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I don't think I've seen one of these, and as interested as I am in the US election, it'd be nice to condense it into one thread if possible.

Other....I really hate both of the candidates and the parties in general

So this is just like, a non-scientific, informal Dakka Gallup type deal?

 Ouze wrote:
So this is just like, a non-scientific, informal Dakka Gallup type deal?

Depends how many people respond. Would be nice to get a flavour for dakka's over-all opinions.

I expect a - Dems beat the Republicans, overwealmingly in the rest of the world, less so in the USA, and b- a disproportionate amount of "other". Since, you know. This is the internet

Yeah, my feeling is Democrats will have a totally outsized number here just because the core demo for Dakka is young and technical.

You'll have to be more specific. Are we voting for president? Local representitive? Congressmen? County Supervisor?

I mean, I might vote a particular person of the opposite party then my overall vote just because thats who I wanted to vote for.

Ouze wrote:Yeah, my feeling is Democrats will have a totally outsized number here just because the core demo for Dakka is young and technical.

Don't forget that a significant chunk of Dakka comes from countries that already have functional health care & educational systems and real equal rights, and would never vote against those systems. I have no doubt that the Democrats will probably take a 3 to 1 ratio in this poll.

Other, I am one of those cooky Constitutionalists (Largely like libertarian, with more power on the state level).

 Ouze wrote:
Yeah, my feeling is Democrats will have a totally outsized number here just because the core demo for Dakka is young and technical.

True, but wargamers tend to the right wing to some extent. Not enough to counter the youth thing, but if you were to go to say, some grognard wargaming club full of people who've been playing the same game of The Longest Day since the 1980s it'd probably be really right wing. Also kind of angry, because The Longest Day is both really long, stupidly technical, and incredibly not fun.

 sebster wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
Yeah, my feeling is Democrats will have a totally outsized number here just because the core demo for Dakka is young and technical.

True, but wargamers tend to the right wing to some extent. Not enough to counter the youth thing, but if you were to go to say, some grognard wargaming club full of people who've been playing the same game of The Longest Day since the 1980s it'd probably be really right wing. Also kind of angry, because The Longest Day is both really long, stupidly technical, and incredibly not fun.

Older wargamers from what I've seen.

Granted, whenever politics comes up at my FLGS, it seems conservatives are in the majority across all age groups. I think as a whole, their just less vocal. Silent majority, ya know?

djones520 wrote:

 sebster wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
Yeah, my feeling is Democrats will have a totally outsized number here just because the core demo for Dakka is young and technical.

True, but wargamers tend to the right wing to some extent. Not enough to counter the youth thing, but if you were to go to say, some grognard wargaming club full of people who've been playing the same game of The Longest Day since the 1980s it'd probably be really right wing. Also kind of angry, because The Longest Day is both really long, stupidly technical, and incredibly not fun.

Older wargamers from what I've seen.

Granted, whenever politics comes up at my FLGS, it seems conservatives are in the majority across all age groups. I think as a whole, their just less vocal. Silent majority, ya know?

Pretty much this.

Personally I don't care who you're voting for, I dislike all politicians equally.

PersonallyI don't think the Dems plan - or lack there of - holds any water. The general stick-your-head-in-the-sand and keep running up the debt on things we would LIKE to have is getting to be alarming.

Now I think the Republican austerity plan is going to be highly unpopular unless they can really communicate.

My prediction is the populace will vote for bread and circuses. All of you non-US citizens get to watch Rome burn. While we continue to hope we have a little change left in our pockets.

DAaddict wrote:PersonallyI don't think the Dems plan - or lack there of - holds any water. The general stick-your-head-in-the-sand and keep running up the debt on things we would LIKE to have is getting to be alarming.

Now I think the Republican austerity plan is going to be highly unpopular unless they can really communicate.

My prediction is the populace will vote for bread and circuses. All of you non-US citizens get to watch Rome burn. While we continue to hope we have a little change left in our pockets.

