Pre-Election Discussion

With the US Presidential Election getting started tomorrow, this story is your official chance to discuss the issues of the election with other Slashdot readers. And no matter what you decide, if you can, just get out and vote tomorrow.

Remember!

[Leroy_Brown242]

Vote early! Vote Often!

Longest Election Season Ever

[eln]

I'll just be glad when this whole stupid thing is over. I'm so sick of all of the election coverage.

I look forward to seeing who won the election sometime in late December.

Ob.

[mcmonkey]

Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.

Here goes.

[captnitro]

Let's do some unscientific polling.

Introducing 'Geek Code Election 2004'.

VOTE
(Bu)ush
(Ke)erry
(Bk)dnarik
(Na)der
(P e)routka

PARTY AFFILIATION
(R)epublican
(D)emocrat
(G)reen
(B )rown
(C)onstitution
(L)ibertarian
(W)hig
(J)e di

You work it out, I don't know.

CONFIDENCE

++ Like candidate a lot
+ Like candidate
X Neutral about candidate
- Don't like candidate, but voting for them
-- Really don't like candidate, but voting for them
# Better than incumbent.

and state. Group multiple elements in parens.

I'm a Ke(X#)DVA.

REMEMBER TO YANNO, VOTE TOMORROW ALSO, SLASHDOT DOESN'T COUNT

Bush and I'm not afraid to admit it.

[winkydink]

Even while in France last week.

The governator...

[CySurflex]

After hearing Arnold Schwarzenneger endorse Bush and in the same speech say we can't be "Girly Men" about the economy... I'm voting kerry.

Wrong candidates

[supun]

Can I vote for the judges who will decide this election instead?

Re:This "story" is click bait

[Rei]

Don't worry. All of these stories will go away after the election and subsequent four-week recount and 2 month healing period. :P

Re:Ob.

[rizzo]

I am Clin-Ton! As overlord, all will kneel trembling before me and obey my brutal commands.

End communication.

Re:This "story" is click bait

[byolinux]

You can see the ads on Slashdot? You must be new here.

Why doesn't anybody RTFA!

[Anonymous Coward]

This one's really interesting, honest.

-J

NIXON'S HEAD 2004!

[oGMo]

Vote for Richard Nixon's Head [gotfuturama.com] in 2004!

Re:FUCK BUSH

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you really think Laura Bush reads slashdot? Well, the campaigns reads blogs and Osama watches Fahrenheit 911, so.. ehm.
Hi Jenna! Wanna get it on in the weekend?

Re:This "story" is click bait

[FooGoo]

I agree. I would mod you up but I am only voting once this week.

Re:This "story" is click bait

[avandesande]

the reason they added a politics section is so you could add it to your filter list

Re:Please....

[I'm Spartacus!]

if you're just voting because someone told you to, please don't vote.

Unless they told you to vote against Bush. Then it's OK!

Discussion Summary

[clinko]

I'm right. You're Wrong.

Elections

[olrik666]

As a Canadian, I'd vote for Kerry if I could. Not because I like him that much, but because he's not Bush. That man is a danger to your country and the rest of the world.

But as a cynic, I'd like for Bush to win because it could be fun : civil unrest, wars, the first Western theocracy in a long time, etc.

Not that I *wish* for that but, as the Chinese curse goes, "May you live in interesting times!"
Ah, WTH : Go Bush!

Re:This "story" is click bait

[KilobyteKnight]

I agree. I would mod you up but I am only voting once this week.

Only once? You obviosuly aren't up on current voting techniques.

Most important election???

[waldorf+statler]

Dude, where were you on the "New Coke" vs. "Coca Cola Classic" debate.

A lot of good men died defending their beliefs regarding the taste preference of cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup.

Now that's something to tell the grandkids about.

Re:I've discovered how to get a guaranteed +5

[Anonymous Coward]

Just say the magic phrase "I'll be modded down"

It doesn't work. I'll be modded down for saying this but sometimes it only gets you a +3 or +4.

Re:This "story" is click bait

[Tackhead]

> Don't worry. All of these stories will go away after the election and subsequent four-week recount and 2 month healing period. :P

...and six-month civil war, and 12-month reconciliation committee hearings, and OMGWTFBBQ!, that leaves only three months to go before the 2006 midterm postwar elections!

At least that leaves two years to put the backdoor into the voting machines for Stallman/Torvalds vs. and Gates/Ballmer '08.

Re:Ob.

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't decide whether to vote for the giant douche or the turd sandwich. It's such a difficult choice!

Re:Here goes.

