Poll - Democrat or Republican?

[clusk 0]

So you don't believe in fairness like you said you did. If it is unfair for Acorn to register fake people (who still have not voted, right?), why is it fair for the Republicans to purge voters to keep the vote down.

I understand Republicans are going to do anything they can at this point to slow down Obama. I watched Fox News and it is all Acorn all the time. And I agree anything can happen. But lets be honest if your counting on Acorn to derail Obama because he has some history with them it is not going to happen. Ayers, Wright and Acorn. All have been tried and the American people are not buying it.

[HOWLUCKYAMI 0]

"So you don't believe in fairness like you said you did. If it is unfair for Acorn to register fake people (who still have not voted, right?), why is it fair for the Republicans to purge voters to keep the vote down."

I can see where your confusion lies. I'm still trying to figure out quoting into responses. If you read my response carefully you will see where I said that I do believe in fairness and both should be investigated. However, I would caution you to not make the same mistake I made with Steve. You don't know me and you don't know my mind. It is not fair for either party to purge or supress voters, to register illegally, or to vote more than once."

"I understand Republicans are going to do anything they can at this point to slow down Obama. I watched Fox News and it is all Acorn all the time. And I agree anything can happen. But lets be honest if your counting on Acorn to derail Obama because he has some history with them it is not going to happen. Ayers, Wright and Acorn. All have been tried and the American people are not buying it."

Personally, I hope you continue to watch Fox along with other networks. This is the only way you will get even close to receiving a fair representation of both from television.

I never said I was counting on ACORN to derail Obama. I'm counting on America looking at him objectively and weighing his positions and promises to do that. It's not looking good as of right now, but a lot can change before election day. I'll wait to find out then.

Look, the facts bear out that Obama has more than "some" history with ACORN, Rezko, Wright, Ayers, Odinga, Fannie, Freddie, etc. In fact, when you add up all the cast of characters Obama has "some" history with, you get A LOT of questionable history and I believe that all his associations and positions need to be evaluated. Personally, my problems with Obama are more than just his associations with questionable people. That's just the launching point for me.

[gadgetlady 4]

I want to address the issue of the fradulent registrations never coming to fruition (never voting).

Several years ago in California I went to vote. When I arrived at the polling place, I was ready to present my driver's license as identification. I was told I didn't need it and it was, in fact, ILLEGAL for them to ask for it. WHAT?!?!?!? I'm here to vote and you don't have the ability to VERIFY it's really me voting? Yup, that's correct. They just have to take you at your word that you are who you say you are.

Now I don't know if it's the same in other states, but I do know that, had I wanted to do so, I could have registered in all of the surrounding precincts under different names and voted numerous times all over the state of California.

Will someone claiming to be Mickey Mouse likely try to vote? Probably not (although I did once know a girl named Lolli Pop -- would they give her trouble voting? I don't know). But if I were working a polling site and someone came in with one of the names of the Dallas Cowboys, I wouldn't bat an eye -- because I wouldn't recognize the name (and who's to say there aren't two people -- or many people -- with the exact same name in the world?).

So you may all say this isn't a big deal and amounts to nothing, but believe me, it IS a big deal when an organization, PUBLICLY FUNDED no less, corrupts the system.

[clusk 0]

Why are you not as concerned about the voter purging going on as Acorn? What about a paper trail for voting machines? No Republicans are only worried about someone registering named Mickey Mouse who may or may not attempt to vote. The right is trying to make Acorn a big deal because they have very little else they can do at this point. If their true concern was a fair election day they would be pushing for investigations in Acorn, voter purging and a paper trail for electronic voting.

[HOWLUCKYAMI 0]

Clusk...if you're directing this comment at me, I would have to suggest that since you're not hearing what you want, you're not considering what has been posted. Since you appear to have missed it, here it is again: "It is not fair for either party to purge or supress voters, to register illegally, or to vote more than once."

Since the media, mainstream and alternative alike, is focused on ACORN and fraud, there appears to be cause for that focus to continue. I would expect that the issue of voter purging would come about in that coverage. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. Perhaps there is not the abundance of evidence of voter purging that there is of ACORN and their illegal actions? I don't know. All I can do is repeat my position and hope that you will hear it this time.

[BJean 16]

Acorn is trying to get people who have not participated in the voting process in America to get registered and vote. There is nothing harmful in that. In fact, it is admirable. The fact that one of their workers filled out a form and used "Mickey Mouse" doesn't indict the entire organization. The inciteful crap that Fox "News" reports notwithstanding.

