Summations Only

...No, because those same people will support anyone who is not Obama. The only question was which particular not-Obama to have on the ballot in the real election.I get where you're coming from, but the "big bads" you're suggesting are behind such a conspiracy have a much, much simpler way to get what they want:Donate massive amounts to the campaigns of both "mainstream" parties such that both the Democrats and Republicans are beholden to you to get elected.And that's exactly what we see. Goldman Sachs doesn't care one bit whether Obama or Romney is the next President, because both are on the payroll.There's just no need to ensure the re-election of a specific President by somehow making sure that every opponent has either the brains or the charisma (sometimes both) of cat feces. That's the amateurs way to take over the country. A real manipulator finds a way to win regardless of who gets the Oval Office.

I'm not sure where you're from (other than USA) but I'm from Wisconsin. We have a large proportion of both parties (and a bit of an independent streak). I don't wonder how so many are supporting these Republicans because I hear the same things they say being said by people around me.People don't vote for the person who will do the best in elevating their position, they don't vote for the person who will be the most moral in their governance. They vote for the person they think is most like them. Part of it comes from arrogance, they think they know the problem, they think it's obvious to them, so someone who agrees with them will be the one to fix it. Part of it comes from propaganda, the reason they think they know the problems is because they've been fed those solutions for as long as they can remember, either from the "news" or from their family and friends (who ultimately got it from the "news"). And finally, part of it comes from fear; fear of the other and fear of the unknown.For the poorly educated and the just plain poor, that equates to connecting on a religious or social angle. That's why Republicans, who generally do best among the uneducated and rural people, devote so much time to religious and social issues.The Democrats, however, have to contend with a group of people who are more educated, but still come preloaded with biases and diverse interests. There isn't as strong a bind as the Republicans have with religion. The Democrats then either try to appeal to a niche, and when they lose, decide to emulate the Republicans (Blue Dog Democrats, Dixiecrats, etc) or they try to appeal to everybody, and thus stand for nothing specific.Lewis Black said it best, the Democrats are the party of no ideas and the Republicans are the party of bad ideas.

Because ... they're ... morons.You don't have to organize people into being morons, they do it spontaneously.

I once had a co-worker who arrived each morning and set about finding the latest killing rampage on the web. Then she would gush about it."I can't imagine what would possess a person to do something like that! I just can't understand it!"Me: "Of course you can't understand them, Jan, they're insane.""But I can't imagine what would possess a person to do something like that! I just can't understand it!"Me: "Of course you can't, Jan..."Reiterate for a seeming eternity.Then one day..."I can't imagine what would possess a person to do something like that! I just can't understand it!"Me: "If you understood, Jan, you'd be killing me...or I'd have to kill you."In her widening eyes, an understanding dawned; after that day, she gushed no more.

Well, unless you have a study about morons you can site, I think it better to not think so peremptorily.My words "brilliantly organized" were not from the article I shared, but rather from myself. And even with yours, and especially Rahvin's, excellent replies, I am still unsure if it was a COMPLETE mistake to use "brilliantly organized". Because the morons ARE being helped:FIRSTLY:

quote:

---

[History] documents the power of propaganda in a society whose political culture is dominated by a privately owned and corporately controlled news media.

---

Page not found - TruthoutNearly all of the US news media is owned by several large corporations. There is very little independent media that is being reached by the public. Thus, if the corporations have a bias or agenda, you can be sure the public is not being fully served. For example:

quote:

---

At the time of the first Persian Gulf War, CBS was owned by Westinghouse and NBC by General Electric. Two of the major nuclear weapons manufacturers owned two of the major networks. Westinghouse and GE made most of the parts for many of the weapons in the Persian Gulf War. It was no surprise, then, that much of the coverage on those networks looked like a military hardware show.

---

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/...040_sundaygoodman03.htmlCan you see why a "liberal" pro-peace show like Phil Donahue would have been canceled during the run up to the Iraqi war? Can you see how the public is not being fully served by the corporate media?SECONDLY:The US election debates ARE game shows. And they ARE farces:

quote:

---

the League of Women Voters withdrew from debate sponsorship, in protest of the major party candidates attempting to dictate nearly every aspect of how the debates were conducted. On October 2, 1988, the LWV's 14 trustees voted unanimously to pull out of the debates, and on October 3 they issued a dramatic press release:

​

The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates...because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public.

