slavery was still going on. I said that it was if the Civil Rights era had not happened, which is why his comment was pointless.

[Eziekial]

What does civil rights have to do with someone being racist? And what does racism have to do with being a Republican? You're implication was just as ignorant as mine. The difference is I didn't try to hide the prejudice in a story about visiting a cousin....

While we're on the topic of hiding intent. NPR did a story on polls and started out with a round table discussion with about 7 blacks, 7 whites and a couple hispanics for good measure. I missed some of the story but managed to get the end and a summary. The 7 whites voted for McCain. The 7 blacks voted for Obama. At the end, they admitted it WAS about race even after having started the discussion everyone said that the race of the candidate does not matter. I have a strong feeling that a LOT of people in this country will be thinking about color when they look at the ballot. No matter what people say on TV and in public, when the curtain is closed and it's just their conscience and a chad away from who is the president.... race will matter.

Is it fair? Is it right? No. But it is what it is fair and right in this world? People discriminate. We judge others on skin color, beauty, height, weight, hair color, smell, posture, smile... even blind people judge on the way people sound. I shit you not, I volunteered at a lighthouse for the blind (hey, it got me laid) and after the first days or so of getting to know some of the kids they would open up and tell me how funny so and so talked or how they liked it when I visited to read stories because of my voice.

It's human nature. We have a drive to be unique and independent. There is a better way of doing that without getting upset and blaming an entire political party for the actions of a few assholes.

[Trielelvan]

Oh for the love of fuck...

Civil rights doesn't have anything to do with being racist.
It has to do with what is or isn't allowed and what is or isn't illegal.

She said it was funny that the Republicans state that it's these people - you know, the ones who will let you sit there and never serve you a cup of coffee, and while you're wondering why, the rest of the patrons in the restaurant just sit quietly watching it happen, shaking their heads wondering if you got the hint yet? - that are the backbone of their party... that these are the people that are the bread and butter foundation of family and morals and what the Republicans are fighting for.
Yanno? Good folk? /sarcasm in case you missed that

Civil rights doesn't change people's minds. It just forces them, even if grudgingly, to comply to a set of rules.
Her point is that in this day and age, you don't expect that kind of treatment... uh... anywhere, but it's there, it still happens, and in some places, it's completely the norm.

There ain't nuthin like driving through the wrong part of Missouri, and seeing a big fucking welcome flag on the side of a motel that says "Welcome Grand Dragon!"

Oh, and the plantation remark? Bad form, my good man. Bad form indeed.

[leah]

There ain't nuthin like driving through the wrong part of Missouri, and seeing a big fucking welcome flag on the side of a motel that says "Welcome Grand Dragon!"

agghghghhh that kind of blows my mind

[ClakarEQ]

While we're on the topic of hiding intent. NPR did a story on polls and started out with a round table discussion with about 7 blacks, 7 whites and a couple hispanics for good measure. I missed some of the story but managed to get the end and a summary. The 7 whites voted for McCain. The 7 blacks voted for Obama. At the end, they admitted it WAS about race even after having started the discussion everyone said that the race of the candidate does not matter. I have a strong feeling that a LOT of people in this country will be thinking about color when they look at the ballot. No matter what people say on TV and in public, when the curtain is closed and it's just their conscience and a chad away from who is the president.... race will matter.

That isn't all correct. I heard that story and while race was an attribute (and even though these folks didn't think they were racist THEY WERE), not all the whites voted for McNearDeath (with a crazy ass bitch then running the show).

EDIT
O and while I don't feel like searching, this is a known component in politics. I don't recall all the statistics but it had to do with white men as a larger percentage of "whites" that (again don't think they're racist but ARE) vote "white" even if they think a black could be better. I want to say the brady effect but I don't think that is right, someone can correct me.

[Narrock]

Actually, both Zogby and Rasmussen polls are reporting that the McCain/Palin ticket is creeping ahead of obama/biden:

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1548


http://www.presidentpolls2008.com/

[ClakarEQ]

Actually, both Zogby and Rasmussen polls are reporting that the McCain/Palin ticket is creeping ahead of obama/biden:

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1548


http://www.presidentpolls2008.com/

There is no question palin added a some flare from right field. I hope soon the flicker burns out so she can be exposed as the real lady she is. That interview she had speaks volumes to the depth of her knowledge.

[Eziekial]

Triel, first you argue my point to rhetorical questions . Then you go ahead and jump on the stereotypical bandwagon that paints white republicans as the party of racism. Are you serious? Tell me, what percentage of the republican party do you think is racist? What percentage of the democratic party is racist? I can't wait for your answer. OR maybe Haylo has the answer to that. Seeing she started this line of discussion.

Clark, I also need clarification on your response. My point is that NPR did a story and showed that race is a factor regardless of what people say. And just as there is a "Brady" effect or whatever it's called (I've heard of something like that too, but I thought it had to do with looks in general not specifically skin color; ie. pretty/handsome people get more votes) would it not stand to reason that blacks would vote for a black even though they think a white could do a better job? What should we classify that as? Racism? Human Nature? Stupidity? What?

[Eziekial]

BTW. Not that it matters because I think the whole argue is stupid, but you do realize that many of the southern states that you feel are so racist that actually track voter registration have more democrats than republicans. Alabama doesn't track it but I've read from a number of sources that it's mostly registered democrat.

[ClakarEQ]

I'm personally not saying southern folks are more racist but I can see some obvious reasons why.

The point I was making or trying to is that if someone says they are going to vote for a black person, but then changes their mind and votes for a white instead, with the only factor being white vs black, then the person IS a racist. Not human nature, or even stupidity but racist.

IMO "soft racists" use things like human nature, they're different, etc as an excuse for their racism and this goes both ways, blacks that vote for a black because he's black even though a white is "better", then you bet, they're a racist too.

[Eziekial]

Yup, that's how I feel as well. Just wanted to be sure I didn't miss something.

[Diekan]

Uh. The south is most democrat. I live here so I should know. There's an old joke that southerners would vote a ham sandwich in office if it were the only democrat on the ticket.

[Diekan]

This is pretty good.

http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/other/c ... l-beliefs/