Poll

Who you voting for?

Obama
90 (59.2%)
Romney
22 (14.5%)
Other
40 (26.3%)

Total Members Voted: 147

Voting closed: October 31, 2012, 09:49:48 AM

Author Topic: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll  (Read 34780 times)

Nephi

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #100 on: November 01, 2012, 05:47:30 PM »
You may chalk it up to cultural silliness, maybe I do as well, but people who are devoted to their religion believe those things to be true and sacred. Would we accept a candidate who believes in drinking the blood of Christ and eating his body?

Don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't.  Though note again that there's a difference between paying lip service because that's your cultural/ethnic background, and demonstrating by your actions that you really do believe it.  I assume you're referring to Kennedy here?  Well, look at his biography: did he spend time serving as a Catholic missionary (thereby conveniently avoiding serving in WWII)?  Did he act like he really believed all the religious stuff?  I don't think so.

[QUOTE[Islam has been around for a long time, and yes it was founded by a self proclaimed prophet (Muhammad) like Mormanism but many parts of the Koran are related to parts of the Christian bible which was created under Judaism.  I fail to realize how this was created to make money.


I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormon). I just wanted to clarify some things about the belief. Concerning the quotation above, we do not actually believe we are literally eating the flesh of Christ nor that we are drinking his blood. (To my knowledge it is the Catholics that believe that it is literally the flesh and blood, although I can't say for sure because I'm not Catholic). To us it is purely symbolic. The "magic underwear" (no idea where the magic part came from...) is actually sacred garments that are worn by those members that have covenanted to wear them. There is no monetary profit for the members, even those in leadership positions. I'm not sure what others in this forum have meant when they suggest that Joseph Smith created the religion for his own personal monetary profit. He was constantly rejected, hunted, and persecuted because of it, and by no means became wealthy from it.

I definitely agree with the quotation about the similarities in religions. I have visited Catholic, Muslim, and Hindu services as part of a Humanities project and found that at least the Catholic and Muslim religions are more similar to the LDS religion than I ever thought before. Hindu... Not so much.

Just thought I'd clear up some of the misconceptions people have about my religion. :)

By the way, the best source for information on the LDS church is www.lds.org

TheDude

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #101 on: November 01, 2012, 07:39:32 PM »
The "magic underwear" (no idea where the magic part came from...) is actually sacred garments that are worn by those members that have covenanted to wear them.

Sure you can say all that but isn't just more fun to call them magic underwear?

Jamesqf

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #102 on: November 01, 2012, 10:44:07 PM »
Concerning the quotation above, we do not actually believe we are literally eating the flesh of Christ nor that we are drinking his blood. (To my knowledge it is the Catholics that believe that it is literally the flesh and blood, although I can't say for sure because I'm not Catholic).

Yes, I think that was intended as a reference to Kennedy.

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The "magic underwear" (no idea where the magic part came from...)

Not magic underwear (that's another issue), but the magic spectacles that supposedly allowed Joseph Smith to read those alleged (but no longer available, alas) plates of gold inscribed in ancient "reformed Egyptian" characters.

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I'm not sure what others in this forum have meant when they suggest that Joseph Smith created the religion for his own personal monetary profit. He was constantly rejected, hunted, and persecuted because of it, and by no means became wealthy from it.

Note that intending to do something, such as profiting from one's new religion, does not mean that one necessarily manages to do so.  But Smith did become "prophet, priest and king" of his substantial body of followers, and got to have sex with lots of women.  His successors certainly seem to have profited considerably.  See for instance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_House_(Salt_Lake_City) - not too shabby for the leader of a group of emigrants with less than a decade in their new home.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 03:08:52 PM by Jamesqf »

liquidbanana

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #103 on: November 02, 2012, 05:06:40 AM »
I am not voting since I moved to a new state and it's too late to register here. And I'm not driving hundreds of miles to vote. Yes, my mom thinks I'm a bad person.

It's a bummer though because I live in Arkansas now and I'd like to vote for medical marijuana. Because I want to get high, duh! (irony.)

I would vote for Obama. Mostly for many of the reasons Bakari stated. He came from a muti-cultural working class family. He may be under the influence of lobbyists and corporations, but at least he has some kind of perspective on what life really is like for most people in the United States. Mitt Romney, not so much.

