The Politics Thread

[quartermainefan]

"Papers? Show me your papers." is what the nazis say in every old movie while the heroes are trying to get out of Europe.

[GoldenDogs]

Okay... here's the deal. In order for my son to take the driving test today, we needed to provide them with my vehicle's registration and proof of insurance... AND he needed to give them a photo ID (which consisted of last year's high school ID, as I had mentioned earlier today). After I had posted here earlier about the whole ID for voting thing, I sort of smiled. The lady at the counter probably thought I was nuts, smiling like that in a DMV office. Most people don't, you know... LOL...

Anyway, here in California, you can actually register to vote at the DMV, where they are asking people for photo ID's!! Though, of course, they are not asking them for voter registration purposes. Still, it renders the whole argument pointless...

Without a photo ID, how do you function at all? If it is a burden to present some form of identification to vote, isn't it then a burden to present some form of identification to claim an unemployment or welfare check, to apply for a job, etc.?

Ann, with all due respect, to claim that voter fraud rarely happens is a bit out there. We all have seen stories in which the dead are voting (I suspect zombies are too easily distracted to actually vote, however)... It happens all the time. Some believe voter fraud is the reason Al Franken holds a Senate seat.

We demand identification for all sorts of things in society... why NOT to cast a vote for one of the most powerful leaders in the world? I think it's a small thing to ask. The DMV here records your thumb print and idenfifies people that way... maybe that technology should be used for voting purposes, too. Would you support that, Ann? We SHOULD make it easier for all those people who just can't seem to verify their identities in this country... That would eliminate the barrier to acquire those documents, right?

[Wales2004]

I haven't heard of any I.D. laws being pushed in California. Just because it might be easy for some to get an identification doesn't mean it is for others. I don't have a problem with the idea of identifying voters because it seems logical enough. The problem is pushing this so close to a major election when there was enough time (say like last year) to push this. It's shameful to change the law without giving people a significant amount of time to make adjustments.

Even though that's not an issue here, it's no longer convenient to get to a DMV office as some have closed as a result of the state's budgetary problems (or I should say fiscal mismanagement) and hours have been reduced as well. The last time I was in a DMV office they had brand new HD Samsung televisions for the purpose of displaying numbers. I cannot imagine how much money was spent on that and within months the office was closed due to the budget crisis. A couple of weeks ago some audit uncovered money that was somehow forgotten or unnoticed.

I can't imagine having a bunch of 80 year olds who may not have needed an I.D. for years, having to travel miles to get one on what is to me very short notice.

[Becki]

I can only speak for NC (I work for the title and tag section of the NCDMV) but here, you can get a state issued ID card for $10.00. The only difference between it and a drivers license is that it says the words IDENTIFICATION CARD on it instead of driver's license. And you can't get a tag or title processed in NC without a NC Driver's License or ID card.

Everytime I vote they ask for my ID and I hope one day it WILL be a law. I believe voter fraud in rampant in the US on both sides of the political arena and I'd like to see my right as a citizen protected from those that don't give a flying fig about right or wrong as long as their party 'wins'.

Loved Paul Ryan's speech last night. Listening to it again right now. I can't say I'm a huge Romney fan, but I'm interested in watching his speech tonight.

[quartermainefan]

Did you love when he blamed Obama for the closing of the auto plant that actually closed during the Bush administration?

[thelma42]

LOL. Not to mention a whole bunch of other things.

Edited August 31, 2012 by thelma42

[juppiter]

You have to look at the intention of the law -- was voter fraud a huge problem? No. Who, statistically, is most likely to be effected by the law? Anecdotes aside?

[ReddFoxx]

Statistics don't support Republicans claims of voter fraud, they seem to think they only lose elections because minorities voted more than once and it's simply not true. Voter ID isn't about stopping fraud, it's about manipulating elections and it's time to be honest about that. You think this is going to be enforced in Republicans areas? Not at all, because it's not about the law. Where are all these stories about widespread voter fraud? They don't exist. http://votingrights....election-fraud/

A lot of these efforts don't even include discounted IDs for those who can't afford them. That says a lot about the intention right there. It's all politics.

Edited August 31, 2012 by ReddFoxx

[Delia]

Scott Hamilton, the figure skater, is a Romney supporter?

So Clint Eastwood is the surprise, big name speaker. Is it really surprising that a rich, old, white guy is a Romney supporter?

[Wales2004]

Are people really that enamored of celebrities that they can be swayed to vote the same way?

I don't care about their political affiliations but if they say something outrageous then it might cause me to look at them differently.

Is this the quote of the night?: "When the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American."

[quartermainefan]

Well at least in the 20th Century that sort of was true. The U.N. WWI and WWII, the cold war, the moon landing and all the things we can debate their virtues forever, America had to not only finance everything but also enter those wars to put an end to them. Kennedy said we would go to the moon, not some equally visionary European. When it comes time for the really big stuff the world does look to the US. Maybe in this century that job will fall to someone else.

[Ann_SS]

Eh, it does not matter what statistics or any other credible evidence shows, for these people widespread voter fraud is a boogie man born from political delusion and a determination to suppress the votes which ever way they can.

[MissLlanviewPA]

So Clint Eastwood's speech last night...who else felt their brain melt down during that?

[JaneAusten]

It's ok because he's an American Icon. The RNC should be embarrassed because that appearance completely overshadowed Romney's acceptance speech.

The funniest thing I read was

"Minutes after Eastwood began his speech, someone created an @InvisibleObama account on Twitter. It has already amassed 30,000 followers and counting."

Edited August 31, 2012 by JaneAusten

[GoldenDogs]

Well, Ann, it does matter. That there would be even ONE vote improperly or illegally cast, thereby cancelling out the right of another to have their voice heard is an outrage and is unacceptable.

With regard to voter suppression, we could argue that back and forth until doomsday; I could offer that Democrats routinely attempt to suppress the votes of service men and women around the world... I won't argue these points until doomsday but will simply hold the position that voter fraud of any kind should not be tolerated and those who so causally dismiss it clearly have another agenda.