72% of Americans did not vote for Bush

[Egalitarian]

This is hardly a mandate. If you take the census figures from 2002 which indicate there were 210 million persons of voting age at the time and divide into this number Bush's reported vote total of 59 million, only 28% of America voted for Bush and 26% voted for Kerry. I wonder what the 46% who didn't vote think about the election?

[Doomsayer13]

1. um, were they all citizens?

I know a lot of people didn't bother to registered, but there are a lot of green card holders and what not.

[Egalitarian]

9. You're right a little bit. 70% adjusted for citizens only.

I'm going off memory from a search from a few nights ago. The 210 million figure included folks without voting rights. Voting age citizens total was 195 Million or so which decreases the percentage from 72% to 70%.

[keopeli]

2. They already figured out that it is pointless to vote. We're the slow ones

[idiosyncratic]

8. The day of the election I asked a woman if she voted . . .

She said "No. It doesn't make any difference."

Now I think she may have been right, since this one was STOLEN!

[coloradodem2005]

3. God.

The most important election of our lifetime and all these people stay home. It used to be considered an honor to vote. Now, nobody takes it seriously.

[TexasChick]

5. After the debacle in 2000, they probably figured it didn't matter! Guess

what, we are finding out, it didn't matter if we voted in this election! Damn, how did we ever lose control of our damn country!

[keopeli]

11. Television Hypnosis provided by Corporate Media

Remember, we live in an oligarchy. We're controlled by money. It's HARD to unplug yourself.

[jdj]

15. in a sense they may have been right for the third time. or not.

if there were people sitting out there with modems monkeying the numbers on demand all night, then it wouldn't have mattered.

However, if they had voted,the numbers would have been so inflated as to call for many recounts which would have helped. So, Touche'

[jdots]

4. after you count all the stolen votes,which is impossible

they are a minority with one thing going for them,they think they are right and everyone on the planet that doesn't agree is wrong.

[dorktv]

6. Maybe as a way of waking them up we should

ban all people who do not vote in four general elections in a row from voting for the next four.

[TexasChick]

7. dorktv, that would probably be unconstitutional, unless you were kidding,

of course! :)

[keopeli]

12. HELLO!!! Voting doesn't matter! YOUR VOTE DOESN'T MATTER!!!

Please, everyone, the sooner we realize, this the sooner we get to a solution for all of us.

[jdj]

17. well, either suggest a solution or you sound awfully suspicious

[jdj]

16. that would eliminate new voters and felons.

[JI7]

10. if they did not vote at all then they should not be considered opposition

they are probably the type who care and know more about what is going on reality shows than iraq.

[Egalitarian]

13. I didn't say they opposed Bush

I said they didn't vote for him.

[forgethell]

14. Eligible voters who

don't vote? Who the F--- CARES what they think? They wasted an opportunity to make a difference, and they make no difference to me. Or to what happens.

And, remember, they didn't vote for Kerry, either. So that statistic is bs. they were equally against both, or equally for both. Screw 'em.

[Egalitarian]

18. Your attitude is not helpful IMO

Isn't this one of the root problems with our country right now? Our "elected" leaders are making decisions based on what approximately 30% of us want. The remaining 70% aren't getting very much representation.

I don't think we can truthfully state what the 58% think. To say screw them because they didn't vote does not help repair the present situation. We need their views to be represented. Perhaps their lack of voting creates some culpability for the present situation, but blaming only reinforces the status quo and I can safely infer that you don't care for this path.

[forgethell]

19. Let me try again, then.

If they didn't vote for Kerry, then they were obviously satisfied with the status quo. This makes as much sense as saying that the 70% of the voters were against Bush. Which is exactly what you are trying to say, I think.

The people that did not vote had every opportunity to be represented. If they chose otherwise, well, that's their choice, and they got the representation that they deserved. Suppose that they really ARE satisfied with the current administration, and that if they had voted, they would have voted for *. Would that make you happy?

But in any event, IMO people who do not vote, do not count in politics. This is not a judgmental declaration, it's just a pragmatic observation. And frankly (this is judgmental), I don't want people who are too lazy and disinterested to inform themselves of the issues to be making decisions about the people who make decisions that affect me.

[LiberteToujours]

20. 74% didn't vote for Kerry

You have a good point about an apathetic electorate. But lots of people didn't vote for Kerry either. I think the fact that they are calling a 51-49% win a "mandate" ridiculous. You want a mandate? Look at an electoral map of 1984.