What Do We Really Want To Hear A Candidate Say?

I don't know a single person who is excited about the 2008 elections. The candidates are stumping throughout the country and hardly anyone except the media gives a d@*n. Even the people I know who are mildly interested are really just against one particular person or another but they are not for any one candidate. No matter the political affiliation, each candidate repeats the same generic cliches'.

There is really little difference between the two parties - they are just different sides of the same coin. If you doubt this, just look at how Bush has failed to veto any spending bill and has amassed a huge Federal deficit, not a traditional Republican stance. Meanwhile, the Democrats gave the President even more surveillance powers than he even asked for this summer. Thanks for that.

I found this site to be very interesting and illustrative of how many people, including myself, are feeling these days. (I hope it posts!)

www.texasteaparty.org...

I ask:

- What do we really want to hear a candidate say? What would make you shout hallelujah and pull the lever?

- Should the traditional political parties be redefined to be more relevant to today's culture and values? If so, in what ways should each one revise their platforms?

- How can we make it easier for a third party candidiate to get on the ballot in a national election?

I definitely want to hear a candidate say that he/she would close the borders immediately and document and fine all illegal immigrants currently in the country. That might get my vote. As to the other questions, I'll leave that to wiser ATS members.

And kosmicjack, this thread is relevent to candidates who want to stand for public office and not just the 2008 elections.

Let me state first that I live on the other side of the pond and that decisions taken by this president or the next, ripple around the world.

On a general point, I would like to hear candidates say they will really listen to what we want and will change their policies and administration direction if enough of the people oppose something.

Is the truth too much to ask?

On to 2008 elections:

A clear and defined path for removing combat troops from Iraq and Afganistan. My country is as emboiled as the US so we can hardly put put combat troops until there is a clear plan.

On Iraq and Afganistan, give a clear undertaking that the military commanders will have clearly defined goals and they will be allowed to use all military force to met those objectives and will not be subject to the meddling of the politicians

How they entend to fund NASA and create the environment to explore out solar system further with manned missions. And what they would do to create a global climate, were the rest of world could work with NASA to fund and explore out solar systems as true partners from a single Earth

How they plan to reduce, working with the other permanent members of the UN security council the sales of arms.

And when they plan to release all files relating to UFO activities.

And external leaning I fully accept but then I do not live in the US so always look in from outside.

I can't believe all of you opinionated ATS'ers don't have something to say about the two party system or even a one-line blurb you would want to here a candidate say. Not even a topic? Come on, not even about UFO's!!??

I believe ATS has become boring. Now that is a thread topic not even I could kill!

Justin Oldham has done a great series of podcasts on the 2 party system in the States and his ideas for how a 3rd party could come in to being.

I guess kosmicjack, our fellow members have their eyes elsewhere

I would simply love for a candidate to tell us the truth. Too often -- far too often -- candidates have told the American people "what they wanted to hear". You know, they promise this and that while, in reality, they have no intentions of meeting those promises.

The last time that I was actually excited by a Presidential candidate was in the 1992 Presidential election. That was the year when Ross Perot entered the campaign as an independent and shook up the status quo. That was the year when he clearly demonstrated something that many of us have always known -- that in our two party system, both parties were the same! Perot showed the American People that, essentially, the Democrats and the Republicans were the same!

Thanks for the fun video and the great point. There is no real difference between the two parties. They are essentially both employed by special interest groups and corporate lobbies. Not to mention they are incapable of speaking in anything but sound bites. (Okay, sorry but that includes Ross Perot too!) They have to check the latest opinion polls before they can make any comment and even then its better to be as vague as possible.

Then again, why should any candidate go out on a limb to speak firmly on an issue when not even intelligent and informed citizens like many of those found on ATS can clearly articulate what they want to hear a candidate say. (As evidenced by the sorry response to this thread!)

I would rather vote for an a$$hole who stood clearly for an issue, even if I mildly disagreed with the principle, than for a mamby-pamby puppet who would tell me anything I wanted to hear to get my vote - then vote with a strictly partisan or special interest driven agenda.

Besides a clear stance on immigration, I want to hear a candidate come out strongly and clearly in support of the Fair Tax

www.fairtax.org...

Come on ATS, surely there has been enough debate double-speak at this point that you can at least start to formulate some idea of what you really want them to say! What about recent current events? Anything? Sadly, as usual...no.

I like Ron Paul check him out and what he stands for and look at his voting record.

What Do We Really Want To Hear A Candidate Say?


That question itself says a hell of a lot.


By asking that, it shows you've all already lost.

Originally posted by kegs
That question itself says a hell of a lot.
By asking that, it shows you've all already lost.

Hhhhmmm. You know...I never really thought of it that way before. Why I declare, how could I be so obtuse? Thanks for enlightening me!

Now, click your way back to BTS and don't spill your beer on the way out.