The Hillary and Barack bickering match

I'm not that big on politics and all that, but has anyone else noticed that, instead of focusing on what they're going to do for the country, all these two do is bicker at eachother and focus on ripping eachother down? Just sayin.

Yes, I've noticed. They will both turn off voters and this will help McCain. It's ridiculous.

I think they have long been focusing on their plans for the country through ads, rallies and debates. 

Campaigns are long though and after their platforms are out there, media begins focusing on he said/ she which comes across as bickering. 

Even the handful of news commentary shows who've covered differences in candidate policies repeatedly and thoroughly move on as campaigns continue to cover he said/ she said. 

The quotes are only a line or two from usually lengthy campaign speeches but the repeated reporting of such comments results in 'bickering'.  The candidates main focus is to get their messages to the public and distinguish themselve from the opponent as the supperior candidate.

If HRC wasn't resorting to such childish tactics, Obama wouldn't be forced to defend himself to her stupid comments about his name/religion/etc.

sun is right.  what i've noticed from the beginning of the campaign is how civil it is.  i think this frustrates the media to no end, so every little snipe they can get hold of gets blown out of proportion with the hope and intention of inciting personal attacks.

all in all, it's been a pretty civil campaign race. i think the bulk of the negativity is coming from the high-profile supporters of each campaign (ferraro, bob johnson, etc. in the clinton camp and jeremiah wright in obama camp).

i do think, however, that the clinton camp is more accustomed to and okay with playing dirty politics than the obama camp.

mccain might be able to focus on november now, but he has a long road ahead of him, especially as a firm supporter of a war that is becoming more and more unpopular.  also keep in mind that he (as well as the other former GOP candidates) haven't been able to raise the same sort of funds that the democratic candidates have been raising.

I think the true nature of both these individuals are coming out.  Niether one has accomplished anything substantial in their terms in elected office so they resort to bickering and hurting each other rather than building themselves up.

That's not to say that McCain doesn't have his issues. 

Aasil, I agree.

It's been a fairly civil campaign between the two. That could be due to the fact there isn't any new dirt to sling though. So everything seems low key at the present. Afterall this is politics. 

 It's expected for the two to retort back and forth. Sometimes media/people tend to take comments to an extreme and harp on them... In attempt to ' fake ' a story till they ' make ' one out of nothing. Just when I think two candidates are finally talking ... others call it fighting. =-P It's about as silly as when Hilary got choked up talking and people called it crying. Lol 

It's been stated since the start that the differences between them are minor. Whereas, the differences between them and the republicans running are major.They may retort back and fort but when it comes down to it their on the same boat. Shoot.  They may end up on the same ticket in the end. The whole battle between them could be a race to see who's name is on the top of the ticket. They've been far more more heated towards Mc.Cain than to each other.

I really think it's all very stupid. Do any of you ever think how much we are influenced by the Media--and how would an election really be if we didn't have the Media--they are pretty powerful! Makes me sick how much influence they have over some people

That was already mentioned in my post that the media will fake a story until making one out of nothing. That being said the media is the least of our worries considering how recent elections have been turned over.

I totally agree w/booster1.  The media, the lobbyists, the spin.  It's ugly and it's just going to get uglier all the up until November.  I'm disgusted at the behavior of everyone involved.  This president has trashed the respectibility of the office and we are preparing to elect a bunch of rich, bickering people who are more and more starting to resemble the makings of our own American "Royal family".  Wow, just what we need.   And how can we honestly feel we have made our voice known when we are using unreliable electronic voting machines that are actually owned and maintained by a foreign country.  (Lou Dobbs said it, not me!).   It is almost as if a selection has already been made and we are only going through the motions.    I don't know if I want to vote this year, they are all a bunch of spoiled brats who want to be king of the friggin mountain.

(rant mode off)

  hee hee!

I don't think it's all they do, or even how they actually behave, but it is all the media chooses to show us.  It doesn't have to be what we listen to though.  We can see out information about where they stand on all the issues and base what how we vote on that information. When we are bombarded, day and night, by images of the worst brief moments, we tend to think that that's how it is all the time. I refuse to be manipulated by the media.

They won't depict this on the Republican side because everyone except McCain has dropped out.  I'm not looking forward to the campaign after the primaries.

Actually, compared with the mud slinging in the last presidential race, and other primaries, what's going on here is really mild.  I have a feeling that which ever one wins, the other will throw all their support behind the winner. 

We now interrupt this thread bring you this important message about how to get reliable political information.

And now, back to this thread.

I applaud everyone who is paying attention to the elections.

