Presidential Primaries and Politics ~ ENOUGH Already!!

Actually I thought of you and Monika and Jay last night watching the news. I always wondered what it was really like up there. Eating on the phone, you should forward this to the Edwards campaign. Oh, my...

I hate to even go to the bathroom on the phone, because I don't want anyone I am speaking with to hear the tolet flush.

Well, it is almost over for you guys. Hang in there, Ann.

Boy you are right enough.  The press really likes to make news stories when in my opinion there isn't one.

The reason you get all this is most of the American public are not concerned with politics until just before the election.  Too many people care more about American Idol than know what the politicians stand for.  If the American people were more educated they would know which candidate to support long before election day.  But too many are so ignorant about the process and candidates.  This gives the press the power to influence elections based on sound bites.  

I am sure the amount of intrusion into you life has been overwhelming.  Please keep in mind that your state is making history and the eyes of a nation are upon you.  I don't live in New Hampshire but I find it compelling that you  can really pick our Presidential candidates and present them to the nation by being among the first.

Stay cool!

Hey Missy - this post doesn't even really convey the tip of the iceberg during these campaigns!  I watched most of the debate last night, and it was actually more civil than I thought it would be. 

I was pretty grossed out when I realized he was actually eating on the phone - and then I got really ticked of that he had the gall to do that.  That was just downright gross and rude.  And I agree with you about the bathroom, too!  ;-)

Wednesday can't come soon enough for me!!!  When we head to the voting places, there will be cameras in our faces going in and then they'll be all over us when we come out.  The signs will out in force - at all the intersections, jammed in our face when we go to our voting place, etc.  I wonder if any of that ever has caused someone to actually vote for a candidate because of the stuff at intersections or because of all the signs and campaigners lined up outside voting places???  I surely hope not! 

Thanks for thinking of us!!   ;-)
Ann

John - I couldn't agree with you more about making stories when there really isn't a story!!

Chris - all of this has been going on much longer than "American Idol" has been on.  I give most people a little more credit about knowing who they're going to vote for than some might, and I also give them a little more credit on how they decide who they're going to vote for.  The sound bites we're hearing and seeing do little to help those I know choose who gets their vote.  In actuality, I'm still debating between a couple on who gets my vote, but I can assure you that the media and the campaigners will have no influence at all on how I decide who I'm going to vote for.

Renee - those of us who do live here in NH are always well aware that we are privileged to be the "first in the nation primary", and we know all of this goes along with it.  What many of us don't like is the invasion of our privacy by incessant phone calls, litter in our yards, campaigners stopping us in our own driveways, etc.  When I get home at the end of the day, I want my peace and quiet in my own home. 

Many thanks for the comments!
Ann

Sounds like this warm spell is heating up your blood.... Connecticut gets the honor of being that tiny speck with only a few electoral votes so most candidates just fly by.  

Primary time in New Hampshire sounds like a nightmare. I get occasional calls from "pollsters" who claim no preference but whose questions reflect a definite bias, and that is annoying enough. If I was in NH I think I'd keep my phone off the hook for the duration.

Ann....   what voting?  Are we in an election year?  lol   I casually watch it, but I just get tired of it....  the back stabbing, the misleading info, and so much more.  Yes, I am republican, but I believe in the best that would be good for us.....  I wouldn't be able to take the 'in your face' and 'flyers in my mailbox' mentality. I might just have gone postal on them.... lol   I agree, I wonder who actually votes for that person, with all of this signs in one place, people in your face, and for other reasons...  That would be an interesting poll.  ;o)

Hey Dan - funny boy!  I do find it interesting that NH, with our 'first in the nation primary', plays such an important role as we do.  And I know with that comes all of the stuff I wrote about, but it just gets to be too much.  This year in particular things seem to be overdone to the extreme - far more phone calls than I ever remember getting in the past, and way more campaign mail than ever before.  This was also the first year we've had people come to the house and come up the driveway.  Several of them got into conversations with Bear when we'd be outside.  And entertainingly so for Bear, it was always a democrat campaigner that would venture up the driveway - funny because Bear is a Republican disguised as an Independent.  He'd have fun with them, if the campaigner had a sense of humor......

Rosario - it does seem like a nightmare at times.  I do have friends who are political junkies and they thrive on this environment during every election campaign.  And they'd definitely think I'd committed heresy with what I wrote here.  I don't think I could manage to keep my phone off the hook for weeks at a time - but worth a though!