If you wanted a fair and democratic election, you would welcome an organization that was trying to help people get registered.

I don't know why you accpeted the results of the 2004 election, Steve G., but there was a problem with electronic voting machines that were skewed to give Republicans more votes than they actually got. It was not a true and honest election - nor was the 2000 election. There has been lots of research released on the subject, and election fraud in the U.S. has been a very real problem.

Now as for Acorn, they do not count votes. They do not even have the authority to allow someone to vote or to forbid them to. If someone lies on a voter registeration APPLICATION, it is not their fault. However, they have been very good at finding APPLICATIONS that their people have turned in that are fraudulent. Once they discover those fraudulent APPLICATIONS, they bring them to the attention of the Election Board. And by the way, the employees who took the fraudulent APPLICATIONS are assessed to see if they are intentionally taking fraudulent APPLICATIONS or if they have done it without the intention of defrauding the Election Board. Once they determine that, they either fire the worker or they retrain them. If you cared to know the truth, you could have tuned into the real news and learned all of this in the press conference that revealed this information and much more.

If you wonder why I have put the word "application" in all caps, above, it is because Acorn only has the authority or power to take voter registration APPLICATIONS. They do not have the power to actually log a voter's registration into the Election Board's records. The Election Boards are supposed to be doing the verifying and actual placing voters on the election rolls.

So as Steve suggested, this is a red herring and something brought about to divert the attention away from the real issues. I imagine more of these types of things will continue to be brought into the election since the Republicans have become so desperate. We can all listen to Fox "News" and learn of them first.

Now as for an honest and fair election process, I just hope that when I go to the polls, that if I am presented with an opportunity to vote using an electronic machine, I will be given the alternative to use a paper ballot that can be there for the re-count, if a re-count becomes necessary. Which right now, looks very likely.

And somehow I'll bet the fact that some boards are trying to once again disenfranchise certain voters in certain swing state areas, will only disturb you based on with whether you're a Democrat or a Republican.

[clusk 0]

howluckyami - it was not directed at you.

As a whole the right is making a big deal about Acorn and igoring the voter purge and paper trail for electronic voting. It's all Acorn all the time on Fox and talk radio. I have only heard the voter purging yesterday on CNN. If the right in general was truly concerned about fair voting don't you think they would talk about more than just Acorn? I do watch all channels, read papers and investigate myself on the internet. My point was not to you personally but to the Republicans in generaly. People are more concerned about their 401K's and the stock market than Acorn. Like it or not.

[stevegoad 32]

I want to address the issue of the fradulent registrations never coming to fruition (never voting).

Several years ago in California I went to vote. When I arrived at the polling place, I was ready to present my driver's license as identification. I was told I didn't need it and it was, in fact, ILLEGAL for them to ask for it. WHAT?!?!?!? I'm here to vote and you don't have the ability to VERIFY it's really me voting? Yup, that's correct. They just have to take you at your word that you are who you say you are.

It is a sad fact that the question of photo ID's has been (somewhat rightfully so) equated with the Democrats. I know the arguments (how it's not fair to low income minorities) - they don't make sense. I am a great proponant of people having photo ID's.

My wife and I have guardianship over a 41 year old woman who has Down Syndrome (no, Theresa does not in any way make me want to vote for a moose hunting mamma with a Down Syndrome baby - What kind of name is "Trig" for a Baby, anyway). When Lisa and I married 2 years ago, we took guardianship over Theresa, the daughter of a friend who died right before the wedding. One of the first things I did was work to get her a state photo ID (a difficult thing, since in Texas you need 3 forms of ID to get a state photo ID). It took a month's work to get things going for a girl lost in the system, but it was well worth it.

If it is worth it for a woman who will never be legally allowed to vote (and God help us if she ever gets the right), it should be worth it for anyone who wants to vote.

I suspect that photo ID's would not stop all voter fraud, but it would help.

But that said (before I get into too much agreement with gadgetlady) I cannot hold what a lobby group says or does against the candidate. It just doesn't sway me, especially when he has made it clear that ACORN does not speak for him.

If you want continue to argue that he took the money as proof of guilt... let's follow the money issue, let's talk money. After Sarah Palin rejected the "Bridge to Nowhere," what happened to the money that it seems she accepted for the project?

