Giant Bomb's Official 2012 USA Presidental Election Thread

I'm from Ohio and it is brutal here. I don't watch any TV but I do listen to the radio and my usual oldies station (because I'm odd) is just slammed with political ads. I really miss the life insurance ads. :(

@Animasta: I fully expect both of those to go for Romney, but then think Ohio, Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Wisconsin all go for Obama. Ohio's a crapshoot based on Secretary of State Husted's monkeying with the voting policies and regulations, but low unemployment has helped with Obama having a pretty consistent lead in polling done there. Here's the wildcard...

I grew up in a small town in NW Ohio that had two major employers: American Standard and National Machinery. My father has worked at National Machinery for over 30 years. American Standard was bought by Bain Capital, Mitt Romney's company and shut down inside of 90 days from the purchase. Now, this was done ostensibly after Romney left the company (there's some conflicting documentation around when/how that really happened) but I'd say a company doesn't undergo a transformation of core M.O. that quickly. National Machinery, which shut down in 2001 and reopened in 2002 as an LLC. Romney was on record as saying "Let Detroit go bankrupt" in reference to the American automobile manufacturing industry. If you give him the benefit of the doubt and allow that managed, private bankruptcies would have saved GM, Chrysler, etc, you're still gravely impacting the suppliers of those companies, and the suppliers' suppliers while those processes play out on a slower scale than the government assistance happened. I know National Machinery had a TON of customers who were suppliers to the auto industry. A Detroit bankruptcy would have been deadly for those companies and the towns around them.

I still expect Seneca County to go for Romney, probably by at least 60/40.

@JOURN3Y said:

I'm from Ohio and it is brutal here. I don't watch any TV but I do listen to the radio and my usual oldies station (because I'm odd) is just slammed with political ads. I really miss the life insurance ads. :(

I was actually glad I saw a trade in your gold ad during jeopardy

it's terrible

@JOURN3Y: Which part of Ohio? I grew up in the NW, went to school in the SE, and spent a ton of time in-between in Columbus.

Im in Akron, OH. I see a nice mix of people across the political spectrum and everyone wants to give me the business.

I live in California so I already know where my electoral votes are going, so I decided to vote third party(which I probably would have done if I lived in a swing state too). Our current system doesn't really support third parties, but at least I get to have my little voice heard.

I live in NY, so I don't see much point in it. I'm just glad it's almost over. As long as both parties don't drag this on in endless lawsuits. Oh god, please don't let that happen.

@NegativeCero said:

As long as both parties don't drag this on in endless lawsuits. Oh god, please don't let that happen.

Actually, let that happen. Then maybe we'd all see how busted the current system is and have the impetus to make some changes.

I will be voting tomorrow. I will be voting for Obama. I also get to go back to my old middle school to vote, thats pretty cool.

I'll either vote for a cartoon character or I won't vote. Then again I'm not the electoral college so it wouldn't matter if I did. People like me end up getting a raw deal no matter who wins in these things. I'm more worried about being invaded in the next few years because I don't think either of these guys could protect us if they had to. The launch of the next-gen consoles would be a prime opportunity for a preemptive strike by our enemies. I need to start working on an escape plan or praying to the sun that I don't get wiped out in the first attack.

@Mezmero said:

I'll either vote for a cartoon character or I won't vote. Then again I'm not the electoral college so it wouldn't matter if I did. People like me end up getting a raw deal no matter who wins in these things. I'm more worried about being invaded in the next few years because I don't think either of these guys could protect us if they had to. The launch of the next-gen consoles would be a prime opportunity for a preemptive strike by our enemies. I need to start working on an escape plan or praying to the sun that I don't get wiped out in the first attack.

See that's the problem with me too. No matter who I vote for, it doesn't matter because California will always vote the same. So would it be so "unpatriotic" of me to not even bother? I feel like I'm pretty much wasting my time even caring who becomes president since I really have no say. Every vote doesn't count and I hate that all these assholes act like they do.

Dont vote for the Republican they always find an excuse to go to war.

@Jams said:

@Mezmero said:

I'll either vote for a cartoon character or I won't vote. Then again I'm not the electoral college so it wouldn't matter if I did. People like me end up getting a raw deal no matter who wins in these things. I'm more worried about being invaded in the next few years because I don't think either of these guys could protect us if they had to. The launch of the next-gen consoles would be a prime opportunity for a preemptive strike by our enemies. I need to start working on an escape plan or praying to the sun that I don't get wiped out in the first attack.

