23 June 2015

Please vote in the TYWKIWDBI presidential preference poll

Everyone who is a regular reader of TYWKIWDBI is invited to go to the widget at the top of the right sidebar and click on the name of the person you would prefer to see become POTUS next year.  I've entered (alphabetically) the names of all of the declared candidates plus several expected entrants.  The poll will allow only one selection, and will close after two weeks, because I figure regular readers visit within that time frame.

One reason I'm doing this is to help me decide how (and whether) to blog politics over the coming year.  I have so little enthusiasm for the current slate of candidates that I've been tempted to declare this blog a politics-free zone and avoid all posts on the subject.

Non-U.S. readers are welcome to vote, because you make up fully 1/3 of the visits to this blog.  I set up a similar reader preference poll in 2008, with some interesting results.  I hope the poll results will provide me with a sense of the current readership, which I know varies from deeply conservative to bleedingly liberal - but I don't know the proportions, because I can only "see" the ones who write comments and I suspect they are not typical.

If you don't care to vote (i.e. you're a typical American), you can just click on the "show results" button to see how other readers have responded.

Addendum:  About 600 votes registered during the first day, with a markedly skewed distribution, which in itself is quite interesting.  I'm also taking note of your comments re your preferences on the content of the blog this coming year. 

38 comments:

  1. Really tempted to vote for Trump because I would have four years of easy blog posts.

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  2. That's an easy "none of the above" decision.

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  3. I would not blame you one bit for avoiding posting on politics. Everyone in the US is going to be flooded with advertisements and social media posts as is. I try to limit my own to promoting sites like VoteSmart to balance out the lies and half-truths that get spread by both sides.

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  4. I'm voting "None of the above" in the hopes of triggering your temptation to create a "politics-free zone". In an election year there is essentially nothing about political crap that are "Things You Wouldn't Know" except possibly some issues / causes that are drowned out by all the noise of the popularity contest that is American Presidential Politics.

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  5. I'm one of those non-US readers (Australian), but still keep an eye on US presidential politics because it has such a big influence on global affairs. After reading Bernie Sander's AMA on Reddit I am thoroughly impressed with him and hope he gets in or at least makes enough of an impact to matter. He is slightly more socialist than I would like but as far as I can tell is the only one without major corporate or military ties.

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  6. I vote for a "politics free zone" ~ it is bad enough that we get bombarded with that crap from every other angle!

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  7. Hillary? Seriously? Ugh.

    Damn sheeple.

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  8. First, much respect for caring about your readership. But, I also wonder why not just blog your passion. If something catches your interest, blog. Why cut yourself off from political posts?

    Which kind of goes to the other point, what is a political post. Politics is simply the philosophy of how we should run our society. Everybody is political because everybody has at least some thought, however strongly held, about how society should be run - or at least some aspect of society. Politics is NOT the pandering TV that insults your intelligence or the career 'representative' that takes money under the table (a practice increasingly unnecessary). I say to you, your readers, and more widely, don't give up on politics. It's about you. And if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

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  9. Bleedingly liberal.


    I hope some democrat is elected and gets a moderate or a liberal on the Supeme Court. The court cannot afford another conservative.

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  10. I'd venture to say that blogging about politics is a lot like going to the bathroom. You gotta do what you gotta do, but if you find yourself doing it too often, then I would definitely seek professional help.

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    1. That is an absolutely brilliant analogy, Peter.

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  11. http://www.democracynow.org/2015/6/22/exclusive_green_partys_jill_stein_announces

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  12. Results are predictable. No diversity in this crowd.

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  13. You might want to add Jill Stein to your list... she won my vote last election.

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  14. I made my candidate choice in your poll. I ask that you keep your blog interesting. That is, dont blog about US presidential election.

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  15. This blog is hopelessly, predictably liberal/ progressive. I don't fit any of the usual molds, but tend to socially liberal, economically conservative. My view of all the candidates is that I wouldn't vote for any of them on their merits or ideas -- but I'll end up holding my nose and voting for the least worst.

    Please make this a politics free zone. We'll get slammed by billions of dollars of political spending -- why add a miniscule contribution?

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    1. "This blog is hopelessly, predictably liberal/ progressive."

      I'll take that as a compliment. But I just blogged a photo of a truck with an anti-Obama slogan for you.

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  16. I really like Jim Webb, and he won't win, so my interest in politics is slim. Feel free to focus on weird animals and sunspots instead.

