U.S. Mid-term Elections

[Nu]

So, as of this writing, the mid-term elections are a couple of weeks away.

What are the issues? Economy? Foreign Policy? Other?

Who is running?
Any big names?

What is the possible impact on President Bush for the results?

[Nu]

So, as of this writing, the mid-term elections are a couple of weeks away.

What are the issues? Economy? Foreign Policy? Other?

Who is running?
Any big names?

What is the possible impact on President Bush for the results?

[hm0504]

Based on my watchings of the American news, and chats with American friends and relatives, seems to me the one issue not being discussed is how the Taliban appear, 5 years after 9/11, to be but weeks from a decisive victory over NATO forces in Afghanistan. I continue to find it absolutely stunning that Americans are, due to the utter incompetence of the White House, about to undergo one of the most disastrous and embarrassing military defeats in their history (perhaps the most disastrous), and they (well, about 45%) do not seem to give a fig.

[usmc1]

It really does depend on who you are and where you live as to what the speific issues are driving your election during a mid-term.

For example, in Missouri a fairly well-regarded Republican may lose his senatorial seat over his opposition to stem cell research.

But, this time, there are other things that are happening out of sight of the national media that is driving the anger and frustration entire body electorate;

Most seniors are really angry about Medicare plan D and Bush's insistance on turning Social Security over to his wall street masters. They, the seniors, know that he's got money in the 2007 budget to take another run at privatization, and they ain't liking it.

They are hurting and savvy enough to see if changes do not come, their pain will be profound.

Try to tell the suburban home-owner who has a 240K house (real value 150K) on an adjustable rate mortgage which is now beginning to really climb, and who is paying $2.50 a gallon to fill up his Sierra and his wife's Suburban, that the economy is growing.

Try telling the blue collar workers and their spouses who saw those skilled manufacturing jobs go offshore, that flipping greasy hamburgers or greeting at Wal Mart or stocking at Costco ain't really all that bad. I mean, its a job ain't it. Whatcha crying about.

Or tell the one's laid off in Detroit that all they have to do is pick up and move to Sedalia Missouri to find a $9.75 an hour job gutting chickens--ooops, now that the flow of immigrants has ended, its gonna now pay $10.00 and hour..and you're on your own for insurance.

Try telling the fiscal conervatives that the budget deficits are ok, since they're a few billion less than predicted--they're still in the billions, but a few billion less less than aniticpated so things are just hunky dory.

Try telling the social conservatives that you're doing great by them, while at tthe same scorning and ignoring them.

And then there is Iraq. We were lied into it. We were lied to about its progress. We were lied to about its cost and likely duration and when they're pressed on those lies we're hearing our elected officials either launch into some sort of overly-defensive semantic hissy-fit or else tell us to "Back Off"!

Tell the rest of us that hearing our government trying to justify suspension of habeas corpus, unauthorized wiretapping, and various forms of torture, secret prisons and kidnappings is merely something required to "protect" us from "the enemy".

Try telling the middle-class and working class kids that are trying to get a college degree, for jobs that they do not even have a certainty of having waiting for them them, that the $30-$60K debts from student loans will not be a millstone around their necks the rest of their lives.

Try telling the more than 43-million Americans (25% are children) without health insurance about how marvelous our health system is.

Try telling the parents of kids attending public shools (once the very marrow of the backbone of our democracy) that under no-child left behind that not only are there kids being left behind, they ain't even getting in the race.

I have not even touched on the arrogant corruption, arrant amorality, and vicious venality of the party in power and I have given you pleanty of issues which will be driving voters in this mid-term.

There's more, much, much more!

[Nude in the North]

quote:

What are the issues? Economy? Foreign Policy? Other?

What matters to me is if the people currently in office have done a good job. Apparently they havn't. Everyone is complaining about something, so it's obvious that the current legislature ( that includes every party represented ) hasn't done it's job.

The solution...

Elect NEW people. It doesn't matter what party they are from. As long as the voters send the message that we want things done, and done RIGHT.

Often people say we don't need term limits because the Voter can simply vote for someone else.

Well.... VOTE FOR SOMEONE ELSE!

If we keep electing the same people, how can we expect anything to change?

Steve

[Qikdraw]

quote:

Originally posted by hm0504:
I continue to find it absolutely stunning that Americans are, due to the utter incompetence of the White House, about to undergo one of the most disastrous and embarrassing military defeats in their history (perhaps the most disastrous), and they (well, about 45%) do not seem to give a fig.

One has to see it in the news for people to give a fig. I haven't seen much of anything about Afganistan in US news. Most people have forgotten all about it, because Americans seem to have short term memory.

Qikdraw

[LamontCranston]

quote:

Americans seem to have short term memory.

There's no arguing that..

Here's my issue --
Three years ago I my job was outsourced to India. I was a software developer for an insurance company.

It's happening again. This week the company came around with another round of rate cuts for all contractors. They renewed my contract, but the company has eliminated 20,000 high tech jobs in the US and bought a company in India to shift the work.

Salaries are shrinking. High tech jobs are leaving.

The CEO says, "Get used to it."

[LamontCranston]

quote:

seems to me the one issue not being discussed is how the Taliban appear, 5 years after 9/11, to be but weeks from a decisive victory over NATO forces in Afghanistan.

A -
Disquieting news, but I point out that a victory over NATO forces does not equate to a defeat for the Americans. Share the wealth, share the burden.

This is another example of my theme. The goal was to topple the Taliban, install a government, and exact retribution for 9/11. OK. Done.

