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Wheres the mid-term elections demonstrate that you can fool a majority of t hose who can be bothered to go out to vote for at least some of the time.

The Australian newspaper reports noted that the queues to get to the voting booths were reliably longer in low-income suburbs, where the voters are bo th more likely to vote Democrat (if they make it to the voting booth before it closes) and less likely to be able to take time off to stand in the que ue.

One of the many ways that the people who own the US maintain their capacity to run the USA for their personal benefit.

The next two years are going to give Obama a chance to look good doing what he does best - not much - in the face of Tea Party enthusiasm for doing re ally stupid things (like invading Irak). I do know that the Republicans hav e already invaded Irak once, and that it didn't work out well, but I'm not sure that the average Tea Party member is that well-informed.

ng booths were reliably longer in low-income suburbs, where the voters are both more likely to vote Democrat (if they make it to the voting booth befo re it closes) and less likely to be able to take time off to stand in the q ueue.

Australian newspapers are not a reliable source of information on things th at happen in America.

Dan

ting booths were reliably longer in low-income suburbs, where the voters ar e both more likely to vote Democrat (if they make it to the voting booth be fore it closes) and less likely to be able to take time off to stand in the queue.

that happen in America.

Neither are most American newspapers, many of which are owned by Rupert Mur doch (who used to be an Australian). The Murdoch-owned media in Australia a ren't too reliable either.

The claim about Republican fiddling with voting booth densities comes from the Sydney Morning Herald, which isn't Murdoch owned, and is generally pret ty reliable.

I've seen much the same kind of story in European newspapers about earlier elections, and the techniques isn't that different from one used by Jeb Bus h to steal the Florida vote for his brother, back in 2000.

voting booths were reliably longer in low-income suburbs, where the voters are both more likely to vote Democrat (if they make it to the voting booth before it closes) and less likely to be able to take time off to stand in t he queue.

s that happen in America.

urdoch (who used to be an Australian). The Murdoch-owned media in Australia aren't too reliable either.

m the Sydney Morning Herald, which isn't Murdoch owned, and is generally pr etty reliable.

r elections, and the techniques isn't that different from one used by Jeb B ush to steal the Florida vote for his brother, back in 2000.

Your misunderstanding suggests you believe in a majoritarian rule. Mob rul e.

If so, you should be outraged that Obamacare was passed on lies specificall y against the wishes of the majority. But you're not outraged, you're a deni er and apologist instead.

The truth is you don't believe in majoritarianism. You believe the People are chattel, to be managed by a superior elite (you being one). So, lies don't bother you.

Is that about right?

The funny thing is that one person may indeed be smarter than another, but no one's smarter than the collective wisdom of millions.

Cheers, James Arthur

Your ignorance is beyond measure... are you and Jon Gruber related? ...Jim Thompson

(This a from left field.... but....) I was thinking last night that one of the easiest and best things we could do would be to get rid of the electoral college, let the prez be picked by popular vote.

George H.

Except that Jon Gruber is correct... the electorate are ignorant... their left hand permanently deformed clutching their "smart" phone/device... seeking only to be entertained. (For a historical reference, think the coliseum "games" :-)

I'm beginning to think that the parliamentary approach has a lot going for it... if we had such a system, Obama would have long ago been tossed on his ass. ...Jim Thompson

There was only one person in front of me, when I voted.

What about run-off elections? Instant run-off might work better.

_The Economist_ claims that runoffs were introduced in the Southern states to keep the minorities down (Blacks and Republicans at the time).

Don't feed the troll.

Sloman is so ignorant (as are his newspaper "sources"), he doesn't know that you just have to be inside that HUGE area outside the polling place by "closing" time to be able to vote... however long it takes to clear the queue.

I haven't been on-site to vote in perhaps 20 years. Here, in AZ, I vote by mail... a machine automatically verifies my signature... oh-mi-gawd, that's ID!

Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! Sloman is so ignorant! ...Jim Thompson

e voting booths were reliably longer in low-income suburbs, where the voter s are both more likely to vote Democrat (if they make it to the voting boot h before it closes) and less likely to be able to take time off to stand in the queue.

ngs that happen in America.

Murdoch (who used to be an Australian). The Murdoch-owned media in Austral ia aren't too reliable either.

rom the Sydney Morning Herald, which isn't Murdoch owned, and is generally pretty reliable.

ier elections, and the techniques isn't that different from one used by Jeb Bush to steal the Florida vote for his brother, back in 2000.

ule.