Don't let them make you so mad/turned off that you decide not to vote.  Sometimes, that's what they want to do. 

Did you know that in a normal off-cycle primary election (such as for state and local offices only) less than 6% of people ever cast a vote in the primary?  And we call that a democratic process?  *shakes head*  Sad.

I agree, Claire. Generally people blame the media instead of  seeking information themselves. Television is their biggest source and very few people on it ' own themselves. ' They've already been bought, as has their dedication. It's all misconstrued, even certain television icons.  Since they don't own themselves or their ' show.' Same thing apples with radio icon/stations, and newspapers and certain authors.

Honestly though. I don't blame the media just the people following stories based on nothing. Enjoying talking about a heated battle that isn't going on. It's like blaming the writers of trash magazines. It's the media's job.... what's our excuse? It's our ' choice ' to take it seriously letting it effect our decisions.

 It's our responsibility as an adult to search for the truth. Some people just don't want to do the work to find it. Or prefer the hottest new story. Ranting about the media is just giving them more props. It's nonsense. The fact is there are more serious problems with our electoral process. Since the vote hasn't mattered in recent elections that've come to pass without consequences. Perhaps, we shouldn't even call it one anymore.

Original Post by enchantingimage:

 The fact is there are more serious problems with our electoral process. Since the vote hasn't mattered in recent elections that've come to pass without consequences. Perhaps, we shouldn't even call it one anymore.

 The vote hasn't mattered? o.O  *mind boggles*

An election has to be close enough to be able to be affected with any sort of non-electoral process (like election fraud or lawsuits) THAT'S why votes matter so much! Because so few people actually bother to inform themselves and vote.  When voter turnout is high, it's exponentially more difficult to "fix" an election.  So that means that your vote matters A LOT!

Project Vote Smart

That's not to say that we don't have some improvements that we could make in how we run and manage elections  Your secretary of state and your local board of elections director are key people who should secure the integrity of your vote - so it really, really matters who you elect to those positions -- see how local elections can matter even more than national ones?

It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. --Joseph Stalin

So, make sure that the people entrusted with counting your votes are of the utmost integrity (not in the pockets of companies that make voting machines) and share your desire for fair, free, and auditable elections.

:)

I notice as well that the main culprits on hyping up this war between the two are republican-leaning media giants.  The Dems haven't even chosen a leader yet and the republicans are already hitting them with a smear campaign. 

I am sorry but I have a hard time finding the difference between Obama and Hilary, I like neither one of them.  They are incredibaly socialist with their ideas of raising taxes and making universal health insurance.  I think that I am voting republican this year...again.  I already pay a lot of taxes and now I have a baby on the way, I certainly can not affort to pay any more taxes.  And what miffs me the most is the fact that as the single mother that I am going to be, my tax break is going to be less than if I was married with a child.  That is totally unfair!  The government needs a bonk on the head, they act like silly ten year olds and spend money on frivilous things and raise taxes to make up for it rather than cut spending.  I am middle class and the middle class is the ones suffering the most!

you can take your less taxes if you want cesty, but when mccain (or nearly any other republican) is in office and you don't find adequate social services for your and your child, you'll know why.

and if i remember correctly, the bigger tax break for married women with children is all part of a GOP initiative to try to push abstinence and stop pre-marital sex.  so yeah, they definitely have your back there.

the middle class may be diminishing all too quickly, but it's definitely not suffering the most.

Very interesting cesty.  You must have one foot into the top 5% of income earners to believe that you will benefit from the republican tax cuts.  Good for you, I guess.

:)

Obama talked about helping the poor and the middle class. He gave ideas for providing short-term stimulus package to try and keep the United States from moving into a recession. He believes that a quick boost to the economy with a “real middle class tax cut” would give immediate relief. He also said that tax breaks should be taken away from companies who are moving their companies overseas.

But, I'm not really sure if anyone would change their vote based on information about the candidates. 

You can't compare the tax deduction 2 people get to the tax deduction 1 person gets.   As a head of household (single parent) you're deduction is higher than married filing separate.  To say otherwise is to imply that you count as two people.  Apples to Apples not Apples to Oranges.   

• Single or Married Filing Separately - $5,350
• Head of Household - $7,850
• Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er) - $10,700

Yeah Cesty... because providing all Americans with healthcare is awful.

And Obama isn't pushing for nationalized healthcare... he's pushing for AFFORDABLE healthcare.


I'm sorry. Even if you're against higher taxes it seems incredibly stupid to vote for a republican when all they're going to do is raise taxes for a pointless, never-ending war. And McCain is nothing but a war-monger anyway...