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ballyhoo

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25. That's exactly what it was. An analogy might be a man standing on

Thu Nov 6, 2014, 11:44 AM

Nov 2014

scaffold about to be hanged. Not yet blindfolded, he looks around the crowd and sees poor people wearing ragged clothes screaming obscenities at him, crumbling buildings with broken glass, and giant policemen waving billy clubs. Unaided, he shakes his head sadly, walks his head into the hangman's noose and jumps.

What is left to saved? We are told our God is a piece of shit, the bible is all crap, religion is crap, women have no rights, we can only do that which the government run by oligarchs say; we break some kind of law every 42 seconds; we have no money to go on vacations because the jobs we are now working pay zilch; we see constant wars every day from the minutes we are born to the day we die; we have choices for elections we wouldn't even let in our houses...etc, etc. Our escape is cute cats and cartoons...

But by all means, voting is paramount...When I picked up my ballot, I recognized maybe three names and one proposition. Now where is that rope?

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Only 36.6% of people voted in this past midterm [View all] bigdarryl Nov 2014 OP

Perhaps it's a sign of non-confidence in the system rather than apathy? nt GliderGuider Nov 2014 #1

I think that's a strong factor. Many people I run into think the system is so F'ed up it is RKP5637 Nov 2014 #4

We are part of the system when we vote. upaloopa Nov 2014 #26

It's getting to be a brick wall. Often I think some democrats prefer to whine than vote, I just RKP5637 Nov 2014 #36

But you let your oppressors know what you think TBF Nov 2014 #88

Bill Moyers suggests it may be due to Voting Restrictions dixiegrrrrl Nov 2014 #10

+1 JHB Nov 2014 #18

The restrictions themselves have a chilling effect... Orsino Nov 2014 #63

+1000000 liberal_at_heart Nov 2014 #12

Yeah, but government is not some game that can just be ignored. Dawgs Nov 2014 #13

Sure it can. jeff47 Nov 2014 #37

But they don't remain the same. Dawgs Nov 2014 #44

And Democrats have run in terror from all of those issues. jeff47 Nov 2014 #46

Not the point. Dawgs Nov 2014 #48

Yes, it is the point. jeff47 Nov 2014 #54

No. The point is that YOU SAID 'peoples problems don't change if they elect Democrats'. Dawgs Nov 2014 #58

You are arguing that Democrats would make things better. I'm pointing out history jeff47 Nov 2014 #61

What? Dawgs Nov 2014 #67

So true! Where was democratic leadership? workinclasszero Nov 2014 #71

I've heard that argument countless times... HoosierRadical Nov 2014 #24

Standing in that Black Friday line solves a problem jeff47 Nov 2014 #39

Your point is well taken, it is just HoosierRadical Nov 2014 #73

I'm with you BeyondGeography Nov 2014 #65

That's exactly what it was. An analogy might be a man standing on ballyhoo Nov 2014 #25

1984 jwirr Nov 2014 #49

Exactly.....I said two days ago after ballyhoo Nov 2014 #55

If folks don't believe their vote matters, they don't vote. NorthCarolina Nov 2014 #31

I want to ask your opinion on something... ballyhoo Nov 2014 #60

Nothing makes sense because NorthCarolina Nov 2014 #90

Yes. Again, I agree with everything you say. Thanks for ballyhoo Nov 2014 #92

At this point I'm pretty sure he's mostly concentrating NorthCarolina Nov 2014 #93

Right on both points. The machine made a great ballyhoo Nov 2014 #94

YES -- that is a key element of the GOP Strategy Martin Eden Nov 2014 #38

You could easily be correct. The Rs have been preaching anti-government from their pulpit for over jwirr Nov 2014 #42

I'm not American, however GliderGuider Nov 2014 #50

And this could be the reason for the not voting? That's what I ballyhoo Nov 2014 #62

Agree about the corporate corruption. And I think you are correct about many who have just dropped jwirr Nov 2014 #66

That, is how a country descends into oblivion as hucksters, shysters and criminals sleaze into RKP5637 Nov 2014 #2

Only slightly less than the number of people who know who runs Congress BeyondGeography Nov 2014 #3

