Heard on NPR: A woman when asked why she approves of Romney's choice of Ryan said...

[salvorhardin]

Heard on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday: A woman when asked why she approves of Romney's choice of Ryan for VP said of Romney, "I like him an awful lot, but I wish he were more angry."

Yeesh! That's exactly what we need in American politics -- more anger. Yet I understand exactly how she feels because that's what all of us on the left were saying about Kerry and Gore before him.

[liberal N proud]

1. He might be mad as insane

What is wrong with people who think that angry is the way to go?

[salvorhardin]

2. I think we mistake anger for passion

I can only speak for myself, but with Kerry I was furious that his campaign didn't do anything to push back against the swift boat lies. As for Gore, I didn't vote for him anyway. I lived in a solidly blue state so I voted for Nader in protest.

[Bluerthanblue]

4. my feeling about the swift boat issue was that he shouldn't have had to

push back.

That was OUR job- and the job of every clear thinking American. I don't mean to judge you, but how exactly did you help anything by voting Nader? How did you "push back" against the slime and smear machine that we are up against by abandoning our candidate in protest???

[salvorhardin]

6. I voted my conscience

I lived in upstate NY at that time, so no matter how I voted my district was going to go red, while the NYC area would ensure the state -- and the electoral votes -- went blue.

There's much to admire about Gore, but also a lot I don't like. Shrub, of course, was appalling. Since my vote didn't matter mathematically, I voted my conscience.

2008 in Indiana, on the other hand, was a much different story. McCain and Palin would have been monumentally disastrous, and I knew there was a good chance that with the anger over the economy, as well as discontent with the war, that Indiana might just be turned blue. Mathematically, my vote counted this time, plus I honestly thought Obama was the best choice* so I voted Democratic.

This year it's looking much less likely that Obama will be able to win reelection. Of course, it's also looking like the Democrats won't need Indiana. So I'll probably wait until Election Day to make up my mind whether or not I'm going to vote for Obama, or write in Jill Stein.

As for the rest of the ballot, you can bet I'm voting a straight Democratic ticket.


*I was wrong about that. In retrospect, I think Hillary would have been a far better president, but then she didn't get the nomination.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. It was the job of the fucking media, for god's sake, those craven whores to the

God of Mammon.

[Bluerthanblue]

3. heard that too, but I thought she said that in reply to the interviewer asking

how she felt about Romney- not Ryan. I don't think she's going to have any problem finding anger in Ryan.

Anger is not a very healthy motivator. It may stir people up and activate them, but it can be very destructive in the end. The republican party is imo, a party which feeds on anger and relies on fear.

One reason I think the 2008 election was so overwhelming was that we focused on the positive motivators- hope, change and a better future. That platform represents the best of 'who we are' imo- and we shouldn't allow the trash talking doom sayers in the opposting party to control our message. Democrats DO offer the best hope for a future where all Americans can live freely and have opportunity to pursue happiness regardless of their 'class'.

[salvorhardin]

5. Yep, that's what I said

A woman when asked why she approves of Romney's choice of Ryan for VP said of Romney...

Sorry if that wasn't clear.


You said:

Anger is not a very healthy motivator. It may stir people up and activate them, but it can be very destructive in the end. The republican party is imo, a party which feeds on anger and relies on fear.

I couldn't agree more. The challenge is to effectively communicate our message positively, but it's awfully hard to counter claims rooted in people's fears.

Democrats DO offer the best hope for a future where all Americans can live freely...

Well, I don't quite think that way, but it's safe to say that the Democrats are the only viable option presently.