Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > Miscellaneous > Lounge

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-08-2008, 11:39 AM   #1
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
Last Night's Presidential Debate

I had rather a sleepless night last night, and in desperation I finally turned my bedroom TV on about 3am and saw the final portion of the live broadcast of the debate between Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain.

Although I realise that different countries do things in different ways, I was very surprised to see the approach taken by both gentlemen: whenever they were asked by a member of the audience something like "can you tell me how X is going to affect me", rather than explaining their own policy (ie answering the question that had been asked) they'd typically say something like "that's a very good question, and let me tell you why the other candidate's approach to X is going to be bad for you).

Politicians in the UK don't do that - they spend the very limited TV time they have in, generally speaking at least, laying out their own policies and tell people why they should vote for them, rather than denigrating the "opposition".

After watching the debate I was left wondering what either gentleman's policies actually were. All that I seemed to have learned is why each was going to do bad things.

It doesn't seem a terribly constructive way of doing things to me but, there again, I was watching as an outside observer.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 11:46 AM   #2
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
After watching the debate I was left wondering what either gentleman's policies actually were.
That's fair enough, HarryT, I'm still not convinced that either of them know what their policies would be.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 10-08-2008, 11:47 AM   #3
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Oh, and by the way, folks, if we're going to have this discussion at all, do keep it civil, and gentle, otherwise the thread will just get closed.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 11:49 AM   #4
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
I'd far rather they focus on what they themselves plan to do myself. There are a number of ways I think that the British system is better than ours, but on the whole I prefer our system ... it's just the folks running it (all of them) I'd like to dispense with.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 11:49 AM   #5
pshrynk
Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah!
pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pshrynk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
pshrynk's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,726
Karma: 8255450
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox
Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!
Unfortunately at this stage of the process, we have devolved to the "My opponent is Satan on a cracker" stage of electioneering. The votes open for persuasion are very narrow in scope and it is felt that the best way to sway those votes is to scare the bejeezuz out of them. It makes for very tedious weeks of attack ads for the next month. I'd love to have a parliamentary form of government at times like this.
pshrynk is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 10-08-2008, 11:52 AM   #6
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
I wasn't criticising the American system - I have no cause to, since our own system has plenty of flaws of its own. It just struck me as being radically different to the way that we do things. Here, members of parliament at least pretend to be gentlemen, and insulting the opposition just "isn't cricket" . It's actually refreshing, in a way, to see that American politicians actually have the honesty to do their back-stabbing in public.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 11:55 AM   #7
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Ah, for candidates who at least pretend to be gentlemen. Heck right now I'd settle for candidates who pretend to be leaders.

I didn't take your comments as criticism, HarryT, and I didn't mean to seem defensive, sorry for that.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 11:57 AM   #8
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by pshrynk View Post
It makes for very tedious weeks of attack ads for the next month.
That again is a radical difference between our systems. TV advertising by political parties is strictly banned here; all each party gets is a fixed number of short TV slots to put forward its own policies, and there are strict rules that every party gets exactly the same amount of "air time".

We do have negative advertising, but only on "bill-boards".
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 12:01 PM   #9
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Now you're making me jealous.

Your campaigns are probably not so influenced by "soft money" and fundraising prowess either, I expect.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 12:07 PM   #10
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by NatCh View Post
Now you're making me jealous.

Your campaigns are probably not so influenced by "soft money" and fundraising prowess either, I expect.
I don't know if it made the news in the US, but we had a huge political scandal a couple of years ago called the "Cash for Honours" affair, where all the main political parties here were accused (absolutely rightly) of giving people "honours" (ie being made a Knight or a Lord, etc) in return for a large donation to the political party (I should explain that each party has the traditional right to nominate a certain number of people for "honours" every year, but it's supposed to be for their achievements, not for giving money to the party!).

As a result of that, the funding of political parties has really been clamped down upon, and all donation above £5000 (about $9000) have to be publically declared. There are moves afoot too to limit the amount of money each party can spend in "campaigning" to a fixed amount.

