@ Kirty,

The NAACP, like other tax-exempt groups, does not endorse candidates because it would lose its exemption. But we all know the games these groups play. They bend the rules almost to the point of breaking them.

But I’m curious – why did you single out the NAACP???

I know their agenda is considered too far to the left by many people and that’s fine. I don’t support groups whose agenda I believe to be too far to the right. But let’s face it – most opinions of these groups are based on very little knowledge of what they actually do. But if we’re talking about rule bending, you could just as easily have attacked one of the groups from the right. No one is immune.

The list of these groups, both left and right, is very long. If the IRS actually enforced the law, there would be very few of them left. But our history has shown that moral issues are almost always played out in the political arena and I believe advocacy groups are essential to that process. Without them, Black people might still be enslaved, women might not have the vote, and the fight to outlaw discrimination against gay people would still be “in the closet”.

As much as I disagree with the agendas of groups like The Family Research Council and The Christian Coalition and as much as I believe they heavily favor conservative Republican candidates, I would no more advocate they lose their tax-exempt status than I would that of the NAACP.

I think Joe Tuttle alluded to an excellent point in that just because you care about issues such as Darfur, Iraq, climate change, etc, doesn’t mean you have to support a particular groups’ or candidates’ strategy for dealing with these particular challenges.

While people should feel free to debate others, comments like “Republicans for Voldemort” are truly unfortunate and do nothing to contribute to the debate of ideas and policies that should occur in an election.

I think this is great idea. It’s a very important decision and imo this time around there really is a big difference between the candidates. Here in Germany you can pretty much interchange the parties since a few years. Though a 5th party (we had a 4 party-system for a long time) is gaining more and more support. The next Bundestagswahl (country-parliament-election) should be fun. :D

Btw. you have to register to be able to vote? I didn’t know this. Forgive me for asking, but why is this necessary?

@KB Prez

I would support those conservative groups losing their tax exempt status if they are ‘unofficially’ endorsing candidates. I singled out the NAACP just because I’ve seen extreme examples from them, and it upsets me because, as I’ve said earlier, I think they’d be far better off by staying politically neutral. Of course there are MANY other examples from both sides of the spectrum, and I think they all should be held accountable if they are not abiding by the law.

That doesn’t mean they can’t express their beliefs – telling Republicans or Democrats they don’t like this bill or that bill, but to be so one sided and attack only members from one political party is not going to help anyone. I definitely didn’t mean to demean any of the many wonderful things the NAACP has done, but I am upset that so many of these non-profit organizations are doing what they’re not supposed to and getting away with it. If they’re going to be a non-profit organization, they should abide by the rules associated with that status. Obviously these associations are there to advocate a certain set of beliefs, and I don’t want to discourage that, but the rules are that they can’t endorse candidates. They might not officially endorse a candidate, but they skirt the law. Like I said, I don’t see how this helps their cause at all. So, I apologize again for singling out the NAACP. They’re the ones I get upset with the most, but there are so many others – on the left and indeed on the right.

Oh and @Miles, we have to register to vote to ensure you live in a certain area (otherwise, people from a surrounding area could come in and influence the vote), to ensure you’re eligible to vote (a citizen, not a felony parole ineligible to vote), etc.

Having glanced over the comments here – I’d encourage any American reading this to please please PLEASE find the time & the energy to vote. PLEASE! As JKR says you can influence so much in the world!

BTW Emma – Australians are not required to vote, we are simply required to appear at a polling place & take a few pieces of paper. There is no way to confirm someone has actually registered to vote when they turn 18, and as far as I know there is no law against not registering. There is no law against donkey votes or simply voting with a blank sheet of paper. There is however, a law preventing donkey voting from being encouraged or promoted. Personally I think there is a huge case for compulsory voting.

