Policy balloons are already flying…
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Staying in tune with the Kerry’s pledge to form a bi-partisan national cabinet, President (Elect) Kerry’s global security advisers are slowly notifying various press outlets of US plans for a *major* US and multi-national troop build-up inside Iraq (in excess of 40,000) to be concentrated along the Syrian and Iranian border post-20-January, and perhaps preceding the hand-over of Executive authority so as to dissuade any first-strike actions by Iran’s military towards Saudi or, especially, the State of Israel.

Points of cause…

[ Syria ]
Syria is increasingly reluctant to remove its remaining circa 14,000 troops from Lebanon (originally 25,000 up until last year) or allow a sovereign government given its latest PM installment (a staunch supporter of the Assad family).  Kerry Administration advisers note that an even harder line towards Syria, both economic and military, will most likely be necessary given current results.

[ Iran ]
Should Iran reject the latest EU proposal (drafted with US tutoring), Kerry policy makers are drawing up first-strike plans against a number of nuclear and political sites inside the rogue fundamentalist Islamic state.  As mentioned, these not only include nuclear fuel-rod reprocessing sites, but also (as recently reported by Lebanese news-wires) mosques and schools frequented by the Iranian theocratic-oligarchy so as to foment insurrection and destabilize key institutions.
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SUMMARY:
Anticipate a mark3ed difference in US foreign policy’s rhetoric, but not methods.

Having explained how the Electoral college is to somone ten years older than me today, and still not being allowed to vote as I’m less than a year away from being eighteen, I’m extremely cynical about the future of this country.  Motherfucking shit. 

CYNICS RULE! (There is some evidence that Jesus was a cynic: The Lost Gospel, the Book of Q, by Burton Mack) Seriously, I voted early. Should I have also voted often?

They just reported that 10 of the 11 states which had elections on gay marriage have voted to ban it… This sickens me.

“Reich Legal Director Hans Frank in 1938 issued orders for more rigorous surveillance: Particular attention should be addressed to homosexuality, which is clearly expressive of a disposition opposed to the normal national community. Homosexual activity means the negation of the community as it must be constituted if the race is not to perish. That is why homosexual behaviour, in particular, merits no mercy.” Maybe more of us should be sickened. First they attacked the gays - I wasn’t gay, so it didn’t affect me. Then they attacked the Jews, etc. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Etan, that makes me feel sick.  The numbers and the little maps are making me sick.  Come on, America!  How can you vote for that evil, smirking man?  Where are your hearts?  Why do you hate gay people?

My friend’s husband checked out on monday.  I mean, he just went away for a whole day.  He kept asking where they were and what time it was.  She finally took him to the emergency room and the doctors asked him what day it was.  He replied that it was September 9, 2001. Now that he is coming back to the world, he doesn’t remember anything past sunday afternoon.

I voted 2 weeks ago and I am so anxious for the results.

There is no need to worry about any ban on same-sex marriage as it will no doubt be challenged and eventually overturned in the courts. It is, however, sad that as a people we vote overwhelmingly in favor of any proposal which amounts to little more than bigotry. Not only that, but common sense dictates that any measure restricting the liberties of our citizens based on sex to be not only immoral but unconstitutional.

It’s 4.00pm over here in Melbourne, Australia (I think that’s around midnight give or take few hours in the US) and I’ve been watching NBC coverage of the election.  Yes, we get direct coverage, which perhaps indicates how important your votes are to the rest of the world. So, given all the news we hear of poor voter turnout, it’s kind of nice to read all the preceding posts! As a citizen of the few countries in world where voting is compulsory for everyone over the age of 18, I was wondering what your thoughts are on voluntary voting? 

It’s an ongoing debate in Australia over whether voting should be made voluntary.  Personally I’m all for compulsory voting - you only have the right to bitch and moan about the government if you got off your arse and voted.  Plus, if everybody votes it makes it much more difficult for extremists on either end of the political spectrum to obtain inordinate amounts of power. With voluntary voting there is always the possibility of extreme religious or other group motivating their members to vote, while voter apathy means that many moderates do not.  In Australia, we are required to vote in every type of election; from local councils, to state governments, referendums and federal politics.  While it is always possible to enter an invalid vote, most tend not to as they are in the booth anyway and feel they may as well have a say.  This makes it very difficult for issues such as gay marriage or abortion to be taken over by extreme right or left wing ideologues.  While the media debate is often focussed on these groups, the results of any vote includes all those moderates whose opinions may change from issue to issue.

A secondary issue that is specific to the USA is the amount of power your country wields over the rest of us.  If voting were compulsory in the US, how do you think this would affect election outcomes? Do you think American’s, as citizens of the most powerful nation on earth should be required to vote?  Or is it safer if only those who are really interested have their say?

Thanks in advance for any opinions,
Troy

I just read Neodromos’ post and had to reply. 
Although you bemoan the ongoing results of these referendums on gay marriage, at leastyou have referendums on these sorts of things.  Over here in Oz the federal parliament passed legislation not 2 months ago that banned gay marriage nation wide.  Australians did not get to individually decide where they stand on the issue (although admittedly they probably would have voted against it).  We don’t even really have recourse to the courts, seeing as we don’t have a bill of rights.  Our rights are only protected and enshrined by Supreme Court decisions.  Unless someone has the money to take a discrimination case to the Supreme Court - extremely unlikely - that’s it for gay marriage in Australia for the forseeable future.  It’s so nice to know that elected representatives on both sides of politics wont let me get married!

