Comments on: Voters and Their “Senseless” Stories

By: JulietaVenegas

JulietaVenegas — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:27:23 +0000

To go one step further beyond your comment, “most people dislike things that they don't understand,” I think that most people fear the things that they don’t understand. And from fear comes things like hate and dislike and a whole bunch of emotions that are considered negative. I think the fact that things aren’t explained very well is only part of the problem. The other part is simply that people are too lazy to educate themselves about the topics that they don’t understand. They would rather just form an opinion based on nothing and be afraid of things like change and or reform. This isn’t to say that all changes are good, but rather that our society needs to do something to better educate ourselves on the things that we don’t understand.

By: towhead

towhead — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:32:11 +0000

I had the opportunity to see Ben Stein speak on Wednesday, and one of the points he raised was that the idea of healthcare reform has been around for a long time. In fact, he personally helped write a proposal while working for President Nixon. The difference was, that under Stein’s proposal, if you were too poor to get health care, the government would pick up the tab. What a GEM. Obama’s plan was to run health care completely, removing the plans that the majority of Americans are satisfied with. Americans who know that health care is expensive but gladly pay it to avoid rationed health care and long lines to see a doctor. The most recent health care proposal was disgusting. Why take my healthcare from me when I am not complaining about it? Obama tried to strongarm the bill through, and got his ass kicked, and thank God. Liberals didn’t want to fix healthcare, they wanted a massive expansion of government control over our lives. No thanks. Individual freedoms are fading fast enough as it is.
My point is that I agree with the Sam on this one, the People will revolt against anything pushed on them. It was terrifying to watch the opposition to most powerful reform proposition possibly of our lifetime be silenced and helpless. Obama promised open debate, and instead we got a two thousand page document brewed behind doors and three days to read it.
More people need to realize the direct connection between socialized medicine and socialism. Not supporting health care reform makes you sound like a bad guy, but it was this WAY that people were opposed to. Standardizing doctor pay and appropriation of care is not the American way and the voters voted to preserve that way of life. Period. Voters are not stupid. They vote for what sounds like would be in their best interest. It is up to the politician to compose the method of conveying that idea. I don’t like the example used in the article saying that Gore lost the debate because of his use of numbers. His numbers weren’t CLEAR! If no one know what the fuck you are talking about expect to be picked on. Gore’s statement about healthcare premiums increasing used the numbers 18-47 percent. Instead of using vague data like that he could have threatened that premiums could increase by nearly fifty percent. People can visualize fifty percent much more easily than 18-47.
I believe that the majority of voters do vote on gut instinct and secondhand information from family and friends. However, I also believe that this is enough kick bills like the atrocious health care bill the fuck out of DC

By: crm5184

crm5184 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:14:58 +0000

First of all, I just need to say that I hated this article. It was horribly written and there were a bunch of ideas flying all over the place that were not even connected. Not to mention, I consider myself conservative so I feel like much of the criticisms thrown around in this article were aimed at me. But anyways, there are a lot of points to address in this article. First, Dr. Runciman needs to stop acting like the American people are idiots just because they necessarily want a reform that could possibly help them. Yes, health care reform could be beneficial to thousands of people, but many of these people might also value individuals working to support themselves in a non-socialist society. They can choose that value over the possibility of saving money on their medical expenses. It's not a question of question of stupidity or being against something just because you don't like the person proposing the idea- it's about balancing the values you hold as important and coming to an educated decision. And it goes both ways. Personally, the health care reform Obama is proposing would only hurt me and my family (in terms of money) but I understand where these people are coming from and why, despite its potential to help, they are still opposing it. And it's also important to point out that that goes both ways. There are many wealthy liberals who have nothing at all to gain from this reform, yet they still support it on their values and ideals and what they would like to see happening in our society. Then the article moves to discussing "stories trumping facts" and how Obama should have immediately upon taking office blamed the state of our economy on Bush so that no one would this it was his (Obama's) fault… where did that come from? I can't even comment on that its so out of place. I have to admit, I did enjoy Thomas Frank's comment that "It's like a French Revolution in reverse in which the workers come pouring down the street screaming more power to the aristocracy.", but I think it's completely oversimplifying the many factors that go into a person's decision of who to vote for. Health care reform is just one small piece of the huge puzzle of issues that we face every day in America. It might be at the top of some people's lists of issues that need to be addressed, and therefore it would greatly affect their voting style. But some people may find the myriad of other issues more important to them, and who they are going to vote based on their issues and can definitely outweigh how they might vote for a candidate if the issue was health care reform alone. It is not the voters' "preference for emotional engagement" or their resentment towards the "intellectual snobs" that cause them to vote a certain way, but rather a balance of weighing of their views on the economy as a whole, the war in Iraq, and their views on issues such as abortion and legalizing homosexual marriage, as well as so many other things.

