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akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:05 AM Oct 2015

Why do your electoral process take so long?

Is it a mandate in your constitution?

Am curious, here in Canada, we had three months and voters were complaining it was too long! Mind you, within the three months, we got to know more about Mr. Justin Trudeau's policies and we even got to know who Mr. Tom Mulcair policies were. Well, Mr. Trudeau won as we all know!

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Why do your electoral process take so long? (Original Post) akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 OP
too much $$ gets made by corporations & it benefits the people not much nt msongs Oct 2015 #1
There has to be some kind of electoral reform where the bankers cannot control akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #4
There is, but good luck getting candidates to support it. HerbChestnut Oct 2015 #9
I understand what Mr. Sanders mean, the thing is, there has to be some kind of akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #12
It's a difficult fight for sure. HerbChestnut Oct 2015 #23
Because there are billions of dollars to take. Cassiopeia Oct 2015 #2
You mean the super pac with money to spare to get their lackey elected? akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #10
Elections are big business. Lots of companies profit from the election process especially liberal_at_heart Oct 2015 #3
You are making me sick to my stomach. The world looks up to America for guidance and leadership. akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #5
We are nothing to look up to, and believe me it makes us sick to our stomachs as well. liberal_at_heart Oct 2015 #7
That is not true, worldwide, people respect America but of late, those akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #15
We lost most of the world's respect with Iraq and unfortunately we are continuing our war liberal_at_heart Oct 2015 #17
So very true nt newfie11 Oct 2015 #18
I'm Afraid Those Days Are Waning... Money In Politics. WillyT Oct 2015 #8
I will check the site out. Don't despair yet. akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #11
I understand, but big business do not vote, people vote. How come these people are able to akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #6
As long as people are willing to vote for the lesser of two evils, that's all you'll ever be offered Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2015 #20
We're not really citizens any more so much as consumers. Ron Green Oct 2015 #13
marketing. Yes, that is exactly what it is. liberal_at_heart Oct 2015 #14
I will have to disagree with you. How about protesting and writing to your Senator? akbacchus_BC Oct 2015 #16
because some things are meant to be savored sloooooooooowly Warren DeMontague Oct 2015 #19
If you shorten it up, there is less money exchanged liberal N proud Oct 2015 #21
How about a serious answer? brooklynite Oct 2015 #22
Very large country with.... NCTraveler Oct 2015 #24

akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
4. There has to be some kind of electoral reform where the bankers cannot control
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:13 AM
Oct 2015

who wins in an election. That is the problem, the candidates preach they are for mainstream people but in the end, they bail out the bankers! I have no idea whom to trust anymore.

 

HerbChestnut

(3,649 posts)
9. There is, but good luck getting candidates to support it.
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:22 AM
Oct 2015

Turns out one of Bernie Sanders' main talking points is getting money out of politics. He wants to overturn the Citizen's United Supreme Court decision, which allowed for SuperPACs, and he wants to move to public funding of elections. Those two steps would make it virtually impossible for people to buy the elections. As you might guess, not all of the candidates agree on that platform.

akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
12. I understand what Mr. Sanders mean, the thing is, there has to be some kind of
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:30 AM
Oct 2015

electoral reform where Candidates do not have to rely on super pacs to fund their campaign. If the superpacs fund your campaign, then you have to give them what they want if you win the elections. Mr. Sanders is against superpac and there is where I think he will lose to Mrs. Clinton. She has all the money bags in her corner.

 

HerbChestnut

(3,649 posts)
23. It's a difficult fight for sure.
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 09:26 AM
Oct 2015

But at the end of the day, SuperPACs just need to be abolished. Period. Candidates will always need money to run a campaign, but we can limit the amount of money available to them and where it comes from.

akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
10. You mean the super pac with money to spare to get their lackey elected?
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:23 AM
Oct 2015

I cannot see Mr. Sanders being elected, so it will be Mrs. Clinton and to tell you the truth, I prefer her than Trump!

