I never implied that I base my vote on "personality, looks, mean comments or anything like that." Again, my comments were pertaining to politicians' behavior and nothing to do with how I vote. I am not happy with any of Biden's policies; I would not have voted for Biden under any circumstances and likewise would never vote for Kamala. I am a conservative-leaning independent (likely more of a Libertarian) and I consider each candidate on their own merit and record. I don't give a hoot if a candidate is a Democrat or a Republican, though I oppose the liberal agenda/policies of recent years. Most SOCers know that I am not impressed with Trump, with his massive ego and boorish behavior. Unfortunately if I want to push back on liberal policies then I have no other choice but to vote for him. I don't agree that the childish behavior, name calling, etc. has been going on for years. Probably because social media wasn't so prevalent in years past, but in my memory politicians were more respectful, at least in public. I don't remember anything close to what goes on now in elections prior to 2016, but then society as a whole is circling the drain. People are generally just meaner, more rude, and more self-serving than at any other time in my recollection.
During the 1800 presidential campaign, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson ran pretty ugly campaigns. Jefferson accused Adams of having a "hideous hermaphroditical character," while Jefferson was called a "mean-spirited, low-lived fellow."
Beth, I think if you read my comments again you will see that I was talking about what I do and don't base MY vote on, not you, but if you feel insulted then I apologize. I am used to a different crowd in my usual political haunts and I do try to dial it back here and also not to spend too much time in a forum where some dislike the topic of politics but I will say a few more things, respectfully, I hope. We've just gone through 3 1/2 years of destruction to this country and many people blame Trump's loss in 2020 on his tweets. It is a hot button issue. There is no doubt that he lost votes, if not the election, because people voted for 'nice' guy Joe instead of smart mouth Trump. And he may lose this election due to his inability to dial it down enough to please everyone. If that happens we can look forward to 4 years of extremely radical Harris. America should be just about done at the end of her time. Ken has alluded to a couple of comments from an earlier time and they don't sound particularly polite to me. It's something I've read about before. I think it was even worse during the Continental Congress. So before there was a period of time when politicians were polite enough there were periods when they were very outspoken. There just wasn't Twitter during those periods. Disagreements can come down to fist fights in Japan's parliament and it gets pretty rough in England's parliament as well. They have brawls where everyone gets involved. At least Trump hasn't slugged anybody yet. And then there is this: Before the Civil War, Congress Was a Hotbed of Violence Scuffles seem to break out in parliaments and legislatures around the world. The last few years saw a brawl in Taiwan, a face-punch in Ukraine and a mass fight in South Africa. The floor of the U.S. Congress is home today to plenty of verbal abuse and name-calling, but rarely sees anything physical. In her new book, Field of Blood, Joanne B. Freeman, Yale professor of history and American studies, finds that violence used to be the norm in the Capitol, almost two centuries ago, when fists flew, pistols were drawn and the threat of violence was all pervasive. She writes, “The antebellum Congress had its admirable moments, but it wasn’t an assembly of demigods. It was a human institution with very human failings.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/field-of-blood_article-180970043/
No problem, Vada. And certainly no apology necessary!! I was concerned that I wasn't clear in what I was trying to convey (which is often the case .)
Arguments among ourselves, is exactly what They want. We all have to try and make an educated guess as to whom might serve us better. They all lie, it is proven over and over again. In all my years not one damn time had any nominee, president or vice president - or members of Congress ever been totally liked with out prejudice. But I think it is important that officials keep a certain decorum of at least appearing to be civil and with some integrity. It is said- when Life hands you lemons make lemonade... I'll have a whiskey chaser with that, thank you.
A correction is needed from the direction we were headed, in my opinion. That should tell you who I’m voting for. My ideal candidate isn’t one of the choices unfortunately.
Power belongs closest to the people. The Fed is corrupt, and craps on the Constitution daily. We are not meant to be lorded over by central authority in Washington. The individual who occupies the Oval Office should have negligible impact on our lives.
Good morning to all- I repeat Ms. Gallagher's greeting- welcome to the forum Solomon. This is a group of widely diverging opinions bur most opinions are expressed in a civil manner. We look forward to reading your posts. you all be safe and keep well- Ed
That's why the federal government was intended to be weak, except in the areas of the national defense and international trade. Welcome to the forum, @Solomon Smith.
Watch the first 2 minutes of this. I don't know whether the rest of is it worthwhile because I don't know this guy, but the Trump ad at the start is good. Okay, this guy doesn't seem to be worth listening to but the 2-minute ad at the start is worth watching.
Here's a prime example of what annoys me most about Trump. Why does he say stuff like this? I mean, what the actual hell? As former President Donald Trump wrapped his nearly 75-minute speech on Friday night, he delivered a final pitch to the Christian conservative crowd, saying if they vote for him on Election Day, they would never be obligated to vote again. "I don't care how, but you have to get out and vote," Trump said at Turning Point Action's Believers Summit in West Palm Beach. "Christians, get out and vote just this time. You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years. You know what? It'll be fixed," Trump said. He added: "I love you, Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote."--ABC News
That statement definitely does add fuel to the left’s lie that Trump wants to be a monarch of sorts or a dictator thereby destroying our “democracy”. I’m sure that most know what he’s attempting to convey. It kind of goes along with his “you’re going to win so much you won’t want to win any more” phrase that he used in his initial campaign for the 2016 elections. That said, he for sure did shoot himself in the foot this time and the left is going to use his own words against him no matter the context or intent for the rest of the campaign and beyond.
First, what he said wouldn't make sense to a secular audience. Trump was speaking to Christians who know their own voting record with him in the past. Some Christians don't like what he says and did not vote for him last time because the things he said and the way he said them were more important to them than what he had promised to do. Now they know what he actually did. He was alluding to their voting record, not very well, but obviously trying to get votes. Second, he can't run again so this is the last time anyone can vote for him. The media didn't bother pointing that out. They love to blow up stuff like this to upset as many people as they can. It wouldn't matter what he said, the media will use it and some will see it the way the media want them to see it. Third, the Democrat candidate is being put in place without a single vote from the people. Maybe they should think a bit more about democracy because that is not what a democracy does, it's what a third world dictatorship does. Trump and Vance are going to speak nearly every day between now and the election, sometimes twice a day and the media will blow up something from every speech. It's guaranteed. There's an article that covers this latest flap from multiple angles. It offers a lot of opinions, something for everybody. https://twitchy.com/brettt/2024/07/...y-wouldnt-have-to-vote-in-four-years-n2398917