How will the US election affect PS?

[kenny]

The primaries have just begun but judging from the surprisingly strong performance of non-establishment candidates like Sanders and Trump, Americans are clearly angry about the status quo.
This election strikes me as more contentious than any other I've witnessed.

As wished by that old proverb, we are living in interesting times.

Don't ask me how I know , but when emotions fly high people may say things that get them banned.
Others may get angry and leave PS ... especially if they are shocked and angry that the election didn't go their way and lots of posts support the winning side.

I hope cooler heads prevail.
But, realistically, how many here do you predict will leave (including both permanently and just to take a break) or get banned as a result of this vibrant election?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Nahhh...I have no hard feelings towards any PSers..

 

[missy]

I find it best (for me) to compartmentalize politics and other hot topics.

I value all my friendships and I don't agree politically with every single one of my friends. So if I (we) didn't do this we would have a contentious relationship.

I have a very close friend who is a socialist. He is not from the USA but has lived here for over 2 decades. When he first came here he was a Communist. Over the past decade plus he has decided he feels more aligned with Socialism. Great. I have remained friends with him over these 2 decades that I have known him. Do I align politically with his views? No. Are we close friends who love and respect each other anyway? Yes. And surprisingly we agree on many hot button topics but we don't agree on everything obviously.

We do live in interesting times I agree and I don't know what the future holds but I am hopeful things will work out. Somehow. I am not a fan of any of the candidates at this time. Yet I remain hopeful despite the lack of good candidates somehow, someway things will work out. What's that song from West Side Story?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQMgCy-n6U

 

[AGBF]

I am certainly capable of losing my temper and saying things I regret. I would rather go into the election season knowing that it is going to be tempting to lose my cool and, therefore, trying harder to get off-line when I am too stressed to be on-line.

I find that I get in the most trouble when my real life is very difficult and I am unaware of how much of a toll it is taking on me. If I am angry at things in my real life and start posting about topics I am emotionally invested in on Pricescope, problems often ensue.

So...to reduce my verbiage a bit, I am going to try not to be rude or to get banned though extra vigilance. I would rather be pro-active than wait for wait for bad consequences as If I had no choice in the matter. If the election is going to be contentious, I will have to be more vigilant.

Deb

 

[Queenie60]

I keep my political views to myself most of the time. I was stuck in a car over the weekend with a women who was obviously trying to push my political hot buttons. I simply stood up for myself and let it go. I was very proud at the way I handled it. So - no, I will not drop PS or allow support for the Democrats get me too upset.

 

[Maria D]

My husband and I are the only registered democrats in our neighborhood, but we don't always vote democrat. In a conversation with a neighbor last week I got to hear how she would be voting for Trump, Cruz, or whoever the republicans nominate, even though she can't stand either of them, because she absolutely would never vote a democrat in for president and certainly not Sanders because he's a "pretty much communist" (her words). I've never understood voting strictly on party lines - I like to study each candidate's platform and vote for who lines up closest with my views, and who I think is most suitable for the job. I enjoyed telling this neighbor that I will be happily voting for Clinton (if she gets the nomination), no nose holding here.

I think PS will be fine.

 

[Dancing Fire]

My husband and I are the only registered democrats in our neighborhood, but we don't always vote democrat. In a conversation with a neighbor last week I got to hear how she would be voting for Trump, Cruz, or whoever the republicans nominate, even though she can't stand either of them, because she absolutely would never vote a democrat in for president and certainly not Sanders because he's a "pretty much communist" (her words). I've never understood voting strictly on party lines - I like to study each candidate's platform and vote for who lines up closest with my views, and who I think is most suitable for the job. I enjoyed telling this neighbor that I will be happily voting for Clinton (if she gets the nomination), no nose holding here.

I think PS will be fine.

I too would vote for Clinton if she lay out her own policies instead of continuing 4 more yrs of Obama policies.

 

[Maria D]

My husband and I are the only registered democrats in our neighborhood, but we don't always vote democrat. In a conversation with a neighbor last week I got to hear how she would be voting for Trump, Cruz, or whoever the republicans nominate, even though she can't stand either of them, because she absolutely would never vote a democrat in for president and certainly not Sanders because he's a "pretty much communist" (her words). I've never understood voting strictly on party lines - I like to study each candidate's platform and vote for who lines up closest with my views, and who I think is most suitable for the job. I enjoyed telling this neighbor that I will be happily voting for Clinton (if she gets the nomination), no nose holding here.

