dc_dux

The Libertarian party page has a state-by'-state (incomplete) vote count for Barr

2008 General Election Results for Bob Barr & Wayne Allen Root | Libertarian Party

Barr's showing is comparable to most recent Liberatarian candidates....about 1% of the voters.
-----Added 5/11/2008 at 11 : 57 : 56-----
Obama's 52% is the highest popular vote for any candidate in 20 years.

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siogo

Well done people.
I feel very American today.

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alicat

My eyes are still puffy and scratchy from the tears of joy I shed last night. I don't expect miracles out of Obama but after 20 years of Bushes and Clinton's (well nearly plural), I am so happy for a change. It's like a breath of fresh air.

I didn't think I had taken Obama's race into consideration in my vote, but when he won last night, I was overcome with emotions. I realized on a gut level just HOW historic his victory is and felt so much joy for our countries African-American citizens that this milestone has been reached.

I too was very happy to see McCain be so gracious in his concession speech. He was the McCain I used to like and respect before the race. If he had been the "old" McCain throughout the campaign, I think the results might be very different today.

Like RB said, I also feel like we have been saved from the brink and hopefully we will regain the respect internationally that we used to have (and of course our domestic problems). *crosses fingers and toes*

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dksuddeth

don't you mean 'left' direction?

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Baraka_Guru

Same thing.

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SabrinaFair

Haha, one of my great-greats gave a similar speech when he lost a sheriff's race. Something to the point of, "Everyone in this county is a damned liar." Keepin' it classy!

Meanwhile, I'm pumped and hungover.

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*Nikki*

My sediments exactly!!

Halx

Said the rock to the other rock...

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Amaras

Here is my favourite of all the election night maps;

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Destrox

Just moved to Arizona this year and now knows what its like to feel when your vote is pretty much useless.

Fucking red state.

Yay for the overall though!

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Paq

destrox...i'm in SC...where almost every republican won...

talk about your vote being meaningless

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marcelval

Now is when it gets hard. I am so pleased Obama won, but now he has make hard decisions, disappoint his followers, shock his enemies, and do what is right for America.

I am more optimistic now than I have been in the last 10 years. And look forward to a better world for my daughter.

But our problems are not going to go away overnight, and we American's (present company excluded) need to get off our butts and take responsibility for our actions... Wallstreet I'm looking at you right now.

Cimarron29414

Quote from Frostbyte in another thread which I moved here so I could respond - "That's a pretty bold statement that you just tossed out there. Kind of a threadjack, and I don't really buy the rest of your post, but would you care to elaborate? I don't know that anything could happen to make anyone yearn for the Bush years, since I don't know anyone who thinks the last eight years have been a productive, happy time in American politics. Do you think he's incompetent? Do you think he's stepping into an unfixable situation like Carter did and is just going to have to sleep in the bed he made for himself? Are you just an unhappy third party voter whose exact political ideology isn't being represented?"

Frostbyte, to answer your question - I am a Constitutionalist. The Federal Government should limited to
1) Maintain Interstate commerce through construction and repair of roads and bridges.
2) Maintain relationships with foreign nations for the purposes of trade and security.
3) Maintain and defend our nations borders.
4) Uphold the Constitution and settle disputes amongst the States.

Nothing else. If I were President, I would eliminate Social Security, Dept. of Education, Medicare, Medicaid, and all other social programs. These programs should be moved to the State level, as Washington can not possibly create social programs that meet the needs of all people. They also are all unconstitutional (at least in spirit), in my opinion. I would eliminate the federal income tax, as it is unconstitutional. I would eliminate the concept of "marriage" within the Government, as this is a Biblical term. As it applies to the "state", there would only be the contract law known as "Civil Union". I would uphold Roe v. Wade. I would legalize hemp and marijuana for the purposes of textile production. I would eliminate retirement plans for Congress and I would enforce term limits of 2 federal terms. I believe it was the intent of the Framers to have the citizenry equally armed as their Army, so the government must always fear its people. I believe the government no longer fears its people, and that is why they have gone so far astray.

Most importantly, I believe the only thing the Federal Government owes you is an opportunity. The rest is entirely up to you.

So, as you can see, my political position will NEVER be represented in our modern Congress and I am okay with that.

Obama will certainly change America - in a way that will make it unrecognizable to our Framers. It is a travesty what he represents. His policies will jeapardize the very core of our foundation. I will not debate with you "why" we are where we are right now. Suffice to say, we would probably not agree. I would submit to you that it was the vision of our Framers that allowed us to become the greatest nation in the history of mankind and that the further we diverge from their vision - the worse off each of us will become. In saying that, I need you to understand that I am not speaking on the concepts of slavery and women's suffrage - I believe those are wrongs that were righted. However, the core structure and the role of the Federal government in your life was absolutely perfected in the Constitution and has been continually eroded by each Congress since.

