Bush: The Protests Don't Matter!

[Miss Modular]

From today's Washington Post:

Bush said that the size of the protests against a possible U.S.-led war against Iraq was irrelevant.

and

"Democracy is a beautiful thing, and that people are allowed to express their opinion," Bush said.


>:

[BombsBurstingInAir]

He is correct...they are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. I think he also said that he "respectfully disagrees" with the protestors.

[Ronnie Raygun]

..as do I.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

He is correct...they are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

1.5 million people in England are irrelevant?? hundreds of thousands of people across the USA are irrelevant? Does it ever itch or burn to be so condescending...?

[Miss Modular]

Kevin, as long as the opinion polls favor the war, they will continue to be irrelevant. :rolleyes

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Well in that case they are VERY relevant in England....

[BombsBurstingInAir]

I did not mean to be condescending.

I just meant that I respectfully disagree with their view on this matter and that "in the grand scheme of things" the "protests" are irrelevant...guess Bush and I should have clarified that.

I wish there didn't have to be war, but sometimes it is the only solution that our feeble minds can come up with :(

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I wish there didn't have to be war, but sometimes it is the only solution that our feeble minds can come up with :(

I know. You should fix that. :(

[slavemason]

Protestors would be relevant if we lived in a Democracy, therein lies the problem. :goth

[KevinTheOmnivore]

We do live in a democracy, and most of those protesters probably don't vote anyway.

[slavemason]

President Bush...Democracy? :lol

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Well then what are you prepared to do about the electoral college...? Don't blame Bush for taking advantage of a flawed system....

[BombsBurstingInAir]

Actually the United States is and has been a representative republic.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

And what electoral pretense does a republic work under??? BUSH SUCKS, OK MISTER SMART PANTS!!?

[sadie]

if the us were an official democracy, we'd still be in the same shape, considering the percentages of actual voters, right?

current shape: nonogon.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

No, because Gore won the popular vote.

[El Blanco]

So Bush didn't give in to mob rule. OK. We pay him to lead, not follow.

And if we were a true Democracy, Strom Thurman and George Wallace would have both been president by now.

I don't think any president since FDR won more than 50% of the vote.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

So Bush didn't give in to mob rule. OK. We pay him to lead, not follow.

Right, and we "pay" the Congress to be reflective of the people, and to likewise be a counter-balance to the President's autonomy. So how does that work out when you have a Republican controlled majority in Congress, as well as a fairly weak opposition party as the minority...?

we were a true Democracy, Strom Thurman and George Wallace would have both been president by now.

I think this is an extreme answer that isn't necessarily true. Extreme candidates win office under current rules, too. Bob Barr managed to exist in Georgia, and Bernie Sanders is doing just fine in Vermont.

Your argument is also a very condescending one that shows little faith in the American people. If we live in a nation where a lunatic could be popularly elected, don't you think we have more problems than just the functions of our government...?

think any president since FDR won more than 50% of the vote.

This would change if we had a higher voter turnout. Maybe people need to feel insentive??

[El Blanco]

So how does that work out when you have a Republican controlled majority in Congress,

How did they get there again?

Extreme candidates win office under current rules, too. Bob Barr managed to exist in Georgia, and Bernie Sanders is doing just fine in Vermont.


And they are doing just fine in the small areas they are confined to. They were directly elected by the people of their region. That doesn't mean they should be running the country.

Your argument is also a very condescending one that shows little faith in the American people.

Gee, I wonder how my faith was shattered. Could it be the fact that American Idol gets more voters than a presidential election?

If we live in a nation where a lunatic could be popularly elected, don't you think we have more problems than just the functions of our government...?


We do have more problems than the functions of our government.

This would change if we had a higher voter turnout. Maybe people need to feel insentive??

You have say in choosing the Leader of the Free World and can better your life and the life of your children. What more do people want? A DVD box set of the campaign? Maybe a CD of all the contestants.....er, candidates.

[ItalianStereotype]

No, because Gore won the popular vote.

as i have said before, if gore were president, the west coast would probably be a muslim stronghold by now.

either that or he would have done something equally as ridiculous, like pay al-qaeda indemnities or something.

[Abcdxxxx]

Not sure what shocks me more. Bush's quote (shades of Nixon?) or that anyone was really idealistic enough to think the protets do matter as anything but a soul cleansing experience.

The protest I would have liked to attended would have been right after the election when out civil liberties WERE taken away, votes weren't counted, and a Democratic candidate handed over a peoples election. Where were we then?

[Vibecrewangel]

Gee, I wonder how my faith was shattered. Could it be the fact that American Idol gets more voters than a presidential election?

Sad but true. Even if many of the voters for American Idol are below voting age. Who knows, maybe it will catch on and this coming generation will vote as they get older.

I can just see the tv and radio spots to promote the election. It would be marketing from hell.