Don't call it austerity. Austerity does not imply sapping all services and giving the savings to the super-rich.

That's an interesting idea. Do people who are into wargaming generally lean more right than the public at large?

 azazel the cat wrote:

DAaddict wrote:PersonallyI don't think the Dems plan - or lack there of - holds any water. The general stick-your-head-in-the-sand and keep running up the debt on things we would LIKE to have is getting to be alarming.

Now I think the Republican austerity plan is going to be highly unpopular unless they can really communicate.

My prediction is the populace will vote for bread and circuses. All of you non-US citizens get to watch Rome burn. While we continue to hope we have a little change left in our pockets.

Don't call it austerity. Austerity does not imply sapping all services and giving the savings to the super-rich.

Could you be any more theatrical?

Lets take a look at some numbers, for every 2 dollars that the US Federal Government gained in taxes, it spent 3 (in 2011). The plan is to get that 2 to 3 ration to a 1 to 1 ratio, ie we are spending no more then we're taking in.

Now you imply that by cutting that 3 number down, all the Republican plan is, is to give the money to the "super-rich". Well, outside of pork spending projects how exactly that going to happen? People have been slamming on Romney for only paying a 15% tax rate, but I have to ask, how much of that did he get back? None.

Now I, not super rich, made $27,000 in taxable income last year. With deductions I paid $1,100 in taxes. How much money did I receive after filing taxes? $9000ish.

So, Mitt Romney paid something of the scale of 3 million in taxes last year, without getting any of it back. In the meantime, me being in the 2nd lowest tax bracket, received nearly 9 times back what I paid in taxes. So you are claiming that by cutting certain entitlements that the government is going to START giving money to the super rich? Well, your wrong. If it's anything, their going to just end up taking less money, which is completely and utterly differant from what you said. I'd put my money on this happening. No further tax cuts will be issued. Cuts in place will already stay in place (those cuts that Obama signed in place btw).

 Ouze wrote:
That's an interesting idea. Do people who are into wargaming generally lean more right than the public at large?

I know that I make more right turns in my car than left.

Does that make me vote Republican?

Mhmm interesting.

djones520 wrote:Now I, not super rich, made $27,000 in taxable income last year. With deductions I paid $1,100 in taxes. How much money did I receive after filing taxes? $9000ish.

How the Hell is that even possible?

 azazel the cat wrote:

djones520 wrote:Now I, not super rich, made $27,000 in taxable income last year. With deductions I paid $1,100 in taxes. How much money did I receive after filing taxes? $9000ish.

How the Hell is that even possible?

If he has any dependants that could easily do it.

 Wardragoon wrote:

 azazel the cat wrote:

djones520 wrote:Now I, not super rich, made $27,000 in taxable income last year. With deductions I paid $1,100 in taxes. How much money did I receive after filing taxes? $9000ish.

How the Hell is that even possible?

If he has any dependants that could easily do it.

American tax system is literally give and take for lower income, despite how much higher income earners could pay a potentially lower percentage amount. Gov't takes over the course of a year, then gives boatloads back at the end; depending on expenses, it could be a lot of dough back.

 Ouze wrote:
That's an interesting idea. Do people who are into wargaming generally lean more right than the public at large?

In my experience, yeah. I really noticed this when I was two RPGs at the same time - one was a very combat oriented post apocalyptic game, and the other was free form Ars Magic game. The first group had a lot of... well not conservative voters per se, but they were certainly very pro-military, and very anti-poor people. The second group were all over the shop, but ultimately if you asked them whether the problem lies with the rich or the poor, every single one of them would say the rich.

When I went back to wargaming some years later I found it hard not to notice how common people like those in the first group were.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

djones520 wrote:
Could you be any more theatrical?

Hang on. A guy responds to a thread that claims Rome is going to burn, and that the people will vote for bread and circuses... and you complain the second guy is being theatrical by saying services will be sapped and savings will go to the super-rich?

Do you know what theatrical means?