[TheFlyingGoat]

Bu++RWI

Hmm... Bu++ looks like Butt. :(

Re:This "story" is click bait

[Anonymous Coward]

Also, I have a three-digit user id, so don't tell me I don't know how slashdot used to be.

Oh yeah??? Well I have a one-digit user ID.

Signed,
Anonymous Coward

Attention All Minorities

[GrodinTierce]

Don't forget to get out and vote on Nov. 3! [theonion.com].

Analysis of discussion so far

[HarveyBirdman]

Instances:

- Mindless slogans: 93,451
- Ideological smog: 878,102
- Lies: 200,289
- Conspiracy theories: 1,623,933
- Trying to reduce the mind-numbing complexity of the modern world into a two step process for global utopia: 890,105
- Urban myths: 115,936
- Party line mantras: 278,102
- Thoughtful content: 3
- Snotty instance analysis: 1

Here's a better way to vote. Those of you supporting Kerry slit your wrists. Those of you supporting Bush shoot yourselves in the head. We'll count the classify the corpses accurately. Honestly. We will. Really.

Reason magazine had the best cover. It showed a picture of Bush and one of Kerry. The cover said, "Good news. One of these guys is going to lose. Bad news. One of these guys is going to win."

Keep drinking the Kool-aid, folks. Hopefully the ELE asteroid is coming soon to put an end to all this.

Go ahead. Mod me flamebait while marking the "BushKerry is a poopiehead who wants to eat my baby/kitten/grandma" posts as +99 Insightful.

Obligatory Cthulu reference...

[Whispers_in_the_dark]

I can't believe noone here has asked "This year, why vote of a lesser evil?" [cthulhu.org] yet!

Re:Here goes.

[leerpm]

Va(++)ICs. (Vader, Imperial, Coruscant)

Signed,
Emperor Palpatine

Electoral College

[rbolkey]

One thing that's going to strike me as funny is if the very real chance the we have the same situation as the last presidential election with the parties reverse. Kerry could win the electoral without winning the popular. I'm waiting for the 'Re-Defeat Kerry 2008' Stickers. Watching the parties argue and complain the exact opposite position is going to be great.

Re:This "story" is click bait

[Anonymous Coward]

No surprise there. They should be used to watching propaganda films.

Cthulhu for President!

[HeghmoH]

Why vote for a lesser evil?

Re:Should you vote?

[Yolegoman]

The higher the voter turnout, the better the likelyhood that John Kerry will become the President. That's why the Repulicans are trying to get as many people "thrown-out" of the polls as possible.

You imply that uneducated, uninformed, and idiots are the ones who vote for John Kerry.

You also, with your "Brainwashed" though, imply you are voting for John Kerry.

One could logically assume from these implications that you are uneducated, uninformed, or an idiot.

Sorry man, but you got pwnzd.

Re:This "story" is click bait

[micromoog]

I don't agree on Bush on everything, but I think giving the Iraq people the chance of freedom is priceless.

If only that were the primary reason we're there. Or even the secondary or tertiary reason.

Re:Voting for the "Lesser of 2 Evils"

[Hulkster]

So if you don't like the two Puny Human Candidates, vote for HULK [komar.org] since the Big Green Guy is running for President! [komar.org]

Re:This "story" is click bait

[LSD-OBS]

Actually, I checked up on Foo Goo (id #98336) and he actually died 6 years ago

Re:Politics of Slashdot

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Or just join my Engineering party. We are only concerned about what works in production, and we aren't particularly squemish about how it all operates. If a huge federal program works in one case, we're for it. If a deregulated business environment works better in another, we're for it.

What we don't believe in is pandering to a special interest. Unless of course that special interest produces results.

We will also distinguish ourselves from other parties in deliberately NOT taking a stand. We have no axe to grind about this or that issue. We are really only concerned with providing you, the taxpayer, with a quality product.

Re:Voting for the "Lesser of 2 Evils"

[mr_z_beeblebrox]

is voting for evil!

And evil will always win, because good is dumb!

Re:Well said

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Reminds me of the Monty Python sketch wherein Eric Idle looks for an argument, but only gets contradiction instead...

No he didn't.