It's certainly not perfect, but I think we are getting to be a lot more open and accountable than we were in the "bad old days" of secret donations, etc.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 12:49 PM   #11
tlrowley
Quilt Geek
tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.tlrowley is the 'tall, dark, handsome stranger' all the fortune-tellers are referring to.
 
Posts: 472
Karma: 91775
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Lancaster, PA
Device: Kindle
Quote:
Originally Posted by NatCh View Post
Now you're making me jealous.
You want to be really jealous, NatCh? Canada (and I suspect the UK) has only a 5-week campaign period, unlike the never-ending election cycle we see here!
tlrowley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 12:52 PM   #12
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Yeah, but I'm not at all jealous of Canada's government -- it's close enough we can see it fairly well from here, warts and all.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 12:59 PM   #13
Sparrow
Wizard
Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sparrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 4,395
Karma: 1358132
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: UK
Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
...Politicians in the UK don't do that - they spend the very limited TV time they have in, generally speaking at least, laying out their own policies and tell people why they should vote for them, rather than denigrating the "opposition"...
I'm not sure I entirely agree. I think getting any politician anywhere to answer a straightforward question with a straightforward answer is next to impossible.

In the UK, the phrase 'a politician's answer' is now commonly used to mean blatant obfuscation with dishonest intent.
Sparrow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 01:00 PM   #14
RickyMaveety
Holy S**T!!!
RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.
 
RickyMaveety's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,213
Karma: 108401
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Diego, California!!
Device: Kindle and iPad
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
I had rather a sleepless night last night, and in desperation I finally turned my bedroom TV on about 3am and saw the final portion of the live broadcast of the debate between Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain.

Although I realise that different countries do things in different ways, I was very surprised to see the approach taken by both gentlemen: whenever they were asked by a member of the audience something like "can you tell me how X is going to affect me", rather than explaining their own policy (ie answering the question that had been asked) they'd typically say something like "that's a very good question, and let me tell you why the other candidate's approach to X is going to be bad for you).

Politicians in the UK don't do that - they spend the very limited TV time they have in, generally speaking at least, laying out their own policies and tell people why they should vote for them, rather than denigrating the "opposition".

After watching the debate I was left wondering what either gentleman's policies actually were. All that I seemed to have learned is why each was going to do bad things.

It doesn't seem a terribly constructive way of doing things to me but, there again, I was watching as an outside observer.
Well, Harry, there is nothing particularly rational about the American campaign process. Sometimes it seems like it's all about the slogan and the sound bite.

So, I ignore the debates. I tend to decide on certain key points that really matter to me (such as Palin's view that freedom of choice should not be allowed even in cases of rape or incest (or incestuous rape). That's the gigantic speed bump over which the Republican Party lost my vote this year.
RickyMaveety is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2008, 01:13 PM   #15
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
It doesn't seem a terribly constructive way of doing things to me but, there again, I was watching as an outside observer.
Trust me, Harry: It doesn't make much sense to us, either.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
I don't know if it made the news in the US, but we had a huge political scandal a couple of years ago called the "Cash for Honours" affair, where all the main political parties here were accused (absolutely rightly) of giving people "honours" (ie being made a Knight or a Lord, etc) in return for a large donation to the political party (I should explain that each party has the traditional right to nominate a certain number of people for "honours" every year, but it's supposed to be for their achievements, not for giving money to the party!).
In the U.K., they get "honours." In the U.S., they get "tax breaks." Then they buy their mansions and live like Lords. Pretty much the same deal.

I watched the debates, got fed up over the candidates' refusal to even abide by their own debating rules (not they were really debating anything), and turned it off.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton - $7.99 (Kindle) Sporadic Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 2 07-22-2009 03:08 PM
Presidential Trivia Questions radioflyertoo Lounge 17 11-06-2008 06:01 PM
Shakespeare, William: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Illus by Arthur Rackham).Feb 2008 Roy White Kindle Books 1 02-15-2008 08:34 PM
Shakespeare, William: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Illus by Arthur Rackham).Feb 2008 Roy White BBeB/LRF Books 1 02-14-2008 02:04 PM
Free audio from Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates Colin Dunstan Lounge 0 10-26-2004 08:00 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:52 PM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.