That's great but let me bring you back to what we're actually discussing here: getting swing voters. Ads are never enough, thats why campaigns employ volunteers to canvas, do community outreach and register new voters. Enthusiasm matters here, because those volunteers aren't made in a factory. Furthermore, while states like Alabama and Texas don't factor into electoral votes, they still have Democratic voters who still want to help the campaign. Those voters get bussed to other states to do what I just mentioned.

Finally, enthusiasm is reflected in the money raised for a candidate. Romney has a steady advantage in the money category because Republican super pacs are exceedingly successful at rounding up big donors. Obama on the other hand relies heavily on smaller donors because all the RAW RAW WORKERS rhetoric isn't appealing to the top earners. Enthusiasm matters here because it results in more donations which then fund all the advertising stuff that you double space typed a moment ago.

I mean this is all turbo basic stuff.

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 12:02 AM. Reason : l]

9/5/2012 12:01:07 AM

i just wonder if all the angry, poor, southern black women are gonna turn out to vote this year for obama

thats not racist btw, well it is, but no more racist than your earlier post

9/5/2012 12:05:22 AM

^ nope.

9/5/2012 12:07:45 AM

Do you have a problem focusing on a particular discussion? That's the second time you've gone on a tangent.

9/5/2012 12:07:58 AM

no more of a tangent than your "poor, southern white" tangent was when the topic was the economy

all i've been saying is that the candidates are going after swing states, which is politics 101 for anyone that doesnt have republican or democrat blinders on

and seriously, when is the first time i went on a tangent? according to you, the second time i went on a tangent was simply a direct response to one of your tangents earlier, which doesnt exactly make it a tangent

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 12:11 AM. Reason : blinders]

9/5/2012 12:10:16 AM

Sure they will

one thing the OFA group was good at last election was finding ways to get people out to vote that normally wouldn't because they were "poor" or without transportation

I have no doubt they will make sure everyone that wants to vote makes it out to vote

9/5/2012 12:11:22 AM

Quote :

"no more of a tangent than your "poor, southern white" tangent was when the topic was the economy all i've been saying is that the candidates are going after swing states, which is politics 101 for anyone that doesnt have republican or democrat blinders on and seriously, when is the first time i went on a tangent? according to you, the second time i went on a tangent was simply a direct response to one of your tangents earlier, which doesnt exactly make it a tangent "

Alright Team, timeout. Are we done with the topic of "party enthusiasm" and now switching to the absurdity of discussing racism and reverse racism and reverse reverse racism? I'll tell you right now, as a GOP card toting upstanding gentlemen, you're not going to win that discussion either.

9/5/2012 12:16:05 AM

i wasnt the first one to make a racist comment (you were)

i am not affiliated with any party, i'd scan and post a jpeg of my voter registration card but im not registered because both parties are shit

yet you paint me as the biased one?

9/5/2012 12:20:37 AM

Wait, wait wait wait wait.

Let me make sure I get my facts straight. All my i's dotted and t's crossed if you will.

You're not a registered voter? Or you're registered an independent voter?

9/5/2012 12:22:22 AM

why are you going off on a tangent?

9/5/2012 12:23:00 AM

Why am I having a political discussion with someone who doesn't even vote?

9/5/2012 12:23:58 AM

And just ran into Chris Kelly at Carolina ale house.

9/5/2012 12:25:21 AM

why am i trying to give a nonbiased perspective of how presidential campaigns work in the real world with someone who would rather vote for a giant douche or a turd sandwich rather than support neither?

i exercise my freedom of choice by supporting neither corrupt party/politician rather than saying "derp, well i better pick a side even though both sides suck!"

9/5/2012 12:26:00 AM

I wonder which way the 30,000 registered dead voters in NC are gonna vote in this election.

9/5/2012 12:27:06 AM

If you aren't a registered voter GTFO.

9/5/2012 12:28:57 AM

if you're not a Duke or UNC fan you can't talk about basketball!!1

9/5/2012 12:30:21 AM

Quote :

"i exercise my freedom of choice by supporting neither corrupt party/politician rather than saying "derp, well i better pick a side even though both sides suck!""