The sad thing is, our political leaders are way out of touch with the generations behind them. But what is even worse is that the generations behind us tend to be even more out of touch with government, politics and the world at large than any generation before them.
I am frightened when hearing a 20 year old say "world war 2? that's like ancient history." I mentioned that "ancient history" wouldn't have involved their grandparents.
I know so many people in that same generation who think that Vietnam was "that thing with the hippies"
Korea? What happend there?
And don't even ask them about any of the mid-east conflicts. Even Desert Storm is something they barely remember.
I had a very good friend of mine who is in her early 20's tell me to leave her alone on 9/11 when the usual panic phone calls start to get made. Her response was "why does everyone keep calling. So what some people got killed. It's in NY it doesn't affect me. I'm going back to bed." To this day she still doesn't think it's a big deal. She knows nothing of the events surrounding the mid east or Korea. She simply doesn't care.
Needless to say, my friendship with her has dwindled as has my friendship with many people younger than me. I used to think it was because the mental age gap was an issue again, and then I realized it is more than that. I simply can't be around people that out of touch with the world around them.
To so many of the younger generations Eurpoe is a place to go see with cool buildings and a lot of visual history. But ask them about the culture, about the people past and present and they look at you blankly. How many people want to see the pyamids, but think nothing of the people who built them and the decendents alive today? Or how many people want to go to Japan to be at the electronic meca yet know nothing of the current culture other than anime and badly reproduced weapons, much less the history.

Gah....I am disgusted again. Some times it seems so obvious why the rest of the wold hates us.
We should stop trying to tell the rest of the world what to do and fix our own problems. We have enough of them.

[El Blanco]

The protest I would have liked to attended would have been right after the election when out civil liberties WERE taken away, votes weren't counted, and a Democratic candidate handed over a peoples election. Where were we then?

You mean they didn't count the votes that were improperly filled out? what about the military votes the Democrats always manage to flush in Florida? Why did no one care until it finally bit the guy the media likes in the ass? Stop whining.

[FS]

I think sometimes that it might be good for America to fade out of the role of "the last superpower" and become more "just another country, but bigger". It had nothing to do with wanting to see the US fail or get beaten down, but I believe that such humility would provide an eye-opener for Americans to the rest of the world. Of course, narrow-minded and ignorant morons exist in every nation (and abundantly), but an isolated, rich and powerful nation like the US seems to narrow the mind to one's own shores even more.

I'm making a bit of a broad generalization here, but keep in mind that I consider the majority of humanity to be imbeciles in their own way, and find the majority of people who post here very open-minded and intelligent.

Anyway, I hope the protests go into the history books. Despite that they could not possibly prevent the upcoming war, they might be a lesson for the future anyway.

[El Blanco]

Hey, vibe, can you appreciate the irony? The generation that grows up with satelite TV, radio, internet, cell phones, Palm pilots, and a ton of other communication devices turns out to be a bunch of shut ins.

[Vibecrewangel]

That made me lol then it made me sad. :(

I don't know if this is popular any where else, but for a while a lot of "apartment communities" were popping up here that had a dry cleaner, a deli, a small gocery store, a pharmacy, private underground parking with private entrances to each unit, washers and dryers in each unit, private boxes for pea pod or any other delivery service to leave your groceries should decide to use an online method and many other amenities all in a gated community. Short of going to work, you never had to see another living person.
And the only people who could afford these? People in the .com industries during the boom. Talk about irony.

[El Blanco]

That sounds almost like the housing projects in NYC, except for the whole internet shopping and millionares living there.

[roonTing]

Does Donahue make anyone else laugh? I thought tonights was interesting. How he won't let the pro-war gurus speak, and what not. I don't know, everyone on that show is closed minded. But they all preach the same thing. War isn't always needed, know what things are about, and always remember that if you hate war you are a DIRTY FUCKING TERRORIST BITCH, YOU UN-AMERICAN BASTARD! FUCKING COMMIE! GET THE FUCK OUT WHORE! :) I love you too.

[Abcdxxxx]

Hey Blanco - I'm not talking about Democrat votes you dumb fuck... or any votes in specific...I'm just saying ALL votes should be counted. ALL. Not because it would always change the outcome of an election, but because it's our right to have our vote count. Also, it wasn't just wasted uncounted ballots I'm talking about... I'm talking about poor rural areas where roadblocks prevented people from getting to the polls, and other weirdness that went on.

[AChimp]

Why do they hold elections for a couple hours on ONE day? When you've got 300 million people to go through, shouldn't the actual voting be stretched out for a couple days to give more people a chance?

[GAsux]

You silly Canadians and you're crazy ideas about fairness and common sense. Jeez.

[AChimp]

The cold just puts these funny thoughts into our heads. Of course, we never listen to them, either, since they're so crazy.

[GAsux]

I have the solution to voter apathy problems that will restore this nation to the democratic principles it's so long aspired to.

In the Summer of 2004, Fox will begin airing a new series entitled "American President". Each week the overly dramatized contestants will pose as viable candidates, and will engage in various tests of knowledge and ability. These tests will include reciting passages from the Constitution while "God Bless America" plays in the background, a homemade "patriotic" swim suit contest, and a single elimination sword fighting tournament.