See that's the problem with me too. No matter who I vote for, it doesn't matter because California will always vote the same. So would it be so "unpatriotic" of me to not even bother? I feel like I'm pretty much wasting my time even caring who becomes president since I really have no say. Every vote doesn't count and I hate that all these assholes act like they do.

2000 election came down to 200 votes

I've voted in the last three presidential elections and I've only seen the country get worse and worse, no matter which party gets in office. They're all scum. I will no longer participate in this corrupt system. I'm going to sit at home, eat popcorn, and watch the world burn.

@Jams said:

@Mezmero said:

I'll either vote for a cartoon character or I won't vote. Then again I'm not the electoral college so it wouldn't matter if I did. People like me end up getting a raw deal no matter who wins in these things. I'm more worried about being invaded in the next few years because I don't think either of these guys could protect us if they had to. The launch of the next-gen consoles would be a prime opportunity for a preemptive strike by our enemies. I need to start working on an escape plan or praying to the sun that I don't get wiped out in the first attack.

See that's the problem with me too. No matter who I vote for, it doesn't matter because California will always vote the same. So would it be so "unpatriotic" of me to not even bother? I feel like I'm pretty much wasting my time even caring who becomes president since I really have no say. Every vote doesn't count and I hate that all these assholes act like they do.

2000 election came down to 200 votes

@ajamafalous said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@Jams said:

@Mezmero said:

I'll either vote for a cartoon character or I won't vote. Then again I'm not the electoral college so it wouldn't matter if I did. People like me end up getting a raw deal no matter who wins in these things. I'm more worried about being invaded in the next few years because I don't think either of these guys could protect us if they had to. The launch of the next-gen consoles would be a prime opportunity for a preemptive strike by our enemies. I need to start working on an escape plan or praying to the sun that I don't get wiped out in the first attack.

See that's the problem with me too. No matter who I vote for, it doesn't matter because California will always vote the same. So would it be so "unpatriotic" of me to not even bother? I feel like I'm pretty much wasting my time even caring who becomes president since I really have no say. Every vote doesn't count and I hate that all these assholes act like they do.

2000 election came down to 200 votes

But those votes were in a swing state. Certain people's votes matter a whole lot (swing states) and certain people's votes don't really matter at all (states that will always vote the same way: California, Texas, etc.).

Plus it was rigged by Bush ANYWAY didn't California voted Arnold, wasnt he republican. I don't see why they dont just do the vote for overal instead of a state by state basis.

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@ajamafalous said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@Jams said:

@Mezmero said:

I'll either vote for a cartoon character or I won't vote. Then again I'm not the electoral college so it wouldn't matter if I did. People like me end up getting a raw deal no matter who wins in these things. I'm more worried about being invaded in the next few years because I don't think either of these guys could protect us if they had to. The launch of the next-gen consoles would be a prime opportunity for a preemptive strike by our enemies. I need to start working on an escape plan or praying to the sun that I don't get wiped out in the first attack.

See that's the problem with me too. No matter who I vote for, it doesn't matter because California will always vote the same. So would it be so "unpatriotic" of me to not even bother? I feel like I'm pretty much wasting my time even caring who becomes president since I really have no say. Every vote doesn't count and I hate that all these assholes act like they do.

2000 election came down to 200 votes

But those votes were in a swing state. Certain people's votes matter a whole lot (swing states) and certain people's votes don't really matter at all (states that will always vote the same way: California, Texas, etc.).

Plus it was rigged by Bush ANYWAY didn't California voted Arnold, wasnt he republican. I don't see why they dont just do the vote for overal instead of a state by state basis.

that's a good question!

also arnold was a popular movie star this is also why california went republican for president ronnie

I'm voting for the person who doesn't think I'm a hellbound second-class citizen. Thanks.

@rentfn: Yes, that is the quote, and I will add that I love quoting the Hitchhikers Guide, because it makes intelligence sound awesome, also why I like quoting Doctor Who.

In most local or state elections, people are a little more willing to cross party lines for a specific individual; the only reason we have any actual independents in political office. California will always vote Democratic for president, but there's certainly room for diversion for a big name like the governator.