Ugh... Rex Nov 2014 #43

Only 60% of solid liberals answered both correctly? Jamaal510 Nov 2014 #85

Oregon did "ok" fredamae Nov 2014 #5

THEY VOTE BY MAIL! Cosmocat Nov 2014 #28

So does WA & CO n/t fredamae Nov 2014 #30

I'd give som credit to our Sec of State Kate Brown and other officials who actively encourage voting Bluenorthwest Nov 2014 #32

Couldn't agree more-I volunteered fredamae Nov 2014 #35

Yes we did pretty good! neverforget Nov 2014 #87

So Millennials will wait 6 hours in pouring rain for new iPhone - but won't vote Baclava Nov 2014 #6

Pathetic, and then many wonder why everything is so F'ed up in this place loosely called RKP5637 Nov 2014 #7

Millennials came out in droves for Obama. It did not help them. They are still swimming in debt and liberal_at_heart Nov 2014 #11

Oh, so people should only vote when there's something specifically in it for them? Baclava Nov 2014 #14

They aren't voting because Democrats aren't fixing their problems. jeff47 Nov 2014 #45

They had better be worried about Social Security.. or they will end up supporting grandma on top of jwirr Nov 2014 #64

Some did their best, while walking in to vote, a young lady asked me when can she vote for president Baclava Nov 2014 #72

Only they can make it better. upaloopa Nov 2014 #15

shhhhh. they have better things to do with their time than vote Baclava Nov 2014 #21

So they think only voting every 4 years is going to instantly HoosierRadical Nov 2014 #29

Instantly? I've been waiting for Democrats to fix things for 22 years. jeff47 Nov 2014 #40

So what problem are you trying to fix and what have you been doing besides voting to try to get it jwirr Nov 2014 #68

Up until now, not much. jeff47 Nov 2014 #76

Local is the key anyhow. One of the things I am lucky about is that my state MN went pretty much jwirr Nov 2014 #77

Democrats can only do what they have the power to do HoosierRadical Nov 2014 #74

His. Along with the rest of the Democratic party jeff47 Nov 2014 #75

Maybe they simply lost trust because they didn't get what they voted for when they Zorra Nov 2014 #47

Yea, sure, blame us Millennials, not the shitty candidates. Odin2005 Nov 2014 #79

It's disgusting, but did it matter? HereSince1628 Nov 2014 #8

And herein lies the real reason our political process is so screwed up. Brigid Nov 2014 #9

They regularly beat us with money, they regularly beat us with mid-term turnout HereSince1628 Nov 2014 #16

Interestingly, many of the states with very low turnout are red states. Kaleva Nov 2014 #17

Do we know how this matches up to other midterm elections? aikoaiko Nov 2014 #19

yes drray23 Nov 2014 #56

Yes, but close (within 4%) to most midterms since 1972 aikoaiko Nov 2014 #69

Yep. Disgusting. Triana Nov 2014 #20

Voting should be made easier, not more difficult and IMO, it should be mandatory to every American lonestarnot Nov 2014 #22

Yes it should, unfortunately, the people of this country don't care Cosmocat Nov 2014 #27

Yup. What's that latest Taylor Swift album's title like again? Amonester Nov 2014 #83

Thankfully that's unconstitutional LittleBlue Nov 2014 #80

It is disgraceful! bobGandolf Nov 2014 #23

++1 Historic NY Nov 2014 #34

No kidding! n/t bobGandolf Nov 2014 #95

What was the reason for the other 63% to show up on election day? dilby Nov 2014 #33

That is pathetic. Rex Nov 2014 #41

Repubs won nothing, the Democrats lost. Dawson Leery Nov 2014 #51

Considering these were tough fights in red states, I tend to agree with you. Rex Nov 2014 #52

36% was the average national turnout. Dawson Leery Nov 2014 #82

on NPR I heard that drray23 Nov 2014 #53

here is a link with a graphic showing participation rate drray23 Nov 2014 #57

I agree, but not surprising in some places redheaddem Nov 2014 #59

Pathetic workinclasszero Nov 2014 #70

Shaming people into voting for the lesser of the two evils does not work. Odin2005 Nov 2014 #78

"It's almost as if the DLC rat-fuckers WANT to lose" - TBF Nov 2014 #89

Varied WIDELY by state though ctaylors6 Nov 2014 #81

I've got one easy solution to propose: PAY them to vote... Amonester Nov 2014 #84

Hurray for taking for granted what people fought and died for! eom Jamaal510 Nov 2014 #86

I bet none of those 36% were liberals either Capt. Obvious Nov 2014 #91