2004 election

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MyLifeIsBrians
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Post by MyLifeIsBrians » Jul 13th 2004, 9:33 am

I`m so undecided in this election. I was watching Kerry do an interview on 60 minutes and I don`t know I really did`nt like John Kerry`s wife. She seemed a little rude to me. I`m a little tired of Bush. I support him but I think it`s best if we moved on. What do you guys think of Ralph Nader?
There`s Something About My Life....

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lance
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Post by lance » Jul 18th 2004, 5:59 pm

starbug wrote:Does anyone think Kerry will actually lose votes because he's picked Edwards?

We don't have the 'running mate' system in Britain really, so I'm finding it difficult to understand the significance... is the potential VP something that most voters will take into consideration....?

What I sincerely hope will happen in this election, is a marked increase in voter turnout. If this contest inspires people to get out and vote, that's a good thing (so long as they don't vote for Bush, of course :wink: )
I think Kerry picked the best possible person he could for his VP. Edwards seems to have brought energy & optimism to a campaign that needed it.

According to various American political pundits I have heard recently (Mark Shields, William Safire, David Brooks) the last election when a VP pick actually helped was 1960 when Kennedy picked LBJ who in turn was able to deliver Texas to the Democrats that year. More recently VP picks seem to complement the Presidential candidate. Cheney gave Bush someone who had plenty of foreign policy experience. Edwards provides Kerry with someone who speaks well and appeals to middle and working class people in a way Kerry never could.

Until Clinton/Gore & Bush/Cheney VPs didn't really have much to do and the office was held in low regard. The VP office wasn't even in the West Wing.

-LanceMan

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lance
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election

Post by lance » Jul 25th 2004, 12:34 pm

From NPR's Weekend Edition-Sunday 7/25/04

20% of active National Guardsman cannot afford health insurance. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and a Repulican Senator (from South Carolina-?) have attempted to pass a bill providing permanet health care insurance to these Guard people. The Bush Administration has opposed these efforts for the past two years.

-LanceMan

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starbug
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Post by starbug » Jul 28th 2004, 9:03 am

Yee-Ha!!

Guess what folks: I am eligible to vote in the US Federal election! Can't believe it, but it's true. Here's how it works (I've gleaned this from the US Embassy website):

- my parents were ordinarily resident in the USA prior to my birth.
- I was born, in wedlock, to them at the time they were still US citizens but were living overseas.
- they registered my birth at the time (an 'alien' birth, apparently), and have the certificates to prove it
- I can claim citizenship
- which means I can vote in the election!

Hurrah! No doubt there will be endless paperwork to fill in and fees to pay, but I'm thinking it's worth it.... :D

I didn't care when I was younger, but I do care now.....

It also means I won't have to worry about any future visa regulations when the US decides to scrap the visa waiver programme for the UK and make us all get visas.... yay!

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Nothingman
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Post by Nothingman » Jul 28th 2004, 10:18 am

The name "Starbug" and being an "Alien" birth, a coincidence?
I think not.

But anyway back to the election. It's pretty cool you can vote in it, and I'd encourage you to. I watched the democratic convention on monday and saw Hillary and Bill speak. Hillary did well, but Clinton was excellent. Whether you agreed with all or none of what he said there is no denying the man can speek and you have to respect that. I forgot how good he was and found myself compeled to listen.
"To come to your senses, you must first go out of your mind." - Alan Watts

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Post by guitarchick » Jul 28th 2004, 10:23 am

starbug, are you positive you're allowed to vote? I'm in a similar situation. I was born and have always lived in Canada but both my parents are from the states. When I was born, they filled out the forms, therefore making me an American citizen in addition to a Canadian one. However, I always thought that since I never actually lived in the states, I wasn't allowed to vote. I hope I'm wrong here cause I'd love to do my part. Please let me know if you have more info on this.

Thanks,
Emilie

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Nothingman
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Post by Nothingman » Jul 28th 2004, 10:29 am

You should be able to vote absantie. I've never done it from another country, but I've done it from different areas of the country. Should be a very similar process.
"To come to your senses, you must first go out of your mind." - Alan Watts

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starbug
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Post by starbug » Jul 28th 2004, 12:25 pm

Yep, guitarchick, according the guy I spoke to at the Voter Assistance Programme, not only does it not matter that your parents aren't in the states, haven't been for over 30 years, and are no longer citizens (mine), but it also doesn't matter one fig that you've never lived there nor have any intention of living there!

If you have a claim to citizenship, get citizenship, and you can vote. It really is that simple. All they do is use your parents' last address as your registration state, and away you go. You do have to have some documentation but he said I can get a letter from my parents certifying their last address, or alternatively I can get permission from one of my many relatives to use their address.

