The Democrat Thread

[Y2HH]

Boehner, Rubio distance themselves from Bachmann and her bats*** crazy letter.

 

The fact that we have people like her in power is frightening.

[Jenksismyhero]

 

The fact that there are still people without a valid state ID?

[Y2HH]

The fact that there are still people without a valid state ID?

 

Yea, I kind of agree with this. It's 2012...and I know all of the excuses, such as it's too far, costs too much, etc...which I find to be exactly that...excuses.

[StrangeSox]

Nope! It's the disenfranchisement of those people in order to combat non-existent voter fraud.

[StrangeSox]

Yea, I kind of agree with this. It's 2012...and I know all of the excuses, such as it's too far, costs too much, etc...which I find to be exactly that...excuses.

 

There's no requirement that someone possess a photo ID. Getting one would otherwise be useless for hundreds of thousands and represents an unnecessary expense and burden. Of course, it'd primarily hit Democrat-voting demographics and it's pushed by Republicans to fight a non-existent problem. Some have explicitly said that these laws will win elections for Republicans and other studies show a strong correlation between support for these laws and racial animosity.

 

Unnecessary regulations to fight non-existent problems that have real, measurable impact on eligible voters.

[Y2HH]

There's no requirement that someone possess a photo ID. Getting one would otherwise be useless for hundreds of thousands and represents an unnecessary expense and burden. Of course, it'd primarily hit Democrat-voting demographics and it's pushed by Republicans to fight a non-existent problem. Some have explicitly said that these laws will win elections for Republicans and other studies show a strong correlation between support for these laws and racial animosity.

 

Unnecessary regulations to fight non-existent problems that have real, measurable impact on eligible voters.

 

For me this has nothing to do with voting.

 

It has to do with having valid/official picture ID so you can validly and easily identify yourself in times of need. It's 2012. We live in an increasingly digital world where proper identification should be carried at all times by all peoples, or at least some demographic over age 15 or so. At some point in their oh so busy lives, they can find the time/transportation to get a f***ing ID...they're already free for people.

[StrangeSox]

They get by now without it.

[Y2HH]

They get by now without it.

 

Besides the point. Maybe people need to do more than just "get by".

[Rex Kickass]

For me this has nothing to do with voting.

 

It has to do with having valid/official picture ID so you can validly and easily identify yourself in times of need. It's 2012. We live in an increasingly digital world where proper identification should be carried at all times by all peoples, or at least some demographic over age 15 or so. At some point in their oh so busy lives, they can find the time/transportation to get a f***ing ID...they're already free for people.

They are not free for most people in most states. A national ID (passport card) costs over $30. In Texas, a state ID costs $16.

 

You can argue that this is not a seriously high cost, but its still a barrier to voting - and one that costs money to overcome. Paying money to be able to vote sounds an awful lot like a poll tax to me.

[Jenksismyhero]

There's no requirement that someone possess a photo ID. Getting one would otherwise be useless for hundreds of thousands and represents an unnecessary expense and burden. Of course, it'd primarily hit Democrat-voting demographics and it's pushed by Republicans to fight a non-existent problem. Some have explicitly said that these laws will win elections for Republicans and other studies show a strong correlation between support for these laws and racial animosity.

 

Unnecessary regulations to fight non-existent problems that have real, measurable impact on eligible voters.

 

Unnecessary expense and burden? Really? For a photo ID?

[Jenksismyhero]

They are not free for most people in most states. A national ID (passport card) costs over $30. In Texas, a state ID costs $16.

 

You can argue that this is not a seriously high cost, but its still a barrier to voting - and one that costs money to overcome. Paying money to be able to vote sounds an awful lot like a poll tax to me.

 

You have to drive or take public transportation to vote right? What's the difference?

[Y2HH]

They are not free for most people in most states. A national ID (passport card) costs over $30. In Texas, a state ID costs $16.

 

You can argue that this is not a seriously high cost, but its still a barrier to voting - and one that costs money to overcome. Paying money to be able to vote sounds an awful lot like a poll tax to me.

 

I don't like the idea of a cost to vote...as a matter of fact voting taxes are illegal. That said, the basic necessity of an ID in modern times seems like a "get me over"...like being required to register for the draft. And these states, for the sake of basic identification, should be required to give them out for free to people who cannot afford them. Even if they do them like FOID cards, where you send in a picture of yourself along with the form and they send it back...at least have something that can be used to identify yourself in some form or fashion other than your word.

 

As for the voting requirement, that's another ball of wax I don't intend to get into...my views on voting are a far cry from the accepted societal norm, and I know that.

[Rex Kickass]

You have to drive or take public transportation to vote right? What's the difference?