Also, I'm still a fairly big fan of Obamacare. I would prefer single payer, but as a self-employed person who has been unable to get private health insurance for the last five years due to a pregnancy related condition that I will likely never deal with again....it is a lifesaver for me. Like figuratively and literally. And I really do feel that Obama had good intentions with pushing it as close to single payer as possible. But politicians have to do what they have to do to get votes and legislation passed.

I'm also pleasantly surprised by all the non-swing state people in this forum who realize that it is okay to vote third party. The "ralph nader voters elected bush" thing gets to me sometimes....

Mrs MM

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #104 on: November 02, 2012, 10:01:32 AM »

This quote seems apt.

“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”

Great quote!  I voted for Obama. 

Will

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #105 on: November 02, 2012, 10:55:26 PM »

I'm also pleasantly surprised by all the non-swing state people in this forum who realize that it is okay to vote third party. The "ralph nader voters elected bush" thing gets to me sometimes....

The fact that we even have "swing states" is what bothers me.  The Electoral College needs to go; everyone's vote in every state should matter.  It should be the popular vote that determines who wins.

Ottawa

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #106 on: November 05, 2012, 06:30:56 AM »
Mustachians may be more aligned with Canadians on the political front with their leadership choice?!

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/04/canada-calls-the-u-s-election-guess-who-wins-obama-or-romney/

Self-employed-swami

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #107 on: November 05, 2012, 07:31:40 AM »
Mustachians may be more aligned with Canadians on the political front with their leadership choice?!

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/04/canada-calls-the-u-s-election-guess-who-wins-obama-or-romney/

Indeed. I did an informal, unscientific poll of some other Canadian's I know (another online community) and they were about 75% Obama too.

tehfury87

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #108 on: November 06, 2012, 09:08:00 AM »
I voted for Jill Stein for many reasons.  The Bush administration had a blatant disregard for the Constitution and Obama has continued or expanded many of his worst policies under the guise of "change."  Romney, of course, doesn't even promise any such change.
My candidate of choice is actually Rocky Anderson, but he was not on the ballot in my state, so I went with Jill Stein who ran on mostly the same platform but just doesn't quite have the same experience and statesmanship as Anderson.

I was surprised to find in this thread that some people did not know about the 5% vote needed by third parties to get public campaign funds.  It is just one of the ways that a 3rd party vote really counts, and I hope that if there is anyone reading this who hasn't voted yet, that you seriously consider it.

To relate this a bit to this forum, MMM talks about optimism and how we should not fret so much about elections because the economy is going to be fine almost whatever happens.  I agree with him -- we are smart frugal people and can handle it even if the economy takes a dive.  However, when it comes to civil liberties, the environment, and war, we have to be vigilant.  Obama and Romney are both on the same wrong side of these issues.

arebelspy

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #109 on: November 06, 2012, 10:13:36 AM »
To relate this a bit to this forum, MMM talks about optimism and how we should not fret so much about elections because the economy is going to be fine almost whatever happens.  I agree with him -- we are smart frugal people and can handle it even if the economy takes a dive.  However, when it comes to civil liberties, the environment, and war, we have to be vigilant.  Obama and Romney are both on the same wrong side of these issues.

Well said.
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Secret Stache

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #110 on: November 06, 2012, 04:20:57 PM »
well, I was able to get my vote in and it only took 10 minutes.  Everyone must have early voted at the polling place that I went to lol.  +1 for Gary Johnson

PaulM12345

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #111 on: November 06, 2012, 04:39:43 PM »
I live in a safely Democratic state and I voted for Jill Stein because:

I live in a safely Democratic state (I'd have voted for Obama in a swing state)
I want to support a 3rd party
I oppose drone strikes
I oppose the patriot act
I support a strong social safety net for the poor
I support strong environmental protections

That said, I'll be glad to learn that Obama has won the presidency again.

atelierk

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #112 on: November 06, 2012, 07:11:05 PM »
I live in a safely Democratic state and I voted for Jill Stein because:

I live in a safely Democratic state (I'd have voted for Obama in a swing state)
I want to support a 3rd party
I oppose drone strikes
I oppose the patriot act
I support a strong social safety net for the poor
I support strong environmental protections

That said, I'll be glad to learn that Obama has won the presidency again.

Exactly the same here.

spider1204

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #113 on: November 06, 2012, 08:20:19 PM »
http://www.isidewith.com/results/217027799

Apparently, I needed to vote for Jill Stein and Gary Johnson's lovechild.  Just went with Johnson since he seems to have a better chance of getting the 5%.

sol

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #114 on: November 06, 2012, 10:26:50 PM »
All of you folks who voted Libertarian or Green should take note that it looks like Florida, Virginia, and Ohio are all going to be decided by margins much smaller than third party candidates took.