Miles – to vote in the US you have to register through the political party you side with (Republican or Democrats). (It’s been a few years since I studied US Politics, hope this is still right) Here in Australia you need to register with the Electoral Commission when you turn 18. If you don’t vote (or at least have your name marked off at a polling station on election day) you receive a $50 fine. This applies to elections at three levels of government – local, state and federal.

“I would support those conservative groups losing their tax exempt status if they are ‘unofficially’ endorsing candidates. I singled out the NAACP just because I’ve seen extreme examples from them, and it upsets me because, as I’ve said earlier, I think they’d be far better off by staying politically neutral.”

@ Kirty, none of these groups are politically neutral and all of them unofficially endorse candidates. THEY ALL “SKIRT THE LAW”. If you honestly believe some do not, then with all due respect, you’re just not paying close attention. I doubt you’d be so upset with the NAACP if you agreed with their agenda.

As a 16-year-old, I “don’t matter” to this election. I can’t vote, and none of my friends can, either. There is no chance of me convincing my very Republican parents to vote for Obama (whom I support fully). No one seems to care what I think, because of my age and inability to vote. I am tired of adults assuming younger people are unable to make an informed decision on whom to support. I think it is high time everyone stepped back, both in this particular web discussion as well as real life ones, and realizes everyone has their say, be they young or be they old. If “Mike” from the first page wants to support McCain, we have to accept that. If “Hufflepuff Lady” (also from the first page) chooses to back Obama, we have to trust that she has her reasons. Nobody here is going to change anyone else’s mind, and we are only responsable for our own choices at this point.

If you want to try and change someone’s mind and support your candidate, go to a campain headquarters near you and volunteer your time, not your hate on some website. That’s what I did.

Jenna and Others,

When you register to vote in the US, you do not have to choose Democrat or Republican. We just moved my mom to Oregon and she marked the “I don’t belong to any party” box. I have been Independent. When I registered, I didn’t realize that was a party. Just thought I could vote any way I wanted, which I do. It limits what I can do in the primaries.

Jenna, I know that it is difficult to get those who have been Republican or Democrats all their lives to change. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about the election. It sounds to me you have an interest and you should be involved in your school. When you get to voting age you will be much better informed than I was at your age.

Sometimes I wish we had the Canadian system (correct me if I’m wrong, but this is what I was told)—30 days to make your case to the public, then the vote. I am sick of two years of ads constantly bombarding me on the TV (consequently I don’t watch much TV). No one verifies whether the information in the ads is true or not. You cannot trust what you see. You’d better be doing a lot of searching on your own. Actually, I wish we didn’t have parties (Republican, Democratic), and that everyone cared about what is good for the country, rather than what is good for the party.

Caring about our country, everyone. Who will address the issues that will affect us all? (I’m trying to be neutral here.)

PS: I am really enjoying comments from the rest of the world. Keep them coming.

It’s really interesting to read the comments after reading the text of JKR’s address at Harvard; we sure look like a cross section of the things she was talking about. I really thank her for stating that it is our burden! We forget that it’s a heavy and serious responsibility. Some of us think because our state will go one way or the other, our vote is not important. Well, I agree the electoral college is a thing that has long outlived its purpose and should be tossed out for good, but even then-there are local elections and issues and your vote may very well be important there, so take your rights seriously and vote. I’ve voted in a few elections now and only once has the guy I voted for actually won, but I would NEVER not vote. I think if you don’t vote, you get to shut up for the next four years because he who complains but does nothing does not deserve the right to complain. Whatever way you vote, please educate yourself, please ask yourself the tough questions, please put yourself in the other persons shoes before you decide. And one thing no one has said-we tend to vote for someone as though they were going to do the whole job alone, but they don’t and they couldn’t. Please consider the people they are likely to be bringing into their administration -we might have done things in a far better way the last 8 years with fewer poorly qualified people and/or fewer…let’s say “men of questionable ethics ” carried over from earlier administrations. We want to send the best, most honest and SMARTEST team out on our behalf, not anything less.

Terrific discussion!