As a UK conservative, I haven't got a fething clue who I would vote for in a US election. There is no way on earth that I would vote for the radical christ-fascist, gun-toting psychopaths of the Republican party, so I guess I'd have to hold my nose and vote Obama - give me any credible alternative to that, and I'd snap your hand off, however.

 Albatross wrote:
- give me any credible alternative to that, and I'd snap your hand off, however.

That doesn't seem like much of an incentive to find a credible alternative. I like my hand and want to keep it. I...use it....for things.

I'll probably end up voting for Democrat just to spite Republicans.

There needs to be more competition in Texas politics.

I always got the feeling that wargamers tend to be more conservative than liberal.

I'm interested to hear anecdotes and see the polling data either way.

I put Other, because for the first presidential election in a long time, I don't know who I want to vote against.

If I had to pick, I'd say I am very conservative. I believe that the USA is a pretty good country to live in (having lived in several). I believe that those that work for it, will do well in the USA. Conversely, I believe that a person that has not done so well has a large part of the blame for that. I believe that the "Government" should minimize it's involvement in everything, only getting involved when there is no other logical choice (military, inter-state highways, etc.) I believe that less taxes means more money for all, even the rich. Allowing very rich companies to keep more of their money means more jobs and more money for us.

If forced to pick a party, I pick Republican. Lesser of two evils, really though.

However, in this election, I don't know who I would vote for. (Which horrifies some of my friends). I guess that on election day, if the weather is nice, and I don't have anything else to do, I'll swing by the polling place and vote. Of course, something important might be on the ballot, so that might encourage me to go vote even if the weather is bad. The Presidential election, this year, is not that important though.

Romney is a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and voting for him sends the wrong message to the Republican Party. Not voting at all might send the right message, if enough of us do it.
Obama is incompetent and has not really accomplished anything, which is perfect for me, since I want my government to not do anything anyway.

So, if I had to choose, I'd vote Obama. Yep, that's what I would do if I had to choose. However, I don't have to choose. My current plan is to give the electronic voting machine a fit, and NOT VOTE for president. I'll vote for all the important things, but leave the piddly stuff, like president, blank.

Tye_Informer wrote:
Obama is incompetent and has not really accomplished anything

On the contrary....

 Easy E wrote:
I always got the feeling that wargamers tend to be more conservative than liberal.

I'm interested to hear anecdotes and see the polling data either way.

There are 5 guys in my gaming group, we're all friends. 3 of us swing to the left, 2 to the right. It's no coincidence that the ones on the right also have a flat-out distorted world view, namely to do with immigrants and prisoners. Essentially you can't separate their source of news from their political opinion. You can extrapolate this out to the general populace for depressing results.

 Albatross wrote:
As a UK conservative, I haven't got a fething clue who I would vote for in a US election. There is no way on earth that I would vote for the radical christ-fascist, gun-toting psychopaths of the Republican party, so I guess I'd have to hold my nose and vote Obama - give me any credible alternative to that, and I'd snap your hand off, however.

Same, I told you guys, I dislike Obama, and I got my usually democrat missus to vote for McCain because she dislikes him too.. that was, until gak for brains turned up as the VP, then she rubbished her vote and ticked for an independent.. this year however, she is 100% Obama.

Basically, Obama has loads of flaws, and is clearly beatable, but your Republican party has been hijacked by a bunch of Religious Zealots, and I don't think people in Europe actually realise how bad it is.

Seriously, about 25% of your nation are fething mental. My missus is keeping abridged of things and she said looking at some of the gak the senators say in places like Kentucky just boggles the mind. A quarter of Americans would clearly be more than happy with a Theocracy as long as it was the right Religion (Christian)

Its a good thing the other 75% are doing such a good job of things, otherwise I wouldn't even visit on vacation... Id make her family fly to somewhere neutral we could meet!

 Ouze wrote:
That's an interesting idea. Do people who are into wargaming generally lean more right than the public at large?

Define "right".

Europe's "Right" is more similar to the US's "Left", IMHO, YMMV, OMG, and so on.