With the pressure of a big national election and the media bombast it gets, people are a lot less willing to risk straying away from their "team" to vote for the individual they actually want (even though our local politicians will likely have a lot more effect on our lives than the president).

So I didn't vote in 2008, I had just turned 18, I was lazy and didn't see the point. Last semester, I had to take my politics class, and if you wanted to participate in class discussion, the professor would ask you "Who did you vote for last election?", and if your answer was "I didn't vote," he wouldn't even engage in conversation with you. He was very keen on the idea that so many people died so you would have the right to vote, and that squandering that right was almost offensive to him. So this year, I'm fully acknowledging that my one Michigan vote doesn't matter, but I'm still going to do it anyway.

@TooWalrus: michigan votes sort of matter?

I live in Illinois, so I'm putting my name down for president and giving more care to local stuff, like if there's a tax referendum for the local schools or whatever. My middle school almost wiped out it's whole arts department because too many crotchety, old people simply saw "higher taxes" on the ballot and voted "no" without knowing (or having very little care for) what impact it would have on kids who have no power to vote.

@Brodehouse said:

Obama would be a conservative in Canada. That's scary.

Whoa! Do you have a source for this? I would love to learn more.

Anyways, I'm voting for Obama. I can't say I like either candidate too much. This is more a vote against the Republican party than anything else. The party is slipping further to the right, and it's scary.

Huntsman 2016?

@TooWalrus said:

So I didn't vote in 2008, I had just turned 18, I was lazy and didn't see the point. Last semester, I had to take my politics class, and if you wanted to participate in class discussion, the professor would ask you "Who did you vote for last election?", and if your answer was "I didn't vote," he wouldn't even engage in conversation with you. He was very keen on the idea that so many people died so you would have the right to vote, and that squandering that right was almost offensive to him. So this year, I'm fully acknowledging that my one Michigan vote doesn't matter, but I'm still going to do it anyway.

Aye. Even though my vote "won't really matter" in California, I still feel like I have a sense of honor to upheld. I want to feel good about who or what I vote for, and to know that I at least gave my voice to the sea of voices (though there are also a bunch of dumb CA propositions that I need to vote down, something I actually have a lot more weight in as an individual).

Not to mention that the whole "my vote won't matter" thing is exactly why we have a bunch of old folks deciding our elections for the younger generation. It's how we allowed that to happen. We have to let our mere presence be known or our politicians will ignore us.

@Animasta: Meh, I suppose more than some places, but we've voted for the democratic party for the past 5 elections, and we're leaning that way again.

EDIT: Some places, not most places.

I just want to share this commercial. I don't agree with what it's saying, but it's funnny:

I live in NY. No reason to vote on the presidential election. Everyone else here picks for me regardless of what my choice may be. Popular vote means nothing, so who cares? It's much more important IMO to vote for gubernatorial and senate elections.

@BoG said:

I just want to share this commercial. I don't agree with what it's saying, but it's funnny:

Pfffhah! I don't want to believe it's real, but I know in my heart that it is.

There's hyperbole, and then there's damning this country to our Chinese overlords.

@BoG:The American Democratic party lines up pretty well with the Canadian Conservative party. That's all.

Anyone who votes Republican in the face of overwhelming voter suppression in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere should be ashamed of themselves. The Republicans can't compete with the shifting demographics of the country so they elect to suppress minority voters. Fucking disgusting, disgraceful bullshit.

@JDillinger said:

Anyone who votes Republican in the face of overwhelming voter suppression in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere should be ashamed of themselves. The Republicans can't compete with the shifting demographics of the country so they elect to suppress minority voters. Fucking disgusting, disgraceful bullshit.

You mean the same party that made alot of African Americans votes void in florida because their cousin was in a jail somewhere.

Voting for Romney, just the fact of Obama's failed promises from 4 years ago and not doing anything to better the economy led to this decision. A business man in office is more appealing to me than a lawyer at this point.

I live in Arizona and they sent me an early ballot like a month and a half ago, but I fucked up spending too much time researching so now I can't send it in. I'm hoping I can still go to a polling place or something tomorrow though.

@Video_Game_King said:

I imagine this thread is for Americans only? I don't exactly see what I can contribute if I can't actually vote.

How would you like to vote by proxy VGK? I hate both presidential candidates and I'm only voting because I want jury duty and I like doing the props and things that I can actually influence. If not I guess I can just flip a quarter.