---

United States presidential debates - WikipediaIn the 1990s there were FORMAL Memorandum of Understanding contracts between the republican and democrat parties. This allowed both parties to avoid embarrassing items or platforms which they didn't want the public to be included.

quote:

---

It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action.

---

Memorandum of understanding - WikipediaSince the commission has been taken over by the Democratic and Republican parties forming today's version of the CPD, no Memorandum_of_understanding contracts are needed today.

quote:

---

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) began in 1987 by the Democratic and Republican parties to establish the way that presidential election debates are run between candidates for President of the United States. The Commission is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation as defined by Federal US tax laws,[1] whose debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and corporations.[2]

---

Commission on Presidential Debates - WikipediaReread that last part again: "whose debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and "corporations." CORPORATIONS!!! Multi ZILLION dollar corporations are helping the morons.While I won't fully assert that morons are completely unable to successfully organize, but, in this case, they ARE being helped. And as Rahvin stated, in the end, it doesn't matter whether the republican or democrat candidate wins. It only matters that the elites or the 1%ers win.I get the feeling you didn't read the article I linked. It's a short read, here it is again:Page not found - Truthout

I've been studying morons for years.It seems to me that the most parsimonious explanation for why people vote for Rick Santorum is that they are idiots who agree with the idiotic views of an idiot.

Oh, I see. Well, you certainly haven't been wasting your life. Kudos Dr. A! I look forward to reading the white paper.As a matter of fact, you've inspired me. To hell with all my children's cancer prevention research! I'm gonna do what I always dreamed about; write that sitcom about a sassy robot.

I may have been. However, it's curious that people only say that when one has an unusual hobby. Most people, I believe, spend their leisure hours slumped in front of a television. But when someone spends his spare time building a scale model of St. Peter's out of matchsticks, the world rouses itself from its television-induced slumber just long enough to cry as with one voice: "Doesn't he have anything better to do?" Then they go back to watching Jeopardy. Maybe, like me, you could pursue your hobby in your spare time. Unless you work sixteen hour days and seven day weeks on the cancer thing, this would seem to be feasible.Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

It's not so much that we're being influenced to vote Democrat or Republican, dronester.The real influence is to marginalize 3rd parties. The system is stacked against them.What we have are two "mainstream" parties that both very strongly support Big Business. The conflict over social issues like welfare or contraception or abortion, while important to you and me, are a distraction. The appearance of conflict provides a real alternative in that I really do support Democrats over Republicans, simply because 80% bad is still better than 90% bad. The inclusion of a choice allows Americans to either not notice or consciously ignore the fact that, whichever of the Big Two you vote for, the same people really win in the end. Big Finance, Big Military, Big Tobacco, Big Pharma...either way they win in the end.And the few of us who see the patterns grudgingly vote for the least bad viable choice, because we see no option for rapid change with a deck so stacked and when we have no major media outlet with which to capture the 30-second attention span of the rest of the nation.

I didn't use a winking sarcastic emoticon. I DID use a smiley emoticon, intended ONLY to represent light-hearted banter. It seems my silly little joke fell flat. So sorry. If true, a pity. The end of this month, I'm off to hike in the Yunnan Province of China to visit Shangrila (Xiangglla).

I am bitter about the republican primary right now. I had a meeting to go to on Friday. Missed it because ALL major arteries in the Chicago area were clogged up due to those candidates campaigning here.Can't those goddamn politicians leave Chicago well alone?

Make sure you take pictures to show!

Afterwards, I usually do informal photo and video presentations of my trips. I did a formal presentation of the great primates I photographed in Uganda, Rwanda, and Borneo in a film fest in Kansas several years ago. That was fun, hope to do more like it in the future.My avatar shows me in a desolate temple in Mrauk U, Myanmar (near the Bangladesh border). Kinda surprised no one ever asked me about my avatar before, . . . m'eh.Mrauk U - WikipediaWe're off topic.

Did you try eating tarantulas?I saw a documentary where it's a delicacy in those parts of the world.

"I don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. It doesn't matter to me."