Welcome To Election 2006 | Join The Debate

Your literature said 20 Gather Members would be chosen to write on the 2006 Elections....where are the other FOUR?

I'd like to know where some of the heavy weights on politics are, such as Clark Kent as one example. He's probably the most articulate writer there is on Gather on the liberal side of the equation.

As a member for less than one month, I'd not look to get picked, but some of the people chosen have published hardly anything on Gather...especially on politics.

Could the Republicans be looking any more pitiful? I ALMOST feel sorry for them.....except that they brought it on themselves one lie at a time.

WHat I find sad, is even here on Gather, they are trying to TILT the debate in favor of Repukes by giving them the majority of the writing voices in this Election 2006 FAKE DEBATE GROUP............

Wasn't there supposed to be two from each state?

I'm sure some of them declined, but only after sending in an additional writing sample, which was after the initial letter. As it stands the rules were changed, because they didn't cover their bases and have backups. One only assumes they didn't just send that letter to twenty people in the beginning. Live and learb I guess.

Debbie that still doesn't account for there only being 16 writers chosen.

They could have selected others that did submit, but weren't chosen initially. However, given the amount of time they waited to inform people, this may not have been possible, or even thought of for that matter.

I wonder if Porgie ever has a "good" day.

jjack....don't let my political slants and rants fool you. Almost every day is a good day for me. Today is a case in point. My wife and I are relaxing, I have the front window open to let in the fall breeze, my cat is sleeping right beside me, and I am getting ready to watch a football game. I'd be tempted to go out for a fall drive to see the leaves, but my cars been in the shop getting it ready for winter, and a two week trip down to the Florida Keys, and will not be ready until tomorrow morning. So, contrary to your misperceptions, most of my days are not only good, but great.

Travis....yes, the basic premise was to have two people of differing views from each of ten states. Further, Gather said they would entertain adding states if the interest were there. Seems to me, that if they can only find 16 people on Gather who were willing to be a part of this, it should have just been cancelled. Funny thing, I have more than 16 people posting in my own group, Elections 2006 than this group has in its supposed elite 16.

Porgie, if so, quit whining so much and just enjoy the life you suggest you have.

Debbie....I always write my own stuff, so stop with the false allegations. I do where appropriate provide reference materials where necessary.

jJack....how I live my life really should not be any of your concern, though your making it so leads me to wonder what kind of ISSUES you yourself have?

Fine Porgie, I'll just leave your lunacy unchallenged. Your paranoia bores me anyway. The fringe loons on the outer edges of political thought are inconsequential anyway. You and your xenophobic Bush hating crowd are moot.

Here's my two cents worth. I was contacted by Gather and asked if I'd like to do the Ohio angle on the Governor and Senate race since I live here. I accepted because I felt that the way the state of Ohio is perceived versus the way it is in real life was worth writing a series of articles about. The people of this state have very little in common with any of the politicians from it. I would imagine the same could be said about any of the states chosen.
Let's not forget that underneath all the Red versus Blue, Democrat versus Republican, liberal versus conservative hype that is more akin to professional wrestling than it is to the real world, are real issues that supersede all the hype (or should anyway ).
Every state in this union has more good people in it than it has bad people and it's about time we tore ourselves away from the entertainment mode that politics has become long enough to remind ourselves of this.
My advice would be to resist the name calling for at least this series of articles and make as many comments that add the to conversation as possible. The whole world knows that the left hates the right and the right hates the left. Let's get that out of the way and get some work done.
My goal in this series is to "attempt" to present a real-life picture of what's going on in the state of Ohio as far as how the people of this state view this upcoming election.
Sad to say, there isn't much to gained from the party line of either side of the fence. The message is the same from both sides " We are your salvation; they are your damnation".
Corruption is rampant in both parties that govern us. The reason is because we the people stopped watching them, and holding them accountable. We are spending all our time yelling at each other while those in power go totally unchecked. This is not good. Join the discussion, don't shout it down.

I, for one, look forward to learning a bit about some of the races that the mainstream media fails to cover in its reporting during election season. Right now there is so much coverage on the Foley scandal and just a handful of races nationwide, so it's nice to see a breadth of grassroots commentary on Gather. I'm sure, as always, the political debate here will be spirited.

George Corneilussen makes some very good points: "Let's not forget that underneath all the Red versus Blue, Democrat versus Republican, liberal versus conservative hype that is more akin to professional wrestling than it is to the real world, are real issues that supersede all the hype (or should anyway )."

