George Carlin: I Don't Vote

goat said:
Carlin made a comedy record every year back in the '60s and '70s. He was as important to my upbringing as music was. Me and my friends couldn't wait for a new Carlin album to come out.
Click to expand...

Did you notice Bill Hicks in the 80's and 90's?
 
cawacko said:
Don't think I've seen this clip before from Carlin about why he doesn't vote (not sure if this is a schtick or he's for real). We all know the reasons people say we should vote but it's an interesting thought experiment to argue Carlin's position.

He's essentially using the same argument Colin Kaepernick used when he said he didn't vote, the system is corrupt and just voting in different people does nothing to change that. The Republican Party was founded in 1854. The Democratic Party in 1828. They system we have today is in large part a result of these two parties. So voting in different members of either one of these parties does nothing to really change the system. And if enough people don't vote and show their disgust then maybe that will force the system to change. (I guess one could argue instead of not voting a new party could be formed that will upend the system and you could vote for them.)

At the end of the day, even though we complain, people are clearly happy enough with the system because year after year we go vote for the same two parties.


Click to expand...

He was one of the few people I’ve ever met who was left of me.
 
goat said:
Carlin was no democrat.

[video=youtube;7W33HRc1A6c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W33HRc1A6c[/vide]
Click to expand...
He wasn't a Republican either. He was a counterculture hero who was thrown out of the USAF....like Captain Earl.
 
Doc Dutch said:
He wasn't a Republican either. He was a counterculture hero who was thrown out of the USAF....like Captain Earl.
Click to expand...
Carlin was the political comedian for our generation. He made us laugh at how corrupt our entire system is. In that video he calls out everyone, especially the propaganda on fixing the planet but not caring about all the people living under bridges.
 
goat said:
Carlin was the political comedian for our generation. He made us laugh at how corrupt our entire system is. In that video he calls out everyone, especially the propaganda on fixing the planet but not caring about all the people living under bridges.
Click to expand...
Wow. How woke of you to care about the mentally ill and the homeless. There might be hope for you yet, COgoat.
 
The difficulty in creating an actually viable party other than the existing two major parties is too great an obstacle to overcome, apparently.
I wish that this were not the case as I would rather be a Social Democrat than the Democrat I've been since registering at the age of 21 in 1967.

Non-viable candidates abound, but their only possible role--spoiler--is not necessarily an honorable one.
They can impact an election so as the less popular of the two major candidates wins. Nothing good has ever come of that or, in all probability, ever will.
 
Last edited:
NiftyNiblick said:
The difficulty in creating an actually viable party other than the existing two major parties is too great an obstacle to overcome, apparently.
I wish that this were not the case as I would rather be a Social Democrat than the Democrat I've been since registering at the age of 21 in 1967.

Non-viable candidates abound, but their only possible role--spoiler--is not necessarily an honorable one.
They can impact an election so as the less popular of the two major candidates wins. Nothing good has ever come of that or, in all probability, ever will.
Click to expand...

On the national level, I agree. On the local level, it's much easier to build a party. One problem is that Congress helps sustain their own parties and Party control of the US through legislation. While SCOTUS allowed the Citizens United case, it's Congress that passes the laws. Congress could negate the power of PACs but they don't because they, regardless of party, benefit from it.
 
Doc Dutch said:
On the national level, I agree. On the local level, it's much easier to build a party. One problem is that Congress helps sustain their own parties and Party control of the US through legislation. While SCOTUS allowed the Citizens United case, it's Congress that passes the laws. Congress could negate the power of PACs but they don't because they, regardless of party, benefit from it.
Click to expand...

They're [both sides] faced with the unfortunate reality that political campaigns cost lots of money and they have to go out begging for it.
I'm not sure that there's anything to be done about it under our system. I certainly wish that there was, however.
 
cawacko said:
Don't think I've seen this clip before from Carlin about why he doesn't vote (not sure if this is a schtick or he's for real). We all know the reasons people say we should vote but it's an interesting thought experiment to argue Carlin's position.

He's essentially using the same argument Colin Kaepernick used when he said he didn't vote, the system is corrupt and just voting in different people does nothing to change that. The Republican Party was founded in 1854. The Democratic Party in 1828. They system we have today is in large part a result of these two parties. So voting in different members of either one of these parties does nothing to really change the system. And if enough people don't vote and show their disgust then maybe that will force the system to change. (I guess one could argue instead of not voting a new party could be formed that will upend the system and you could vote for them.)

At the end of the day, even though we complain, people are clearly happy enough with the system because year after year we go vote for the same two parties.


Click to expand...

it's for real.

but your conclusion that everyone is happy with the system is retarded and gay.
 
It is not the parties. It is our system, McCain Feingold tried to address the fact that money corrupts the system. But the loopholes they left have been exploited to the nth degree. PACs and hidden money are giving power to the wealthy and corporations. They can hide it now.
The difference that public financing of elections would make are profound. We should only have public financing. Elections should be limited to 6 months.
The trillions we spend in elections goes to the media. You can hardly expect them to be for public financing. Support for public financing would have to find a platform.
 
cawacko said:
People continue to vote the same way. If they really are that unhappy then it’s amazing cognitive dissonance.
Click to expand...

It's because half of them are stupid and/or poorly educated. I see that as a combination of not-enough cheap abortions and a failure of the American leadership to educate Americans.

IQ-Bell-Curve1.png
 
Nordberg said:
It is not the parties. It is our system, McCain Feingold tried to address the fact that money corrupts the system. But the loopholes they left have been exploited to the nth degree. PACs and hidden money are giving power to the wealthy and corporations. They can hide it now.
The difference that public financing of elections would make are profound. We should only have public financing. Elections should be limited to 6 months.
The trillions we spend in elections goes to the media. You can hardly expect them to be for public financing. Support for public financing would have to find a platform.
Click to expand...

Political parties are corrupt unless you think colluding together to not allow other people/parties to participate in the democratic process is on the up and up.

McCain Feingold was going to do nothing other than shuffle where the money comes from. If you think it was going to be some panacea or would change the system then you are sadly mistaken. And six month publicly funded elections are great for incumbents and those who already have name recognition. Same good bye to the little guy in that scenario.

You’re just reinforcing why Carlin and Kaepernick say they don’t vote.
 
cawacko said:
People continue to vote the same way. If they really are that unhappy then it’s amazing cognitive dissonance.
Click to expand...

I understand your point, and agree, but not voting is no answer. We need at lease a viable third party, or even better an end to the primary system.

Ranked voting is an intriguing option.

None of this will happen when looking for an alternative, someone like Trump makes people run back to the awful system. What we don’t need when amending the system is to end up with a madman dictator.
Who will never leave office without a fight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top