By: crm5184

crm5184 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:14:40 +0000

By: JRBonez

JRBonez — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:56:18 +0000

Good old’ politics (such a conundrum), we meet again. The general public and politics is like water and oil or a game of follow the leader in my eyes. There are many people who claim their political party based on what they hear and not on the concrete fact. Such as, people join the Republican Party because they believe that party supports the upper class and people join Democrats because they support the middle class. There is some truth behind this theory but it’s not 100 percent true nor isn’t enough information to make such a decision. That’s key right there, “enough information”. People don’t hold enough information when it comes to politics for all they know is what they believe and what they are told. Where is the research? Where is the physical evidence that proves the “truth” that is being spoken? Research is the key to overcoming politics and returning this system back to the people of the nation. Us as people run the government and we have forgotten this, we allow these people “who represent us” talk to us as if we are children and sweeten us up to gain our approval. Politics is a corrupt system that is based on gaining an advantage that benefits the individual at hand first, 6and then comes the people they represent. We allow this to happen because we don’t want to hear hardcore facts. We’d rather hear the fluff that appeals to our individual opinions and we flock to the individual who is able to catch our interest. In return we shy away from the person with hardcore facts and speak directly to us and not down on us. We generally see this person as the fake and dismiss him and in all actuality he/she is the one that has our interests at heart. In reality the system has become so “dirty” that with adequate research and a knowledge base it is hard to net out the fake from the real. So in a way voters are rendered helpless in a way. Besides gaining knowledge on the topics being presented, knowledge of the representative themselves need to be done. We fail to see who these people actually are but acknowledge what they want us to see them as. The senseless decision making behind voting nowadays also comes from the increase of young voters. Don’t get me wrong, getting the young voters finally involved in politics is good in all, but they don’t actually know why they are voting. This is the fault of the pop culture today. The pop culture today is trying to get young people involved in politics with various slogans that many artists endorse and so one thus hoping to gain the attention of the young. The concept is solid but where they lack is the fact, there is no reason given as to why the young should vote. All you here is “get out and vote”, “your vote matters”, “your vote can make a difference”, okay yea sure but why does it matter, how will it make a difference? Concrete facts doesn’t seem to exist anymore, it’s as if society is based on the theory of appeal instead of actuality. Which in conclusion allows people to act without sense because as long as their ideals or emotions are appealed to they are contempt with what they receive, drowning them in a sense of denial. For when things turn ugly all they’re left saying is: he said, she said, or they promised. Overall we are giving more power to the system to control us in which we are the ones who are supposed to be controlling them.

By: mqp5040

mqp5040 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:20:55 +0000

Why do voters vote against their interests? I don't know but I would tell you why I would do it or why my grandparents did it. Certain things outweigh others. You will never find your ideal candidate. You will never find someone who agrees with you whole-heartedly on every issue. Its the same thing with the friends you choose. Each has their own viewpoint and challenges your ideas and beliefs. But at the end of the day you pick the friends that you know are good people, the ones you feel that if a sticky situation would arise they would be there for YOU no matter if they believe in the things you do or not. I think its somewhat the same with politics. I think you vote for the person who resonates with you. The one you feel is a good person and who will at least try and make the best decisions. Its the human factor–the emotional factor that comes into play when voting for a certain person. Someone you find something in common with even if its not everything.