Thanks for commenting!
Ann

Hi Jeff - ah, you get it!!!  It is really too much, especially right now with the primary in 2 days.  The last few weeks, and this past week leading up to this coming Tuesday, has really been on overdrive.  You could certainly tell when the Iowa caucus was over - here they all came, and arrive en masse they did!  Media every where, traffic jams, etc.  I don't do very well with all the 'in your face' stuff - that usually makes me go in the opposite direction. 

I wonder if we could turn the tables on all of them - the candidates, the media, the campaigners, etc. - how they'd like dealing with what we get inflicted on us?  Hmm, bet they just might not enjoy it any more than many of us do.

Ann

Ann.... I do recall getting annoyed during the last major election with all the excess.... Most likely stands out more these days because with the "Do Not Call" list we very rarely get hounded during dinnertime.  As always the law of the land does not apply to politicians and with their endless flow of champaign funds and no real work that holds them accountable to anyone.   

Funny how they don't have to abide by the do not call list! Annoying is right!

Hi Dan - you know, that goes through my mind all the time, how the Do Not Call list got its seeds because of all these annoying calls, and once it came to fruition, they exempted themselves.  Ah, the pure irony of it all.....

Hi Linda - that part really gets my goat!  The most egregious annoyances are exempt from the law - just not really fair, is it?

Ann

If one of them calls me, I keep them on the phone as long as possible. 

It's the least I can do for my neighbors.

Hi Lenn - I LOVE that!!  And I bet your neighbors love you for that, too!  Can you come be one of my neighbors? 

In the last 3 hours, my phone has rung with no less than 9 campaign calls that I know for sure.  There were 3 other calls, but when I heard that silence just before the click when a real person gets on the line, I hung up.  I'm guessing those were campaign calls, too.  So that would be 12 in 3 hours......

Ann

I saw all the news about NH and thought....hmmm..all my NH buddies must be getting a lot of mail and such ...like you said...for the ONE vote. Well, it'll be over in a year or so lol! 

Hi Sally - 'a lot of mail and such' is certainly right!!  Way too much for my liking!  At least this particular period of being inundated will end Tuesday night.....and then the rest will begin as we get a little closer to the actual elections.  Oh boy!

Ann

Ann- What a rude guy! Well, I am glad it is almost over for you! I love your Live Free or Die State motto! Katerina

Hi Katerina - I thought that was just about one of the rudest things I'd encountered in awhile, especially when he's calling to convince me to vote for his candidate....NOT!  We love our state motto, too!! 

Ann

Last election, I got tired of the calls.  I told them several times to quit calling.  Then I said "You know what, if you keep annoying me with phone calls, I am going to SWITCH PARTIES!"

Then of course, during primaries they started up again.  I said "That's it, I told you guys before to stop bugging me and now you've done it.  I'm going to vote for the other side!"

I really wish that the DNC list could include political calls.  I can understand charities, but there is no reason to allow politicians to call me. 

Karen - oh I so agree with you on that!  Unfortunately all who call me know I'm an independent so I can't use that clever line you used.  I don't like talking to them to get that far in the conversation.  Some are nice enough, others don't understand 'no', or ' I'm not interested', or 'no thank you'....those people are the worst, in my opinion.

That list really should include all politicians.  After all, that's the group that caused all the uprising that got the DNC list started!

Ann

Ann

The media has a big influence on the election.  They are doing anything they can to get Hillary elected.  She constantly change position and only supports what polls are popular.  Anything she does wrong is blown off or ignored, while every other canidate is given a full work over.  A vast majority of the media support and help her.  So by the media only being favorable to her they influence the undecided voter who has no idea of what she is really like.

Ann - The reason you get hit so hard is because you're an independent! They all want your vote! You are the great undecided....If you were a registered democrat or republican you would only get half the calls and half the hassle : )

Ann... Lenn Harley is a hoot.... I usually want to get them off my phone. But I never really thought about it that way.  Maybe next time.  bring it on politician's volunteers....