@Nightriff: On average how much time do you spend doing the following :

Watching Fox News

Listening to Rush Limbaugh

Reading terrible editorials in the WSJ

@JDillinger:

Fox News - 5 minutes a week if I ever pass the channel

Limbaugh - Never in my life and never will

WSJ - Never heard of this

And I frequently visit Washington Post and watch CNN so fuck off, I made my decision asshole, don't accuse me of being a Right Wing/Tea Party because I'm voting for Romney, I weighed the options and made the decision on what I think the direction of the country should go.

@Nightriff said:

Voting for Romney, just the fact of Obama's failed promises from 4 years ago and not doing anything to better the economy led to this decision. A business man in office is more appealing to me than a lawyer at this point.

And you believe the guy who is promising to create 12 million jobs in 4 years is better? And I feel the need to point out running public functions like a business is a terrible idea. Romney can't just liquidate government assets, fire the Department of Education or ask Department of Energy to let everyone drill everywhere because that would be illegal.

@Video_Game_King said:

I imagine this thread is for Americans only? I don't exactly see what I can contribute if I can't actually vote.

where do you live the UK? If so you should mail in a ballot with a note that says "I demand representation without taxation"

can we please not discuss the views of the politicians in here please? This is why we get into huge arguments for no good reason. Let's keep it civil folks!

@Nightriff: I'd hardly think CNN is nonpartisan anymore so that means nothing.

Also, calm down buddy. You clearly have anger issues you need to work on.

@VisariLoyalist said:

@Video_Game_King said:

I imagine this thread is for Americans only? I don't exactly see what I can contribute if I can't actually vote.

where do you live the UK? If so you should mail in a ballot with a note that says "I demand representation without taxation"

Don't ever try to get VGK to break character. Ever!!

@Milkman said:

Here's a pretty interesting BBC poll on foreign countries' support of Obama and Romney.

Not all that complicated. But hey, if this America thing doesn't work out for Mitt (it won't), I guess he could try Pakistan.

I'll be voting tomorrow in New York even though it's obviously already a foregone conclusion here.

I think they just don't like Obama in pakistan for his drone policy not realizing Romney would be no different.

The voter suppression stuff I've been hearing about today is fucking disgusting. If Romney wins tomorrow, there should be riots. So much for fucking democracy.

@BoG said:

@Brodehouse said:

Obama would be a conservative in Canada. That's scary.

Whoa! Do you have a source for this? I would love to learn more.

Anyways, I'm voting for Obama. I can't say I like either candidate too much. This is more a vote against the Republican party than anything else. The party is slipping further to the right, and it's scary.

Huntsman 2016?

I would support Chris Christie 2016 you know why? Cause he's fat and I'm not going to take it anymore

@Nightriff said:

@JDillinger:

Fox News - 5 minutes a week if I ever pass the channel

Limbaugh - Never in my life and never will

WSJ - Never heard of this

And I frequently visit Washington Post and watch CNN so fuck off, I made my decision asshole, don't accuse me of being a Right Wing/Tea Party because I'm voting for Romney, I weighed the options and made the decision on what I think the direction of the country should go.

guys... can we not... cause... the mods are gonna be all like mad and stuff... :|

@TooWalrus said:

@VisariLoyalist said:

@Video_Game_King said:

I imagine this thread is for Americans only? I don't exactly see what I can contribute if I can't actually vote.

where do you live the UK? If so you should mail in a ballot with a note that says "I demand representation without taxation"

Don't ever try to get VGK to break character. Ever!!

Character?

Why can't I vote for multiple candidates? I voted for Jill Stein about a week ago, but it kinda felt like throwing my vote away.

@Milkman said:

The voter suppression stuff I've been hearing about today is fucking disgusting. If Romney wins tomorrow, there should be riots. So much for fucking democracy.

As far as I've heard, this won't be like 2000; Obama's got a huge team of lawyer's and they're ready to deal with this kinda shit

@JDillinger said:

@Nightriff: On average how much time do you spend doing the following :

Watching Fox News

Listening to Rush Limbaugh

Reading terrible editorials in the WSJ

Oh aren't you clever! It's people like you that ruin threads like these for everyone.

The amount of election coverage here in Canada is ridiculous, even more than we get during our own elections.