[BartSimpson]

Romney with his 25% (±5%) numbers is hardly inspiring. Plus he has the added benefit of keeping conservatives home if he gets the nod.

In short, what I'm saying is that short of Sarah Palin getting into this race then right now I'm putting my money on Obama for another four years. The GOP field is currently lackluster and composed of empty blue suits. >>> I <<< am not going to vote for them and in this regard I think I can say that I speak for a few million folks just like me.

[GreenTiger]

Obama main campaign theme will be "I suck as POTUS but look at whom I'm running against"

[Murray_Smith]

Dragon-Dancer wrote:

Teikiatsu wrote:

Quote:

I told the reporter it’s hard to blame Canadians for being particularly anti-American at a time when Americans have never been more anti-American themselves.

Not anti-American, anti-federal government. Fed Govt != America.

That seems like a strange thing to say, without a federal (central) government to speak for the country America wouldn't exactly be a country so Fed Govt MUST be America. States power is one thing but without a fed you don't have a single voice.

I thoroughly disagree. A central government does not need to actually speak for the people in order to "be" that country. Rather, the federal government is more like an engine that keeps America running. I am of the opinion that it is usually the population that makes the country, and the United States is not an exception.

[andyt]

The American people vote for that government - they chose it. If the two dominant parties are so universally hated, why do independents never have a chance? The thing is that there is only a small fringe of tighty righties who really hate the govt. Most people love it when it does something for their district/state, just not so much when it benefits others.

[Dragon-Dancer]

Murray_Smith wrote:

Dragon-Dancer wrote:

That seems like a strange thing to say, without a federal (central) government to speak for the country America wouldn't exactly be a country so Fed Govt MUST be America. States power is one thing but without a fed you don't have a single voice.

I thoroughly disagree. A central government does not need to actually speak for the people in order to "be" that country. Rather, the federal government is more like an engine that keeps America running. I am of the opinion that it is usually the population that makes the country, and the United States is not an exception.

Since the fed is voted in by the people to represent them like it or not they do speak for the country. They are the 'face' presented to the outside world and as you say the 'engine' that keeps the country running. A central government is what keeps the country together as a single entity. America as we know it wouldn't exist without it. Instead we would have the country of Texas and the country of California and people would not identify themselves under one banner.

That's why i find it strange to claim that the fed does not equal America.

[Psudo]

The top officials of the federal government are elected, but the other 99.9% of their numbers are government employees unionized against partisan influence from elected officials. The institution of government is not democratically accountable except in the most indirect, inconsequential way.

Remember what a huge deal it was when Bush fired a bunch of federal attorneys, or when Reagan fired the air traffic controllers? Even such minor influences of elected officials on the internal bureaucracy of of government is a huge controversy.