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RetroGunslinger

Tell me about it.

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dc_dux

Cimarron....unless you were one of those "framers" who debated the issues during that hot summer in Philly ..your interpretation of their vision is just that....one interpretation and no more valid than anyone elses.

You hit my political pet peeve button.....21st century pundits who speak for the framers!

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Cimarron29414

I sincerely apologize for hitting your pet peeve button. I'm certain the framers of the Constitution wanted the Federal Government to own our mortgages, provide us each with health insurance and medical care, pay our bills when we become unemployed, pay for our higher educations, pay for us when we grow old. I specifically recall that story when Fred lost his job at the blacksmith shop and asked George Washington for some money out of the treasury to get him through the month. How could I have forgotten all of that and interpretted the Framers' intent so wrong.

Sorry, you hit my political pet peeve button by calling me uninformed because I disagree with your politics.

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Gives a man a halo, does mead.

"Here lies The_Jazz: Killed by an ambitious, sparkly, pink butterfly."

dc_dux

i dont think I called you "uninformed" anywhere in my post.

I simply stated that there are different interpretations of the intent of the framers.

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Frosstbyte

Cimarron, thank you for explaining your view. You will never see a major political candidate who represents your viewpoint, though I'm not sure I'm quite as far away from you as you seem to think I am. Regardless, I think your fear about Obama (as opposed to McCain, or anyone else) is relatively misplaced. The Bush administration has been everything but small-federal-government conservative politics, and a McCain administration wouldn't have been any better in that regard. Now, what they chose to spend money on may have differed-Dems being more likely to spend money on social programs, Reps on military and defense spending-but we're not talking about major changes in the degree of control these administrations want to have over the country writ large, nor on the amounts of money they want to extract from people and spend.

Personally, I don't see a big difference about the where of government spending. I see too much of it, and that, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be a trend we're going to move away from anytime soon. If we have to spend it, I'd rather we spend it on social programs than a military industrial complex and mired conflicts in foreign countries. I share your skepticism for Obama, because while he's run a good campaign, I have no idea what he'll do once he takes up the reigns of power, but from a small-government libertarian/constitutionalist perspective, I don't think he's going to be any worse than McCain would've been. He'll just do it in a different way.

I've little doubt that the founders would be dismayed by the state of the union. But I also have little doubt that the way they envisioned the constitution to work when they wrote it would not work in the modern United States. I think we can do a lot better than we are and have been, but I don't really see a strict constructionist view working very well.

smooth

objectively true
subjectively true
non sequitur

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filtherton

Speaking of Washington, I heard that motherfucker had, like, 30 goddamn dicks.

It seems like whenever anyone breaks out the constitutional ouija board to consult the founding fathers, the founding fathers always agree with the person doing the channeling. In death, the founding fathers are the ultimate yes-men. It's fairly convenient way of appealing to people who both give a fuck about what the founding fathers thought and also aren't especially inclined to mistrust someone who clearly has an agenda in claiming to be able to speak for people who've been dead for roughly 200 years.

djtestudo

Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I generally agree with you, but this part was incorrect.

It's not "unconstitutional" if it is in the Constitution
-----Added 6/11/2008 at 09 : 07 : 58-----
Well, technically one could argue that what they wanted (in general) was what ended up written down.

And usually the ones who try to do something that either isn't mentioned or is not allowed by the Constitution don't use it to defend their actions

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timalkin

The last time I saw so many black people celebrating like this was when O.J. was found not guilty.

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Amaras

WTF? What is that supposed to mean? I was celebrating, quietly, in my house over the past day, let me tell you. I'm the only white person in the house, but it's my right.
To anoyone other than timalkin who reads this, sorry, I'm apoplectic by that statement
for some reason.

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Charlatan

Some people just have the ability show how retrograde their thinking really is.

What's next?

"Did you hear that Obama is going to make the White House the Black House?"

Yes. The nasty yucks just keep coming.

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timalkin

I find it quite disturbing that most black people voted for Obama just because he was black.

Just look at how much attention is being paid to the fact that Obama is the first black president of the United States. Would black people have voted for any black presidential candidate, even one who would clearly not be suitable for the job? It seems very likely.

I'm appalled at the outright racism in this election. Voting for someone just because their skin is a certain color is racist, even if that skin color is black.

A large majority of black people seem to enjoy "sticking it to the man," just like O.J. supposedly did. At least we can finally dump racist policies like affirmative action now.

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filtherton

Really? You find your own self-serving hallucinations disturbing? Maybe you should consult a psychologist.

No wait. You're right. America's black population, the overwhelming majority of which historically have voted Democratic, only voted Democratic this election because the Democrats had a black man running.

roachboy

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filtherton

I need to stop finding my posts above the ones with the yellow letters.