I completely agree.

As a Massachusetts voter, I find Bob Parks' very partisan remarks quite pathetic. Why is Gather choosing such an idealogue to "cover" the MA Governor's race?

There are a million places to read/discuss politics but I have found that Gather does a pretty amazing job of letting people just talk. Yes, there is some sturcture to this series and some moderation of course (but that allows the content gain more traction among a larger audience) but overall I find that this forum is one of the most diverse and open on the web.

I agree with Ted. I think the political discussion here is better than many othe rpolitical blogs and MSM sites because of the public radio type-people and because Gather is not only political. Most people, even in this group, originally came to the site to talk about other issues (ie - the writing contest or food or something) so the discussion is so much borader than a few politcal junkies.

It's true that the Republicans have made their fair share of mistakes, but the Democrats haven't been any better in the past, nor will they be any better in the future.

Rev.?MSW-But we are on Gather, why redirect members elsewhere?, rather contrary? No disrespect intended, but how do you balance being a Revered and having a Masters In Social Work? I was part of the social work team at UMASS Medical Center and rarely did the secular agree with the pious in that science. MSW's are a benevolent sort, but quite secular, unless as part of the Jesuits or Franciscans I've met..Curious

I just hope that most americans now understand that when the Republican Party controls congress, the senate and the presidency, "We the People" no longer live in a Democracy. Our government has resembled a dictatorship over the past few years with closed door sessions and no real debates taking place on issues facing our country. The issues will destroy our way of life if not addressed. Our founding fathers knew what could happen and tried to set up a government to allow for a balance of powers. Then "We the people" allowed the balance of powers to swing to a dictator controlled lopsided situation. The stupid thinking took hold and flourished to the point that nothing worthwhile is even being considered. No debate equals wrong governing. Reasonable men used to debate the issues and compromise to allow successes in most cases. Anyone reading this post is smart enough to realize that if you take millions of people out of jobs paying them a living wage and tell them to work jobs that pay starvation wages, the economy will take a dive into the tank. Tax revenues fall with severely reduced income. They also understand that providing free healthcare for all mexicans will bankrupt this country. Immigration Laws were passed to prevent an invasion of mexicans. The above are just two examples of why this country is heading into bankruptcy. Time to wake up ye citizens and vote for real people that will represent the citizens and not the businesses. Vote !!

Gene,

One thing you have obviously taken for granted is that Republicans have controlled congress, senate and White House because the people of the US voted that way. That is what the fathers of our nation set in motion and how they wanted our country to run... and run it has. Tax revenues have increased with the tax cuts and that is fact. For the problem with illegal immigration please see George's very well put comments above. "We the people" are arguing with one another instead of taking a good look at the facts. We are voting the party line regardless of the harm our party may be doing and ignoring the positive being done by "the other side". With regard to immigration, If you would take time to listen to the democrats speak...amnesty is what you will hear. Anti border protection is what you will hear. We all, Republicans and Democrats, want good paying jobs and a successful and prosperous country..we just choose different ways to get there. Your anti business last statement is really of the greatest concern...hurt business you will hurt the system that business supports...that being the social system and good paying jobs you mention above, money for the poor and elderly. We are at 4% unemployment...fact. Our Economy is doing well which would infer that people have money to spend. The businesses that are floundering are those that can no longer compete in this global economy. The will either learn how to adapt (as we the people must) or they will disappear and the jobs with them.

Kerry B., immigration is a "red herring", Maine where you are from benefits more than other states with equal population from welfare, in specific medicaid and food stamps. We the country can state 4% unemployment,but ask your lobster fishemen.and other commercial fishermen in Maine. You havea decent Senator, she is by far your best advocate, but those people that voted republican in Maine voted against their own economic interest. Don't be fooled before the elections about illegal immigrants,this is another trick to get your vote; You will be ignored the day after the GOP is in office. You speak about tax cuts as if you were warren Buffett? Have those tax cuts trickle down to you yet? The founding fathers did not support voting right violations and dirty tricks, when they argued how to run this country. Amnesty, first ask the corporations that promote visiting worker programs; Ironically, I prefer we register these "illegals", better the devil you know than the one you don't....

Fu@k the debate, this is just another round of watching the Brown nose bootlickers

you're insane. it's called: Gather is a company and they are marketing their election series to acquire new members. there is absolutely no reaosn to assume otherwise. the group has some great comments and great articles and obvioulsy gather is using it as a marketing tool.

people's names on Gather are always their real names? Right, I'm sure "High Flying Spider Woman " is really someone's real name. Pointing out that some poeple's usernames may not be there real names is a pretty weak argument.

