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gretriever
Hipster Doofus
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Joined: 16 Jul 2003
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Location: A moving target in a firing range.
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 Posted: 10/12/04 - 08:44 Post subject: A political thread not naming names or parties (!)
General rantings about the election business.
All parties (in the individual as well as the political sense) are guilty, all are innocent.
- Polls are like computers. You can twist the numbers, load the questions, and target the audience to make them say anything you want. The person who first came up with the phrase, "The only poll that counts is the one on election day" should get a medal.
- I find it a massive turn-off hearing that each Presidential campaign is working toward "the most critical election in our times/recent memory/since (your date here)." Maybe for the candidates and their families, but that's it. And it will be the most critical election... for the next four years. 
- Debates are no longer a service. Candidates do not speak, reply, rebut, on their own. Pre-selected moderator, pre-selected audiences, days holed up boning up on the topics, rehearsals. They're just free advertising. And this doesn't address the exclusion of third/minor party candidates. Who sets the requirements.... "The rich getting richer, the poor get the picture."
- The only true campaign reform is to limit advertising on television (the universal solvent of campaigning) to a certain period before election day (say for the month of October only). No commercials for any political candidate - not from him (or her), from a political committee, a PAC, a 527 (or whatever the number is now, I'm so fed up with it), anything - at any other time. Equal time for candidates at the same time spots on a rotating basis - no sticking the Left-handers for Stapler Reform Party candidate at 2:30 A.M. on a Sunday morning. The only question is how to separate the legitimate alternatives from the "Mickey Mouse for President" type of joke campaigns. Then again, it is the dream, isn't it - that anyone can grow up to be President.
- All vote counting, no matter the method of voting, should be done on a non-partisan (if there is such a thing) basis.
I'm done. End of rant.
P.S. The Oils' Peter Garrett got elected to the Australian Parliament on Saturday. Sometimes the good guys win one. 
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sonnylax
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Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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Location: Living in a lollipop and unicorn world
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Posted: 10/12/04 - 08:47 Post subject: Re: A political thread not naming names or parties (!)
| gretriever wrote: | | The only true campaign reform is to limit advertising on television (the universal solvent of campaigning) to a certain period before election day (say for the month of October only). No commercials for any political candidate - not from him (or her), from a political committee, a PAC, a 527 (or whatever the number is now, I'm so fed up with it), anything - at any other time. Equal time for candidates at the same time spots on a rotating basis - no sticking the Left-handers for Stapler Reform Party candidate at 2:30 A.M. on a Sunday morning. The only question is how to separate the legitimate alternatives from the "Mickey Mouse for President" type of joke campaigns. Then again, it is the dream, isn't it - that anyone can grow up to be President. |
How would you manage that? Are you stating that I can't buy air time on my local TV station to promote my cause or candidate? Talk about supressing free speech. 
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elkid
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Joined: 18 Nov 2002
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Location: hiding out in Philly
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Posted: 10/12/04 - 09:03 Post subject: Re: A political thread not naming names or parties (!)
| gretriever wrote: | | Then again, it is the dream, isn't it - that anyone can grow up to be President. |
That's not MY dream. An awful lot of scrutiny and hard work for sh!t pay.
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runaroundsue
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Posts: 6629
Location: supporting GREENer pastures
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Posted: 10/12/04 - 09:07 Post subject: Re: A political thread not naming names or parties (!)
| elkid wrote: |
That's not MY dream. An awful lot of scrutiny and hard work for sh!t pay. |
 and the gray hairs that surface in 4 years
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gretriever
Hipster Doofus
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Joined: 16 Jul 2003
Posts: 19385
Location: A moving target in a firing range.
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Posted: 10/12/04 - 09:07 Post subject: Re: A political thread not naming names or parties (!)
| sonnylax wrote: |
How would you manage that? Are you stating that I can't buy air time on my local TV station to promote my cause or candidate? Talk about supressing free speech. |
No. It's an attempt to give equal access to all. Why does poltics have to be the (best/worst/take your pick) candidate money can buy? I don't think there are any federal regulations that tell the networks "You can only charge a prty or candidate X dollars to air their spot."
The reason the major party figures spending three years fundraising and one year campaigning has to be answered somehow (and I am only talking about those running for President here). Expenses for campaign signs, getting on ballots, and leaflets can't go up that much to justify this. You can only have so many pollsters (again that issue), staff advisors, etc. And if you have hordes of volunteers in the campign offices, where is the money going?
Money does not assure a quality product. And I did say I did not have an ansewr to the question of management and criteria, and who decides those.
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