"Give Me Control 1st, Then I'll Tell You What I'll Do,.."

[cubby1223]

That's not the only concern here. Another is margin of win. Even if you can't swing your state, maybe you can help reduce the margin to the point they can't claim a mandate. No one's life, liberty or property are safe when either party can claim a mandate.
<snip>
Saying your vote doesn't matter is like a mason saying there's no point in setting this block because it still won't be a building. Winning vote margins may be huge, but they are still composed of single votes like yours. (Well, in Chicago YMMV.)

I did list out the statistical percentages my vote has in the prior post. They're not good. In fact I have a higher chance of winning the lottery than I do influencing politics through voting. Playing the lottery also pays better returns.

Parties claim mandates regardless of the percentage of victory. If the party in power has a super-majority, they do what they want. If they don't, then they can't. Since I cannot vote for another state's senator nor another district's congressman, the amount of influence my vote has to prevent a super-majority diminishes to pretty much zero.

The masonry analogy doesn't work. If the mason doesn't set the first brick, the building does not get built. Whether I choose to vote or not, whether I become super-informed of the candidates and the issues or not, the election still takes place and a winner is crowned. Also the mason gets paid for laying the bricks. And he is paid greater for putting quality effort into his bricklaying. He is compensated for his work and the quality he puts into it. An "I Voted" sticker has no value.

 

[ivwshane]

So I take it that you don't vote?

I did list out the statistical percentages my vote has in the prior post. They're not good. In fact I have a higher chance of winning the lottery than I do influencing politics through voting. Playing the lottery also pays better returns.

Parties claim mandates regardless of the percentage of victory. If the party in power has a super-majority, they do what they want. If they don't, then they can't. Since I cannot vote for another state's senator nor another district's congressman, the amount of influence my vote has to prevent a super-majority diminishes to pretty much zero.

The masonry analogy doesn't work. If the mason doesn't set the first brick, the building does not get built. Whether I choose to vote or not, whether I become super-informed of the candidates and the issues or not, the election still takes place and a winner is crowned. Also the mason gets paid for laying the bricks. And he is paid greater for putting quality effort into his bricklaying. He is compensated for his work and the quality he puts into it.

 

[cubby1223]

So I take it that you don't vote?

Never have.

 

[werepossum]

I did list out the statistical percentages my vote has in the prior post. They're not good. In fact I have a higher chance of winning the lottery than I do influencing politics through voting. Playing the lottery also pays better returns.

Parties claim mandates regardless of the percentage of victory. If the party in power has a super-majority, they do what they want. If they don't, then they can't. Since I cannot vote for another state's senator nor another district's congressman, the amount of influence my vote has to prevent a super-majority diminishes to pretty much zero.

The masonry analogy doesn't work. If the mason doesn't set the first brick, the building does not get built. Whether I choose to vote or not, whether I become super-informed of the candidates and the issues or not, the election still takes place and a winner is crowned. Also the mason gets paid for laying the bricks. And he is paid greater for putting quality effort into his bricklaying. He is compensated for his work and the quality he puts into it. An "I Voted" sticker has no value.

It does if you have a scratch you want to cover.

 

[BoberFett]

Having someone like you refer to me as idiotic would be like Hitler calling me a poor Nazi. Only if you started agreeing with me would I begin to consider my path incorrect. But so long as the vile such as yourself disagree with me, I know my path is a righteous one.

Are you this crazy in real life? You are completely unhinged. You need to get off the internet and find a good shrink.

 

[fskimospy]

Wow, revisionist history at its finest.

"If you like your plan, you can keep your plan" erc.

Fern

You have to be joking. Have you guys thrown the ACA debate into the memory hole already?

 

[Oldgamer]

I saw him saying as much in an interview a while back. It is nuts that people are still voting for this man it really is.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

What am I basing my vote on?

Don't know. Dumb question really since I (nor most here) don't live in Kentucky so I have no vote anyway.

If this is a story, it's a regional one. Not a national one.

Fern

Yep, it's all in the hands of the Kentucky voters. I voted for John Cornyn as he's done a great job as senator and is far better than the Democrat that's running (Well, sort of. latest polling shows Cornyn ahead by 22% or 26%) against him.

 

[fskimospy]

Yep, it's all in the hands of the Kentucky voters. I voted for John Cornyn as he's done a great job as senator and is far better than the Democrat that's running (Well, sort of. latest polling shows Cornyn ahead by 22% or 26%) against him.