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  17. Instead of a politics-free zone here, I vote for only a politician-free zone. The issues themselves are often interesting. Actually it's not even politicians that I'm tired of, it's just the ones that care more about their own political career than the issues. That's unfortunately almost all of them, and even more unfortunate is that among the ones left, they're often wing nuts. (An American in Australia, btw.)

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    1. Exactly, you have captured my opinion better than I was able to myself. I really want a politician-free zone not necessarily a politics-free zone.

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  18. Blog about politics if you want to. If people don't want to read the political posts, they won't. No different than any other post.

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  19. "If you don't care to vote (i.e. you're a typical American)"...what a sad but true commentary.

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  20. Wow. I guess I'll have to start paying attention to Mr. Sanders. All I've really heard is that he is a complete socialist.
    Keep up the occasional political post. I look to you to filter out the BS and find something really important or nuanced.

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  21. It's your blog, so do what you'd like. My personal preference is the occasional political post, though I am not a liberal like most who are voting.

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  22. Keep these kind of posts from time to time, I say... it is interesting for me (and a "Thing I wouldn't know if...") as a European. I didn't follow the coming elections very closely, but this sparked my interest again. This Mr. Sanders sounds like an interesting fellow, though I doubt that he'll get such a significant amount of votes as in this poll. A bit more "socialism" could do the US some good, in my opinion.

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  23. Back a long time ago, i recall reading a sci-fi story about a future America where the president was a person chosen by a random lottery, literally 'E Pluribus Unum'. The writer, I wish I could remember who it was, but it's about forty years ago, said something like "Any person with the devious will and wherewithal to become elected shouldn't be trusted within fifty miles of the White House, The ideal president would so NOT want the job that they would have to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the Oval Office.

    The road to the White House is such that no person can set foot upon it without millions of dollars from backers, usually from various big businesses and individuals who want to own a slice of the presidency, no simple, honest man or woman will ever become president, the only person who can become the supreme leader is one approved by powerful interests, one who will bend to the will of others in order to reach that prized goal. So, None of the above. Definitely neither Hilary nor another Bush.

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  24. One more vote for "keep it to a minimum, if you find something particularly interesting." I already have to turn off NPR on the way to work, it just floods with names and arguments and slinging of muds.

    Really haven't decided, aside from not GOP. And Hilary Clinton lost me back when she bowed to pressure and changed her last name. Can we get Madeline Albright? She's wonderful, I don't care if she'll be 80 by the inauguration.

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  25. Whatever you want to do. I agree with those readers who think you're good (great) at choosing interesting topics. I can't imagine your ever touting some hack or another.

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  26. Here's the thing Minnesota Stan. You have a reasonable amount of fame in the blogosphere and the whole point of fame is to get your voice heard. Please blog your politics.

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  27. I did vote for my presidential choice, even though I'm Canadian. It was fun to watch Bernie's numbers rise up way beyond the others.

    But I'd also like to vote for keeping politics to a minimum in your blog. We get enough of that sort of thing elsewhere. Just an occasional comment would do fine, thanks.

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  28. As a non-American not living in America. I would say that Sanders should have a good go at it, I hope he gets in. Might actually do some good for the normal people of America and it's foreign reputation. That's if he's not killed trying...

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  29. As an aside, how incredible would it be if there were a "none of the above" option on the polls and in the voting booth? I expect that "person" would gain real traction.

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  30. I vote not to try dictate what Minnesotastan may or may not blog.
    Over the years I've been visiting this blog, I've been educated, entertained, and drawn into debate and inner musings.
    Any subject will do.
    Including presidential elections.

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  31. CGP Grey has a video that explains pretty well why I'm not too interested in our national-level politics. It seems like a bunch of people who have very tiny real differences making those differences out to be life-or-death philosophical divides.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo

    Truth is, I don't feel represented by any of my representatives, but least well by the folks who have sat in the Oval Office since I have been around.

    If you do blog politics this year, Stan, I probably won't read those posts. I can sit them out without any trouble, though, so speak your mind if that's what you want to do.

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  32. Bleeding liberals couldn't find much to hope for in the US as far as I can tell! Your Democrats are our Conservatives!

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  33. i said sanders, but i don;t actually support his bid for the presidency. he is one of my senators and i am afraid he will spend too much political capital on it.

    the rest of the field, though, is to a one a group of filthy corrupt war mongering criminals who ought to be clapped in chains until they engage in actual governance instead of government theater.

    it makes no difference, demican or republicrat; teh bottom line it they're all wholly owned subsidiaries of the corporate world.

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