Chris - I haven't really picked up that, but then again, I tend to tune out all that stuff because very little of it is based on fact, in my opinion.  I tune out the ads, the commercials, the signs, etc.  None of that helps me decide who to vote for.  BUT, I must say I just might start telling all those callers that if they WANT my vote, they'd best figure out a way to bother me a whole lot less.  Maybe that's how I'll decide who to vote for......   ;-)

Sandra - oh, I know that's why I get bombarded.  I actually had someone tell me to just go change my affiliation and the calls would lessen.  Lessen but not stop....   It really does irk me that I have the right be a registered Independent, and yet all the campaigners feel that gives them the right to do what they do.  And I am one of the 'great undecided' and yes, they do all seek my vote.  But all that harassing me isn't the way to get it.  It's really too bad they don't realize that......  really too bad, because they waste all that effort and time and money.

Jeff - she is THE best, isn't she?  Her comment might just spur me on to actually talk to some of them just to have some fun.  I'm really not sure I could last very long doing that, but who knows??!!

Thanks for the comments!
Ann

I get turned off by the automated calls and automated surveys.  I also get annoyed by the millions of signs making communities look like garbage dumps.

Ann, I would love to live there during this time, however, when I start to get anoyed with calls from candidates, especially at dinner, I tell them that I am voting for one of the other people, and amazingly they don't call again, I can't understand why :)

Hi Ann...It has been an interesting week. But,it's almost over.

I am a political junkie so I actually enjoy it...except for the automated calls. I JUST HANG UP!

Sorry Ann, I like Joan, play into the drama.  I have always been a Political junkie, and love the election season, from the national level down to the local level.  The phone calls are annoying, I just hang up, but I try not to get aggrevated. 

Im one of those that DVRs all the political talkshows on Sunday Mornings so I can watch them all.  My wife is completely opposite of me political wise.  We don't argue about politics anymore, we find it easier to place bets on the candidates, almost like horse racing. 

Having worked on campaigns and issues, all the stuff does work.  Its alot like Real Estate, take every chance to get your name out there.  It may be annoying, but the name is there.  So when you hit the voting booth, a name stands out.  The callers are generally not paid for what they are doing.  They are giving up time from their family to support their canidate.  The only pay they get if they are lucky is a free slice of pizza or a chicken leg.  I agree they do not have to chomp in your ear, but somethimes they are hungry. 

Ann:  This too will pass even though I know that may not be of much comfort to you right now.  Turn the tables on them and give your Realtor spiel ! LOL  It is definitely overkill and do they (the politicians) have any idea how really boring and tiring all of this gets.  It goes on and on and on to the point that I'm not even listening anymore.  I tell you what would get my attention, if just one politician, would actually address the issue with serious ideas on what to do instead of always sidestepping and then trying to turn the focus on the negatives of another candidate.  I do hate the junk mail !  Hang in there kiddo.

OMG- It is soooo annoying!!!  Do they really think a phone call might change my vote????  I cant wait until Wednesday as well.... we have stopped answering the phones!!!  You are right.. we can do the research on our own... I rather not be HOUNDED!

But hey the media isn't focused on how bad the housing market is at least......

Notice none of them are talking any real issues? They have squandered our fortunes and good name!  Let me see!  Declining dollar, runaway inflation, collapsing real estate values, bank failures on the way, pointing fingers, not securing the boarders, not doing the job, looting the til.  I am sick of all of them!  America is in deep doo-doo if this is the best we can muster!  A total bunch of losers!

Tonight, the NH Primary is OVER!!!!

Randy - all of that turns me off immensely about this whole process.

George - next time around, I'll have to remember that suggestion and others that were written in these comments!

Joan - I knew you would be enjoying all this, and I'm certainly with you on those computer calls!

Chad - I'm glad we do have political junkies!  There's room for all of us, and I know that all that annoying stuff must work on some people otherwise I have to believe they wouldn't be doing it.  But it sure doesn't work for me and plenty of others - just a total turnoff for me.

Donna - It's ended tonight, until the real election, but this stage is over!!

Kim - I gave up answering my phone on some of the really bad nights, but it's hard to just not answer it, especially when my answering machine is broken.  But it all ended tonight at the stroke of 8pm....yay!!

Christina - now THERE"s something to be thankful for!!  We've certainly heard way too much on that subject.

Jim - I haven't heard any of them seriously talking about those particular issues at all, and those are huge issues facing all of us today.

Many thanks for the comments!
Ann

Ann, I love the pictures of the donkey and elephant. Are they somewhere in downtown Portsmouth?

Hi Judy - those are from somewhere in DC.  I thought they were so cool when I saw them, too.

Ann