[gadgetlady 4]

It is a sad fact that the question of photo ID's has been (somewhat rightfully so) equated with the Democrats. I know the arguments (how it's not fair to low income minorities) - they don't make sense. I am a great proponant of people having photo ID's.

I don't care if it's an issue that favors Republicans or Democrats -- I think it's patently ludicrous that one doesn't have to verify one's identity to vote.

If it is worth it for a woman who will never be legally allowed to vote (and God help us if she ever gets the right), it should be worth it for anyone who wants to vote.

I suspect that photo ID's would not stop all voter fraud, but it would help.

Amen to both.

before I get into too much agreement with gadgetlady

LOL! Wouldn't want THAT to happen!

[gadgetlady 4]

OH MY GOSH -- THIS IS FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_m1WadbFms]YouTube - Obama or McCain?[/ame]

What an intelligent and educated public we have.

[BJean 16]

THE JUXTAPOSITION OF FACTS....A USEFUL PERSPECTIVE.......

-----

A question of perspective :

Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched

around?..... think about it.

Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could

racism be the culprit?

Ponder the following:

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including

a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe

disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while

he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain

killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?

(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption

in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings

and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included

discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many

occasions, a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality,

do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes

positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in

another when there is a color difference.

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:

Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in

International Relations.

Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:

University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.

Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

John McCain:

United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester

North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study

University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism

Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester

University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in

the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.

------

[stevegoad 32]

John McCain:

United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester

North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study

University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism

Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester

University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

I won't argue John McCain's education - the Naval Academy is a fantastic school - even if you rank 894 of 899.

I won't even argue his plain crashes (after all, when your flight instructors are Orville and Wilbur Wright... sorry, couldn't resist)

But I will agree that a BA in Journalism doesn't prepare you to be president (and yes, the VP needs to be someone prepared to be president).

[BJean 16]

Honestly I only post stuff like that to counteract, just a little, some of the ridiculous links that get posted.

I like your open-minded assessment, Steve.

[clusk 0]

Right on Bjean.

I thought the same thing about Palins pregant unwed teenage daughter. Remember when they had the press at the airport when the father of the baby flew in for the convention. Could you ever imagine Obama with his 17 year old unwed daughter and "the babies daddy" showing up. Can you imagine the out cry of it being condoned by the liberals. Can you imagine Fox News, Rush or Hannidy. The double standard is breath taking.

[HOWLUCKYAMI 0]

Yes, let's add to that list. I'm not going to go into the lengths of Bjean felt necessary...but let's be fair here:

What if John McCain had his political coming out party at Bill Ayers, an unrepentent domestic terrorist's house and sat on multiple boards with him?

What if John McCain had sat in the pews of a church that offered a reverend who regurgitated anti-American hate speech for 20 years and then claimed to never have heard of him saying anything out of line?

What if John McCain had that same reverend marry he and his wife and baptize his children?

What if John McCain touted "spreading the wealth" and other socialist philosophies? And what if he proposed government taking over healthcare and ran on a platform that would result in spending over one trillion dollars during the worst economic times our country has known since the Great Depression?

What if John McCain's running mate had actually advocated that he'd be happy to be on the ticket with Barack Obama and stated that John McCain wasn't ready to be President because the Presidency doesn't lend itself to on-the-job-training?

What if Cindy McCain came out and said she hadn't been proud of her country in over 40 years of being an American?

What if John McCain had represented an organization well known by both parties to engage in voter fraud and what if John McCain, fully knowing of said organization, rather than denounce the organization, instead funneled over $800,000 to it?

What if John McCain's mentors included a proclaimed Communist and a racist Muslim?

Finally, what if John McCain was a freshman Senator with little executive experience that had spent a little over a year in the Senate before beginning his campaign for the Presidency?

My list could go on and on too, Bjean. I'm not going to knock either candidate's education. Harvard is obviously impressive, but the Naval Academy isn’t some community college.

I think we could both agree that if Barack Obama can call his "community organizing" on the streets of Chicago the "best education" he ever received, John McCain's time as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton probably qualifies as well.

Because of his radical ties to terrorists, racists, communists, etc. it is doubtful that Barack Obama would pass the background check required to deliver you your mail. I'm certain that John McCain could.

I'd throw the same question right back to you. If these questions really reflected reality, do you believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?