Is it just me, or do 95% of the voters not care about 95% of what's posted here?

[Bicoastal]

It's just an observation, but while we hang upon every interview, press statement, junket, commercial, controversy, outrage, scandal, endorsement, bon mot, retort, and odd moment that comes from the candidates' camps every five minutes or though...most people don't know about any of it, and are happier NOT knowing. Are we really smarter than they are for our knowledge, or simply more hysterically obsessed?

I think the strategy of being over-informed, arguably a good, vital thing when it comes to real-world issues, is actually a negative when it comes to elections and campaigning. You either know who you're going to vote for or you make up your mind later--but certainly very few of the matters I've seen posted here have penetrated through the outer skin of the giant bubble we know as politicking. And furthermore, I would never belittle those who have better things to do than to monitor the actions of Obama, Clinton, Edwards, and Kucinich 24/7. In an odd way, they're probably smarter than all of us.

[Skittles]

1. you are correct

and if anyone says Americans are too busy to pay attention I will kick their ass - it is readily apparent they are not too busy to keep up with crap like American Idol and Desperate Housewives. :o

[Bicoastal]

5. 95% percent of every candidate's campaign is bullshit.

I'd rather watch entertaining, fictional bullshit than depressing real-world bullshit any day of the week.

Of course, people should pay attention to current events--but I don't consider political compaigns on par with developments in the Middle East, the environment, genocide in Africa, etc...

Maybe the country SHOULD stick their heads in the sand until this all blows over...

:hide:

[Skittles]

7. they do stick their heads in the sand

that's why we get the politicians we have

[Adsos Letter]

I'm too busy to pay attention....

:hide:

[papau]

21. I agree - indeed 95% is probably too low - also the media ignores facts very easily

[John Q. Citizen]

22. Umm, my guess is that most people don't keep up om Amercan Idol or Desperate House wives

I know I don't.

I'm sure their viewership is far far below the number of people who cast a vote in the 2004 election, though.

[Justyce]

2. When I bring up current events that are common knowledge on DU

to any of my friends in the real world, they have no idea what I'm talking about... so if this was a poll, I'd vote that we probably lean towards "hysterically obsessed"... ;)

[msongs]

3. more like 99.9999999999999999999999999 probably nt

[mdmc]

4. The Sheeple will be sheeple

Long live Paris and The Donald.

[Bicoastal]

6. You know, the more I see posted in GDP...

...the more I wonder if WE'RE the sheeple and they (the rest of the country) are the smart ones to avoid this debacle.

[graywarrior]

8. Here here!

[mdmc]

20. yes

I often wonder what life would be like if I did not care.

[babylonsister]

9. You would be right, and we're all crazily obsessive.

And we're all 'know-it-alls'. :)

[rwheeler31]

10. Someone has to run things.

[Bicoastal]

12. AHAHAHAHAHA!!! WE'RE running things!

That's a good one.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. "All politics is local." - Tip O'Neill

Most people are too busy getting on with life to bother about politics. They only pay (some) attention when it affects them when it does so on a personal or local level.

The ideal of "a government of the people..." has long ago been conveniently replaced by the election of "leaders" who promptly demonstrate that Lord Acton was right in his axiom about power.

[thunder rising]

16. And, your enthusiasm about a candidate is heard.

Keeping it factual and people do get the message.

[thunder rising]

13. This not preaching to the choir...this is gossip among the choir.

Two things are accomplished:
1. you learn what is being said about you candidate and how to defend him/her.
2. you prepare for the swiftboating the WILL take place in the general election.

And sometimes there is something so interesting that it changes your perspective.

[Initech]

14. Um... because we're NOT 95% of the voters?

Dont get me wrong, I love this place, but we're only a small fraction of the country. DU is 110,000 members in a country that has a population of roughly 380 million. That is appoximately 0.04% of the population. Of course I wish those numbers were higher but not everybody thinks the same way we do.

[Jed Dilligan]

15. You're overestimating if you think 5% care about 5% of it. nt

[Catch22Dem]

17. agreed. has to be more like .0001 percent

Basically those of us who love DU care about what's posted here, and those who hate us care about what's posted here. The other 300,000,000+ Americans don't even know we exist.

I mean, I'm just maintaining my sense of reality here.

[Jed Dilligan]

18. The reality is that people will vote their identity

and the back-and-forth of right now will be unknown to them or forgotten by November. As far as the primaries go, turnout is the only issue from here on. The young and black voters, if they come out, can easily put Obama over. Among the traditional "likely voters" Hillary's the clear winner.

[DeeDeeNY]

19. It's not totally their fault

People who get their news solely from mainstream media get information about trivia and celebrity news but very little substance of what is actually going on.