The Next President of the United States

[Brony-Vas-Normandy]

I was wondering if any of you bronies out there had given any thought to who you want to be the next President of the United States? Whether you support Obama, or want another in office?

This thread isn't just for US bronies either; I'm sure there are some foreign bronies who have an opinion on who they think should lead.

I'm pretty much split right down the middle politics-wise. I was a diehard conservative for the longest time, but that was mostly outside influence. I recently started thinking for myself, and now I consider myself an “Open-Minded Right-Libertarian,” so I don't support Obama, but I'm not fond of any GOP hopefuls. There's not any real Libertarian Party candidates with any chance of winning, and Obama's got the Democratic nomination, so I'm definitely going to have to side with a GOP candidate, unfortunately. The two-party system doesn't really offer much choice. I'll probably end up voting for the GOP nominee, unless it's Perry, or Romney of course. If it's either of them, I'll probably just not vote.

The problem is, There's not going to be a republican candidate that isn't a reaganite super-conservative. I really have no idea of anybody out there who could do the job the way it needs to be done, or one that could possibly win.

Religion is another big thing for me as well. I would prefer a candidate that isn't going to merge church and state like a republican, but I don't want one who completely disrespects other people's faiths, either. I'm not religious myself, but I like the way Obama handles religion. He says he's a christian, and leaves it at that. He attends church, but doesn't talk about it. Anytime religious controversies arise, he backs out of it.

So, do any of you have any hopefuls in mind? Still want Obama? Or are you thinking of somebody who's already announced their candidacy?

[Ancre]

Oh I remember when french media related the presidential campaign for the United States ! Fun times. Since they weren't bind by law to be politically neutral on that election, everybody was widely, massively, unequivocally supporting Obama. Around me, people barely knew what was really going on, in term of programs and what both candidates wanted to do for their country or even how does the US democracy works, but everybody was for Obama. It was insane.

As for who I want for president for the next elections ... I don't know. Have the presidential campaign even started yet ?

[Brony-Vas-Normandy]

Oh, they've started. Everybody who's anybody is already in the race. Obama's gone back to subtly campaigning already. Even though there haven't been any commercials or other attempts at advertising, it's all people have been talking about. Currently Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney are the only real contenders other than Obama, and they've been campaigning hard. They're already at each other's throats, putting down the other's economic strategies. They're calling each other out on some jobs issue recently.

[Dusty]

ah for one don't care. Not going to ride 3hrs to vote not going to watch tv on it and so on. But if I must say.... I'm going for Obama.

[RarityDash]

I'd also call myself a Libertarian really. I do tend to vote Republican though, as I agree with them a lot more than the Democrats, and unlike Libertarian candidates, they actually can realistically win.

I think I like Perry best of the Republican options right now. He's been my governor for over 10 years and I think he's done a pretty good job at it for the most part. I don't agree with him on everything and never have, but I've seen him be an effective leader here and I think a lot of his policies have really helped this state out.

Though if I'm to be perfectly honest, I don't care who gets to run in the general election against Obama. I will vote for them.

[Angie Cakes]

I'm going to say Obama because I'm not American, I'm not old enough to vote, I don't know anything about politics and he looks cool.

also I don't know anybody else that has to do with American politics other then Sarah Palin

my friends always talk about who they think and who their parents think should be the next prime minister, but I'm always left out because my parents don't vote and I don't know anything about the subject

[Brony-Vas-Normandy]

I'd also call myself a Libertarian really. I do tend to vote Republican though, as I agree with them a lot more than the Democrats, and unlike Libertarian candidates, they actually can realistically win.

I think I like Perry best of the Republican options right now. He's been my governor for over 10 years and I think he's done a pretty good job at it for the most part. I don't agree with him on everything and never have, but I've seen him be an effective leader here and I think a lot of his policies have really helped this state out.

Though if I'm to be perfectly honest, I don't care who gets to run in the general election against Obama. I will vote for them.

Yeah, whoever runs against Obama will probably win. His popularity has been dropping again, and he's got a good long while for it to drop further.

