I think after the WWE appearance that Idiocracy is inevitable at this point.

"Low-info" voters.

You know, morons.

This quote came to mind:

"Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people." Eleanor Roosevelt

Hardly new.


"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
- Winston Churchill

Well, to be fair, not everyone who votes has e-mail. You have to reach them somehow.

low-info voters

That's most of them, isn't it?

I'm really starting to be in favor of a basics civics test in order to be able to vote.

[OBVIOUS]

Not even Entertainment Night?

Wow.

Any wonder Obama is the candidate du jour? Style over substance is the new barometer of political desirability.

Does it really matter if the kind of people who watch Access Hollywood and American Idol vote based on their own idiotic perceptions, as they do now, or based on limited, nuanceless sound bytes, as they would if candidates reached out to them? If anything it would be counter-productive to reach out to these people because it would encourage them to vote.

There are a lot of dumb people in the US, let's keep them as far from voting as possible. These people have already given us the modern Republican party, thanks to church-based political activity. Let's not repeat the mistake by giving them another opportunity to get involved.

Fark it, if Hillary doesn't get the nomination, I'm voting for Sanjaya.

bigpeeler: Any wonder Obama is the candidate du jour? Style over substance is the new barometer of political desirability.

Ironic that you make such a substanceless accusation. Style over substance, indeed.

Oh, wait. I bet his short political record is the 'substance' behind your claim, right?

...go read a biography of Abraham Lincoln.

erveek: "Low-info" voters.

You know, morons.

They should just come out and call them "No-info" voters.

At this rate, the 2012 primaries will take place on a NASCAR oval.

/"My opponent says he doesn't turn right, and as far as I know there's no reason to doubt him."

bigpeeler: Any wonder Obama is the candidate du jour? Style over substance is the new barometer of political desirability.

Neo-con talking point #520: style and substance are mutually exclusive qualities.

bigpeeler: Any wonder Obama is the candidate du jour? Style over substance is the new barometer of political desirability.

Style over substance can work for a political candidate. Look at Reagan.

It's good that they're finally gonna come right out and say it. At least 60% of the population are outright morons. Control the Idiot Vote, and you win elections. Republicans figured this out years ago. Both sides may as well just drop all pretense.

Consider that for all the time you've spent finding out about the issues, and watching developments, your one vote counts just as much as each of these cretins (new window).

Opiate of the Lasses: It's good that they're finally gonna come right out and say it. At least 60% of the population are outright morons. Control the Idiot Vote, and you win elections. Republicans figured this out years ago. Both sides may as well just drop all pretense.

Consider that for all the time you've spent finding out about the issues, and watching developments, your one vote counts just as much as each of these cretins (new window).

Which is why universal suffrage is a bad idea. People should have to fill out a short awareness test whenever they vote, and if they fail their vote shouldn't count.

Too bad the south farked up the idea of literacy tests.

El_Dan: Which is why universal suffrage is a bad idea.

Universal suffrage isn't a bad idea. Uninformed voting is the problem. Rather than having the voters take a test, just have them vote on ideas, not candidates. Can be audio or paper. Ask them say 20 questions.

War with Iran? Yes/No
End war in Iraq? Yes/No
Assault Weapons ban? Yes/No
Bail out mortgagees? Yes/No
Gay Marriage? Yes/No

etc

Then you match the responses to the candidates positions. You should never vote for people, vote for ideas and concepts. Unfortunately the political system as is is not about fairness or advancing ideas to benefit the populace, so this, or any other kind of idea to inform voters, will never be implemented.

bigpeeler: Any wonder Obama is the candidate du jour? Style over substance is the new barometer of political desirability.


Unright: Style over substance can work for a political candidate. Look at Reagan.

Note to self: accusing a politician of "style over substance" means that said politician is more attractive and appealing than the candidate I support.

Opiate of the Lasses: War with Iran? Yes/No
End war in Iraq? Yes/No
Assault Weapons ban? Yes/No
Bail out mortgagees? Yes/No
Gay Marriage? Yes/No

etc

Then you match the responses to the candidates positions.

Problem with this is that you end up electing Pander Bears and not leaders. Under this system, the civil rights movement would never have happened. Also, the real power would be with the people who got to make up the questions.

The "American Idol" election continues...

What's really troubling is that those voters who get their information from Access Hollywood are probably more informed than those who decide based on commercials and direct mail pieces. Those, I'm afraid, are the real majority.

Don't worry scrote. There are plenty of 'tards out there living really kick ass lives. My first wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now.

DoWhatNowToWhat: This quote came to mind:

"Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people." Eleanor Roosevelt

I don't know why I've never heard this quote, especially with all my study on the Roosevelts, but I hadn't. It's a great one.

farking sad.