Amaras

I'm fascinated at how you know why people did what they did, Kreskin.
Can you tell my height from the type of vocabulary I use, or the fact that I just
multi-quoted I must be ambidextrous?
Un-effing believable. There a variety of black folks, just like a variety of white, okay
skippy? Folks with different reasons for why they do what they do.

If ever there was a "man" for it to be stuck to, you might just be it.

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Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
-Noam Chomsky
Love is a verb, not a noun.
-My Mom
The function of genius is to furnish cretins with ideas twenty years later.
-Louis Aragon, "La Porte-plume," Traite du style, 1928

Charlatan

timalkin... you might also ask yourself this question: how many "white" voters chose McCain simply because Obama is black?

The point is, there are many and varied reasons that people choose to vote for someone. To take the increasingly racist point of view that you put forth, the idea that *all* blacks voted for Obama simply because he is black is ridiculous and offensive.

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Speed_Gibson

quoting this pertinent post yet again....
This was the first election in my memory where I was deeply disappointed but fully expected the results. The very thought of "President Obama" makes me ill, but I will give him every chance to write his own legacy and possibly change my mind (or at least make it less hostile to him).
Just not watching any speeches he does for the forseeable future (might be years in this case)

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Started talking to yourself I see.
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Black Adder

guyy

Don't forget that racist African-Americans put Obama on the road to the White House by choosing him over Alan Keyes.

Amaras

Sorry if I made no sense back a few posts ago, I saw red.
I think what's important is that everyone can express their opinion, no matter how odious. Conservative, Liberal, and especially Socialists, believe in Free Speech. I just have to learn how to grit my teeth and not say "Moran!" at a certain few.

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Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
-Noam Chomsky
Love is a verb, not a noun.
-My Mom
The function of genius is to furnish cretins with ideas twenty years later.
-Louis Aragon, "La Porte-plume," Traite du style, 1928

Psycho Dad

I'd think Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would disagree. Obama was a legitimate candidate for this office. The black vote alone did not elect him.

My family is caucasian as far back as I can imagine and we voted Obama. And one of the reasons I voted for him is his skin color. If I can recognize that America needs to look beyond the color of a person's skin, black people certainly can.

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timalkin

It's one thing to vote for Obama because you think his policies and experiences make him the better candidate for President.

It's another thing to vote for him because he is black.

I haven't heard a single white person say that they voted for McCain because he is white.

I have heard MANY black people say that they voted for Obama because he is black.

How are you looking beyond the color of a person's skin if you voted for him BECAUSE of the color of his skin?

It's interesting that my viewpoint is labeled as a racist one. I advocate choosing a political leader based on knowledge, skill, and experience. I don't care what color they are or what is between their legs. How is this racist?
-----Added 7/11/2008 at 03 : 01 : 11-----
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have gotten rich off of playing the race card every chance they can.

Seriously, if racism was eliminated tomorrow, what would Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton do for a living?

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Neo: "Guns. Lots of guns."

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Paq

umm
i don't know where you live
but i heard a BUUUUNCH of white people who voted for mccain bc he was white...it wans't bc he was white, exactly, but bc he wasn't black....

don't think all the mccain votes were purely bc he's a great candidate...there was a HUGE contingent of whites voting for him bc he wasn't black..don't fool yourself

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filtherton

timalkin,

you aren't a bigot because you think expressed your desire for race to be a nonissue in presidential elections. You're a bigot because you assume that most black people voted for Obama because of his race.

You basically said this: I don't think people should be judged based on their skin color and I'm sick of all these black people: I can tell just from the color of their skin that they only voted for Obama because of his race. If you can't see how inconsistent that statement is, then whatever to you.

Psycho Dad

I didn't say I voted for him because of his race. I said that his race was one of the reasons. The fact that arguably the most powerful person in the world is a person of color has the potential to impact our society in so many positive ways. Were I to think that he was unfit for the office, my vote would have been different.

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dc_dux

Many white evangelicals said they voted for Mike Hiuckabee in the early Republican primaries for one reason...he was the most Christian.

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abaya

Yes. I would never have voted for Obama if he had demonstrated anything less than a top-notch intellect and critical thinker (DEFINITELY not if he had thought Africa was a country, or not known which countries were in NAFTA, for example... hmm). I was in favor of him AS A PERSON, an intellectual, a potential leader, first and foremost. I could never have endorsed a presidential candidate of any race, of any gender, without feeling satisfied with those categories. (Hence why I would never in my right mind have voted for someone like Palin--regardless of her gender.)

And then somewhere down the list of reasons for why I voted for him, I also thought that the fact that he is a person of color would have immense value to the particularly broken culture of the United States, as well as to the rest of the world. I also considered the potential impact of the plain fact of his face, his particular face, being plastered all over the TVs and newspapers of the world for at least the next four years. It speaks more clearly and loudly about what America is (and wants to be) more than any policy could have done. I don't see how anyone could have ignored that fact.

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