You're not exercising a freedom, you're not doing anything. Not even registering as a voter is pure inaction on your part. All your "exercising freedom of choice" is merely adding to the chorus of irrelevants that stalk internet message forums. Even extreme right wingers who I consider to be insane get some level of respect for actively working within the democratic process for their ideology.

Your grand contribution to American democracy is not participating in American democracy, thereby abdicating any claim to the results of the political process.

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 12:35 AM. Reason : r]

9/5/2012 12:34:08 AM

yeah Twista

WAY TO NOT VOTE

THAT'LL SHOW 'EM!

9/5/2012 12:36:05 AM

sorry, i didn't know the right to vote meant you are forced to vote

if you don't agree with either party, and think (know) they are both completely full of shit, why would you as a left winger ever respect a right winger moreso than someone who realizes both sides are full of shit...i'd ask the same question of a right winger who respects a left winger more than someone who realizes both are full of shit

the current 2 party system is fucked up systematic corruption...you acting like you have to pick a side is pretty deplorable in my opinion...it'd be like if one candidate supported armed robbery and the other supported murder, and you shit on me for not picking sides

and since both parties support foreign war and asset seizure, my analogy is pretty damn accurate

all the holier-than-thou "pick a side, its better than nothing" people just prove that they think their side is actually just and correct and dont realize both parties are fucked

but feel free to berate me for not supporting the 1% thats known as the Democrats and Republican politicians

Quote :

"WAY TO NOT VOTE THAT'LL SHOW 'EM!"

if enough people did this, perhaps by voting for a 3rd party, it actually would show them

unfortunately, most of the 3rd party candidates are also pretty wacko

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 12:41 AM. Reason : .]

9/5/2012 12:40:09 AM

http://www.c-span.org/DNC/Events/Michelle-Obama-quotI-Have-Seen-the-Very-Best-of-the-American-Spiritquot/10737433811/

9/5/2012 12:50:55 AM

i remember writing a term paper for a poli sci class when I was at State about abolishing the electoral college. I think I got a B on it.

I wonder what I'd get on it now...

9/5/2012 12:51:21 AM

I think rational voter abstention is a perfectly, uh, rational stance to take. If you don't think you'll benefit from voting, then there may be no point in wasting your time wading through all this crap, picking a candidate, and going out to the polls.

But many of us don't just vote for ourselves. I personally have never needed an abortion, and if I do need one when it's illegal, I'll have no problems getting to Canada or even partaking in some abortion-tourism on a nice vacation in Europe. I suspect the daughters of Republican politicians also won't have any problem obtaining a safe abortion if they need one. But other women don't have that advantage, and the thought of returning to a time before Roe v. Wade, a time when thousands of women died unnecessarily...that's enough to get me to the polls every time.

9/5/2012 1:10:44 AM

You make abortion tourism sound so glamorous

9/5/2012 1:16:03 AM

9/5/2012 1:27:02 AM

Quote :

"I just have a hard time believing that 'energizing the base' is really ever as important as picking up the independent, 'swing vote'."

I imagine that if one base stays at home and the other enthusiastically goes to the polls, that might overshadow the importance of picking up independent swing votes. Isn't that what occurred in 2010?

9/5/2012 1:30:21 AM

08

but wasnt that the swing vote going to the polls? maybe not necessarily the undecided voters, but voters who wouldnt have necessarily voted but they were voters in swing states

^^exactly my point

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 1:40 AM. Reason : .]

9/5/2012 1:38:38 AM

No, Pupils DiL8t is right. It happened in 2010. Democrats were ambivalent and stayed home, and Republicans were outraged by Obama and came out like crazy.

I'm not sure how big the swing voting population actually is. There are certainly people who switch parties, but they don't necessarily do it routinely, and they tend to do it for external reasons that a candidate can't really control all that much. For example, Obama could certainly play up Bush's failures and win over moderate conservatives for one election, but the fact that Bush was horrible wasn't really in Obama's control. Also, true swing voters are often drawn to third party candidates.

I mean, most people already have their mind made up on what they care about and believe in when it comes to government...it's just about making them care enough to get out and vote. But this isn't really the same thing as "energizing the base" because they're not really part of your base if they typically don't even vote. They're just people who generally agree with you or find you tolerable...now can you get them to vote?

There are people who vote entirely on whether or not they like the guy. And you can only get their vote by being likable to them. It doesn't matter what you promise or what stances you take or emphasize.

