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Presidential Election Info: A List of ALL the Candidates

Post 1

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

Are you interested in the US presidential election? No? You aren't alone. It's too painful to think about, kind of like when the Whig Party collapsed back in the 1840s...

Anyway, you might enjoy this. Stephen Colbert pointed out last night that so far, 1928 candidates for president are registered. Not all of them will appear on your ballots if you're a US voter. You can see a list of the write-in candidates at the link below. (I searched hard for it.)

http://www.politics1.com/p2016.htm


As you can see, there are five Smiths and five Joneses, and three Williamses. There are candidates who are left-wing, right-wing, and somewhere outside the solar system. They are black, white, Eastern European, Jewish (two Schwartzes, though no guess as to Jew or Gentile), Hispanic, French, German, Hungarian, Irish...in short, quite a representative sample of the North American population. None has a chance of election, of course, but participation is probably the point.

If you click on the Socialist Party (Emidio Soltysik), you'll find really productive suggestions for improving things. Who knew the Netherlands were clever enough to solve the problem of finding helpers at old age homes? They just offer students free housing in return for companion chores...brilliant. (Would any of these Netherlands planners like to come and work on US domestic policy?)

The extra links are cool, too. You want to see some old TV adverts for presidential candidates? This website has them archived all the way back to 1952.

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1976

'I Like Ike' is pretty funny. Jimmy Carter in a peanut field is also highly entertaining. Watch the professional actor telling us all why nobody should vote for Barry Goldwater (Johnson, 1964). That is the least strident attack ad you've ever seen. And a good acting exercise. I recall how worried some people were back then about giving that candidate a 'nuclear football'. Where is that actor now? We need him...

Share and enjoy. Never say I don't have your best interests at heart.

This has been an unpaid, apolitical announcement. No candidate approves this message.

smiley - dragon


Presidential Election Info: A List of ALL the Candidates

Post 2

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

PS Brits, you think you have odd candidates...please check out:

http://rodsilva2016.com/

Mr Silva is running for president. He lives in New Jersey. His party is the Nutrition Party. His slogan is 'Make America Healthy Again'.

The gem from his position statement is, 'Focusing on issues like the economy, foreign affairs and tax reform are important, but if we don’t live long enough to enjoy the benefits of living in the free world, then what is the point?' You have to admire his dedication to the beliefs that built his chain of health-food restaurants.

One cannot make these things up....they must come from some political yetzirah out there, perhaps a kabbalist could explain...

smiley - dragon


Presidential Election Info: A List of ALL the Candidates

Post 3

Prof Animal Chaos.C.E.O..err! C.E.Idiot of H2G2 Fools Guild (Official).... A recipient of S.F.L and S.S.J.A.D.D...plus...S.N.A.F.U.

smiley - biggrinAmerican and english politics are outdoing soap operas and sci-fi progs like (voyage to the bottom of the sea) they start out believable and then a few series on, they go into far-fetchedsmiley - biggrinsmiley - biggrinand totally unbelievablesmiley - smiley


Presidential Election Info: A List of ALL the Candidates

Post 4

Gnomon - time to move on

So how does this work, Dmitri? How can you be a candidate but only listed on the ballot paper in some states?


Presidential Election Info: A List of ALL the Candidates

Post 5

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

Great question, Gnomon. smiley - smiley

To be on a ballot, you have to collect a large number of signatures on a petition. If you fail to get that number, you can announce yourself as a 'write-in candidate'. That means you ask people to write your name on the ballot, which is perfectly legal.

Unfortunately, the chances of winning a write-in campaign are very small - but the odds are not impossible, at least at the state level. According to the site quoted below, it has worked for candidates for Congress. The site also explains how a write-in campaign works.

http://www.youcanwritein.com/history-write-in-candidates.php


Presidential Election Info: A List of ALL the Candidates

Post 6

Florida Sailor All is well with the world

This is probably the most famous Presidential campaign add of all time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k It was only officially aired once, but the message is so powerful it was a decisive moment in the 1964 elections.

F smiley - dolphin S


Presidential Election Info: A List of ALL the Candidates

Post 7

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

I swear I remember that. smiley - laugh


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