By: loveofmylife89

loveofmylife89 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:57:24 +0000

Politics is an issue of controversy in its self. Politicians always spring on controversy with the type of ignorant, narrow, and dramatic opinions that they choose to share. I decided a long time ago to never get worked up with Politics because it leaves you ready to smack the lights out of someone and it is not worth it. Watching the presidential debates only invites me to think about my own views of the situation or aspects posed. I listen to both parties, giving no advantage to a certain group and see which individual response came close to the view that I have. I have a pen and paper in hand and grade each response based on how I feel and at the debate I have an idea of who to believe and who I think is garbage. After that I go and read about both candidate before making a decision of who want to vote for.
I think many people go into this voting business to satisfy their parents or friends. But in actuality that should not play a factor. The government trust us to be able to carefully choose who we think will be suitable based on what "you" think not how your aunt Lucy sees it or your boyfriend see it. I don't think everyone is on the same page on how to find the right candidate for them. The whole point of Republican and Democratic is not called for. Its just a means of financial support seriously. People need to realize that an start voting for a purpose.

By: abj5037

abj5037 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:53:48 +0000

Politics is an extremely controversial that so many people have extremely STRONG opinions on. While I do understand that most politicians have their own views, it is impossible for them to satisfy every need of the citizens. The hardcore democrats and die hard republicans will never ever agree on anything. Since there is no way for everyone to be satisfied, we should try to at least do the best we can. By this, we should have certain standards for voting. I remember last election many of my friends just decided to vote on who their friends were voting for. No one knew any background info on the candidates. Some type of education program should be a must to help better educate the future of the US.

By: unconventional

unconventional — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:42:05 +0000

Red vs. Blue, Conservative vs. Liberal, it sounds more like the semi-finals of a boxing match than a democratic nation deciding on which would be the best route to better the nation as a whole. Democracy is defined as “government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system1”. So my question then would be where are the people?
Sure they attend these townhall meetings for a more personal debate environment, but very little seems to be accomplished as these meetings as minds have already been made up before they ever arrive. There is definitely something about telling someone he/she needs help and how they should fix it that rubs most people the wrong way. No one wants to be told what to do rather they want to tell you what should be done. But what baffles me is when clearly the people have no clue how to fix the problem and yet attack the very government they have elected to work for them for coming up with the solutions to problems placed at their dinner tables. Or maybe people just generally love to complain, or it could be as simple as “the more we talk, the more democratic we are.” Sometimes there is more power in thoughtful silence when one is quick to think and slow to speak than loud unguided madness and unnecessary defensiveness.
The Obama administration is doing the job they were elected to do and I get the sense that some people have yet to realize the election is over. I do believe in a people’s right to question their government, but let these questions have some sort of reasoning or at least logical order to back them up. There is nothing more dangerous that a child in an adult body reeking havoc in adult business. Conservatives need to listen more and hear less, whilst Liberals need to be more open minded to what they consider “closed minded” and less critical of those that do not think they way they do. Both sides are, to one degree or another, guilty of short-sightedness and judgment. Yes, conservatives are the obvious scapegoat, but then again for a scapegoat to exist a judge has to be in place and this is where closed-minded liberals come bearing bondage in freedom packaging.
Based on the past elections, it seems emotion governed the population as well as the candidates more than common sense. Everyone, myself included, would always prefer someone who agreed with us, but then again how would we grow and expand if there was never anyone come with opposing ideas that make us evaluate why we believe what we believe. The United States needs as self-check moment to figure out what it really needs and it needs to let the people it has elected to govern do the job they were elected to do by those that chose them and accommodate those that do not necessarily think as they do.
1Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.

By: kjr198

kjr198 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:38:47 +0000

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only Republican in this school. I completely share your beliefs. My parents are hardworking people who don't owe a dime to anyone. They have worked all their lives to pay off their mortgage and to put my sister and I through college so that we can have a strong start in the world. Yet they are being screwed over for not owing money. The hardworking Americans who have dedicated their lives to not owing people and to making sure that they are self sufficient are being screwed over by those who spent well above their means and are being forgiven for it.