The Election Thread To Talk About The Election

[Heston]

Election songs?

[youtube][/youtube]

We can stretch it to erection songs if we're running low on ideas.

[Chuck Mangione]

This and nothing else:
[youtube][/youtube]

[Dr. Medulla]

We can stretch it to erection songs if we're running low on ideas.

You're just trying to turn this into another KISS thread.

[Heston]

We can stretch it to erection songs if we're running low on ideas.

You're just trying to turn this into another KISS thread.

[youtube][/youtube]

[Chuck Mangione]

Still better than Kiss...
[youtube][/youtube]

[Spiff]

I predict Ohio will be a clusterfuck of voting irregularities, voter suppression, and voter intimidation.

So, same as every year?

Yes. Ohio is Chicago political dirty tricks writ large.

[Heston]

This and nothing else:
[youtube][/youtube]

The other track you posted is good, but that's just boring.

[Chuck Mangione]

This and nothing else:
[youtube][/youtube]

The other track you posted is good, but that's just boring.

It's a pretty lazy outtake. I just like the attitude in the line "I don't care who get's elected." It takes the words right out.

[Dr. Medulla]

http://i.imgur.com/chETi.jpg

[JennyB]

Seriously, one thing that's good about this election is that thanks to demographics and mortality rates, this is the last presidential election that the Republican appeal to angry white men—basically, Nixon's Southern Strategy or variations of the same, which have been part of every campaign since '68—can be a successful methodology. If it wants to be a viable national party, the GOP will have to abandon (or at least seriously moderate) its racism as campaign strategy and, perhaps, policy.

I take it you've never been to Missouri.

[Dr. Medulla]

Seriously, one thing that's good about this election is that thanks to demographics and mortality rates, this is the last presidential election that the Republican appeal to angry white men—basically, Nixon's Southern Strategy or variations of the same, which have been part of every campaign since '68—can be a successful methodology. If it wants to be a viable national party, the GOP will have to abandon (or at least seriously moderate) its racism as campaign strategy and, perhaps, policy.

I take it you've never been to Missouri.

It can still work on smaller stages—state and municipal levels—in certain locales, but the US as a whole is becoming less white, so as a national strategy—to win the presidency—that kind of shit is almost a non-starter. So the Republican party is in for a massive rethink. Maybe it leads to a true schism, where the Tea Party nuts actually form their own party, or maybe they just get purged or marginalized. Regardless, those in the party who care about winning will have to rein in the racists. The real challenge, perhaps, is that the GOP has become so hostile to empirical methodology that proving the case with demographic statistics might be next-to-impossible with those who continue to believe anger and purity is all that it'll take to convince voters.

[Dr. Medulla]

Just curious: Any Americans here not voting this time around?

[Wolter]

Just curious: Any Americans here not voting this time around?

You know how I feel about encouraging politicians.

[JennyB]

Seriously, one thing that's good about this election is that thanks to demographics and mortality rates, this is the last presidential election that the Republican appeal to angry white men—basically, Nixon's Southern Strategy or variations of the same, which have been part of every campaign since '68—can be a successful methodology. If it wants to be a viable national party, the GOP will have to abandon (or at least seriously moderate) its racism as campaign strategy and, perhaps, policy.

I take it you've never been to Missouri.

It can still work on smaller stages—state and municipal levels—in certain locales, but the US as a whole is becoming less white, so as a national strategy—to win the presidency—that kind of shit is almost a non-starter. So the Republican party is in for a massive rethink. Maybe it leads to a true schism, where the Tea Party nuts actually form their own party, or maybe they just get purged or marginalized. Regardless, those in the party who care about winning will have to rein in the racists. The real challenge, perhaps, is that the GOP has become so hostile to empirical methodology that proving the case with demographic statistics might be next-to-impossible with those who continue to believe anger and purity is all that it'll take to convince voters.

I hope so. Right now it seems like the only ones purged from the party are the moderates (and I say that with a caveat -- what's typically thought of as a Republican moderate i.e. socially moderate and fiscally conservative). Twenty years ago, MO had several pro-choice Republicans in its legislature. Not a chance in hell of that happening now. We're lucky to have pro-choice Democrats.

[Dr. Medulla]

Seriously, one thing that's good about this election is that thanks to demographics and mortality rates, this is the last presidential election that the Republican appeal to angry white men—basically, Nixon's Southern Strategy or variations of the same, which have been part of every campaign since '68—can be a successful methodology. If it wants to be a viable national party, the GOP will have to abandon (or at least seriously moderate) its racism as campaign strategy and, perhaps, policy.

I take it you've never been to Missouri.

It can still work on smaller stages—state and municipal levels—in certain locales, but the US as a whole is becoming less white, so as a national strategy—to win the presidency—that kind of shit is almost a non-starter. So the Republican party is in for a massive rethink. Maybe it leads to a true schism, where the Tea Party nuts actually form their own party, or maybe they just get purged or marginalized. Regardless, those in the party who care about winning will have to rein in the racists. The real challenge, perhaps, is that the GOP has become so hostile to empirical methodology that proving the case with demographic statistics might be next-to-impossible with those who continue to believe anger and purity is all that it'll take to convince voters.

I hope so. Right now it seems like the only ones purged from the party are the moderates (and I say that with a caveat -- what's typically thought of as a Republican moderate i.e. socially moderate and fiscally conservative). Twenty years ago, MO had several pro-choice Republicans in its legislature. Not a chance in hell of that happening now. We're lucky to have pro-choice Democrats.

Which is the theme of that book by Kabaservice that I mentioned a few weeks back. As a strategy for governance, purity has been a complete disaster for Republicans. It's worthwhile remembering that St. Ronnie was quite adept at compromise, but compromise has become as dirty a word as abortion or atheism to conservatives. As a strategy for electoral success, the demographics are against it working any longer. There just isn't a large enough bloc of (angry) white (male) voters to employ a siege mentality on anymore. Unless Republicans are content being a permanent angry opposition party, the smarter guys within will have to take back the party from the cynical and sincere racists alike.