http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903366504576490841235575386.html?mod=WSJ_Home_largeHeadline -> for those of you who didn't see.

Can't wait to see the chaos this causes - safe to say most everyone in the federal government will have election trouble. Well, I hope anyway - who knows, but, the fireworks should be fun to watch. :-[

so who is voting for obama and their current congressmen again?  :P

I can believe in this change - of the US credit rating.  :)

[quote author=ghostofkc link=topic=18313.msg185389#msg185389 date=1312603380]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903366504576490841235575386.html?mod=WSJ_Home_largeHeadline -> for those of you who didn't see.

Can't wait to see the chaos this causes - safe to say most everyone in the federal government will have election trouble. Well, I hope anyway - who knows, but, the fireworks should be fun to watch. :-[

so who is voting for obama and their current congressmen again?  :P
[/quote]

What's the alternative?

[quote author=Rule link=topic=18313.msg185616#msg185616 date=1321378102]
What's the alternative?
[/quote]

None so far. All the candidates are bad - on both sides (including Obama).

What about Ron Paul? 

[quote author=MysT_DooM link=topic=18313.msg185622#msg185622 date=1321493638]
What about Ron Paul? 
[/quote]

I think in 2008, when he became widely known, he was refreshingly honest and a lot of what he said had substance and made sense.  But I don't have much confidence in him as a potential president.  I think some of his ideas are too hardline and completely ridiculous, he is too old, and he is just one man who surrounds himself with people who seem like lunatics.  Who would be running the show with him?  The thought scares me...

Really none of the choices look good imo...

we're supposed to trust the people who gave terrible mortgage securities AAA ratings with rating the US Government? ...ok. these agencies are a complete joke.

After some more deliberation, I think Ron Paul has been treated terribly by the mainstream media, whether it is is left wing, right wing, or middle of the road.  Even though he did so well in the polls he was obviously ignored (they would show a poll where Ron Paul is second, and just gloss over it completely, and talk about first, third, fourth, fifth place candidates).  And the rare times he is discussed he is just dismissed as ridiculous. 

I don't agree with many of his positions, but he is honest, consistent and intelligent, and has a lot of support.  The establishment just does not like him because he wants to rid them of their influence.

My problem with Ron Paul is, yeah, sure, some of the things he says makes sense, but a lot of what he says doesn't. he's been harping on about hyper inflation for years now, and there are still no signs of that happening (in fact, in economies with a competent central bank, it should be nearly impossible..). I can find a lot of common ground with him on foreign policy, but at a closer look, the reasoning he uses to arrives at the conclusions he does are much different than mine. Its all driven by a very simplistic view of the Constitution and the role of Government. That's what I can't stomach, his positions on a lot of things are way too extreme.

However, as a person, he comes across as very sincere and consistent which is a breath of fresh air. I can appreciate his honesty, I just fundamentally disagree with a lot of his viewpoints.

My favorite candidate of the Republican field was really Jon Huntsman, it's a shame he conceded, because he was a very bright guy and he was great at policy. I was impressed. Go figure, the primary process kills off the only candidate with even a remote chance of beating Obama (people are dreaming if they think Romney will beat Obama in the general, much less Newt. Paul is a bridge too far for a lot of Republicans, and Santorum isn't competent enough to run a general campaign.)