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[MetalSlimeHunt]

I dont hear much news about biden. I have no idea what he has been up to. Why is he such a screw up beyond being invisible?

There is a reason you don't hear anything about Biden. The reason is that he fucks up everything he does, and so Obama has locked him in the White House basement, only letting him out so that he may perform his one remaining duty, which is cutting the opening ribbons on new gas stations. In Wyoming.

[Euld]

The election forecast says there is a 2.3% chance that Obama will win the popular vote and lose the electoral college. Man, can you even imagine the rage if that were to happen?

The best scenario (in terms of ridiculousness) is definitely an electoral tie. Due to the way the American system works, the House would vote for President--with each state's delegation getting one vote, meaning Romney would likely win the Presidency thanks to the many, many Republican states in the Midwest and South. However, the Senate votes for vice-president; this means that if by some twist of fate from a frightfully bored god Obama and Romney tie, the result would be Romney-Biden (provided the Republicans don't gain the senate, but we're already in fantasy land so another assumption can't hurt). The fallout would be beautiful to watch, provided you don't live in the US, or anywhere nearby the US, or anywhere with economic ties to the US. Really, this would be a scenario best viewed from space.

  Are you sure you have your information right?  The House and Senate have no bearing on who ends up as vice president, or rather, who the presidential candidates choose to be their running mate.  The candidates choose a running mate not long after announcing their bid for election.  And I'm pretty sure the House and Senate are not the electoral college, so the House and Senate do not elect the president or vice president.  To do so would be against the Constitutional idea of "checks and balances" an give waaaaaaaaaay too much power to the Legislative branch of government.  I thought it was also mathematically impossible for there to be a tie in a presidential election?

Please don't flame me if I'm wrong/crazy/on fire.  It's late and I'm tired.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

You have to have 270 electoral votes to win the election. It is possible for no candidate to have this many votes, and if that happens, the House elects the President and the Senate elects the Vice President. They can only pick from the two most popular candidates.

This is another reason why multi-party elections wouldn't go very well in the US.

[Mego]

You have to have 270 electoral votes to win the election. It is possible for no candidate to have this many votes, and if that happens, the House elects the President and the Senate elects the Vice President. They can only pick from the two most popular candidates.

This is another reason why multi-party elections wouldn't go very well in the US.

House elects from top 3 for President.

There are 538 total electoral votes. Notice how it's an even number. That's what causes the issue. If both candidates (assuming a purely-two-party system) get 269 votes, it goes to Congress.

[Sheb]

But can't the President dismiss his vice-President later on?

[Mego]

But can't the President dismiss his vice-President later on?

Nope. Though President and Vice run together, the Vice is still an elected official, so they'd have to resign or be impeached to get removed from office. The President can dismiss cabinet members like that, but not other elected officials.

[GlyphGryph]

In fact, classically, you didn't even have presidents and vice presidents running together on the same ticket. That was just to make cross-party pres/vice situations less likely.

[RedKing]

Heh...way back, the Vice-President was whoever was the runner-up in the general election. You can imagine how well THAT worked out.
"Damn, I lost the election to my political arch-rival, and now I can only be President if he dies.....MUHAHAHAHA".

The office of Vice President is kind of fascinating. In essence, you're the understudy for the Leader of the Free World. But constitutionally, it's a very ill-defined office. It's not explicitly part of the executive branch, although it is typically treated as such. And there was no clear indication as to whether the Vice President was supposed to become President on the death/incapacitation of the sitting President, or merely be an acting President until an election could be organized. Wasn't until John Tyler in 1841 that anyone had actually had to do it, and Tyler just jumped in with both feet and said, "Nope! I'm the President now. No need for a new election!". And that just became the pattern followed.

Wasn't even really until Roosevelt in 1940 that candidates chose their running mate. Prior to that, the party bosses did the choosing, typically to heal factional rifts in the party (For example, if this were still the method used, it'd probably have been Obama/Clinton in 2008 and something like Romney/Santorum in 2012). And Reagan was the first one to announce his choice of running mate BEFORE the convention.

[Mr. Palau]

Except the word exploitation has more meanings than who has shoved their flag down the most people's throats.  Look at modern consumerism in general, who it benefits most (american businessmen), how destructive it's become, and the extent to which America is responsible for it becoming the dominant way of life for the entire world (Cold War/economic sabotage).  I think the extent to which the modern world conforms to ideas that are traceable to direct American influence is quite unprecedented.

And while I recognize exploitation as a consistent feature of civilization, I never said the two things equate each other.

As for whether I'd be happy somewhere else, I really think Indiana is just a nasty place.  There are waaaay too many people here who fit the "ugly american" stereotype exactly.  Everybody who doesn't leaves eventually.  There are plenty of states where I'd probably be happier.  America in general is just getting more and more crazy, though, and it seems like neofeudalism is outright winning here.  After being on the internet for 16 years and hearing tons of personal account from meatspace friends who have lived in other places, I'm quite solid on the belief that I just don't belong in this country.

Anyway, that concludes my de-rail.  There was a couple pages on the topic of whether or not people like the U.S., and I thought I'd go ahead and be the person to say "Fuck no I don't."

Should read empire.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_(book)

[nenjin]

Heh...way back, the Vice-President was whoever was the runner-up in the general election. You can imagine how well THAT worked out.
"Damn, I lost the election to my political arch-rival, and now I can only be President if he dies.....MUHAHAHAHA".

The office of Vice President is kind of fascinating. In essence, you're the understudy for the Leader of the Free World. But constitutionally, it's a very ill-defined office. It's not explicitly part of the executive branch, although it is typically treated as such. And there was no clear indication as to whether the Vice President was supposed to become President on the death/incapacitation of the sitting President, or merely be an acting President until an election could be organized. Wasn't until John Tyler in 1841 that anyone had actually had to do it, and Tyler just jumped in with both feet and said, "Nope! I'm the President now. No need for a new election!". And that just became the pattern followed.

Wasn't even really until Roosevelt in 1940 that candidates chose their running mate. Prior to that, the party bosses did the choosing, typically to heal factional rifts in the party (For example, if this were still the method used, it'd probably have been Obama/Clinton in 2008 and something like Romney/Santorum in 2012). And Reagan was the first one to announce his choice of running mate BEFORE the convention.

And yet the office of Vice President in my lifetime has been constantly cast as a joke. Consider that Cheney and Bush Sr. are the only Vice Presidents in the last 20 years whose reputations didn't become farcical either in office or after. Biden, Gore, Quayle...and even that scrap metal-chewing monster Cheney got lampooned as soon as it was possible to do so without mysteriously disappearing.

It seems like one of those roles that is powerless...but might actually be quite powerful in the right hands, within the "right" administration.

[SalmonGod]

Should read empire.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_(book)

Looks interesting, and the full text is online.  Thanks!

[Mr. Palau]

Should read empire.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_(book)

Looks interesting, and the full text is online.  Thanks!

Was writen during the cold war, but the Empire runs pretty much the same way now, and it is just larger. Making the book all the more relevent.

[Osmosis Jones]

Was writen during the cold war, but the Empire runs pretty much the same way now, and it is just larger. Making the book all the more relevent.

Since when was the mid 90's part of the cold war? 

[Mr. Palau]

Was writen during the cold war, but the Empire runs pretty much the same way now, and it is just larger. Making the book all the more relevent.

Since when was the mid 90's part of the cold war? 

My bad, mistakenly thought I remembered something about it being from the late 80's from the book.

[SalmonGod]

Don't think I've seen this mentioned, so I'm actually going to contribute something on-topic, I think!

Ron Paul Delegates Arrested As They Win a Majority at Louisiana GOP Convention