I think PS will be fine.

I too would vote for Clinton if she lay out her own policies instead of continuing 4 more yrs of Obama policies.

hahaha, I'd vote for Obama AGAIN if it was possible!

 

[kenny]

I've never understood voting strictly on party lines

I vote party.
IMO, any leftie is better than any rightie.

I venture a guess that the VAST majority of Americans vote party, but are too XYZ-whatev to admit it.

 

[Dancing Fire]

My husband and I are the only registered democrats in our neighborhood, but we don't always vote democrat. In a conversation with a neighbor last week I got to hear how she would be voting for Trump, Cruz, or whoever the republicans nominate, even though she can't stand either of them, because she absolutely would never vote a democrat in for president and certainly not Sanders because he's a "pretty much communist" (her words). I've never understood voting strictly on party lines - I like to study each candidate's platform and vote for who lines up closest with my views, and who I think is most suitable for the job. I enjoyed telling this neighbor that I will be happily voting for Clinton (if she gets the nomination), no nose holding here.

I think PS will be fine.

I too would vote for Clinton if she lay out her own policies instead of continuing 4 more yrs of Obama policies.

hahaha, I'd vote for Obama AGAIN if it was possible!

You can... after Obama re-write the 22nd amendment..

AMENDMENT XXII
Passed by Congress March 21, 1947. Ratified February 27, 1951.

Section 1.
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2.
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.

 

[Maria D]

I've never understood voting strictly on party lines

I vote party.
IMO, any leftie is better than any rightie.

I venture a guess that the VAST majority of Americans vote party, but are too XYZ-whatev to admit it.

Most of the time I vote for the democrat, but definitely not always, especially for local and state reps. I was a strong supporter of Sen Olympia Snowe - but the far right wingers like to call her a RINO.

It seems that people who are vocal about politics tend to stick with one party - but if the vast majority did vote strictly on party lines, how does control of the house and senate go back and forth? Interesting...

 

[Queenie60]

I'll admit - I vote Republican. Vote my party.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'll admit - I vote Republican. Vote my party.

..It is against PS policy to be a Republican...

 

[arkieb1]

I've never understood voting strictly on party lines

I vote party.
IMO, any leftie is better than any rightie.

I venture a guess that the VAST majority of Americans vote party, but are too XYZ-whatev to admit it.

I thought a large majority of Americans don't even bother to vote. The rest of the world where voting is compulsory finds that really odd. Maybe what will happen is that a lot more Americans will actually vote this time because of all the contention, a lot of people not only vote along party lines they vote against who they can't stand to see elected rather than specifically for someone. Actually here in Australia when all our candidates are A-hats we do much the same thing, vote against the worst choice rather than specifically for the best of the crummy candidates.

 

[missy]

I've never understood voting strictly on party lines

I vote party.
IMO, any leftie is better than any rightie.

I venture a guess that the VAST majority of Americans vote party, but are too XYZ-whatev to admit it.

I don't vote strictly party lines at all. In fact more and more Americans are registered independents. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/180440/new-record-political-independents.aspx

...Since 2008, Americans have been increasingly reluctant to identify with either the Republican or Democratic Party, and now a record 43% claimed political independence in 2014.

The decline in identification with both parties in recent years comes as dissatisfaction with government has emerged as one of the most important problems facing the country, according to Americans. This is likely due to the partisan gridlock that has come from divided party control of the federal government. Trust in the government to handle problems more generally is the lowest Gallup has measured to date, and Americans' favorable ratings of both parties are at or near historical lows. Thus, the rise in U.S. political independence likely flows from the high level of frustration with the government and the political parties that control it.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/07/politics/election-2016-more-independents/

...The shift away from partisan affiliation has occurred during a sustained period of government distrust and distaste for partisan politics.

And that, notes Jocelyn Kiley, associate director of research at the Pew Research Center, reveals an important limitation to the shift away from partisanship. Independent identification, she said, "is not yet signaling that they're not voting for one party or the other."

I vote for whom I consider the best person for the job and as arkieb wrote I also vote for the person I think will do the least damage. In other words the lesser of 2 (or more) evils.