Tuesday, Nov. 4th

[catdogwheel]

I also participated in early voting in Illinois.

Our system is a scantron ballot with fill-in ovals.  I like the "complete the arrow" idea.  Anything to avoid those old punch cards.  This is my third Presidential election, and I haven't missed a bi-annual election since I was eligible to vote in 1999.

You know I hate to say it, but I think it is only a matter of time before we are able to vote online from the comfort or our own homes.

[JokerFan]

You know I hate to say it, but I think it is only a matter of time before we are able to vote online from the comfort or our own homes.

I wonder if that would mean more people would vote, since it would cut down on travel time.

[temptation1979ga]

I don't know, it might be a while before we're able to vote from home. They'd have to come up with a really good system to handle ID checks and to make sure the person is actually registered, and so forth.

[pathfinder20]

I won't be voting tuesday because I have already voted on Friday.  I am glad that I am not going to be waiting in long lines on Tuesday.

[supersaver87]

I just want it to be over...I'm so tired of the political ads and the people campaigning non-stop on my campus.

[temptation1979ga]

Ugh, I know! The commericals are getting so ridiculous...at least they are in my area. I think no matter who wins or loses, most can say for sure they're just glad to get this election over!

[Nick]

Having just been through a federal election in my country (the first in which I was legally allowed to vote) and looking at the number of people "glad it's going to be over," I pose this prospect.  You live in a country where you are fortunate enough to have the freedom to vote at your choice.  Many people in many countries only wish they could have this choice.  Yes, I have seen the campaigning tactics of some congressmen in the States, and I am disgusted by the number of them who think the way to campaign is slander their opponents on how wrong they are instead of saying what they'll do themselves.  That being aside, you're allowed to make the choice.  Don't view it as a pain finally finished, but view it as a privilege.  I could go on for much longer than that, but I know we tone down political talk around here, so I'm just throwing that out there.

Yeah.  We need someone new to keep ol' Stevie (Harper, the Canadian prime minister) on his toes.

I am going to say that I am quite bothered by that statement.  Our Prime Minister should not be seen as accountable to the President of the United States.  Canada is one country.  The United States is another.  May we be co-operable yet independent, please.

[pacdude]

I've posted this in various places, and I'm posting it here because, frankly, a lot of it needs to be said.

There are things that are out of our control. We can’t control Drew Carey on the Price is Right. We can’t control Chase Utley exclaiming that we are the “World ****ing Champions” on every news station in town, be it radio or television. Physics, science, those people who cut you off on the freeway, religion, the weather… All these things are beyond our control.

However, as Election Day looms, there is one thing that we as Americans can control. This needs to be said, as loudly as possible. I don’t care how many times you hear it because it’s something that needs to be said. It has to be hammered into the skull of every eligible American.

YOU NEED TO VOTE.

I’d love it if you voted for Senator Barack Obama. He’s a new kind of politician. He doesn’t slander, he doesn’t take the low road to get elected. He hasn’t attacked John McCain like Sen. McCain has attacked him. It’s refreshing and it’s a testament to his character. The world sees him as “not a jackass” and “a capable leader,” which Bush wasn’t and John McCain won’t be. This “share the wealth” business isn’t about socialism; it’s about giving everyone the opportunities to succeed. His economic plans have a refreshing sense of realism that no, not everything's OK, but here's how to make it so. McCain's plans don't have that. Barack Obama has ideas about things that, even if they don't affect you, affect our future, like fairer rules for online shopping and intellectual rights, and college credits so families (like mine, who are struggling) can pay less for the education that everyone deserves.

Of course, if you vote for McCain, that’d be OK, too. That’s your choice. I’d like to give you a friendly reminder that the “change” that McCain is bringing was “change” that he saw fit to offer after he saw he was trailing in the polls. He voted with President Bush 90% of the time. The same President Bush who saw us into a war we have no business fighting, a recession we have no business being in, and an election that we so sorely need.

But in any event, if you were THINKING about voting, you should vote. If you’re not registered, then shame on you! Get registered and let your voice (yes, your voice matters, math be damned) be heard. If you are registered, find out here where you’re supposed to vote, and go do it. When Nelson Mandela was released from jail and South Africans first had the right to vote for their leaders, many of them stood in 96-degree weather for five hours just to be able to cast one single ballot. We take this privilege for granted? That’s silly.