In addition to being a HUGE Harry Potter fan, I am the Administrator at my local political party’s office, in an eastern Pennsylvania county.

1) Register with a political party. “Independent” just means you give up your right to vote in Primary elections (in most states). No matter what party you register with, you can vote for anyone in the General (November) election.

2) THERE ARE 2 ELECTIONS EVERY YEAR, a Primary (spring) and the General (November). Vote for local, county, state and national (House, Senate, Pres) officials, plus occasional ballot questions.

3) “Liberal” is not an insult. From the dictionary: “tolerant of views differing from one’s own.” This is one of JKR’s themes.

4) Organizations like the NAACP nearly always support Democratic candidates because those candidates’ views are more in line with their organization’s goals. The same simple reason applies for Republican candidates’ views and right-wing organizations such as the Family Research Council. There is nothing unseamly about this fact; it is just how things work.

5) Having said #4 above, of course there is much that IS unseamly in politics!

6) Despite the popular notion, mentioned above by some in this thread, there is a HUGE difference between Republicans’ and Democrats’ positions on many many issues. At the most base, Republicans believe that the way to build up the country is to make things work smoothly for business owners, with the “trickle-down” theory that the rich will spend money that generates work/income for others to support themselves. Democrats believe that this is a good ideal and should be done, but that inevitably some people fall through the cracks (eg., elderly, children, mentally or physically disabled, very sick, very poor, etc) who deserve help from the common good. The latter view is how most European countries are structured.

7) While it is true that Democrats presently hold a majority in both houses of Congress, they are very slim majorities (especially in the Senate) which limits their power to pass their agenda; not to mention that Bush can – and does – veto any legislation they pass that he doesn’t like.

8) Who lead US out of war and made us more secure? FDRoosevelt (WWII), LBJohnson (Vietnam) – Democrats.

9) Who presided over the hugest budget deficit spending our country has ever seen? Ronald Reagan, then topped by George W Bush – Republicans.

10) Who presided over the biggest expansions of our economy, setting records for new jobs putting more people to work? FDR (after the Depression), Bill Clinton (after he pulled us out of the Reagan deficit, then balanced the federal budget) – Democrats.

11) Who has had the most scandals and resignations due to engaging in political manipulation (not personal indiscretion) on a grand scale? Nixon, GW Bush – Republicans.

12) Please go to candidates’ websites, read and think critically, and ask questions of anyone you can. Then VOTE. No matter where you live, you can register at www.projectvote.org.

That’s what I’m saying. I don’t like any of them skirting the law, conservative or liberal leaning.

I hope you vote for Obama. I’m not eligible myself since I’m a citizen of the World’s second super power: EU

8) Who lead US out of war and made us more secure? FDRoosevelt (WWII), LBJohnson (Vietnam) – Democrats.

Posted by jkbowling on June 23, 2008 @ 01:50 AM

The Vietnam War ended under a Republican 6 years after LBJ left office. So he led us out of a war and he didn’t even have to be in office to do it! That really IS impressive.

“Democrats believe that this is a good ideal and should be done, but that inevitably some people fall through the cracks (eg., elderly, children, mentally or physically disabled, very sick, very poor, etc) who deserve help from the common good.

Posted by jkbowling on June 23, 2008 @ 01:50 AM”

This is euphemistic in the extreme. A more accurate definition would be that Republicans believe in less government, and Democrats believe in more government control of everything, including the means of production as well as government redistribution of income. Without the Republican party to hold them in check, the Democrats would have us being the People’s Republic of America.

On the flip side, if the Republicans didn’t have the Democrats to hold them in check, we would probably be like pre-revolutionary France, in which 95% of the people starved while the other 5% gorged themselves.

The point is, don’t drink the Kool-Aid from either political party, as either one taken to its extreme would be bad. jkbowling sounds like a very nice person and I’m sure he/she believes what he/she is saying, but his/her arguments are riddled with inaccuracies and bias.