Most people call it democracy. The Greek word "demos" originally meant "vil lage" or "deme" - the smallest administrative unit. A "mob" isn't any kind of administrative unit, and the process of coming to a democratic decision has nothing in common with a mob getting something into it's collective hea d.

lly

nier

Just let's say I don't agree with your interpretation of what happened in C ongress.

Actually, it's entirely wrong. Superior elites - particularly those of the sort of which you believe yourself to be a member - have a long history of making short-sighted choices that suit them and short-change society as a w hole.

The people who get up and argue against the bad decisions turn out to form another superior elite - society includes a number of different elites who happen to be "superior" in different areas, and it makes sense to let the majority choose which elite they like, since they end up having to live wit h whatever choice gets made.

Twaddle. And irrelevant twaddle at that. The millions can only be collectiv ely wise to the extent that they are collectively well-informed, and with t he Murdoch media enthusiastically mis-informing the bulk of the US and the Australian public about stuff that is important, the chance that the millio ns can make the right choices is impaired.

f those who can be bothered to go out to vote for at least some of the time .

ing booths were reliably longer in low-income suburbs, where the voters are both more likely to vote Democrat (if they make it to the voting booth bef ore it closes) and less likely to be able to take time off to stand in the queue.

ity to run the USA for their personal benefit.

hat he does best - not much - in the face of Tea Party enthusiasm for doing really stupid things (like invading Irak). I do know that the Republicans have already invaded Irak once, and that it didn't work out well, but I'm n ot sure that the average Tea Party member is that well-informed.

Jim-out-of-touch-with-reality-Thompson thinks that people who disagree with him have to be ignorant. He thinks that saying "making it to the voting bo oth before it closes" isn't an adequate substitute for the more precise - b ut longer - statement "making it into the queue for the voting booth before the voting officials will stop you joining the queue".

Oh I think there are lots of good ideas, for congress I like the Calif. idea, where there's one primary and the top two go to the general.

But for Prez. the electoral college is terrible. It makes the votes of all my republican friends in NY for prez worthless (it makes my vote worthless too, in some weird way.) Get rid of it and it stops being only a few states that matter.

George H. (I've been trying to ignore politics and listen to sports.. but it's been hard lately. I hope our hockey team gets better soon.)

I like the Arizona idea where we shoot the loser >:-} ...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson | mens | | Analog Innovations | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: skypeanalog | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at

th him have to be ignorant. He thinks that saying "making it to the voting booth before it closes" isn't an adequate substitute for the more precise - but longer - statement "making it into the queue for the voting booth befo re the voting officials will stop you joining the queue".

All that only applies if there is a queue. I have worked at the polls twic e. In both cases not only was there no queue at the end of the day, but th ere was never a queue of more than one or two people at any time during the day. Probably 95% of the time there was one voting machine not in use. M ore over the last person to vote came about twenty minutes before the polls closed. So out of touch Jim actually is telling it how it really is. The Australia n newspapers comments about queues is bunk.

Dan

with him have to be ignorant. He thinks that saying "making it to the votin g booth before it closes" isn't an adequate substitute for the more precise - but longer - statement "making it into the queue for the voting booth be fore the voting officials will stop you joining the queue".

ice. In both cases not only was there no queue at the end of the day, but there was never a queue of more than one or two people at any time during t he day. Probably 95% of the time there was one voting machine not in use. More over the last person to vote came about twenty minutes before the pol ls closed.

ian newspapers comments about queues is bunk.

So you live in a relatively rich neighbourhood where most of the voters who turn out can be relied on to vote for the Republicans. Oddly enough, the q ueues are short to non-existent in these areas.

The Australian newspapers were talking about the difference between rich, R epublican-voting wards, and poor, largely Democrat-voting wards.

Do think about what's being said, rather than retailing your very local exp erience as if it applied to the whole country.

Once againg you ASSume and make an ASS out of yourself.

And as I said the Australian newspapers are making it up.

Right denigrate actual experience at the polls in favor of a dreamed up version.

Dan

So where do you live? And what are the demographic indices for your neighbourhood?

Without producing any evidence to support the assertion.

The whole point of the story was that the kind of right-wing nitwits who post here would have seen short or non-existent poll queues.

The story was about the US as a whole, and it played on the fact that the US is the most unequal advanced industrial country around

Even China is now less unequal with a Gini index of 0.421 as opposed to the US 0.48. Advanced industrial countries tend to cluster around 0.3 and Scandinavia gets down to 0.25.

The well-off in the US - the people who own the country - have been running the country in a way that suits them since 1788 - and queue lengths at polling stations are just one of the many tricks they use to look after their interests.

idea,

Hell, just shoot all the candidates that make it to the general election.

?-)