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 2:36 AM. Reason : ]

9/5/2012 2:11:59 AM

Helped vote this into the official national party platform:











[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 2:18 AM. Reason : .]

9/5/2012 2:17:13 AM

trumped the RNC in one day. And we still have 3 presidents yet to speak...

9/5/2012 2:23:05 AM

^Obama, Clinton and ?

9/5/2012 2:32:34 AM

I used to be a swing voter, but the older and wiser I get, and the more stupid shit the GOP spews the odds of me ever voting for a republican again have gone to pretty much nothing.

The few issues I side with the GOP on are not that important to me, and there are not many of them to begin with.

9/5/2012 2:49:53 AM

^^Did Jimmy Carter cancel?

9/5/2012 2:58:24 AM

^^ preach on old wise one of under 30.

9/5/2012 3:01:10 AM

^^I just figured his video tonight would alleviate the need for him to show up in person

But I'm not the expert on who is speaking at the DNC, hence why I asked the question

I'm sure he'll give Dirty Harry a run for his money though

9/5/2012 3:03:46 AM

yeah seems like at some point he decided to just do a video instead of coming.

9/5/2012 3:07:44 AM

Quote :

"What? Did you just use the stock market's fluctuation as an indicator of economic health?"

Not necessarily but remember we are not talking about reality, we are talking about the average voters perception of reality. The perception of economic health for those voters is likely going to be things like the stock market, jobs created, jobless claims, etc on the run in.

I try to steer clear of higher level economic thinking and data when talking about the average voter if that makes sense.

9/5/2012 8:18:38 AM

9/5/2012 8:23:09 AM

My parents somehow got VIP tickets to Obama's acceptance speech. I'm kind of jealous even though I don't have an interest in dealing with the clusterfuck that is Charlotte right now.

9/5/2012 9:33:51 AM

Quote :

"Doesn't matter how much Romney is liked. What matters is how much Obama is disliked."

that's certainly what the republicans are counting on

9/5/2012 9:36:14 AM

and thats a bad thing because it will just lead to people like me who wont vote for either candidate.

basically a vote for OBama because there is more overall passion to re-elect him

i dont think real republicans are counting on that at all

and michelle obama still looks like wayne brady with a family dollar wig on

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 9:44 AM. Reason : d]

9/5/2012 9:42:24 AM

Quote :

"and michelle obama still looks like wayne brady with a family dollar wig on"

lol ... she looks just like him

9/5/2012 9:54:08 AM

They're moving the acceptance speech indoors

so that leaves 50,000 folks out in the cold rain

9/5/2012 10:18:59 AM

Considering the fact that the stadium was not going to be filled anyway, it is probably better for the Democrats that the acceptance speech will be moved indoors. The Dems were already sending buses to colleges and churches to find people to fill the otherwise empty seats so that people would think there was this great amount of enthusiasm for Obama again.

Also lol at this quote:

Quote :

"trumped the RNC in one day. And we still have 3 presidents yet to speak..."

Clearly you are engaged in the DNC since you completely missed Carter's video speech on Tuesday. Also what was so great about about the DNC over the RNC E-man?

9/5/2012 11:01:40 AM

i still think she looks like Chewbacca's sister.

9/5/2012 11:22:01 AM

9/5/2012 2:15:24 PM

because women like her dress

its the magic mike effect

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 2:19 PM. Reason : w]

9/5/2012 2:18:43 PM

BOOM!!! HEADSHOT!!!!

9/5/2012 2:19:07 PM

BHS, when you say real republicans what sort do you have in mind? I'm guessing you're including yourself in those ranks, so I just wondered about where the difference lies. From your posts I figure it's small government, etc., but I realized I might just be making assumptions.

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 2:23 PM. Reason : -]

9/5/2012 2:22:50 PM

all that proves is that there are more Dems using Twitter. You can't Tweet your vote yet though I see that happening at some point.

9/5/2012 2:27:05 PM

Quote :

"Mitt Romney has so little economic patriotism that even his money needs a passport. It summers on the beaches of the Cayman Islands and winters on the slopes of the Swiss Alps. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/80699_Page2.html#ixzz25catlW1u"

- Ted Strickland

9/5/2012 2:30:39 PM