Bush quotes for all

[ZosX]

We need to change that attitude about how prolific we can be with the people's money.
-- President Dubya, Mar. 16, 2001

It's hard to be successful if you don't make something somebody doesn't want to buy.
-- Make things nobody wants, and you, too, will be successful, Arlington, Virginia, Mar. 9, 2004

We've tripled the amount of money -- I believe it's from $50 million up to $195 million available.
-- Fuzzy math of the Dubya variety, Lima, Peru, Mar. 23, 2002

I need to be able to move the right people to the right place at the right time to protect you, and I'm not going to accept a lousy bill out of the United Nations Senate.
-- South Bend, Indiana, Oct. 31, 2002

History has called the United States into action, and we will not let history down.
-- Apparently we owe history a war, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jan. 29, 2003

Part of having a secure homeland is to have a good airport system, that's safe for people to travel, an airport system that is inspecting bags by inspectors who are qualified to inspect bags.
-- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Feb. 5, 2002

We live in a culture of moral indifference, where movies and videos glamorize violence and tolerance is touted as a great virtue.
-- Texas A&M University, Apr. 6, 1998

I want to thank the astronauts who are with us, the courageous spacial entrepreneurs who set such a wonderful example for the young of our country.
-- Dubya making a strong case for sticking to the script, Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2004

If we get rid of the double taxation of dividends, it means that one of the good investment vehicles for a child who is young today will be a dividend paying stock.
-- As opposed to a child who is old today? Alexandria, Virginia, Feb. 12, 2003

This is a new kind of, a new kind of evil... And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while. And American people must be patient.
-- Simultaneously placating American anxieties, and stoking those of Muslims worldwide, who don't exactly associate good things with the word 'crusade', Washington, D.C., Sept. 16, 2001

God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear.
-- Reverend Dubya is confusing and spooky all at the same time, Los Angeles, California, Mar. 3, 2004

And, most importantly, Alma Powell, Secretary of Colin Powell, is with us.
-- In case you were wondering, Alma Powell is not the "Secretary of Colin Powell", but rather Secretary of State Colin Powell's wife, Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2003

Can't living with the bill means it won't become law.
-- Referring to the McCain-Kennedy patients' bill of rights, Brussels, Belgium, June 13, 2001

Anyway, I'm so thankful, and so gracious -- I'm gracious that my brother Jeb is concerned about the hemisphere as well.
-- Miami, Florida, June 4, 2001

I appreciate [Florida Governor] Jeb [Bush] -- talk about swamping somebody, he knows the definition of 'swamp' when it comes to political campaigns.
-- I'll bet he does, Tampa, Florida, Jun. 30, 2003

We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, and we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.
-- Warsaw, Poland, June 15, 2001

The more money they have in their more pockets -- in their pockets, the more likely it is that somebody will find work.
-- Economic wisdom from good ol' Dubya, at the Greenbriar Resort, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Feb. 9, 2003

Uhh -- we are working -- hard to bring a diplomatic solution. And uhh -- we've made some progress. After all, the IEAE asked that the Security Council take up the North Korean issue.
-- The White House and every major news outlet completely whitewashed the fact that Dubya called the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the "IEAE", and he even made a pointed effort to clearly enunciate it, prime time press conference, White House

Re:Politics of Slashdot

[Pxtl]

Interesting approach - possibly hire computer linguistic scientists to write laws? No more ambiguity, no more questions of scope, the next Patriot act done in Lisp.

Heheh, sounds suspiciously like Philosopher Kings (the concept, not the band).

Re:Politics of Slashdot

[Pxtl]

I think the problem is that Bush is a proven lying sleazeball (though he could just be really gullible), and Kerry is a suspected lying sleazeball (though the evidence is complex and iffy), so it doesn't really matter what a lying sack of shit says. Thus, promises and platforms are irrelevant, lying-sack-of-shititude is all that counts.

Ain't America grand?

Re:This "story" is click bait

[Draknor]

Except that Linus couldn't be on a presidential ballot for the same reason that the Governator can't. :P

Except it doesn't matter - read the GP again:

At least that leaves two years to put the backdoor into the voting machines for Stallman/Torvalds vs. and Gates/Ballmer '08.

When you've got l33t 5kilLz, it doesn't matter if your candidate is on the ballot or not :-P

Re:This "story" is click bait

[aled]

You don't even have an user ID!!! you must be a terrorist!

Re:Politics of Slashdot

[astar]

I sometimes advocate that all laws be written in COBOL, not lisp. Think of the benefits. More tech jobs for old techies. Machine executable. And with development cycles what they are, less laws. Maybe we could also retire some of the worse politicians, since they cannot say anything that would make sense to a computer. Might eliminate some lawyers from office too. But maybe lisp would be better.

Re:George Bush ignores the way of Christ

[UdoKeir]

Dude, you're worshipping the wrong Messiah.

You need Supply Side Jesus [beliefnet.com].