Bog fucking dammit.  I would have voted.  I’m obviously more fucking qualified than at least half the people who did.  Don’t blame me.  I know I DID convince at least two people to vote for Kerry, so that’s a good thing.  [shrugs and kicks the lawmakers]

BTW, does anybody see it as an issue that in most states sixteen years and up is the age where you’re eligible for adult courts if you fuck up bad enough....yet we’re not allowed to change any of the laws that admittedly screw us the fuck over?  It’s not like 90% of under eighteen year olds are going to vote anything other than their parents anyway....if that.  I don’t see it changing the numbers all that much....except maybe making people like me who give a fuck but feel desperately that we have NO FUCKING WAY OF CHANGING THINGS that we are. 

I hope the above made sense...this whole thing makes me mad, and then sad...and then mad again.   

On the other hand, should Revelation be anything more than political commentary on Roman Government (hread that brough up here, any chance someone could link to an article on it, it piqued my curiousity) but actual prophecy (as unlikely as that is), this does lend credence to my “Bush is actually the Anti-Christ” theory.  Something that keeps seeming more and more convincing.  In which case everything will soon be over, and I’ll have to eat all my thoughtful heathen words. 

Troy, I didn’t know that about Australia--that’s really unfortunate.
I have thought a lot about compulsory voting and I have a sneaking suspicion that many people would not do any research before voting and just do whatever their friends/the TV tells them to.
Of course, it’s not that much different now…
But what’s really an issue for me is the electoral college.  I wish it were just a direct vote, or at least that the zones were much smaller--maybe by county instead of state.  Oh, and it might be nice to have a consistent voting policy across the board.

I wish it were just a direct vote, or at least that the zones were much smaller

As far as Yahoo reports it now, Kerry doesn’t even lead the popular vote. Sure, there’ sOhio still open, but…

Sad. And to think of all the crowing conservative voices we may soon have to take…

Or the cries of ‘foul’ if Kerry still wins…

Man, I just don’t get it.  I feel like a fundie trying to understand why people don’t believe in God.  How can they love that man who wants to be a dictator?  Who takes away our civil liberties?  This election has made me lose faith.
Come on, Ohio provisional and absentee ballots!  My vote is in there!

Troy… How is compulsory voting enforced in Australia?  What is the voting process like?  I’m curious, because I didn’t realize there was such a think as compulsory voting.

you only have the right to bitch and moan about the government if you got off your arse and voted

Hold it right there!  Voting is not my only participation: I also PAY TAXES.  Taxpayers have every right to bitch and representatives, even if elected by someone else, are supposed to hear them.

That said, it seems we all got off our arse and voted.  I have never seen the polls so busy.

Welcome to 4 more years of chicken hawking, fascist, homophobia and unconstitutional fundamentalist faith based initiatives. Jeebus help us!

muhahaha.  you left wing liberal bastards have fun!  all that money wasted by moveon.org, your shitty little 527’s… HAHAHA.  i’m glad your little whine and bitch fest is all for nothing.  it’s pretty telling that your guy couldn’t even get close to the POPULAR vote, much less the electoral.  SUCKERS!!!  now go on, cry amongst yourselves believing what a terrible life you have and how all your civil liberties are gone.  lol.  WHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Look at the bright side.  How much longer can they keep blaming their failings on Clinton?

Gloat if you must, CR, but it doesn’t do much to sway people to your side. All it does is reinforce our suspicions about you.

I’m not liberal CR.  I’m a swing voter, i.e. I vote for whomever I think is best for the country regardless of political affiliation.  This year, I personally though Nader would have been best, but a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush...which would have been fine any other year....but this year I was more concerned with stopping the ‘New Crusades’.  It will be interesting seeing whether bush actually did improve the economy or not, as the next four years should tell what happened last term. 

Fair enough decrepitoldfool - paying taxes probably does give you a right to have a whinge

Little Snit: basically compulsory voting is enforced by fines, and I think there could be more serious penalties if you continually refuse, but you’d have to be fairly persistent. 

When you reach your 18th birthday (or you become an Australian citizen) you’re required to register to vote.  Your name goes on the electoral roll and then come voting day (which isn’t always on the same date over here, the government can pretty much call an election whenever they feel like it), you have to go to your local polling place and get your name ticked off the roll before entering the booth.  Some people are allowed to not vote (eg; some religions, such as Christadelphians) but I think they still have to register.  You could always give an invalid vote by incorrectly marking the ballot paper, but most don’t.  You go into the booth and there’s a piece of paper that usually has between 5 -10 names on it.  You have to number from 1 to 10 the person you want to win your district.  We have two major parties, liberal and conservative.  Most people put one of them first, but if you vote for a minor party or an independent who generally don’t get enough votes to win a seat, your vote is skipped during the first count, and then eventually goes to one of the major parties based on which is higher in your list.  Numbers are tallied and the person with the most votes wins the seat. Then the party that overall wins the most seats in the country get to be in government.

I’m not entirely sure why voting is compulsory over here.  Australia became a country in 1901 and compulsory voting was there from the start for everyone with suffrage (all men and women by 1905).  The only people who didn’t vote were the Australian Aborigines, because, in line with our horrendous treatment of them in general, they weren’t considered people until a referendum in 1967.  I think voting was made compulsory because we wanted to differentiate ourselves from England and it was in line with the idea of egalitarianism and equality that Australians like to think they have.  Our system of voting and government is much more like that in the UK than it is like yours, except of course, for compulsory voting.

Shana - I think you’re probably right and a lot of people vote based on their friends/family/the media, but at least they have to pay some attention.  I suppose statistically those who just vote without thinking would even out over the two major parties anyway. 

One good thing we do have that you guys don’t is consistent voting nationwide - there is a national electoral commission and a national method of voting.  No electoral colleges here or weird voting machines - paper and pencil seems to work fine!!

apologies for the long post, but I wanted to answer everyone’s questions.