And They're Off! The Democratic Candidates for 2020

[Madiel]

Could Biden's Weakness With Young Voters Hurt Him In The General Election?

Behind that article are far larger questions about why the US of A makes voting just a difficult chore. For a country that prides itself on democracy, you sure don't encourage people to participate in it.

I've no doubt that Australia's relatively unusual policy of compulsory voting would be looked upon with horror as some kind of assault on your freedoms...

[Karl Henning]

Behind that article are far larger questions about why the US of A makes voting just a difficult chore. For a country that prides itself on democracy, you sure don't encourage people to participate in it.

I've no doubt that Australia's relatively unusual policy of compulsory voting would be looked upon with horror as some kind of assault on your freedoms...

Nor does it help that the GOP finds it expedient to suppress voters.

[Daverz]

Nor does it help that the GOP finds it expedient to suppress voters.

Yes, it's an old story.  The most famous admission of this is a 1980 speech by Paul Weyrich:

"I don't want everybody to vote," he said. "Elections are not won by a majority of people. They never have been from the beginning of our country, and they are not now. As a matter of fact our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."

Video of that and other examples of similar admissions here:

https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/seven-times-conservatives-have-admitted-they-dont-want-people-to-vote/

Now, on the other hand I'm not naive enough to think that non-voters are liberal and everyone voting will lead to a social democratic paradise.  But that's not an excuse for voting not being as easy as we can make it for everyone.

[André]

Behind that article are far larger questions about why the US of A makes voting just a difficult chore. For a country that prides itself on democracy, you sure don't encourage people to participate in it.

I've no doubt that Australia's relatively unusual policy of compulsory voting would be looked upon with horror as some kind of assault on your freedoms...

Voting is compulsory in Belgium too. Other counties that make it compulsory: Brazil, Austria, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and probably a few others.

Belgium holds elections at the federal and regional levels. Every so and so my wife receives voting instructions and a 10 page ballot with a hundred names on it. She usually calls a friend or family member to sort it out.

[JBS]

Behind that article are far larger questions about why the US of A makes voting just a difficult chore. For a country that prides itself on democracy, you sure don't encourage people to participate in it.

I've no doubt that Australia's relatively unusual policy of compulsory voting would be looked upon with horror as some kind of assault on your freedoms...

Query 1 How is that enforced?
Query 2 If someone has to be dragged, metaphorically or otherwise, to the voting booth, do you really want them to vote, if they are truly a low-information voter?

It's not an assault on the freedom of the individual, but I have to wonder if the presumable result, a voter apathetic about the result and not at all informed on the issues, is really worth it.

[André]

It's a very legitimate concern.

My experience of voting is that low-information voters form the majority of those who do vote (not compulsory in Canada or in the provinces). Those who don't are zero-information, unmotivated or incapacitated citizens.

So, why make it compulsory ? From what I've seen, the clueless will look for clues because they are obligated by law. IOW they will make an effort to make a sensible choice. That includes asking people who share the same situation, values - someone they trust - what are the best options. In a sense when you are an informed voter and you're asked for guidance, your vote counts for double...

As for enforcement, there are fines. I don't know if there is any real will from the government to track delinquents though.

[Madiel]

Query 1 How is that enforced?
Query 2 If someone has to be dragged, metaphorically or otherwise, to the voting booth, do you really want them to vote, if they are truly a low-information voter?

It's not an assault on the freedom of the individual, but I have to wonder if the presumable result, a voter apathetic about the result and not at all informed on the issues, is really worth it.

1: It's enforced by crossing names off the electoral roll as people vote, and then following up people who weren't crossed off. Not that many people end up getting fined because there's a range of recognised excuses.

2: It's not actually an obligation to VOTE. Once you've got your ballot paper, the truth is you can scribble a penis on it, stick the ballot paper in the box and no one will know it was you.

But there a variety of benefits. For one thing it encourages people to not be quite so completely apathetic. For another it encourages politicians to be more moderate.

Also, sausage sizzles and cake stalls on Election Day are a huge thing here. One might not look forward to the actual voting, but one still looks forward to a 'democracy sausage'.

[71 dB]

Apparently the establishment wanted Andew Cuomo to be the Democrat's nominee, but Cuomo didn't run. Changes are the DNC wants to replace Biden with Cuomo in the end... 

[Madiel]

Apparently the establishment wanted Andew Cuomo to be the Democrat's nominee, but Cuomo didn't run. Changes are the DNC wants to replace Biden with Cuomo in the end... 

Source?

[71 dB]

Source?

Not one you'd trust I'm afraid. This is pure speculation and can be complitely wrong according to the source.

[Herman]

Voting is compulsory in Belgium too. Other counties that make it compulsory: Brazil, Austria, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and probably a few others.

Voting is not compulsory in The Netherlands.

[Karl Henning]

Not one you'd trust I'm afraid. This is pure speculation and can be complitely wrong according to the source.

Just another of your masturbatory posts, then.

[Madiel]

Not one you'd trust I'm afraid. This is pure speculation and can be complitely wrong according to the source.

So what exactly was the point? You post something starting with "apparently" and now tell me there's absolutely no basis for it being apparent.

Basically you're being a gossip.

[Karl Henning]

So what exactly was the point? You post something starting with "apparently" and now tell me there's absolutely no basis for it being apparent.

Basically [the guy who makes a chump of himself, telling us Americans how supposedly ill-informed we are] is a gossip.

[drogulus]

     We are all Modern Monetarists now

      This is a horrible title for an article with good stuff in it. To be modern is to not be a monetarist.

      In a money economy what's for sale can be bought. To run out of dollars for an emergency is insane.

How will we pay for it? Well, who ever asked that about funding a war, and — as the president himself has said — this fight against COVID-19 is a war.

However, it is not a reasonable question in the first place. The US, the UK, and Japan print their own currencies and issue their national debt only in their own currencies. Moreover, we don't wait to issue debt or collect taxes to spend money – Congress authorizes spending and the Treasury calls upon the Federal Reserve to provide funding, which the latter does at a keystroke.

The issue of "balancing the books" with taxes or via the issuance of debt is not only an afterthought — it is not even necessary. Our government holds a monopoly to "issue" the currency, it does not merely "use" it like the rest of us.

     I'm offended by the idea that people have to die in large numbers to get it into peoples heads how a money system is not a torture device. Money is what it's used for, not for itself. It can buy what's for sale in a depression just as well as in normal times. This is proved every time we do it. What we do, we can do.

     

[André]

Voting is not compulsory in The Netherlands.

My bad. It was repealed in 1970. Italy repealed it in 1993. I just read the list, not the details  .

[Florestan]

Just another of your masturbatory posts, then.

In my recent listening to Offenbach I encountered a line which describes Poju perfectly.

Que bavard insupportable! Que discours interminable!

[Karl Henning]

Vraiment!

[ritter]

In my recent listening to Offenbach I encountered a line which describes Poju perfectly.

Que bavard insupportable! Que discours interminable!

Indeed. Some time ago I suspected he was taking the mickey out of all of us. Now I'm 100% sure that's the case.

BTW, Andrei, your inbox is full,

[Florestan]

Indeed. Some time ago I suspected he was taking the mickey out of all of us. Now I'm 100% sure that's the case.

BTW, Andrei, your inbox is full,

Not anymore.