Out of curiosity, what positions of his do you like?

EDIT: By the way this is a serious question. I personally don't have a big problem with him. He's extremely conservative, which of course I dislike, but he is not insane. (ie: voted against Ted Cruz's debt ceiling stupidity, voted for TARP, etc)

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Out of curiosity, what positions of his do you like?

EDIT: By the way this is a serious question. I personally don't have a big problem with him. He's extremely conservative, which of course I dislike, but he is not insane. (ie: voted against Ted Cruz's debt ceiling stupidity, voted for TARP, etc)

I don't find him to be extremely conservative (Cruz on the other hand), he tends to try to work with the Senators on the other side of the aisle.

I also gather you didn't see any of the debates.

I know this is newsmax but it does quote him correctly.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Cornyn-immigration-Senate/2014/10/28/id/603612/

During a debate with Democratic challenger David Alameel, Texas Sen. John Cornyn said it is time to reach a "consensus" on immigration reform by "finding parts that we agree on," including providing children of illegal immigrants access to education.

"I believe education is the way out," the Republican said.

He added that the children of parents "who did not comply with our immigration laws are guilty of nothing," and "it makes no sense to condemn them to a minimum-wage job for the rest of their lives when they could produce so much more, when they could be so much more. They would benefit, their families would benefit, and our nation would benefit."

 

[thraashman]

Are you this crazy in real life? You are completely unhinged. You need to get off the internet and find a good shrink.

It's so cute that you think you have any idea what you're talking about or that your opinion matters. I'm not the one seeking out people who weren't talking to me and starting fights with them.

 

[fskimospy]

I don't find him to be extremely conservative (Cruz on the other hand), he tends to try to work with the Senators on the other side of the aisle.

I also gather you didn't see any of the debates.

I know this is newsmax but it does quote him correctly.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Cornyn-immigration-Senate/2014/10/28/id/603612/

According to wiki he was rated as the 14th most conservative Senator in the US and according to DW-NOMINATE he was in the top 30% of Senators on the liberal/conservative scale. This puts him in the top 1/3rd of the Republican Party, which is already extremely conservative.

To me that's pretty damn conservative.

Although I find nearly all of his policies objectionable (abortion, the environment, fiscal policy, etc) I appreciate his support for immigration reform and again I like that he, for lack of a better word, is an adult. It's nice to see at least some people I disagree with who aren't willing to burn the village in order to save it.

What policies of his are you for, specifically?

 

[Londo_Jowo]

National defense (support for veterans), border security, 2nd amendment, fiscal responsibility, reducing prison populations to name a few.

Please explain why I should have voted for Dr David Alameel other than he's a Democrat.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Never have.

I probably will on state an local issues this year but that's just a matter of principle. My vote is a waste of gas and time. The entire system is based on winner take all so a substantial number of people have no voice, and those who "won" had to pick from a list that was already vetted long before a name appeared on a ballot, with very few exceptions, at least on a state and federal level.

 

[fskimospy]

National defense (support for veterans), border security, 2nd amendment, fiscal responsibility, reducing prison populations to name a few.

Please explain why I should have voted for Dr David Alameel other than he's a Democrat.

Well after looking at his website briefly it looks like he shares Cornyn's support for veterans and reducing the prison population. I couldn't find anything on gun control, but then again it's hard to be further to the right than Cornyn on gun control anyway, so if that's your thing that makes sense.

I'd have to say that much of what Cornyn has put forth on the fiscal side has been deeply irresponsible, however. It's true he didn't support Cruz's clown show, but it's hard to see how his support for the Fair Tax act and other things like that are responsible at all. I'd say his fiscal issues are by far his weakest point. Not a big fan of his global warming policy or his anti-abortion stance either.

So I guess it depends on where your emphasis lies. For me, I'm for more fiscal responsibility, environmental issues, and better access to abortion more than I'm for border security and gun rights so for me Cornyn is probably not a good choice. Your mileage may vary.

 

[BoberFett]

It's so cute that you think you have any idea what you're talking about or that your opinion matters. I'm not the one seeking out people who weren't talking to me and starting fights with them.

When you make insane statements about mass numbers of human beings the most vile thing on Earth, expect to get called on your crazy statements Captain Tard.

 

[werepossum]

You have to be joking. Have you guys thrown the ACA debate into the memory hole already?

Um, that was his point, that a lot of what was represented during the ACA debate turned out to be lies.