Out of the current republican options, I guess I would have to pick Romney. We've been in this economic mess long enough, and he did wonders fixing up the 2002 winter olympics. A close second for me would be Herman Cain, but I don't really like him too much either, although with his private sector experience, he could probably do a decent enough job.

[RarityDash]

Romney's a fine candidate. I'd have no qualms about voting for him. I like Cain. He's said a few good things, and I think the private sector experience is quite valuable. I just don't really think he's quite the strongest candidate of the bunch. I'm just not sure he has quite as much experience as the other candidates. I'd still vote for him too though.

It's probably just the personal exposure to Perry that makes me like him best of the viable options.

[Tempest Rime]

WARNING: VITRIOLIC RANT AHEAD

Obama's done a piss poor job of bringing in his vaunted "change," and the fanatics who control the "Grand Old Party" are eager to sell our country out, taking out debts in America's name, giving the money to themselves and their backers in the oil and defense industries, and then giving those same people giant tax cuts. Both sides are willing and eager to let America continue its slide into economic depression. They spit on the honor of our soldiers by selling out our military's service to corporate interests like a bunch of mercenaries. Presidential candidates get elected on platforms that they then completely disregard. We're deluding ourselves if we think this is a democracy.

The two-party system does its best to try to turn us against each other by getting us to take on the labels of 'liberal' or 'conservative' when 90% of people don't have any idea what those actually mean. They give us the choice between economic collapse under the democrats, or losing our civil rights under the republicans. In reality, we're just choosing between the red and blue faces of the exact same corrupt regime.

Money is the only candidate up for election, it's the only God any of our politicians actually worship, and it's the only vote that matters. Advertisements are what actually elect our politicians, not us. Even if by some miracle people were to wake up and actually try to elect someone who wasn't owned by big businesses, there's no way the regime would actually let him get into power, there's plenty of loopholes to exploit, and votes can easily get lost.

Basically, politics is a big, over-the-top spectacle meant to keep the masses at each other's throats while we get scammed out of everything we have. The USA will be a third-world country in another decade or so, if it hasn't been annexed by China. The super rich people will flee to Iceland, laughing all the way to the bank. And there's not a thing we can do to stop it if we try, because they already own everything. Of course, knowing Americans, we probably won't even look up from the superliminal brainwashing on our TVs and radios in time to realize it happened at all.

[RarityDash]

:!:

Quite the rant there. I think I see where Malediction comes from now...

I can at least agree with some of what you're saying. I'm not really a big fan of the whole two party system and I think people could do a lot more to at least try and understand what it all really means. But yeah, perhaps I'm deluding myself and should know better, but I like to keep myself from having such a bleak overall view of things. I'll at least keep some optimism that somewhere at least some of it all matters.

[Tempest Rime]

Yeah, sorry, I just feel awfully disenfranchised a lot of the time, and I feel a whooole lot better having gotten that off my chest.

[JCtheBrony]

... I was told Luna was going to run for president. Where do I vote for her again?

Ah, finally old enough to vote. And... I don't see anyone I want to vote for. Seriously, I don't follow politics too much so I barely have any idea about the guys in the run.

[RarityDash]

I'd so vote Luna for president. She would do a great job, I'm sure.

[Brony-Vas-Normandy]

Luna would make an amazing president, but if she ran, Celestia would just banish her to the moon, and steal her votes.

@Tempest Rime- That's the biggest problem with the two-party system. It exploits peoples need to apply a label to themselves, and distracts them from the problem at hand.

I vote we take all politician's salaries, and lower them to 45k a year. That way, only people who care will run, and not people who are in it for 185k a year.

[Ancre]

I've read Fallout:Equestria. I'm not so sure about Luna for president ...

[Doc Hoof MD]

Eh we gave one guy 8 years. He did A LOT in those 8 years. Did he do anything good though? Not my place to say. Aside from Romney I do not see any one that is really suggesting anything worthwhile. That said I will be voting for the first time next year and I think I am going to have to go for Obama. @Tempest Nicely put.

