Comments on: Presidential Race at the end of June: Obama looking very strong

By: Mike Petrik

Mike Petrik — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:42:12 +0000

Hey, Matt. Can I get in on your action?

By: Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:48:28 +0000

BA – How about, the loser buys the winner a twelve pack of the beer of his choice? Guinness is my brand :)

I’ll even give you a spread – I’ll bet Obama takes GA by 5 percent

By: blackadderiv

blackadderiv — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:50:14 +0000

Matt,

I’ll bet. Fifty bucks says Obama won’t win Georgia.

By: Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:35:28 +0000

Feddie –

Obama will never win Georgia.

Not gonna happen.

It’s not even going to be close.

Care to make a friendly wager on that?

By: Bill H

Bill H — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:11:24 +0000

I have mixed feelings about the electoral college, but I have to add a few points. Direct popular elections are not “how the rest of the world votes”. I’m not even certain it’s how the majority of democratic countries vote. The Electoral College was a compromise with those at the Constitutional Convention who wanted the U.S. to be parliamentary democracy, with the executive elected by the legislature. Every single country that has a parliamentary system elects their leaders indirectly by voting for a member of parliament who then votes for a prime minister. The thing that makes the U.S. system nearly unique is that it has an indirect election system combined with the possibility of voting for a divided government.

Also, eliminating the electoral college would do squat in terms of eliminating the two-party system. As long as elections are majoritarian, first-past-the-post systems, there will always be an incentive for factions to coalesce into two parties before the elections.

By: Jeff C

Jeff C — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 07:59:55 +0000

McCain may not actually be a warmonger, but he sure plays the part. The Republicans seem to have missed their 2006 wakeup call when they lost control of Congress because of Iraq. Now 2 years later with the war growing ever more unpopular, McCain is the candidate? The only way he has a shot is if there is another attack on the U.S.

By: samrocha

samrocha — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:08:44 +0000

A two-party system is not necessarily a bad thing, but here and now it sets up quite the little dualism for the media to play with and keep us thinking that there is some kind of true resistance in politics instead of a cycle of business compromises…

By: Gary N.

Gary N. — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:30:28 +0000

As a gay Catholic and part time liturgist, I’m looking quite forward to Obama being elected president. I for one am quite inspired by the sense of hope he brings to the table, and also seem almost mesmorized by his message of change.

By: Liturgical_Dancer

Liturgical_Dancer — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:25:39 +0000

Michael, so true! I also think what this country needs is a good ‘ole heapping helpin’ of SOCIALISM. When Obama is elected President, and mark my words he will be, Fr. Bob, S.J., and I will be organizing a day of celebration through the use of liturgical dance and other alternative forms of worship.

By: Policraticus

Policraticus — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:21:26 +0000

Didn’t Mondale have a 15 point lead over Reagan at this point in the 1984 race? It was 18 points right after the DNC. Reagan took care of that, but McCain is no Reagan and Obama is no Mondale.

By: Irenaeus

Irenaeus — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:03:30 +0000

Of course, when doctors were using leeches lawyers were drawing up the Magna Carta.

Didn’t Mondale have a 15 point lead over Reagan at this point in the 1984 race?

By: Michael J. Iafrate

Michael J. Iafrate — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:18:34 +0000

I am also predisposed to think the Founders knew more about government than I do.

Yeah and 18th c. doctors knew more about medicine than we do today.