You’re right about fair elections, they don’t exist. The Electoral College, the fact that only the rich can afford the immense cost of campaigning, the twin party system, the primary system and laws that make it nearly impossible for third parties to get on the ballot all make for a profoundly undemocratic system.

The only major disagreement I have is describing the Republicans as Fascist. It’s absolutely not true and although that could change everything in US political history says it won’t. In fact calling them Nazi’s is just election year hysteria intended to send people fleeing to the Democrats to ‘escape the ovens’. This silly season hype ignores the fact that Democrats and Republicans are killing cousins and both are owned by the rich. Democrats bear the responsibility for DOMA and DADT, gutting ENDA and dropping hate crimes bill; a record that proves beyond a doubt that Democrats are every bit as much enemies of our equality agenda as the Republicans. They wear different colors of eyeliner and lipstick but that’s the extent of it.

I am far more worried that democracy (with a small d) may be extinct in the USA. Our elections have become a complete fraud. Our voting machines count votes the way the programmers (or their employers) want them counted, without regard for the way the voters actually cast them. Our elections departments are run by partisan political hacks, who see nothing wrong with rigged elections as long as the “right” candidate wins.

We seriously need honest elections — with paper ballots, full chain-of-custody, witnesses from all sides, and counted in full public view. If we ever get honest elections, I expect the Fascist party that now calls itself “Republican” will hold very few offices. But, that is precisely why they cannot allow honest elections.

And if Conservatives are this upset with the impending McCain nomination maybe we will see a conservative third-party that would really help democrats.

and i’m not even going into the rumors being advanced by local right-wing talk show hosts about how the manchurian candidate spent his years in vietnam.

hells kitchen chickenhawk is also willing to waste Arab and GI’s lives to prop up zionist apartheid and even wants us to nuke everyone in Iran. He holds the racist view that Iranians and all muslims are subhuman. Just don’t expect hells kitchen chickenhawk to enlist. Like Cheney and Bush during Vietnam, hells kitchen chickenhawk thinks he’s a Precious National Asset and is content to let others do the dying.

that’s just what we need in the white house; an unhinged old fart with his hand on the button!

It’s too bad that so many people on our side of the aisle stoop to the kind of petty bullshit that the other side throws, especially, at Mrs. Clinton. attack him on his views and record – not his age, his hair, his wife.

Tell me who can beat McCain in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, California … then I’ll listen to ya if you tell me the Repubs are dead, or that HC or BO are more electable.

I couldn’t agree with you more. I love the guns and butter reference by the way. Economic geek here.

This is why I believe McCain will win in the fall.
1). He has time to solidify the party behind him while Obama and Clinton duke it out until the end because of the delegate division the DNC uses instead of winner take all states like the Republicans.
2). If he chooses Huckabee as his running mate he will solidify the southern state vote.
3). McCain appeals to conservative Democrats and Independents as seen in the Florida primary. If let’s say Hilary wins the nod and Obama supports are disgruntled they may vote for McCain. There will not be an Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinto ticket. You are more likely to see a Clinton/Edwards or Obama/Edwards ticket.

They’re both right centrist parties utterly devoid of principle. They’re political chameleons who change at will and can accommodate to any situation.

The question is will the Democrats survive the rage of those who’re going to vote for them this year and then are in for four to eight more years of Bush Lite?