Obama as state senator responding to question on should a duty to vote be mandatory and expounding on libertarian right to sit on a couch

Odyssey WBEZ 91.5 FM Chicago Public Radio

host Gretchen Helfritch

Barack Obama Illinois State Senator district 13
and senior lecturer in law school at U Chicago

stuttering over words, but in a pompous professorial manner

43:06 Obama: "You know I think, uh, I am not sure that uh we wouldn't have a uh healthier political process if we had mandatory voting of the sort that they have in Australia as I understand it I think, you're you're looking at a modest fine in Australia for not voting, uhm so at least there's some incentive to vote, uh, eh, beyond uh you know civic uh uh interest or or involvement, and, n, I'm not sure that wouldn't be a healthy thing uh I don't think it's a realistic prospect becuz it runs contrary to a -- strong libertarian uh ethos uh in this country uh that you know uh I think applies to uh uh voting like everything else uh I don't get a sense uh that this country eh I think most individuals feel that uh voting's a good thing, uh it's part of our civic responsibility, but I think they also feel like you know I want to sit on the couch uh and watch uh the XFL and and uh and not go to the polls then that's ok too uh and an that's so there's a strong dose of skepticism about uh mandating uh voting that that I think uh could not be overcome in this country."

host: "Do I detect an anti-XFL bias in you, Barak Obama?"

Obama: [laughs cynically] "No comment."

host: "Ok"

Richard John (Assoc Professor of History at University of Illinois at Chicago): "I'd like to add just one more thing on this I think that that one could at least argue, and I might be inclined to argue, that -- and there's some question of realism that was just referred to that, that in fact the major political parties today have no particular interest in increasing turnout.

Obama: "That's right uh you know, the uh, uh I mean one of one of the things that we haven't spoken about but I think uh Richard's raising an excellent point, is that uh thet one of the tricky aspects of tinkering with voting laws is that uh whoever's in power, whoever controls the uh mechanisms of the state uh obviously did pretty good under the current voting rules uh and so you know they they you know there's there's a a strong bias towards uh the status quo and inertia when uh when it comes to uh voting arrangements."

Even limited freedom is difficult for those who aren't accustomed to it. Some friends in NZ who are accomplished in business there grew up in soviet controlled eastern Europe. They still sometimes wax nostalgic about the easy life they had there. Lots fewer decisions and more perception of stability instead of the constant vigilance required in freer markets.
thats why the dunbing down of American self reliance is so worrying and counter-productive.

Ditto for Canada, (I live there at the moment) and from what I've read, all of the Commonwealth. In truth, I think it's safe to say most people in the world trust their governments more than (most) Americans. Except perhaps (at least at that point in time) the people of the USSR right before they overthrew it.

If only more Americans would similarly exercise their gray matter.

Yeah, who knows on that one. Somehow I think Obubblehead was cowering in the corner similar to when they "got" Bin Laden.

I just watched Captain Phillips for the second time last weekend. The main reason was that I knew Ritchie Phillips in High School. He was in my graduating class from Winchester High School (Mass) in 1973. I had a small circle of friends at this point in High School, having been an Ayn Rand and knowledge inspired lad wasting time in public school. Us like minded friends would gather in a study hall between classes. Ritchie would sometimes join our group during study break and was welcome. He was a good kid as well as I recall but we never became fast friends and after graduation that was it. It is weird watching Tom Hanks play the guy I knew even after 40 years of time has passed.

But this time around, I noticed and appreciated the scenes where Captain Phillips is advising the pirates on how to use the equipment. Very reminiscent of a smiling John Galt advising his torturers on how to fix the equipment. I doubt this was a deliberate connection but was quite significant for me anyway.

Yes, preferable, however unlikely. Think Gorbachev could produce a US birth certificate, too?

Are Oregonians are going to have "mandatory registration" along with any issued drivers' licenses? My local talk show host talked about this a few mornings ago.

I really like the part about Mr. O saying he thought it would be "fun" to amend the Constitution to do something about the way money influences elections.
FUN?
I get it that he doesn't think anything is serious [think back to saluting with a coffee cup], but this is the week's winner!

I see this as the same sort of non-issue as jury service. Good luck to anybody who really wants to refuse, but, "Please don't throw me in the briar patch!"

This man needs to be evaluated by mental health professionals.

Wouldn't that violate the rights of the poor peeples?

In this case I'm proudly identified as such.

I'm hard pressed to trust this one for much of anything. I will give him credit for authorizing the SEAL snuffing of the pirates of the ship Maersk Alabama where the captain Phillips volunteered to give himself up in return for the safety of his crew. That's assuming that Barry did authorize it.

Where O = Obama, p(D) and p(R) = Dimocrats (Thanks to the above) and Republicans and equal to or greater than is for Obama?

Peaceful revolution.

It's pretty close to that here now. Unfortunately.

Requirement #3 would virtually eliminate the politicians. #4 would stop the millions pouring into the Clinton foundation that you must know is going to support her in her campaign. I like the way you think.

After watching him talk about it again, I got to thinking about mandatory voting, what would it do for us? We're split about 50/50 today with those do vote. I'd expect most of those that do vote have some knowledge of the candidates and where they stand, so we should get something close to a reasonable outcome and selecting reasonably qualified candidates.

Under a mandatory voting system we’d more than double the voting turnout by people who have no idea about politics, the candidates, or ant of the issues that are important. What exactly would we get because these people would represent the majority? We could end up with our elected officials not based on qualifications but on race, sex, looks, and all the attributes that have nothing to do with running a country. Think about it, “Hands Up” people could elect a president, or perhaps the “Occupy Movement” people would select our leaders. We might even get people elected like Michael Moore, Al Sharpton, and even Hillary Clinton.

Proof of my theory is we got Barack Obama in 2008 and again in 2012. And in the 2014 elections the people that showed up were the lowest in numbers in years. The Barack Obama electorate were worn out, they lost faith in “Hope and Change”*, and just didn’t turn out to vote. What would the results have been if voting was mandatory? Perhaps a lot different. I don’t think we should vote on who puts the most attractive yard signs in the poorer areas. It’s a poor reason to elect those that are going to represent us.

The president himself said it on Wednesday in Ohio, “If everybody voted theeeeen (that’s what he said) it would completely change the political map in this country, because the people who tend not to vote are, young, they’re lower income, they’re skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups.” He forgot a few other attributes, one being less educated, another with lower family affiliations, higher crime rates, etc. Are these the kind of people that understand how fragile our system has been for some 240 years now? Would these people elect the right people that would keep try to keep this country free?

* I found it interesting, the guy that ran against Netanyahu, his slogan was, "Change and Hope". I actually heard it come out of his mouth. Perhaps the people of Israel are smarter than us.

I'm sure that Slick Willie and Obama could make a case for a diet plan to serve as a drivers license.

Maybe they could vote when they go to pick up their welfare checks or their Obama phones. Somehow they don't seem to be too marginalized to do that.

Good for Oregon. At least the voters there have more intelligence than many of the other states.

Look at the bright side...with a plan like that the final vote tallies can be in two years before election day.