Now why is it that 5 years later we're still over there in an armed struggle? What is today's objective?

If we were allowed to drop the 101st Airborne, roll tanks, and patrol the skies with A-10s and gunships then it'd be a different story.

Or maybe not as the Soviets discovered during the 1980's. Given that experience, why is anyone surprised by this outcome?

That should be a question in an election debate or press conference.

In or out. Grey is a sign a weakness.

[usmc1]

quote:

Originally posted by Qikdraw:

quote:

Originally posted by hm0504:
I continue to find it absolutely stunning that Americans are, due to the utter incompetence of the White House, about to undergo one of the most disastrous and embarrassing military defeats in their history (perhaps the most disastrous), and they (well, about 45%) do not seem to give a fig.

One has to see it in the news for people to give a fig. I haven't seen much of anything about Afganistan in US news. Most people have forgotten all about it, because Americans seem to have short term memory.

Qikdraw

You know, I'm going to take issue with that military defeat remark. American forces sliced through Irag quicker than ex-lax through the widder woman.

The issue of failure is not one of a military defeat, it is one of an absolute failure in policy and planning at an administative level. The president and his key cabinet officers seemed to have been utterly blind to the consequences of the invasion.

The military is being used to police and act as a militia in a hostile country whose civil infrastruction is in complete collapse and chaos. In the midst of this dismal picture of armed anarchy, the military is being asked to protect, police and regulate elements of the very factions that are waging civil and sectarian and tribal war all about them.

But, all that does not signal military defeat. If we went down to the docks and loaded up today it would not mean that we had suffered a military defeat.

No, it would signal something far, far worse. The resounding failure of our democratic system.

We had no debate leading up to the war. We had no oversight of the war and its progress. We, to this very day, have no clearly stated legitiment reason for being engaged in that war and absolutely no clearly stated conditions for disengagement and exit.

The tragedy is that not only do we have well-meaning Americans accepting this, but, that we still have those who defend it. And that is truly sad, because it signals an overall cultural, and educational, and political, and instituitional defeat of all that once measured our greatness.

We are a nation in decline; our citizens dumbed down, distracted by near-meaningless wedge issues, addicted to the pursuit of pleasure, and unaware that our government is owned by international companies who shape our laws to their benefit and use our military to advance their profits.

All that is not a military defeat. It is sytemic failure and the body politic may be near the point that defibrilation is uselss.

There must now emerge a true leader, and the problem is that there is none on the horizen. Not a single person who is not already a part of what is wrong!

America's defeat in Iraq is not military. The defeat in Iraq belongs to each and every damned one of us. We are failing ourselves.

[LamontCranston]

USMC -

I agree with every word in that post. Every word. These remarks apply to both Afghanistan and Iraq.

It's troubling. And people like Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, and Ned Lamont aren't the answer to this big a problem.

We need a white knight, someone like John F. Kennedy. There's an issue with the fabric of our times.

Remember a few weeks ago when Chavez and that wazoo running Iran spoke at the UN? Bush did too. Ho Hum.

What would JFK have said at the same occasion? Or Ronald Reagan?

[missouriboy]

quote:

There must now emerge a true leader, and the problem is that there is none on the horizen. Not a single person who is not already a part of what is wrong!

There could be one or several on the horizon. But we'll never find out, because of our party-controlled ballot-access regimen. Which was warned against by, I think, George Washington, wasn't it?

Yep, that's a goodly part of our systemic maladies of today. The only candidates allowed to run are those who already support the status quo of the current government.

[LamontCranston]

quote:

There could be one or several on the horizon. But we'll never find out, because of our party-controlled ballot-access regimen.

I voted for Ross Perot in 1992.

I lived in New Hampshire during three Presidential primary cycles. You should hear some of the candidates (all parties and persuasions) early on in the process. There is a lot of talent and inspiration out there. Then they get squashed by the Party machinery and requirement for national media pickup and money.

It's a damn shame.

[LamontCranston]

Given what Albinus and Quickdraw say above about Afghanistan, there ought to be negative consequences for an incumbant to issue this sort of press release --

GOP senator cites Dem rival's sexy novels

If the GOP incumbant loses down there, he deserves it.

[NudeAl]

I voted for Perot too.

I thought he had the most refreshing outlook on the scene back then.

I am getting to be an old cynic. I don't see anyway in Hell that any new blood will be able to rise through all the political dead weight to get nominated by his party much less elected to office. My hope is that the Democrats will seriously consider someone like Mr Obama. He appears to have been less tainted by all this than most of the others and he is less entrenched in the establishment at least that is the way it appears to me.

Either way the whole system needs an overhaul. It is corrupt, dysfunctional and self serving. It doesn't reflect my beliefs nor does it meet my needs. I think most of America feels this way. The kindling has been laid all we need is the spark to get the fire started.

[hm0504]

quote:

Originally posted by LamontCranston:

quote:

seems to me the one issue not being discussed is how the Taliban appear, 5 years after 9/11, to be but weeks from a decisive victory over NATO forces in Afghanistan.

A -
Disquieting news, but I point out that a victory over NATO forces does not equate to a defeat for the Americans. Share the wealth, share the burden.

This is another example of my theme. The goal was to topple the Taliban, install a government, and exact retribution for 9/11. OK. Done.
...

Uh, it would seem to me that if the government that was the main backer of those behind 9/11 (as far as facilities go) that is a major defeat for Americans (and the West).