If trump gets elected, have no idea what his infantile behaviour will result in!

liberal_at_heart

(12,081 posts)
3. Elections are big business. Lots of companies profit from the election process especially
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:13 AM
Oct 2015

the media. There really is no limit on how much money can be spent on elections anymore much like war, so drawing the process out as long as possible means more money for those who profit off of it. Funny how we have all the money in the world to buy elections or go to war but we have to cut disability benefits and even Democrats ask just how is Bernie going to pay for single payer health care and tuition free college. Well that is pretty damn simple. You increase taxes on the wealthy and spend less on war. Funny how we can't even get Democrats to support taxing the rich and spending less on war. We are lost. We no longer have a democracy here in the US. We have an oligarchy.

akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
5. You are making me sick to my stomach. The world looks up to America for guidance and leadership.
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:15 AM
Oct 2015

How the hell the media is now speaking for the US?

akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
15. That is not true, worldwide, people respect America but of late, those
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:40 AM
Oct 2015

teabaggers in office are the world's worst nightmare. Those dimwits have no clue about foreign policy and they are dismissive. Do you really think that when people across the world see the republican line out, they are even remotely interested in one of them being the President of the US? Trump, hell no, Rubio, hell no, Cruz, hell no, another bush, well he cannot gain traction. The two clowns will never ever get any leverage during the general election against Mrs. Clinton.
I rest my case!

liberal_at_heart

(12,081 posts)
17. We lost most of the world's respect with Iraq and unfortunately we are continuing our war
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:46 AM
Oct 2015

with the Middle East. I doubt Clinton will do much to restore the world's faith in us.

 

WillyT

(72,631 posts)
8. I'm Afraid Those Days Are Waning... Money In Politics.
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:20 AM
Oct 2015

Sorry.

But you can help... even from Canada: http://www.wolf-pac.com/

We already have 4 or 5 states on the board.



Check us out.


akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
11. I will check the site out. Don't despair yet.
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:26 AM
Oct 2015

We have overcome a lot of adversities, the road ahead is not that smooth, but according to Martin Luther King, we will see the promised land.

Hang in there, things will change.

akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
6. I understand, but big business do not vote, people vote. How come these people are able to
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:19 AM
Oct 2015

manipulate the electoral process. Does not make sense to me!

In 2008, people in the US were voting for the lesser of two evils and come 2016, you are still voting for the lesser of two evils.

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)
20. As long as people are willing to vote for the lesser of two evils, that's all you'll ever be offered
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 05:37 AM
Oct 2015

We have to get to a place where enough people refuse to vote even for lesser evils to turn things around.

Ron Green

(9,821 posts)
13. We're not really citizens any more so much as consumers.
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:32 AM
Oct 2015

Our political process has very little to do with issues and ideas, it's most about whether we "like" a candidate. There's a very long period for marketing and image-making.

akbacchus_BC

(5,700 posts)
16. I will have to disagree with you. How about protesting and writing to your Senator?
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 01:44 AM
Oct 2015

You just cannot accept the status quo and live with it! How do you think Civil Rights got traction, people protested, lots of people died for the cause. And in these modern times, god help you if you black and your car break down, nothing has changed! Sorry, am pissed at that incident and needed to get it off my chest.

liberal N proud

(60,302 posts)
21. If you shorten it up, there is less money exchanged
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 06:57 AM
Oct 2015

The candidates want as long as they can to collect as much money as they can and the media wants as much money as they can get out of ratings and advertising.

It also gives the media lots of things they can hype they can use to divert people attention.

brooklynite

(93,873 posts)
22. How about a serious answer?
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 07:12 AM
Oct 2015

First, no, there's no legal requirement on the length of an Election. Unlike Canada, Federal Elections are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each even numbered year (with 2-4-6 year terms).

There are two reasons for the length of the campaigns and neither of them are "to make money". The first is that, unlike Canada, we have a nomination process for our individual candidates, rather than a Party designated nomination or list. The second is, because candidates feel that to get nominated, they need extra time to win the Primary. Part of that is campaigning, part of that is raising the funds needed to campaign because one's opponent has decided to. For better or worse, Buckley Vs. Valeo (a Supreme Court decision from the 70s) determined that you couldn't limit campaign spending, so candidates spend the early phase of their campaigns fundraising.

Could you "order" the campaign to not start until a later date? Yes, but what difference does it make? When I went to the Democratic Convention in 2012, I saw Martin O'Malley address the Ohio delegation and Brian Schweitzer address the New Hampshire delegation. Neither had "announced" a campaign; neither had campaign staff. Were they campaigning? Of course they were.

 

NCTraveler

(30,481 posts)
24. Very large country with....
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 09:32 AM
Oct 2015

With populations center spread out everywhere. It's impossible for our candidates to meet the people in a short amount of time. Many issues are vastly different from state to state. While I don't personally like the length of the campaign season, I can find no fault in it. Politicians meeting the people and being fully vetted is a good thing, not a bad thing. Most countries can get this done in a quicker time period.

While Canada is spread out, it has the population of California, with many of its residents in a few major "hubs."

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