Re:Discussion Summary

[Tablizer]

I'm right. You're Wrong.

Bush: I'm right because God told me you are wrong.

Kerry: I'm right, but I was wrong before I was right.

Nader: It does not matter who is right or wrong, as long as I get more attention.

Cheney: I'm right, you're fucking wrong!

Edwards: My hair's right, Cheney's bald.

Osama: I'm right, you're dead!

for Bush

[Tablizer]

I will vote for Bush because Kerry is stupid for authorizing "use of force" to somebody like Bush.....oh, wait

How to Make Your Vote (Really) Count

[Anonymous Coward]

Easy. Go find someone local whose opinions you strongly diagree with. Find out how they intend to vote. Vote the other way.

You may not directly affect the national outcome, but you will cause your vote to have direct and immediate effect.

Properly formatted version: (sorry bout that)

[brian0918]

http://slate.msn.com/id/2107240

Don't Vote
It makes more sense to play the lottery.

By Steven E. Landsburg

We might be headed for another close election, which means your vote could really matter this time, right? Wrong. Your vote didn't matter in 2000, it never mattered before 2000, and it's very unlikely to start mattering now.

Last time around, everything came down to Florida, where Bush's official margin was 537 votes. (Yes, yes, I know, if they'd been counted differently there'd have been a different margin and perhaps a different outcome. But that's not what this column is about.) If any one of Florida's 6 million voters had stayed home, Bush's margin would have been 536 or 538 votes, and he'd still have won. Even if you voted in the most hotly disputed state in the mostly hotly disputed election in American history, your vote did not change the outcome.

Your individual vote will never matter unless the election in your state is within one vote of a dead-even tie. (And even then, it will matter only if your state tips the balance in the electoral college.) What are the odds of that? Well, let's suppose you live in Florida and that Florida's 6 million voters are statistically evenly divided--meaning that each of them has (as far as you know) exactly a 50/50 chance of voting for either Bush or Kerry--the statistical equivalent of a coin toss. Then the probability you'll break a tie is equal to the probability that exactly 3 million out of 6 million tosses will turn up heads. That's about 1 in 3,100--roughly the same as the probability you'll be murdered by your mother.

And that's surely a gross overestimate of your influence, because it assumes there's no bias at all in your neighbors' preferences. Even a slight change in that assumption leads to a dramatic change in the conclusion. If Kerry (or Bush) has just a slight edge, so that each of your fellow voters has a 51 percent likelihood of voting for him, then your chance of casting the tiebreaker is about one in 10 to the 1,046th power--approximately the same chance you have of winning the Powerball jackpot 128 times in a row.

For those of us who live in New York State, the situation is far worse. Last time around, about 6.5 million votes were cast for major party candidates in New York state and 63 percent of them went to Al Gore. Assuming an electorate of similar size with a similar bias, my chance of casting the deciding vote in New York is about one in 10 to the 200,708th power. I have a better chance of winning the Powerball jackpot 7,400 times in a row than of affecting the election's outcome. Which makes it pretty hard to see why I should vote.

The traditional reply begins with the phrase "But if everyone thought like that ... ." To which the correct rejoinder is: So what? Everyone doesn't think like that. They continue to vote by the millions and tens of millions.

Even for the most passionate partisan, it's hard to argue that voting is a good use of your time. Instead of waiting in line to vote, you could wait in line to buy a lottery ticket, hoping to win $100 million and use it to advance your causes--and all with an almost indescribably greater chance of success than you'd have in the voting booth.

Re:Voting for the "Lesser of 2 Evils"

[DarkHelmet]

Somebody keeps stealing my damn lines.

Re:George Bush ignores the way of Christ

[Roger Keith Barrett]

The last time I checked a man couldn't "have sex with a man in the same was as with a woman" because men do not have vaginas.

Thus, apparently the verse you quote says anal sex is AOK!

There's only one geek in the race!

[monk]

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik [vote-smart.org]
Professional Experience:
...

Programmer/Trainer, Pacific Gas and Electric, 1987-1997
System Analyst, Northrop Corporation, 1985-1987
Senior Programmer, Commonwealth Edison, 1977-1985.

So Vote Geek in 2004!

Diebold Source Code REVEALED!!!!

[SupremeDiety]

I will not reveal my source, but I have a reliable chunk of the diebold voting machine code (which is hidden from public view, under the guise of patent protection, ahh, i love sham democracies! but I digress) Code Fragment as follows: if (luser.vote != g_bush) then luser.vote = g_bush there you have it, tax dollars and democracy at work! w0w...