Just make sure everyone that you either vote with a "paper ballot" or an absentee ballot, as the voting machines are obviously a waist of your vote & a farce! Just as what you were told about 911 was a farce.

No one covering Washinton State?????

An Invitation to the Politically Curious - Beyond 'Red' and 'Blue'

A New Web App Lets The Politically Curious Connect To The 'Other Side'
Oct 12, 2006 --- San Francisco


Countless polls confirm that most Americans don't hold to a strict party line when it comes to their political opinions. Nonetheless, in the bi-annual slug-fest known as elections, the middle-grounders are marginalized and the non-dogmatic drowned out.

But this year, it could be different: RedBlue is an online social experiment that connects people to their political counterparts, helping them engage in meaningful, and fun, dialogue across political boundaries. The RedBlue beta site is being launched just after election day by two non-profits: Internews Interactive, a San Francisco Bay Area experimenter in broadband and broadcast interactivity; and The Public Conversations Project, a Boston-based company that facilitates difficult dialogues.

RedBlue is for the politically curious, the broadminded, and anyone who has been insulted ('flamed') on traditional blog sites because they disagreed with conventional wisdom. Its creators are betting that many Americans feel left out of political dialogue, and are looking for a way to be understood, and to understand how others think. We are signing up beta testers now, at http://www.red-blue.us

The RedBlue dialogue process will eventually become part of a website, RedBlueUS, that will let users play games, engage in social networking, and get to know each other better. Look for that in time for the 2008 election.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Evelyn Messinger, Producer

Looks like the republicans may hold the senate 51-49

After listening to several nationwide debates all i hear the democrats do is talk bad
about the republican candidates.I never have heard how the democrats plan to change policy.Why because they dont have a plan.I see no reason to vote against a republican.

I am an indepndent that slants a bit more to the right than left. What really ticks me off about the democratic side is that they try to scare the begebees out of folks with so much misiformation. Don't get me wrong, both parties can play dirty, but dems downright lie and twist information so far out of proportion it is not unrecognizable. Remember last election about the draft, trust me, it would never happen. I'm retired military and the cost of training and the time involved in training troops today is so far advanced from the days of the draft that it isn't feasible. Why would the government spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars to train someone who doesn't want to be there? Believe me, they wouldn't In fact, in today's military, in most cases if you tell them you want out, they will usually try to accommodate you. In my 22 1/2 years I was stop lost (meaning I couldn't get out even if I wanted to) three times for a total period of maybe 3 yrs. The longest period was the period after Clinton/Lewenski scandal am about, covienantly for Clinton, Bosnia became an issue. Never mind that those people have been at it for the last six hundred years.

Well John Faure and others indicating bod mouths on Democrats...I don't know what National Debates you have been listening to where this has been happening....not the same ones I am watching on cable...and I have heard several Democrats recently on the national news make suggestions and what their plan would be - much to the dismay of the present administration.....how can we all be getting such different information?

Anybody here a registered Democrat in the state of California? The Republicans have a movie star, Schwarzenegger running and buying the Democratic votes from Treasurer, Phil Angelides. Schwarzenegger spent 3 and a half times as much money as Phil on campaign ads. No wonder Angelides camp is down and out. It's not fair. California has long been a supporter of a Demand-led economy, and a Government for the people. Well now we are being duped again as a state into thinking a Republican will manage that task. He is playing the moderate card now, but as soon as he wins the election he won't have to unless it serves his purpose. I thought California was a safe Blue state. I guess it must be one to take a guy as powerful as Schwarzenegger, bodybuilder, movie star, son of a Nazi commander -to defeat it. But I am ashamed that California is willing itself to this. Schwarzenegger's acceptance of the role as governor is not a compliment to California's greatness. It's a slap in the face. He wants to completely change the way we do things in California. Why can't we have a Democratic candidate as charismatic as Schwarzenegger? The only way we can is if Angelides is elected because he will revive the Democratic dreams we have forgotten and bring hope for a better candidate in 2010. If Schwarzenegger wants to do something positive for California, he should become a Democrat. Then, he should become the CEO of Planned Parenthood and create a merger with the institute for Stem Cell Research. He could turn it into an effective network that is active in research and development as well as serving the community's family planning needs. That is the only positive Schwarzenegger's political career offers. He might not be the greatest actor, but I'd go see Kindergarten Cop II on DVD (not in theatres).