I won't presume to know which way third party voters might have voted if they had stayed within the two party system, but it's pretty clear that they could have swayed the election if even a portion of them had stuck with Democrats or Republicans.

Bakari

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #115 on: November 06, 2012, 10:50:22 PM »
Just finished 15 hours of enabling democracy.

All of our numbers matched at the end of the night, and nobody had to wait more than a few minutes.

Your welcome America.

Now I'm going to sleep.

atelierk

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #116 on: November 07, 2012, 05:03:36 AM »
All of you folks who voted Libertarian or Green should take note that it looks like Florida, Virginia, and Ohio are all going to be decided by margins much smaller than third party candidates took.

I won't presume to know which way third party voters might have voted if they had stayed within the two party system, but it's pretty clear that they could have swayed the election if even a portion of them had stuck with Democrats or Republicans.

I think many people, like myself, that made the decision to vote third party did so based on their location in a non-swing state. In my case, I've lived in NY all my life. You don't have to be a political junkie here to realize that NY is solidly blue when it comes to presidential elections. The last Republican presidential candidate NY went for was Ronald Reagan. As Wikipedia puts it:

Today, although New York is still the third largest prize in the Electoral College with 31 votes, it is usually considered an uncontested "blue state"--meaning that it is presumed safe for the Democrats. The last time a Republican made a serious effort in the state was George H.W. Bush in 1988. Since 1992, the national Republican Party has effectively ceded New York to the Democrats. In addition, despite having a Republican governor for 12 years, New York appears to have trended more Democratic.

So I felt very safe in voting for Jill Stein this time, knowing Obama would again carry NY. In the end, I got the guy I (sorta) wanted while still putting in my 2 cents in favor of (hopefully) strengthening a third party's chances in the future. If I lived in Ohio or Florida or some other critcal "swing" state, you can bet I would have voted for Obama.

Jack

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #117 on: November 07, 2012, 06:41:09 AM »

I'm also pleasantly surprised by all the non-swing state people in this forum who realize that it is okay to vote third party. The "ralph nader voters elected bush" thing gets to me sometimes....

The fact that we even have "swing states" is what bothers me.  The Electoral College needs to go; everyone's vote in every state should matter.  It should be the popular vote that determines who wins.

What, and remove what little shred of Federalism we have left? I think we'd be better off to restore the Electoral College to how it was intended to be, chosen by state legislators. The States need to get some of their power back from the Feds, and need to matter to the average voter again.

It's first-past-the-post voting that sucks....

(I voted third-party, in a red state.)

arebelspy

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #118 on: November 07, 2012, 07:09:56 AM »
All of you folks who voted Libertarian or Green should take note that it looks like Florida, Virginia, and Ohio are all going to be decided by margins much smaller than third party candidates took.

I won't presume to know which way third party voters might have voted if they had stayed within the two party system, but it's pretty clear that they could have swayed the election if even a portion of them had stuck with Democrats or Republicans.

I'm in a swing state (although not one with a small margin like you mention) and I'd rather vote what I feel is right than something I feel is wrong, regardless of if my one vote would have changed the main outcome.  I won't compromise myself that way.  Others may feel different.

Also what about all those folks whose vote doesn't matter anyway (someone voting Romney in California, or someone voting Obama in Texas).. there could have been a LOT more voting third party where it wouldn't have any effect other than possibly getting the third party to 5%.

And finally, what you state isn't even true for most of the swing states (Nevada, Colorado, etc.) and not even true for two of the three you mention (Ohio and Virginia).  It looks like Florida may be the only case where it is correct, and then by only .2%?  The numbers I'm seeing are Obama 49.8, Romney 49.3, Johnson 0.5, Stein 0.1, Barr 0.1.

So in almost every case, and nearly in that one as well, your argument isn't true, and shouldn't be used to try to encourage people to stick with a two party system to our country's detriment, IMO.

BTW, congrats on your state passing two very progressive ballot initiatives.
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sol

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #119 on: November 07, 2012, 08:12:27 AM »
And finally, what you state isn't even true for most of the swing states (Nevada, Colorado, etc.) and not even true for two of the three you mention (Ohio and Virginia).  It looks like Florida may be the only case where it is correct, and then by only .2%?  The numbers I'm seeing are Obama 49.8, Romney 49.3, Johnson 0.5, Stein 0.1, Barr 0.1.

