<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Talking with voters in Nashua about the environment and the election]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by EEE http://www.grist.org/article/voters-voices-new-hampshire/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:14:00 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/voters-voices-new-hampshire/1 Moving to the left?

As a former new hampshire-ite, I'd argue that NH is becoming more progressive than this article might indicate. Both Congressional Reps. Paul W. Hodes & Carol Shea-Porter (Dems) earned perfect scores on this year's Environment America Congressional Scorecard. And Hodes is a popular, first-term Rep. who astoundingly beat Republican incumbent (and member of a major NH political dynasty) Charles Bass in the most recent election. In response to climate change, there's even forward movement on a long-awaited commuter rail linking NH's major cities to Boston: http://www.nashuarpc.org/rail/index.html

NH voted for Kerry in 2004. I'm betting that Obama will win NH's vote this fall too...and not only on environmental issues!

]]> Moving to the left?

As a former new hampshire-ite, I'd argue that NH is becoming more progressive than this article might indicate. Both Congressional Reps. Paul W. Hodes & Carol Shea-Porter (Dems) earned perfect scores on this year's Environment America Congressional Scorecard. And Hodes is a popular, first-term Rep. who astoundingly beat Republican incumbent (and member of a major NH political dynasty) Charles Bass in the most recent election. In response to climate change, there's even forward movement on a long-awaited commuter rail linking NH's major cities to Boston: http://www.nashuarpc.org/rail/index.html

NH voted for Kerry in 2004. I'm betting that Obama will win NH's vote this fall too...and not only on environmental issues!

]]> Comment #2 by Wolverine http://www.grist.org/article/voters-voices-new-hampshire/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:44:32 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/voters-voices-new-hampshire/2 Voting

What this article shows is that there ought to be a test for voting.  People like the clerk who votes based on what someone he admires says would obviously fail (the sheer idiocy of this doesn't merit any discussion), but so would Suziana Moriera.  Voting for someone based on personality is absolutely idiotic, though I realize that many, if not most, people do this.

First, in our grossly overpopulated society where between tens of thousands and hundreds of millions of people vote for candidates for federal office so that people do not get to personally interact with them, there's no way the vast majority of people could know what a candidate's personality really is without doing some serious research.  All you see is what the propaganda machine wants you to see.  For example, how many people know that John McCain has a very short and bad temper and has resorted to physical violence against people who disagree with him?

Second, a candidate's personality has little or nothing to do with the job for which (s)he's running.  What's relevant is his/her positions on the issues and the methods (s)he will use to actualize his/her goals, not whether you'd like to have a beer with him/her.

]]> Voting

What this article shows is that there ought to be a test for voting.  People like the clerk who votes based on what someone he admires says would obviously fail (the sheer idiocy of this doesn't merit any discussion), but so would Suziana Moriera.  Voting for someone based on personality is absolutely idiotic, though I realize that many, if not most, people do this.

First, in our grossly overpopulated society where between tens of thousands and hundreds of millions of people vote for candidates for federal office so that people do not get to personally interact with them, there's no way the vast majority of people could know what a candidate's personality really is without doing some serious research.  All you see is what the propaganda machine wants you to see.  For example, how many people know that John McCain has a very short and bad temper and has resorted to physical violence against people who disagree with him?

Second, a candidate's personality has little or nothing to do with the job for which (s)he's running.  What's relevant is his/her positions on the issues and the methods (s)he will use to actualize his/her goals, not whether you'd like to have a beer with him/her.

]]> Comment #3 by mtvyfan http://www.grist.org/article/voters-voices-new-hampshire/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:18:44 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/voters-voices-new-hampshire/3 The clerk shows people don't think for themselves

I'm sorry, but that clerk that is voting by what his friends parents think is the reason why we are in the spot we are in.

People who vote party on one issue, like abortion, would vote for Hitler if he ran as a republican, same for some democrat voters, too.

People need to start thinking for themselves, study the issues and pick the best man to do the job. For me it is not McCain, or as I call him "mini-Bush."

Ads are no better, when people believe the stupid ads, and neither party is any better, we are doomed to have another "Bushy-Wushy."

"For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide, to dispel the misery of the world." - Shantideva

]]> The clerk shows people don't think for themselves

I'm sorry, but that clerk that is voting by what his friends parents think is the reason why we are in the spot we are in.

People who vote party on one issue, like abortion, would vote for Hitler if he ran as a republican, same for some democrat voters, too.

People need to start thinking for themselves, study the issues and pick the best man to do the job. For me it is not McCain, or as I call him "mini-Bush."

Ads are no better, when people believe the stupid ads, and neither party is any better, we are doomed to have another "Bushy-Wushy."

"For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide, to dispel the misery of the world." - Shantideva

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