 

Actually, for the vast majority of people, you shouldn't have to drive or take public transportation. In fact, with one exception, I've walked (or would have been able to easily walk) to every polling location I've used. And in most cases, there are always services that will take you to the polls for free. In fact, almost any campaign will do that. Something tells me if the Obama campaign started offering to pay for the cost of state ID's, there would be a giant s***storm about paying for a vote.

[StrangeSox]

My old polling place was about 200 ft from the entrance to our condo building. Now it's about 4 blocks.

 

Public transportation or something like a church-organized bus ride to polling places doesn't require any ID. However, Republicans have conveniently shut down early voting on Sundays in some states, which is a big time for voting drives among African American church-goers. Total coincidence, though, I'm sure.

[southsider2k5]

My old polling place was about 200 ft from the entrance to our condo building. Now it's about 4 blocks.

 

Public transportation or something like a church-organized bus ride to polling places doesn't require any ID. However, Republicans have conveniently shut down early voting on Sundays in some states, which is a big time for voting drives among African American church-goers. Total coincidence, though, I'm sure.

 

The amount of early voting we have in IN is ridiculous. The sad part is that participation still hasn't picked up at all. In fact it is still falling. We have literally hundreds of hours of early voting that runs for weeks before the election. That isn't counting the options for absentee balloting, or getting a ballot mailed to you, or you can even request a ballot be brought to you in special circumstances. On top of that both political parties locally hire vans and buses, as do many candidates, on the day of election, and at special intervals during early voting. Indiana is as Republican of a state that exists today.

[BigSqwert]

You have to drive or take public transportation to vote right? What's the difference?

Not here in Seattle. It's all done via mail.

[kapkomet]

I have to say, I think I have an issue with early voting. Not absentee, just early voting.

[Balta1701]

I have to say, I think I have an issue with early voting. Not absentee, just early voting.

If this country had a national holiday on election day I might agree.

[mr_genius]

My old polling place was about 200 ft from the entrance to our condo building. Now it's about 4 blocks.

 

might as well just stay home on election day

[southsider2k5]

If this country had a national holiday on election day I might agree.

 

It doesn't make a difference honestly. People who are going to vote, will vote. Those who won't, don't.

 

I went back and looked it up. We had four weeks of early voting last time around at the courthouse, where if you went up to the Clerks office you could cast a ballot. 188 hours of early voting in total. Plus the absentee ballot considerations, and the mobile balloting. That is in addition to the 12 hours the polls are open on election day (6am to 6pm local time.

 

That is 200 hours of time over the period over four weeks, plus three days. The turnout for the 2010 election? Barely over 20% of registered voters.

[Balta1701]

It doesn't make a difference honestly. People who are going to vote, will vote. Those who won't, don't.

 

I went back and looked it up. We had four weeks of early voting last time around at the courthouse, where if you went up to the Clerks office you could cast a ballot. 188 hours of early voting in total. Plus the absentee ballot considerations, and the mobile balloting. That is in addition to the 12 hours the polls are open on election day (6am to 6pm local time.

 

That is 200 hours of time over the period over four weeks, plus three days. The turnout for the 2010 election? Barely over 20% of registered voters.

If people aren't interested in voting or choose not to vote, we can lecture them and complain, that's fine.

 

But what we should not do is respond by denying people who actually want to vote any practical way of doing so.

[southsider2k5]

If people aren't interested in voting or choose not to vote, we can lecture them and complain, that's fine.

 

But what we should not do is respond by denying people who actually want to vote any practical way of doing so.

 

I'd hardly call 200 hours of voting time, plus all of the absentee and access options, "denying people who actually want to vote any practical way of doing so."

 

I'd call it bending over backwards without any discernible difference in voting totals.

[StrangeSox]

 

I don't get this meme. Clearly a little girl is not solely responsible for her lemonade stand? She had to rely on the help of her parents to provide her with the materials to make the lemonade and the stand. Is it just supposed to be "Obama's a jerk, yelling at children!"? Is it really A Good Cartoon, portraying those who think they are entirely self-made without help of others as having a child's understanding of society? a variation of this is common across many other conservative political cartoons right now.

[mr_genius]

 

I don't get this meme. Clearly a little girl is not solely responsible for her lemonade stand? She had to rely on the help of her parents to provide her with the materials to make the lemonade and the stand. Is it just supposed to be "Obama's a jerk, yelling at children!"? Is it really A Good Cartoon, portraying those who think they are entirely self-made without help of others as having a child's understanding of society? a variation of this is common across many other conservative political cartoons right now.

 

Appears as if it was supposed to be a bad guy Obama cartoon, but it does backfire.

[StrangeSox]

There's a bunch of similar ones. Basically anything involving that quote-mined statement has the exact opposite message than intended.