Go vote. If you really aren’t sure, go to http://www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com/ and answer those questions honestly. Personally, take my advice: Go Obama. He truly is a different kind of politician, and one we can trust to lead us. Whoever you vote for, for the love of GOD, please, go out and vote.

[tpirfan28]

Heck, even CBS catered to us by switching the episodes, otherwise Dorothy would have been on tomorrow, while we would be standing in line to vote.

(Tongue in cheek, of course.)

Go vote.  The "Drewcases" can wait.

[Mr. Matté]

Go vote.  The "Drewcases" can wait.

Precisely.  I'll even promise now to get tomorrow's episode up onto Teh Youtube ASAP so you can go vote ASAP (especially if it's for my candidate ).

Oh, and before you ask, I voted absentee early last month, so that means I get to wake up at 4:45 am and campaign at the local train station.

[mrbrown2195]

I don't know, it might be a while before we're able to vote from home. They'd have to come up with a really good system to handle ID checks and to make sure the person is actually registered, and so forth.

Some of you might find this insightful - depending on your state, you CAN technically vote from home. For example, in my home state of Louisiana, you can actually fax in an absentee ballot (rather than mail it in) on election day, provided you waive your right to a confidential ballot by affidavit.

[temptation1979ga]

Wow, we're nowhere near that advanced. We still can't decide what the requirements for voting in person should be--whether or not to have a picture ID, signature, etc.

[Mr. Matté]

OK, cancel that today's episode thing from me.  Stupid thing didn't record because I had set the end time at 12:00 AM instead of 12:00 PM.  Sorry about that.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't vote.  DO SO!

[pricefan18]

Having just been through a federal election in my country (the first in which I was legally allowed to vote) and looking at the number of people "glad it's going to be over," I pose this prospect.  You live in a country where you are fortunate enough to have the freedom to vote at your choice.  Many people in many countries only wish they could have this choice.   

I understand your point, but I'd like for you and for everyone to consider something. This is likely going to make me unpopular, but it doesn't matter, I'm going to say what I feel never the less.

Let's take this election, you have on one side Obama, and the other side you have Mccain. One's a Democrat, and the other's a Republican. Now on the surface, it would seem like we have two choices, each with different opinions, promises etc. But let's go a little deeper shall we? Do we really have two choices, to vote for or not vote for freely? Or could it be that we have been led to believe we have two choices, when in fact there is only one, and that choice has already been made for us ahead of time?

To answer this, consider the following ideas.

1. Obama is the 8th cousin to current vice president Dick Cheney. Now that may not seem like a big deal, but think about it. Obama, a supposed Democrat, is a relative of Cheney, a supposed Republican. I don't know about the rest of you, but that seems mighty odd to me. If they're in different parties, then why on earth are they related? It doesn't make any sense does it?

2. For a great many people, the media is the eyes and ears of the nation, and world. From radio, to TV, to newspapers, just about all we know, or believe to be true, comes from the media. However, what if the media didn't really have our best interests at heart? What if the media, had a bias, an agenda if you will? You have to remember, who owns the media? It's the big corporations, the General Electrics, the Rockefellars, the Murdochs, etc etc. With those big corporations comes money and lots of it, along with power.

Now keeping in mind that the media is the eyes and ears of the world basically now, what we see and hear, or more to the point what we DON'T see and hear, is in the hands of these big shots, the elite, the rich. If you're these big fat cats, are you more likely to use the media in a way that people can think for themselves, or are you going to use it to control the masses, and do their thinking for them, pushing your views and opinions out, while all the while making them think they are the ones doing the thinking?

This brings me back to the election at hand.  If you're in power, and want to stay in power, what would be in your better interest? Giving people a true choice as to who they want in office, or making the decision for them long ahead of time, only making them think they have a choice, that their vote matters, when in fact it doesn't, and never really did to begin with.

Just something to think about........

[Jnelson09]

1. Obama is the 8th cousin to current vice president Dick Cheney. Now that may not seem like a big deal, but think about it. Obama, a supposed Democrat, is a relative of Cheney, a supposed Republican. I don't know about the rest of you, but that seems mighty odd to me. If they're in different parties, then why on earth are they related? It doesn't make any sense does it?

It's completely irrelevant. Nearly all my relatives are Republicans, but I'm a Democrat.