Please go and vote - but before you do consider the following that is causing nationwide blindness.

The politics has shifted from Liberals and Conservatives to something very complex. I think the debate has shifted to one of "Globalists" Vs "Nationalists" and no one is saying anything about it. I can count all the Republicans and Democrats that fall into these two categories. The Globalists call the Nationalists - protectionists. Their mantra is - free trade is great for America. But they don't tell you that exploiting wage and cost of living differences across the world make the multi-national companies a lot of money while Americans lose their jobs. The Nationalists use CAFTA, NAFTA and other so called free trade agreements as Globalists selling out America. The result is a whole lot of confused voters. Oh! Whatever happened to those simpler times? When it was easier to focus on gay marriage and abortion – the commoners understood this, Carl Rowe exploited this. The election is now being run by data mining and fitting marketing messages and targeting attack ads in key markets. Whoever has a better database and does a better job mining it will be the winner. Is this a cynical view of the world? Or is it really happening. Questions are being raised about the new voting system. Can the election be stolen? Even if we get through all these anguishing questions I am afraid the end result will not bring about much change in America.

The Globalists are entrenched in Europe – "Euro". Ireland and England do not want the new additions to Euro - Bulgarians and Romanians to come over and work in their countries. The Irish and English fear that the influx of immigrants into their country will drop wages, sounds familiar. The Globalists are trying to combine America, Canada and South America in to one region – Amero?

Does Iraq figure in who we choose? Should we stay the course and continue failing or should we cut and run? Are we qualified to mediate complex generational conflicts between the Shia, Sunnis and the Kurds? Iran supports the Shia, Saudi Arabia supports the Sunnis and we need their oil. We are friends with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia but Iran is part of the axis of evil and threatening to go nuclear. We are in a bit of a thick gumbo if you ask me.

The Chinese want to widen the Panama Canal so that they can ship more stuff to us on larger ships. Have you wondered why a Capitalist (America) is so cozy with a Communist (China)? Doesn't ideology matter any more?

Do the voters grasp these complex issues that may change their lives for ever? or do we want to keep talking about gays and abortion.

Is this all leading to the formation of a one world government? What does the Bible have to say about all of this?

You will be surprised!

One of the ballot initiatives in my state, Virginia, is whether to introduce a constitutional ammendment which among other things, bans same sex marriages, under the guise of "defense of marriage."

As a heterosexual man, married for over 25 years, I must say that this is the most hypocritical crap I have heard in many years of following politics. As Americans, we should be guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens (don't let me get started on illegal immigration), regardless of race, creed, age, sex, etc...

We have a senator who is cow-towing to black churches for their blessing, in pursuit of discrimination which until late this last century they themselves were victims of.

It seems to me that this is no more than one group attempting to impose its religion on the rest of us. If there really was a threat to marriage, it is divorce, which is the number one cause of marriage failure in this country. The threat to marriage does not come from those who are wanting to get married but rather from those who are seeking to get out of a marriage.

If the intent is to protect marriage, then the bill should be to ban divorce. I have to wonder how many of the proponents of this bill have been divorced. Hypocrites all.

On to activist judges. It seems to me that activist judges are being put in place by this administration to overthrow the law of the land, namely Roe v. Wade. We need to organize to prevent this. Intrusionist government policies must be defeated. The government must be kept out of our homes. Unfortunately this does not square well with those who seek to put us all under the microscope in "defense of the homeland," but I do not want to have to carry a national ID card, pee in a cup on demand, register my weapons, or have my whereabouts monitored in the name of national security. Whatever happened to the "land of the free?" Are we no longer the "home of the brave?"

The government has become a monster and no longer serves the people, rather, it seems as if the people must serve the monster.

Churches should be taxed. There are literally billions of dollars being used for political advocacy by churches, and if that weren't bad enough, many church leaders lead lifestyles which are extravagant to say the least. America must tax these entities, just as other businesses are taxed. Because that is just what religion has become in this country: BIG BUSINESS.

Happy Halloween, and Happy Voting America!

Mike:

Being from NJ let me clue you in....our children are the real targets of the homosexual agenda before anyone votes for a democrat think long and hard about what could be coming to a school near you. Check out www.nonjgaymarriage.org The homosexual movement is after our children and if people don't wake up, the next generation of Americans are going to be in therapy until they are 100 years old. Are you aware in middle and high schools across the country they are trying to force our children to gender bend. 5 years being introduced to sexually explicit materials....this is just plain sick....and the situation is the same in Mass, Conn. and Vermont too.

