What's the point?

[Dave Reynolds]

Why put someone in the White House that is bought and paid for with corporate dollars?

Does it matter if they have an (R) or (D) after their name if they only care about pleasing big business? What has big business been doing for us working slobs the last few years?

Why live with "meet the new boss, same as the old boss"?

When will we have had enough?

[Tux]

1. Never

Americans tend to ignore the problem and go along. It's too hard for most to think about. I know some conservatives that want to make lobbying illegal. On wants it to be treason.

Until people see how corporations get everything they want while we get nothing, it will continue.

[wli]

2. revoke corporate personhood, ban lobbying, corp. campaign contributions

Something along those lines ought to do the trick.

[fooj]

3. I'd love for it to be that way.

Peace.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. I see that you've left the Matrix.

Pay no attention to that man hooked up to the ballot box tubes.

[AndyTiedye]

5. The "R's" Will Turn the USA into a Totalitarian Theocracy If They Stay In

Does it matter if they have an (R) or (D) after their name if they only care about pleasing big business?

If only the (R)'s did only care about big business. Unfortunately,
the (R)'s also care far too much about pleasing the Talibornagains.

To say that it does not matter
Means that reproductive freedom does not matter
that civil rights don't matter
that the environment does not matter
that jobs don't matter

do I really need to go on?

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

6. Did things really improve with Clinton?

Sure Clinton is much better than Bush but any democrat would have been. Clinton gets an F for environmental policy, can't think of one thing he did in the way of civil rights but if my memory is failing me please refresh it, the minimum wage stayed the same under Clinton, welfare reform was a sick joke, refused to sign the Kyoto Pact, supported NAFTA, Labor Union got nothing from Clinton....need I go on. Seems that you seem to think if a guy has a (D) after his name then he can do no wrong. Let me remind you or inform you which ever the case maybe that 40% of corporate bribes...oops I mean corporate contributions went to Democrats during his presidency. Just because the (R)'s are total sell-outs and low life creeps that doesn't mean we don't have some house cleaning to do as well.

[AndyTiedye]

8. Yes, They Did

Sure Clinton is much better than Bush but any democrat would have been.

That was my point. Not that the (D)'s can do no wrong, but that the (R)'s are so unspeakably bad that to sit on our hands and allow the (R)'s to win is unconsionable.

Clinton gets an F for environmental policy

Then Bush** gets an F---.
Clinton did push through a number of good regulations, which were rescinded by ** as soon as he stole office.

I think most of us would have liked Gore a lot better than either Clinton or Bush** on environmental issues.

can't think of one thing he did in the way of civil rights but if my memory is failing me please refresh it,

He put a couple of pretty good justices on the Supreme Court.
Compare with **'s choice for a seat.
I think there are some civil rights implications there.

Clinton did not react to acts of terrorism with curbs on civil rights.

"Don't ask, don't tell" is kind of a half-assed something (but it was better than the then-existing policy of seek out and kick out) so let's call that half a something.

the minimum wage stayed the same under Clinton

Clinton tried, but Congress wouldn't budge.
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/02/12/minimum.wage

welfare reform was a sick joke

Much sicker now. The whole premise behind welfare reform breaks down if there are no jobs. Under **, budgets have been slashed, and a lot more people need welfare.
Clinton did produce the closest thing to full employment that we have seen in recent memory. Under **, many more are out of work for long periods of time.

refused to sign the Kyoto Pact

Clinton signed it. The Republican Senate refused to ratify it.

supported NAFTA

NAFTA is good in principle, it just doesn't go far enough.
We should not just export jobs, we should export our labor and environmental laws with them. To be eligible for NAFTA treatment, the manufacturer must comply with the labor and environmental laws of both countries. Must pay at least the US minimum wage (unless the local one is higher), allow union organizing, comply with EPA and OSHA regs, etc.

Seems that you seem to think if a guy has a (D) after his name then he can do no wrong.

Please point out what I said that created that impression, so that I may express myself more clearly. We could all stand to improve our communication skills (the practice of which is perhaps the main value of the time we spend posting here).

Let me remind you or inform you which ever the case maybe that 40% of corporate bribes...oops I mean corporate contributions went to Democrats during his presidency.

The Dems were actually the party in power, yet the Repubs got 60% of the contributions?
What does that tell you?

Is it possible that at least some of the corporations that gave the 40% are actually not evil?
That seems to be the premise behind http://www.buyblue.org


Just because the (R)'s are total sell-outs and low life creeps that doesn't mean we don't have some house cleaning to do as well.

Of course we do! The behavior of many of our own on the bankruptcy bill was disgraceful. How do we address it? Primary challenges would
be appropriate where we have a strong enough alternative candidate that there is no chance of the seat going to the Republicans. If even one primary challenger is successful and ultimately wins the general election, it would go a long way to curbing such outrages. That would also show that we were working to strengthen and reform the party, not destroy it as Nader has been attempting to do. To reform the party, we absolutely must not be in the "spoiler" role as long as the party is in its current precarious condition. That means that if we knock out a Dem incumbent in the primary we had better win the general election. Unsuccessful challenges had better not leave the Dem incumbent so badly damaged that he loses to the Republican. Our party absolutely cannot afford to lose any more seats or it faces extinction.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. Clinton didn't leave the economy a smoldering husk, the deficit out

of control, our reputation around the world destroyed and our kids in the ground due to a bogus oil war based on deliberate, bald-faced lies.

Fuck me, ANYTHING would be better than this president. Yes, even a corporate sellout DLC stooge.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Three words: Publically financed campaigns

Take a nickle and go to jail. Period.

Corrollary: Publically owned state of the art voting machines with open source code and freely auditable with bipartisan oversight at every step of the process. Paper receipts ..... one to an old fashioned ballot box and protected like gold. One to the voter.