This is a voter guide for Republicans who actually care about the United States. Not those who ask, what can my country do for me, but those who would at least CONSIDER what they might do for the country, what our elected representatives should do for the country!
These are questions we (ALL Americans!) need you to ask of those seeking your votes. Ask these and perhaps our country can begin to have the serious discussion about issues we so desperately need. WE ask Republican candidates these questions, of course, but they don’t care to answer us. They know we can’t be manipulated or cajoled into voting for them, so they think these questions are not important. But they are important for EVERY American, and every American deserves answers from those who would like to be elected our leaders. So you try asking them!
Top Comments recognizes the previous day's Top Mojo and strives to promote each day's outstanding comments through nominations made by Kossacks like you. Please send comments (before 9:30pm ET) by email to topcomments@gmail.com or by our KosMail message board. Just click on the Spinning Top to make a submission. Look for the Spinning Top to pop up in diaries around Daily Kos.
Make sure that you include the direct link to the comment (the URL), which is available by clicking on that comment's date/time. Please let us know your Daily Kos user name if you use email so we can credit you properly. If you send a writeup with the link, we can include that as well. The diarist reserves the right to edit all content.
Please come in. You're invited to make yourself at home! Join us beneath the kos-doodle...
|
If you believe you've got the better plan, great! So, why focus so exclusively on Obama in your endless campaign ads?! Why have so little confidence in your plan/positions that you try to divert focus from them? Are you cowards?! You lack the courage of your convictions? The confidence that your vision for America is the best one? If it’s the best, enough with the negative campaigning! Focus on the hope you believe resides in your plans! Do you lack complete confidence in those plans? Should we, too?
What are your dreams for our country? For our people? Do they involve ejecting or writing off large percentages of the populace? Discarding 47% or more of our people?
Why do you think it is to your advantage to frame me, a possible supporter of yours, as such an unfailing VICTIM?! Why do you speak to me to try to INCREASE my feelings of victimhood? Is it your ambition to lead a country full of victims? Do you want to encourage us to BE victims, too? Would that improve your perception of your advantage in this election?
Why don't you ever ask us questions about what WE want for this country, instead of talking down to us as if we were a huge flock of sheep, with no minds of our own?
Why don't you LISTEN when the polls TELL you we say we WANT public education, we WANT Medicare, we WANT Social Security? And, then, if you think we're wrong, respect us enough to make your case about why we're wrong, in your view, or about how you'll help us create the country we want?
If unchanged taxes for the wealthy are recommended, why are wealthy Republicans spending hundreds of millions on the campaigns, to save tens of millions in possibly increased taxes? Don't you know we notice? That it seems you have much greater interest in POWER than in actually lower taxes? If Republican arguments are superior, why is it necessary to spend so much in campaigning? Why wouldn't it be better to have public financing of elections and election messaging?
If you believe the Constitution is to be rigidly interpreted, where in it do you read the Founders’ intention that the Constitution be used as a mechanism for discrimination and REDUCING rights, rather than guaranteeing them, equally and without bias, for all? Where do you find the intention that the Constitution, ideally, should be used to ‘hit’ those we disagree with, or those we disapprove of? What purpose is served by cultivating deep hatreds against others? What worthwhile purpose is served by pandering to those who hate with such extreme venom? Who hate women, blacks, Hispanics, public servants, members of our Armed Forces, gays, unmarrieds, the homeless, the unemployed, the underemployed, those who cannot afford health care? Do you think such pandering will ultimately BROADEN our electoral base?
Why do you think we won’t notice when you criticize Obama for lack of achievement, when every waking moment of our Republican leaders in Congress since his election has gone to blocking any and all governmental achievements, no matter how much they could help our country and our people? That talking about his lack of achievement is simultaneously BRAGGING and blaming? If Republicans are the reason more was not achieved, and you think that is creditworthy, why don’t you OWN that? Rather than blaming him for it? You think we’re too stupid to notice you’re trying to have it both ways?
Here is the most important question I have for you. When Reagan said that government was the problem, not the solution, why didn’t you take that as a challenge? The ultimate call to arms? Why, if you want us to elevate you to power in the greatest country on earth don’t you have a plan for making government SOLVE problems? Why don’t you have a plan for addressing his criticisms about the role of government in our world? Instead, the Republican Party has taken his criticism as a thesis to be proven, over and over again. Why don’t you put the same energy into CHANGING that, into MEETING Reagan’s challenge?! Rather than in trying to convince us of its inevitable and permanent truth? Rather than trying to make it a Republican-determined self-fulfilling prophecy? After all, that is NOT how businesses are run. But, still, we never hear a Republican plan for making government work BETTER, more effectively. The worse you govern, the more self-fulfilling the prophecy. Do you think we’re too stupid to understand that?
We could not possibly BE bigger victims than by electing you, isn’t that right? If not, why not? What do YOU plan to achieve? What is YOUR vision for our country?