I personally fear the Tea Party. Most of the supporters I have out here don't have a clue what they are talking about yet they still stand outside my church or outside my school reading off of a piece of paper. I don't know. They just give me the chills. (Not to ruffle any feathers or to step on any tails. *Puts on his helmet and runs for the bomb shelter*)

So how about that Lunar Republic.

[Brony-Vas-Normandy]

The Tea Party certainly is dangerous. If they nominate a candidate for presidency this election, which they most likely will, they could split the conservative vote right down the middle. All the reaganites, and Glenn Beck followers will vote Tea Party, leaving the GOP candidate with half the votes. No wonder Obama hasn't tried to belittle the Tea Party too hard.

If they seriously campaign, all they'll be doing is assuring Obama has a second term. Although, he couldn't do much worse than Bush did with a second term. At least he'll pull the troops out, even if he leaves us another five or six trillion in the hole.

[RarityDash]

I really don't think the Tea Party movement is dangerous at all. Some of them are a little crazy, maybe. But seriously, they're just people who are very passionate about what they believe. I don't get the sense that they as a whole are violent or in any way malevolent, they're just fired up about the process. Some of them might not be the best informed or most rational, but I actually think an energized movement like that is in some way a good thing with how ambivalent a lot of people have previously seemed to be toward politics in this country.

As for your concerns about them, Brony-Vas-Normandy, I don't think that really holds either. The Tea Party movement isn't and never has been a political party of its own. They will not run their own candidate, and especially not for the presidency; not while getting Obama out seems to be priority number one for them. I just can't see it happening.

[Brony-Vas-Normandy]

I get irrational at times. I've been leery of the Tea Party ever since the Joe Miller thing. They just seem like they have ulterior motives to me, but It's probably all in my head.

[RarityDash]

But Joe Miller won that nomination. It was the Republican establishment candidate Murkowski that stayed in the race as a write-in despite losing the primary (and somehow ultimately won). I can't see how that race reflects poorly on the Tea Party, when Miller was the one who won the nomination in the first place.

Regardless, Alaskan politics is not the same as American politics. I'm sure members of all political parties know that.

[Brony-Vas-Normandy]

Say wha-?

*Googles*

This is why I have to research things before I talk. I've been thinking this whole time that Murkowski was the Tea Party candidate for some reason. Don't know where that came from.

Anyways, now that that's cleared up, I feel a lot better about the Tea Party.

[RarityDash]

Heh. That race was definitely more than a little confusing. I can see why you'd be mixed up on it. :wink:

[AshtonSSG]

TED FOR PRESIDENT!

(kudos to anyone who can tell me who ted is.)

[Zephyr Breeze]

So just thought I'd mention something. A poll of 50,000 Americans were asked if they had to choose between a generic Republican Candidate and Obama, who would the vote for? 70 some percent said the generic republican. The question was asked again, numerous times, but instead of a generic Republican a name like Romney/Perry/Bachman/etc was used. Obama won with 70 some percent this time around. Most Republican candidates in this election are actually reactionary, not conservative. Obama is a liberal running as a moderate. Because of that, and the fierceness which the Republican canditates are running there primary on making a point of how far right they are, they will damage Obama's reputation, but their own to a greater degree in the process, and Obama will win the general election. Not because of actual politics, but because of a simple dog and pony show happening on one side while another is more organized behind a single candidate in the beginning. I myself am a moderate. Which leaves me with some problems with both sides. Do I like what Obama's done? Some of it. Does it need to be edited? YES. Does it need to be replaced entirely and create a whole level of work by congress that isn't really needed? NO. Just amend it so it works people. KEEP THE GOOD. AMEND THE BAD.

[RarityDash]

I've seen a number of polls that place certain Republican candidates ahead of Obama. I actually really think it's exceptionally likely Obama will lose this, and I'm not saying that just because I don't like him. I don't know. I just can't see him carrying near as many moderates this time.