I live in Nevada where neither senate seat nor the Governors race is happening. The casino owned state legislature will likely be reinstated as will the casino owned US representatives from Nevada. Nevada is a very libertarian state in it's view towards taxes and business and that's why we are either at or near the bottom of the states in terms of healthcare and education.
I do not like any of my probable choices for President. McCain is too old, want's to cut taxes (on the rich) even further despite the huge budget shortfalls, and likely wants war with Iran. Clinton will say or do nearly anything to get elected and her stance on many issues depends on how well she is doing in the polls with a particular demographic on a given day. Obama is probably the worst of the three. He is riding a huge emotional wave of support by many people who have no clue about what he really stands for. He's good at pointing out many of the problems we face but repeatedly fails to be specific about how he would fix them. He's also beating the dead horse civil rights issue and why did he stay at the church with that blatently Anti-American preacher for 20 years and give him so much money?
At one of the most critical junctions in history we probably couldn't have three worse options to occupy the job we so desperately need someone who will not only be competant but will be a in the league of Washington, Lincoln, or FDR.
Looks liked we're fukked.
Originally posted by DigiMark007Western world...Europe & North America
Plenty. You just aren't thinking back far enough. Though a lot depends on which country you're speaking of, because "like/dislike" among other countries is largely dictated by political climate....
Also, good stuff Strangelove. Do you think the Dems will retain their majority in the House/Senate? They do currently have the majority, right?
I probably amn't thinking back far enough. I have heard a lot of people wanting Obama to win. On the net, in the media, people I talk to and his delegate count. Compare this to the 04 election. America wanted Bush, everyone else wanted Kerry.
Now, when it comes to the House of Representatives, as I mentioned before, there are 440 elections every 2 years (435 Representatives, 5 territorial delegates). However, every election cycle there are only a handful (between 40-50) that are truly competitive. This election year is marked by the fact that a disproportionate number of Republicans are choosing to retire rather than run for re-election: 25 (plus one who was defeated in the primary) vs. 7 Democrats, of which 3 are running for higher office.
There are a number of Freshman Democrats who won in Republican-leaning districts due to the Republican scandals of 2006. Examples include Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX), who was elected after former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted in criminal court.
These races are expected to be heavily targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). There are also a number of Republicans who currently represent Democratic-leaning districts which are being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). One example is Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA). His District has a Partisan Voting Index of D+2.
Most prediction websites show the Democratic Congress holding and expanding its majority in the lower House. One, D.C's Political Report shows Democrats getting a net gain of 5 seats. I personally think these numbers to be a conservative estimate: I believe Democrats could get a net gain of 10-15 seats if they try hard enough.
United States House of Representatives elections, 2008 (Wikipedia)
CQ Politics
The Rothenberg Political Report
CQPolitics has the following ratings for races in the House, Senate and for Governorships. You can follow the link I posted higher on the page to get an interactive map of House races.
House of Representatives
Safe Democrat
The Democratic nominee is/will be a strong favorite, and an upset is virtually impossible.
Democratic held seats (D): 197
Republican held seats (R): 0
Democrat Favored
The Democratic nominee has/will have a strong lead and appears likely to win, but an upset cannot be completely ruled out.
D: 9
R: 1
Leans Democratic
The Democratic nominee has/will have an edge, but the contest appears competitive and an upset is a live possibility.
D: 23
R: 0
No Clear Favorite
Neither party has established a definite lead in the contest.
D: 4
R: 10
Leans Republican
The Republican nominee has/will have an edge, but the contest appears competitive and an upset is a live possibility.
D: 0
R: 21
Republican Favored
The Republican nominee has/will have a strong lead and appears likely to win, but an upset cannot be completely ruled out.
D: 0
R: 17
Safe Republican
The Republican nominee is/will be a strong favorite, and an upset is virtually impossible.
D: 0
R: 149
Originally posted by StrangeloveWell, though even in the primaries of the two largest parties you might not find anyone that suits you.
Voters have an avenue to choose candidates they want: it's called primaries. Sadly, only a fraction of voters actually participate in primaries, so complaining about the choices you get in the general election is just ludicrous.
Originally posted by Bardock42Then for Christ's sake, organize a party, get active, aggressively court and field candidates that you feel best represent you. I've heard a lot of people complain about the two party system, but it's no one's fault but the voters and their lack of participation.
Well, though even in the primaries of the two largest parties you might not find anyone that suits you.
Originally posted by StrangeloveI fully agree. Which is why I hate all Americans, not your system ✅
Then for Christ's sake, organize a party, get active, aggressively court and field candidates that you feel best represent you. I've heard a lot of people complain about the two party system, but it's no one's fault but the voters and their lack of participation.
Originally posted by Bardock42That's the problem with first-past-the-post systems as opposed to proportional representation. But hey, that's our system. I prefer it to foreign models, but I admit I'm biased.
On a less humoury note, obviously the set up of your system is designed for a two party systems. Third parties have little or no chance even with a relatively large following of the population.