It was true when I posted it, but the margins firmed up after that.  At the time, all three of them had margins of less than 100k votes and two of them were separated by like 25k votes. 

People should vote for whichever candidate they like, and I won't complain.  But I've recently seen a trend towards people saying things like "my vote won't count anyway, so I'll vote third party to make a statement" and in this election, at least for a while, it looked like those people might have been the deciding factor.

[/quote]
BTW, congrats on your state passing two very progressive ballot initiatives.
[/quote]

Thanks, I guess.  Much of the local conservative media predicted that today would be a statewide disaster as everyone simultaneously does the rumpy pumpy at 4:20.  Without laws to constrain us, society will devolve into chaos!

I'm not too worried.

AdrianM

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #120 on: November 07, 2012, 01:56:35 PM »
I am just grateful this whole sideshow is over after two years of hearing about it consistently and I don't even live in the US.


atelierk

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #121 on: November 09, 2012, 08:18:07 AM »
I am just grateful this whole sideshow is over after two years of hearing about it consistently and I don't even live in the US.

For some people, it apparently is not over...and never will be, I guess. This is what happens when you get lost in the vortex:

However, for me, I'm choosing another rather unique path; a personal boycott, if you will. Starting early this morning, I am going to un-friend every single individual on Facebook who voted for Obama, or I even suspect may have Democrat leanings. I will do the same in person. All family and friends, even close family and friends, who I know to be Democrats are hereby dead to me. I vow never to speak to them again for the rest of my life, or have any communications with them. They are in short, the enemies of liberty. They deserve nothing less than hatred and utter contempt.

There's lots more, including the suggestion that you should divorce you spouse or quit your job if the person you're married to or work for voted the "wrong" way.

After I read this, I thought maybe this guy was only one sick puppy...but the comments quickly shot that notion down. Misery sure does love company.

Please tell me that people like this are just a teeny, tiny minority out there. Please.
« Last Edit: November 09, 2012, 08:20:30 AM by atelierk »

TheDude

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #122 on: November 09, 2012, 09:23:53 AM »
However, for me, I'm choosing another rather unique path; a personal boycott, if you will. Starting early this morning, I am going to un-friend every single individual on Facebook who voted for Obama, or I even suspect may have Democrat leanings. I will do the same in person. All family and friends, even close family and friends, who I know to be Democrats are hereby dead to me. I vow never to speak to them again for the rest of my life, or have any communications with them. They are in short, the enemies of liberty. They deserve nothing less than hatred and utter contempt.

I went ahead and read the article. I think the guy has it all wrong. I think libertarian social issues took a huge jump on Tuesday. First gay marriage was passed in three states, plus the constitutional amendment got shot down in MN and IA retained their supreme court justice. Second marijuana was legalized in two states.

Plus I disagree that libertarian =  GOP. They may be more closely aligned tax wise but socially policy more closely mirrors democrats. Plus when it comes to foreign policy and spending I am not sure either party is close.

Jamesqf

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #123 on: November 09, 2012, 11:21:21 AM »
I went ahead and read the article. I think the guy has it all wrong. I think libertarian social issues took a huge jump on Tuesday. First gay marriage was passed in three states, plus the constitutional amendment got shot down in MN and IA retained their supreme court justice. Second marijuana was legalized in two states.

Exactly, and that was a big part of the reason I held my nose and voted for Obama.  (The other is robocalls: after getting 1-2 calls per night for weeks from Republicans, and that a**hole Rove's group in particular, I wasn't inclined to vote for any of them.)  Romney tried to make it all about the economy, but even putting aside the fact that a lot of us still remember that it was 8 years of a Republican administration's idiotic policies that got us into this mess, it's just not all that important to me.  Sure, I'd like to be prosperous in a prosperous economy, but if I have to go back to living in the streets and eating from dumpsters to keep my freedoms, I will.
 
Quote
Plus I disagree that libertarian =  GOP.

With Romney/Ryan/Rove, GOP is about as far from libertarian as you can get.

Freeyourchains2

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Re: Presidential Election - Unofficial Poll
« Reply #124 on: September 11, 2013, 01:12:32 PM »
I think's it's time to resurrect this topic..

Since Obama was about start a War with Syria, and Raise taxes to fund Obamacare..


 

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