That's about all I can say.

Etchy333: Problem with this is that you end up electing Pander Bears and not leaders.

This is true...for the US. Ultimately no solution will get rid of the problem of stupid people, which an alarmingly large percentage of people here seem determined to be. Uninformed people can always be led. You cannot pander to a populace that knows facts and keeps up with things like the news and the candidate's voting history and associations. I was actually kind of proud that Obama stood his ground on The Great Gas Holiday Pander of 2008, and even the dumbest of people realized that yea it wasn't a great idea.

They should have things like Question Time in the US, and no-confidence votes. They should also have multiple parties, so you need coalitions. The reality is once you elect a president in this country, they pretty much have a guaranteed 4 years to fark up as much as they like and break every promise they made with impunity. Too much of politics is driven by the illusion of star power. People will vote against their interests for someone who is like them. They don't want a boring, ugly, but efficient President, esp if they are from another race or don't worship the same invisible man in the sky. But hey, one way or another, you always end up with the President you deserve.

America's always had dumb people. The only difference now is that they can vote.

I blame women's suffrage.

Opiate of the Lasses: They should have things like Question Time in the US, and no-confidence votes. They should also have multiple parties, so you need coalitions. The reality is once you elect a president in this country, they pretty much have a guaranteed 4 years to fark up as much as they like and break every promise they made with impunity. Too much of politics is driven by the illusion of star power. People will vote against their interests for someone who is like them. They don't want a boring, ugly, but efficient President, esp if they are from another race or don't worship the same invisible man in the sky. But hey, one way or another, you always end up with the President you deserve.


I'm curious as to if this current generation, the disenfranchised group who recognizes the media bias and constant political pandering...will do something about it when their generation "takes control" so to speak.

Those young people now railing against the media, grow up, and become the reporters - the politicians...will they hold their original values, or will they themselves become corrupted little by little.

And you wonder why Bush was elected .............. twice.

/America: run BY retards FOR retards

1 - Please, change to "scary" tag.
2 - Hhhmmmmmm Infotainment....

Opiate of the Lasses: El_Dan: Which is why universal suffrage is a bad idea.

Universal suffrage isn't a bad idea. Uninformed voting is the problem. Rather than having the voters take a test, just have them vote on ideas, not candidates. Can be audio or paper. Ask them say 20 questions.

War with Iran? Yes/No
End war in Iraq? Yes/No
Assault Weapons ban? Yes/No
Bail out mortgagees? Yes/No
Gay Marriage? Yes/No

etc

Then you match the responses to the candidates positions. You should never vote for people, vote for ideas and concepts. Unfortunately the political system as is is not about fairness or advancing ideas to benefit the populace, so this, or any other kind of idea to inform voters, will never be implemented.

So what if there are two candidates who say similar things? Clinton and Obama come to mind. Clinton and Obama also illustrate that one candidate might say something because it plays well, and the other might say the same thing because it's what he actually thinks.

You think this was meant for smart voters.

We relected Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush twice. I think that proves that at least 90% of America's voters are "Low-Info" voters and have been for a long time.

DoWhatNowToWhat: Roose

DrowningLessons: DoWhatNowToWhat: This quote came to mind:

"Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people." Eleanor Roosevelt

I don't know why I've never heard this quote, especially with all my study on the Roosevelts, but I hadn't. It's a great one.

The lower classes discuss ideas they get from TV and the tabloids, the middle classes gossip, the upper classes discuss real estate prices and architecture. There. Updated that for you.

bigpeeler: Any wonder Obama is the candidate du jour? Style over substance is the new barometer of political desirability.

After all the "substance" that Dubya gave the world, we could use a good air-freshener.

Come to think of it "Bubba" was no great shakes. We could have done without the Upper Class Twit of the Year, also. And the B actor. No mention the Peanut Farmer (nice, smart, but whoa! nice guys finish last.) And what about the Football player? How many blows to the head did he take? Weasel Puss wasn't dumb--in a shifty eyed car salesman kind of way but who really needed another remake of Death of a Salesman. That dim Texan and the Frat Boy he replaced weren't exactly Nobel Prize Laureates. Before that was Golfing Boy--U.S. Generals don't rise through the ranks (or in the case of "political generals", from the middle, on brains. Just look at Colin Powell. And let'S not forget the Hat Salesman.

Low information voters vote for things like the tallest candidate, the one that they'd like to have a beer with, and the one who does "folksy crapola" the best. They all have to do "folksy crapola" to get elected. That's the only thing that all of these Presidents have had in common.

BASS.......

...........Just How Low Will They Go? (new window)