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Pacific Standard is running an article that suggests that the tendency for the current ruling party to lose House or Senate seats in mid-term, has little to do with politics or the loss of faith in the party in power.
Citing an article by Lynn Vavreck, a Professor at UCLA, research of voters switching their allegiance in midterms found about 6% for either party actually switched. Usually this means the ruling party loses more votes to switching because 6% of a big number is more than 6% of a smaller number. But that isn't typically enough to cause House or Senate seats to change hands.
However, the same study indicated the ruling party voters tends to play hooky in midterms at a much higher rate (28% in recent years) compared to the other parties (17%).
So congressional seat losses are due more to boredom and over confidence of the ruling party than any actual dissatisfaction and voter revolt.
Midterms typically show 20 percent lower turn out than presidential elections, and it's been that way for decades. The moderate voters tend to sit out midterms, leaving the contest to more polarized voters.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Lazarus on Wednesday July 16 2014, @01:45PM
Republicans really have evil beliefs and policies, but that's mostly because they've been pandering to crazy right-wing religious extremists for so long that they've driven everyone who's both smart and well-meaning out of the party. The Democrats certainly aren't good, but they're not completely delusional like Republicans.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by jbWolf on Wednesday July 16 2014, @03:24PM
That's funny. I know some people who say the exact same thing... except they switch the Republican and Democrat stuff around from what you have.
When I hear something like you just said ("Both sides are bad but one side is worse"), I can't help but shake my head. All of those nut jobs in office want you focus on the polarization instead of what they do as individuals. Until we completely stop discussing anything party related and start talking about individuals, the craziness will continue. Start ending the cycle by not saying one party is worse than another. 99% of the politicians (on both sides) are equally as bad: they want to screw the little man so badly that they are willing to destroy our society.
www.jb-wolf.com [jb-wolf.com]
(Score: 2) by Tramii on Wednesday July 16 2014, @03:34PM
This kind of logic has been used for thousands of years to justify all kinds of terrible evil.
The Simpsons did a great job summing the whole situation up many years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAT_BuJAI70 [youtube.com]
(Score: 2, Troll) by frojack on Wednesday July 16 2014, @06:56PM
Here too bespeaks a problem with handling of social issues in America.
Seriously! Stop posting a a reference to a FRIGGIN CARTOON in a serious discussion, and holding that up as a teaching point, while totally failing to realize the whole cartoon was written by people in big media pushing a specific point of view.
You are not 12 anymore. Stop looking for insight in cartoons.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Tramii on Wednesday July 16 2014, @07:21PM
I'm sorry. I did not realize that it was impossible to make any sort of serious political commentary via a cartoon. For some reason, I was under the impression that we had been making political cartoons in America since the 1750s. Where in the world did a get a crazy idea like that?
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday July 16 2014, @07:32PM
Even if it were a mature thing to do, you fail to realize how biased your source is [wikipedia.org] yet you seem to suggest to us that is serves as a teaching moment for everyone. Why not simply post a link to the Charter of the Democratic party? It would be more honest.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Tramii on Wednesday July 16 2014, @07:48PM
You have jumped to some crazy conclusions, my friend.
I was not holding up the Simpsons as some wonderful bastion of truth and insight in politics. Actually, I disagree with a lot of the political commentary on the show. It's a comedy show. No one should base their political views on any show that exists purely for entertainment. (I also think people who take the Daily Show or the Colbert Report as anything other than entertainment are foolish.) However, that doesn't mean that these various programs are incapable of making valid points once in a while.
One of the REAL problems in politics is when people ignore what is being said and instead attack WHO is saying it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 16 2014, @07:45PM
Stop posting a a reference to a FRIGGIN CARTOON in a serious discussion
You would like to be taken seriously, but sometimes you're just silly.
Paul Conrad: 3 Pulitzers [google.com]
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by tynin on Wednesday July 16 2014, @09:39PM
I would argue that all art forms are a perfectly valid medium to spread an idea or thought. Further, you dictating the form a discussion must take makes you appear brutish. Even if the art comes from a source you disagree with, generally that doesn't mean you disagree with 100% of their points. Learning to listen what your opposition presents without bringing your own perceived biases out so quickly might just be helpful for you, as well as everyone else who makes strong declaratives in the realm of opinion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 17 2014, @06:10AM
I agree, "Oblig. XKCD" is the worst of all.