I am from NJ too and I agree with Ellen. I went to the site www.nonjgaymarriage.org and a father was jailed for trying to protect his son, and then the 7 year old son was beaten by his own schoolmates for his fathers protest. I am a Democrat and I have to tell you I am going to change parties. After looking up Menendez's voting record and seeing what he stands for I will no longer support someone who is behind putting my child at risk to be indoctrinated. I am just glad my eyes were opened before November 7th. I hope more parents become enlightened before it is too late.

Being from South Carolina and new to the group, John Kerry comments on Monday made him look really bad and it looks like he tried to lie his way out of it or he is the worst joke teller in the world. What is really amazing his Demo-s and the press are saying he was misquoted and are trying to make light of it. Time for the Demo's to stand up and say it was wrong.

When I first heard about the quote it was through CNN. At the time I was outraged, and considered his comments both arrogant and borish. Since I did vote for the guy, I thought id give him a second chance, however, and read the speech myself. He did say that it was taking out of context and that he was joking- i'll decide for myself-. So i looked up the transcript and read a paragraph before the quote that is illiciting outrage and came up with this "I didn't do well in school, and ended up in Vietman, do good in school or you can end up in Iraq" I admit I am biased when it comes to Kerry and the Democrats, but it sounds to me that he was in fact joking.

kerry was not joking, and in fact he still refuses to rectify the situation. If he was joking people like hillary would not be speaking out against what he said and they are now.

Hi, I donot want to be in this group any longer will someone please remove me or tell me how to do it myself? thx.... GB...

Well I voted this morning LOTS of confusion at the polling place I did decide to go with the paper ballot as I do not trust the electronic machine as yet! I hope everyone who is blogging is voting. My personal belief is that there must remain a place in this country for the lower and middle class to improve there way of life I can see no way for this to happen with a Republican Controlled House,Senate and Presidency VOTE*****VOTE******VOTE ******VOTE **for middle America to Survive

From the exit polls... it seems the biggest issue is "Corruption"! I am so glad, because that means more people have seen:

9/11 Mysteries (video)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6708190071483512003

I judge candidates by their proposals, that is what they said they will do if elected. Of course no candidate is going to fulfill all his promises or see all his proposals become law, particularly in the current economic climate and the massive hole in the federal budget which Bush is leaving the next president. Obama has a better chance of getting some of his proposals passed because the next Congress will be Democratic.
I troubled by McCain’s refusal in the second presidential debate to put a priority on which major issues he will address if elected, repeating the political rally cry that Americans can do anything.
That may sound good to many of the unthinking listeners, but Amercans can no more do the impossible than the citizens of any other nation. And the fiscal hole which both Carter and Bush has left the nation makes many new initatives financially impossible.
As citizens who rely on 401Ks to cushion our retirement, my wife and I support Obama’s proposal to suspend taxes for two years on withdraws. We also favor other proposals:

On Social Security: Obama proposes funding the coming shortfall by taxing those who make more than $250,000 annually.
McCain wants to create private accounts allowing people to put their money in the stock market. We have seen where that can lead.
I much prefer Obama’s proposal. But then I do not earn $250,000 a year.
On energy:
Obama proposes a $150 billion plan to reduce oil consumption, which includes a $7,500 tax credit for buying more fuel-efficient cars and encourage further development of renewable sources of energy as wind power. I don’t think he’ll get all of the $150 billion.
McCain and Pallin say drill, drill, drill. That might be ok if the U.S. had an oil supply underground equal to the Saudis. It doesn’t.
On health care:
McCain proposes a $2,500 tax credit, $5,000 for a family to buy health insurance. But the costs of such insurance are more than double that and a family’s earnings would have to be very high and have few deductions to be eligible for a $5,000 tax rebate.
My major disagreement with Obama and the Democratic Party is on the issue of abortion. I was an unwanted baby, the son of the sister of two priests. I was given away days after birth. No one gave out cigars at my birth. I had a terrible childhood, but I remain grateful to my mother for giving me life.
Nevertheless, I'm voting for Obama, not because of his pro-abortion stance and that of his party, but in spite of it. I believe this nation needs a health care system which cares for the rich and the poor.

It's not that I'm against all Republicans, I've voted for Republican presidents as Reagan and Eisenhower, even regretfully once for Nixon.
I define myself as an economic liberal (I believe in government help for the needy) but a social conservative on issues as abortion.