I have certainly decided dual citizenship is worth it, if only to rock the vote this time round :D

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grim4746
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Post by grim4746 » Jul 28th 2004, 9:02 pm

So Starbug, have you given any thought as to who you might vote for? :P

That's interesting and weird that you are eligable to vote in the US election. I agree with your politics so I'm glad that you'll be voting but in general I don't know if I think such situations are just. To me such citizenships seem only technical and would often involve people who have no plans to live in the country, pay taxes or contribute to it in any way except to share in the decision making. I guess contributing isn't a necessary part of citizenship but to me it feels like it should be. On the other hand voting is one of the most important responsibilities of citizens.

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starbug
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Post by starbug » Jul 29th 2004, 4:40 am

grim4746 wrote:So Starbug, have you given any thought as to who you might vote for? :P
Ahem *cough* no comment :D
grim4746 wrote:in general I don't know if I think such situations are just. To me such citizenships seem only technical and would often involve people who have no plans to live in the country, pay taxes or contribute to it in any way except to share in the decision making. I guess contributing isn't a necessary part of citizenship but to me it feels like it should be. On the other hand voting is one of the most important responsibilities of citizens.
Yes, I'd thought about this too, and I do sort of feel weird about it. But I've looked at it this way. My parents were born in the states, and I've visited god knows how many times (I worked out that cumulatively I've probably spent around 60 weeks of my life in the US, which is more than a year). My family all still live in the states (and there are lots of them), and one day maybe mr. S and I will go and live there for a bit (if the demise of bush happens as planned), and pay taxes and contribute. I'm not particularly fussed about being an American and if I had to choose I'd be British, but if the rules allow me to be both, that is my right and I'd be foolish to miss out on the opportunity. I do have ties there and I do actually care passionately about what is happening in the country; not just because it affects the world but because Bush and his administration are giving Americans a bad name globally and it's unfair.

Just as an aside I was talking to my parents about this and they spotted a potential downside; when I'm travelling to the US, I will have to do so on my US passport. I will have travel insurance, of course, for medical emergencies but the question is how that will be affected by my dual nationality. I can't imagine that my travel insurance will be invalidated because I'm semi-american (which I was anyway, it's just that I'm formally claiming it now), nor that the US authorities would insist that I have US health insurance and refuse to take the money from my travel insurance company. I think it's a red herring but I'm going to check it out.

That said, most of their knowledge is 30 years out of date; they originally became British because they were living in thatcher's britain, wanted her out, but couldn't vote. So they became british but in doing so had to give up their US Citizenship, such were the rules at that time. That's changed now, as have lots of other things.

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guitarchick
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Post by guitarchick » Jul 30th 2004, 9:31 pm

Excellent! I looked into it and it does look like I am eligeble to vote! It will be for the state of NY though which unfortunitely is not a "swing state". But my feeling is, voting generally has a lot more to do with the voter than it does with the actual outcome.

Emilie

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Nothingman
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Post by Nothingman » Aug 4th 2004, 4:18 pm

Check out this "Bush Approved Message" starting Will Ferrell. Brought to you by ACT (Americans Coming Togehter). It's a good laugh.

http://whitehousewest.com/
"To come to your senses, you must first go out of your mind." - Alan Watts

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lance
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Post by lance » Aug 4th 2004, 10:02 pm

guitarchick wrote:Excellent! I looked into it and it does look like I am eligeble to vote! It will be for the state of NY though which unfortunitely is not a "swing state". But my feeling is, voting generally has a lot more to do with the voter than it does with the actual outcome.

Emilie
Guitar chick & Starbug,

So glad to hear that you can participate in the upcoming election.

:D

I caught bits and pieces of last week's Democratic Convention. I caught Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, both were awesome. I understand that Al Sharpton brought down the house.

-LanceMan

guitarchick
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Post by guitarchick » Aug 4th 2004, 10:16 pm

I cought a clip of the Black Eyed Peas performing at the Democratic national convention. It was great seeing all those political people bobbing their heads. :-)

There's going to be a lot of protesting at the republican convention. Should be interesting.

Emilie

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Post by TomSpeed » Aug 5th 2004, 9:37 am

We will no doubt see the protestors at the GOP's convention. This coverage will be a dramatic contrast to the lack of coverage of protestors at the Democratic convention.

I was not charmed by Kerry and the Dems. I watched every night of the convention on PBS. I'm not sure what Kerry's three purple hearts, etc., have to do with his ability to be president. Clinton dodged the draft, but many people believe that he was a great president. I'm also not sold on Kerry's insistence that he will bring America's allies along on Iraq and the war on terror. The fact is that the countries which didn't want to go then won't want to go in the future. He's not going to have a magic wand.
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