Each week America will vote via the internet and crafty 1-900 numbers to eliminate the risk of miscounted votes, hanging chads, etc. The candidates will be narrowed down each week until the grand finally during the first week of November during which the final two candidates will battle it out in a winner take all Greco Roman wrestling match.

The winner will be determined by popular vote (again via the internet/1-900 number method). At the end of the two hour show, the new American president will be announced by Carson Daly during a special "Election Episode" of TRL.

[Baalzamon]

The truly sad thing is is that it would probably have a higher voter turnout :(

[El Blanco]

and a single elimination sword fighting tournament.


Am I the only one who got a seriously warped image with that phrase?

[El Blanco]

I'm just saying ALL votes should be counted.

All votes that are properly and timely filled out are counted. What more can you ask for?

it wasn't just wasted uncounted ballots I'm talking about... I'm talking about poor rural areas where roadblocks prevented people from getting to the polls, and other weirdness that went on.

Like? Sources?

Like I always say, when Alexander Hamilton thought the average person was too dumb to pick the president, he was on to something.

[Abcdxxxx]

Well I would recap two years of reporting on the subject of various voting issues, but you seem to think the right to vote is some survival of the fittest intelligence test or something. Moron.

[El Blanco]

I'm a moron? Then how come I was proven right?

[sadie]

you two really should get yourselves a private room. ;)

[El Blanco]

You'll watch and like it! >: >:

[roonTing]

A full day is more than enough to show up and vote. People who are "stopped at rural road blocks" are, generally, Conservatives anyway. If you are smart enough to go vote, good for you. If not, oh well. If you aren't smart enough to read the directions, that sucks for you. Don't cry about it, read the directions the next time.

[Carnivore]

It's not so much the the American people are too dumb to choose their leaders, it's that they're lied to and misled. Only Ronnie Raygun would've voted for GW if he said, "I'm going to make the rich more rich, finish my daddy's war, and fuck with civil right."

[Ronnie Raygun]

"Bob Barr managed to exist in Georgia" - Kevin

He's soon to be elected by the 6th district. The same district the Bush was vistiting today.

He used to be my congressman in the 7th. And he always won 80% of the vote in my county.

I was hoping he'd run for senate but he's just not moderate enough for that.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I had to cover McKinney and Barr's primary losses for a campaigns & elections class I took last semester.

RONNIE, maybe you could answer this for me. People tried to simply peg both their losses on "extremism," but I disagree. In looking at the guy who beat Barr, his platform seemed JUST as conservative. I think Barr's mouth is what makes him seem more "extreme," much like McKinney. What say you?


On another note, Election Day should be a paid, government holiday. There's no reason we should have off on Veterans Day, a day supposedly set up to honor those who defended our republic, and then NOT have off on election day, a day where we are decided as citizens the FUTURE of our republic.

Oh, and ElBlanco, I find myself in such disagreement with you that I am actually AGREEING with Abcdxxxx. Cut it out. >:

[Ronnie Raygun]

Barr and Mckinney lost because of cross over voting.....

I was working the polls and it was funny to see all the democrats voting Republican.

And Barr didn't lose because of his mouth.....you should know this since you wrote a paper on it.......Barr lost because the state dems changed the districts to make two Conservatives run against each other. Linder pretty much got to keep his entire district and Barr lost most of his.

Get the facts straight Bro.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Barr and Mckinney lost because of cross over voting.....

THIS is what I put in my paper!! >:

And Barr didn't lose because of his mouth.....you should know this since you wrote a paper on it.......Barr lost because the state dems changed the districts to make two Conservatives run against each other. Linder pretty much got to keep his entire district and Barr lost most of his.

Ok, let me clarify myself. I agree that the cross over voting and the re-districting (especially in Barr's case) hurt them. But NATIONALLY, it was viewed as two zealots being replaced in a time where we as a post-9/11 nation needed "calm words."

I found this to be ridiculous, but my point was that Barr, being very outspoken, SEEMED more extreme, although in reality, he wasn't.

Get the facts straight Bro.

This is what I get for agreeing with a crazy conservative. :(

[Ronnie Raygun]

Sorry. But you didn't say you agreed until after I made those statements.

[Morgan]

what the hell does bush know...the bastard is so bloody shallow minded that he makes some bad things seem good..I'm being completely byist but I truly do not agree on most of his statements or choices.

[MrAdventure]

SHUT THE FUCK UP :)

[Anonymous]

as i have said before, if gore were president, the west coast would probably be a muslim stronghold by now.
A Muslim stronghold is worse than a Christian stronghold how?

[El Blanco]

California is a Christian stronghold?

what the hell does bush know...the bastard is so bloody shallow minded that he makes some bad things seem good..I'm being completely byist but I truly do not agree on most of his statements or choices.

What the holy hell is that?

[Anonymous]

It's somewhat irrelevant as to whether it is or isn't, the point is that if it were, it would please him.

But sure, the entire US is a Christian stronghold.