Will The Republic Survive?

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:37 pm

For those voting Bush ~ If Kerry gets elected, will it "be the end of the United States" as a world power?

For those voting Kerry ~ If Bush gets elected, will it "be the end of the United States" as a world power?

For those voting third party ~ Fine, throw your vote away (I kid. I just didn't want to anybody out.)

The reason I ask is because I'm curious about what people think. I heard someone today state that if Kerry gets elected, this "country is over with." I was kind of taken aback by that, but realized that I've been hearing Bush haters say the same about Bush for months. So, I wanted to find out how many people felt this way and why.

I'm a Kerry supporter, but if Bush gets elected I don't think the country is going to be permantely damaged. I just feel we will be better, ok much better, off with Kerry at this time. And let's try to not make this a bashing of peoples ideas. Keep it civil people. Focus. I know you can do it.

Kael · Post by **Kael** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:47 pm

Either way we will be just fine. The president may be the most powerful man in the world, but hes not all powerful. We've survived through bad presidents before.

Meghan · Post by **Meghan** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 6:20 pm

I think the rhetoric is partly a sign of how close the race is and partly an effort to get out the vote. I've heard it from the Dems too.

I suppose it's partly responsible for the record number of new registrations so as crummy as it is it's somewhat effective. I do want people to dial it back though.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:23 pm

That's why I think it's so laughable when Kerry or Bush get up there and say solemnly, "This may be the most important Presidential election in US history." WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING?

In this day and age, your choice of US President is going to be between two rich white guys with what are (in the grand scheme of things) subtle differences on how to govern the country.

We've had 43 Presidents. Of those 43, how many are considered "great" Presidents who really changed the course of history? A handful. How many of them are considered terrible Presidents? How many of those terrible Presidents led this country to utter ruin?

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:45 pm

YellowKing wrote:How many of them are considered terrible Presidents?

There's a section in Jon Stewart's America: The Book where they talk about the worst president. I believe they choose Warren G. Harding. According to them, he is a taint. And not in the figurative sense. He is the actual anatomical region between the anus and testicles.

God I love that book.

Faldarian · Post by **Faldarian** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 12:10 am

Do I think it will be the end of the U.S. as a world power?

No. However, I do think that re-electing Bush will have a dramatic effect on political policy in the future. If you can get away with the things Bush has done, re-electing him validates that as a very sound strategy. It validates that the American people want and will vote for religious conservatism in their government rather than a more neutral stance on those issues.

It will not immediately change the country, but it will shift the shape of politics subtly at first, and then more so as they test just how far people are willing to let them go.

Do I also think it will change the way America is perceived and the future of foreign policy for the next few decades, and arabic nations for even longer?

Yes, absolutely.

I do not think this is the most important election in American history, but there is no doubt in my mind at all that it is the most important election in my lifetime. It's an election that will change the shape of our nation politically and idealistically in a way that hasn't happened for a long time.

Yog-Sothoth · Post by **Yog-Sothoth** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:20 am

Things are definitely quite weird out there internationally and things are going to start moving soon. There are at least 3 major events coming up:

Yasser Arafat's demise or replacement and the ensuing Palestinian power stuggle;
Iranian nuclear weapons development, with probable Israeli attack and Iranian retaliation; and
Iraqi elections.

Al-Qaida is just lurking about, giving us an extra random factor for good measure. Meanwhile we're bogged down fighting the Iraqis.

In military affairs there is the situation where the power that's attacking is at the edge of its capabilities and the only thing it has left is momentum. When the momentum stops bad things happen. Stalingrad was a classic example of this in WW2.

There are diplomatic and economic equivalents. If we aren't very careful we might be approaching one, two, or even all three.

If Bush loses, there will be an effort to "win the war before his opponent takes office" as there always is. The people whose support matters to him still have the same interests and will want to take this last opportunity to fix things up (or at least make sure their interests are protected). Maybe they'll even override some of the idiots who bungled the occupation and lost them the election.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:05 pm

We will muddle through regardless of who is annointed president in January.

warning · Post by **warning** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:13 pm

The AOLer Translator can help here. Let's see what it says:

IF EITH3R K3RY OR BUSH GATS EL3CTED PRESIEDNT DA REPUBLIC WIL NOT SURVIEV11!1!!! OMG WTF

There you have it people. Either way were DOMED!

Crabbs · Post by **Crabbs** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 5:52 pm

Ironrod wrote:We will muddle through regardless of who is annointed president in January.

Agreed.

Will our country come crashing down, nope. Will WWIII start, nope. Will Bush imprison all Dems, nope. Will Kerry let France set our domestic and foreign policy, nope. We will survive with either in power.

I do think that this election will have HUGE implications for longterm direction of our country. For one example the possible need for multiple new supreme court justices who will guide the major social changes with their rulings.