- A ranking below 99% of the world’s countries in education?
- Millions of our senior citizens living on the streets?
- Millions of babies and toddlers living on the streets, scant clothing, unsatisfactory nutrition, non-existent health care, rampant crime?
- Prisons overflowing?
- A state of permanent war with Iran and Korea and so many others we feel shouldn’t have the right to exist?
- Dramatic and very rapid reductions in Hispanic and black census numbers, as they’re forced out of the country or into the streets, or cemeteries?
- Women losing the right to vote and to have a say in their own destiny or that of their families? Forced out of the workplace, oftentimes into the streets, homeless, without health care or birth control options?
Is that the vision of America you wish to create? If it isn’t, why do your policies say that it is? Can you explain the discrepancy?
That's most of my questions for tonight! What questions would YOU like to see asked of Republican candidates? What questions would you like to see them obligated to answer? What ideas do you have for compelling them to answer our society’s questions about their choices and their visions for our country and the world?
In an addendum, Kathy gave me a few more questions to ask! (Thank you, Kathy!!! And for the other diary suggestions you gave!)
I would really like to see some questions that could be posed to those that do not support Obama.
"What is your solution to the terrible decline in our nation's schools?"
"How would you ensure that students across the nation are being given an education that makes them competitive in this world?"
"How do you propose to resolve the hunger issue?"
"What is your plan for health care of all of our citizens?"
If the response is that it should be at the State level, then how do the states be held accountable for their performance? We must be competitive in the world. How do we do this?
Thanks for visiting tonight! On to the comments! (Graciously compiled and formatted by brillig!)
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything
without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do
not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From Missys Brother:
This morning in Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Kevvboy stated that he was going to be driving "a bunch of little old ladies" to the polls today as early voting has started in Florida. Jayden had an excellent and funny comment back that Kevvboy said he was going to print out to place on his dashboard.
From aggieric:
In a discussion of whether or not there were African Americans who didn't vote in 2008 because they believed a black man would never win and their vote wouldn't end up counting (in the comments of MattTx's Early Voting Day 9: Yes Virginia, Obama Really Can Win North Carolina), kpardue first says
I hear people telling me my vote doesn't count all the time but it does count. Someone told me my county went for President Obama last election. I got a bit of a swagger in my step after that. We didn't win it for him but our votes counted, in my opinion.
And even if my county never went democratic I would still consider that my vote counted. If I was the only democrat in the state I would feel that my vote counts.
but kpardue really nails the meaning of voting in the last sentence
To my way of looking at it we are voting for all the people who struggled for human rights down the years, for the beautiful boy in China who stared down a tank, for the lovely young people in Iran who tried to overthrow tyranny armed with nothing but their flesh and blood bodies.
From Steveningen:
In Dante Atkins' Midday open thread, RenoAnne gives a scathing response to the conservative outrage of the Lena Dunham video.
Tirge Caps has a cynically hysterical comeback to shivan's diary I'm done with Huffington Post.
Top Mojo for yesterday, October 26th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic!
1) We may not see another like Barack Obama by hanzi88 — 212
2) That's awesome. by Dartagnan — 191
3) I am 22 years old. Watching President by Paddy Ryan — 164
4) I think of all of Mitt Romney's cheesy character by HoundDog — 154
5) Agree completely. He will be and is a trail by lighttheway — 122
6) Finally! A Republican willing to tell the truth! by fou — 121
7) The economic news by KibbutzAmiad — 120
8) Barack Obama by wynative — 108
9) one thing to watch on election night by tbounnak — 103
10) I agree,. I have never been as inspired by a by wishingwell — 102
11) The only reason I ever did that Fox interview by MinistryOfTruth — 98
12) Happy Birthday, Madame Secretary! by Sharon Wraight — 94
13) Thank you for your testimony. by Temmoku — 82
14) "A careful and precise reading" by political junquie — 82
15) This is nowhere near the worst that Wilkerson by biscobosco — 80
16) I Talk About This With My Grandson by Empower Ink — 75
17) Don't Forget Medicaid: Any Elders Needing Nursing by Gooserock — 73
18) Romney failed commander in chief test by FishOutofWater — 73
19) Even though I always expect reason from by jec — 73
20) Holy Sh*t! by 4CasandChlo — 71
21) Chrysler CEO by GOPGO2H3LL — 71
22) In the past few years I have bridled at comments by Liberal Granny — 71
23) Hope everyone is okay in this by ThatPoshGirl — 69
24) POW! by mirandasright — 68
25) the story seems to be noticed in OH and detroit by live1 — 68
26) This is what happens when you depend on the by Carlo408 — 67
27) Cheers! by Melanie in IA — 66
28) Chrysler Needs a New Ad by US Blues — 66
29) I co-sign your sentiment fully by Delilah — 65
30) Don't forget Princeton Election Consortium by DoctorWho — 65
31) Plus you can't control by MillieNeon — 65
Top Pictures for yesterday, October 26th. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!