Justice 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 CNN: Praise for Iraq elections There are about a dozen more articles on the net that are pretty much say the same thing: The elections seem to have been a massive success. Even the Sunnis turned out (I forgot which article I read, but they said around 40% of Sunnis look to have turned out, with higher percentages in the Baghdad Sunni 'Burbs). So, any opinons? I for one approach this with a cautious optomism. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MikeSC Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Iraq has been given a chance to control its destiny. There is nothing more anybody could ever do for them. We removed the tyranny that they could not remove themselves and it's all up to them now. We cannot hold their hands and lead them to where they need to go. It is a path that they must blaze for themselves. This is a glorious day --- a day even I had questions would ever come. May Iraq have the chance to succeed that they have not been granted very often in the past. May they finally view terrorist attacks as attacks upon Iraq and not upon the coalition --- a sentiment I assume they have held for a long while that has not been reported. -=Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edotherocket 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Interestingly enough, a lot of the newspapers in Australia are reporting headlines like "Bloody dawn to Iraq democracy". But from what I'm watching on BBC it looks like it's going down pretty good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest INXS Report post Posted January 31, 2005 It looks liek it went very well, which is great. Very little violence, and 90% of registered voters showed up to cast their vote. It's a shame that more campaigning couldn't have been done so that the people knew who they were voting for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Damn, INXS, I thought you were going to say something dumb. Anyway, was the turnout of registered voters really as high as 90 percent? I thought the number was around the 60 percent range. Either way, this is a good sign, and I find it intertesting I don't hear much of the Iraqis that sacrifice their lives for the good of their country... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest INXS Report post Posted January 31, 2005 The BBC had it at 90% of registered voters early this morning, even if it is slightly lower, all sources indicate a pretty good turn out. Anyone know when the results will be known? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 At the top-of-the-hour news report on my local RIGHT-WING RADIO STATION the news guy said about 10 days. EDIT: Paul Harvey just said the same thing. Also, I think the 90 percent is for people living outsife of Iraq who are voting. I read turnout in Iraq will be in the 60-70 percent range... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted January 31, 2005 I'm really happy for the turnout. Hopefully this is a turning point for Iraq. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vitamin X Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Shame when a country that lives under the threat of violence constantly, and even at the elections has a higher voter turnout than our own safe country. But I'm happy that Iraq has really shown to embrace the democracy bestowed upon them. One of my biggest concerns was forcing people to accept a system of government whose concept was all too foreign and Western for their liking, but they've taken to it quite well despite the dangers that faced them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 You know what's awesome? Even with threat of death, Iraq managed to outdo us in turnout rate. No, that's not a shot at the US citizens who didn't vote...ok it is, screw those lazy no good worthless bastards who couldn't even take a few hours to punch a little hole out of a card or push a little glowing button. These citizens had THREAT OF BOMBING and even THEY VOTED! So much for your "no one to vote for so no reason to go" excuse....punks. As for Iraq, it eems like they are getting a respect slowly for democracy. It's still very very early and they probably have some civil wars and other things ahead of them. It's going to be a long road and they are going to need the strength and courage to keep walking it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tom 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 It's not just that they had the threat of death at the polls to deal with. Iraqis who voted are clearly marked for a day or more by a purple stamp on their finger. So if terrorists wanted to kill people who voted, they'd be easy to distinguish from those who didn't vote. Despite these risks, the Iraqi people embraced liberty and turned out to the polls in very strong numbers. An excellent achievement all around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 As much as I dislike the execution and some of the policies, I'll give the administration props if this works out 10 years down the road. Not to mention if it works out, and it appears like it has a solid chance then no soldier died in vain. Essentially, they died to protect liberty and democracy. Hopefully if all goes well, those who died have a small momument placed either in this country or maybe if Iraq agrees a combo momument that honors all the soldiers of all the countries inside Iraq. Screw it, I'll admit it. I'm proud to have supported this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 RIGHT-WING RADIO ALERT!!! I'm sorry, I laughed when Rush said this was the second election Democrats lost in the last three months... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tom 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 RIGHT-WING RADIO ALERT!!! I'm sorry, I laughed when Rush said this was the second election Democrats lost in the last three months... Heh. I was listening in the car on my way back from lunch. That was indeed a good one... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justice 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Well, there aren't any of the normal characters running counter, so I'll post a 'counter-article' for the sake of debate: Common Dreams: Low Level of Sunni Turnout Tarnishes Iraq Election Ugh... I feel dirty after posting that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted January 31, 2005 How dare you still C-Bacon's thunder like that!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Ok, am I supposed to take an article from a website with "THE IMMINENT DEMISE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY" at the top of the page seriously? Couldn't you find an article from MAD magazine or STUFF or MAXIM? I mean, one of those quality publications had to have something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Question regarding the elections: Does anyone know the breakdown of what each candidate stands for, and the difference between each of them? I am just interested to see what these candidates represent and how exactly they ended up on the ballot. I mean besides the current interm PM, I haven't heard much at all about the other "candidates." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Ol' Smitty 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Let's not start sucking each other's dicks just yet. I am in favor of the war and I am very pleased that the elections turned out well. However, we still gots a looong way to go. For example, there is going to be a vote soon to appropriate another $100 billion for Iraq. And although I am in favor of the war because of the good potential outcome, I understand the views of those who are opposed to the war. I think that too many on the pro-war side see the war issue in very black and white terms. "You're against the war so you're pro-Saddam and anti-democracy!" No. Being something of an idealist myself, I think that the potential of bringing democracy to Iraq is a worthy goal. However, I recognize the many failures and "negatives" so far: -misleading WMD and Al-Qaeda rhetoric -lack of security -civilian death -lack of troops -disbanding the Iraqi army -reliance upon Ahmed Chalabi -torture -no post-war plan -oil -Halliburton -empirically, we're probably not any safer -the hypocrisy of invading an authoritarian regime to bring freedom while maintaining close ties to Saudi Arabia, China, Uzbekistan, etc. ...and so on. Objective cost/benefit analysis might even lean me more against the war. However, I think that freeing Iraq and, hopefully, making life better for Iraqis in the long run is a huge, altruistic plus. In conclusion, this wacky liberal gives a cautious "yay!" in the wake of January 30. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 'We had to take this risk' Whole family overcomes fears to vote Say Iraqis ready to emerge from disaster AMEER MOHSEN SPECIAL TO THE STAR BAGHDAD - I cannot describe the feeling in our house today. We just returned from the first real election any of us can remember. The whole family is here. It is a party. It is a like a dream. Two days ago, I made a very difficult decision. I told my wife and children, "No, we cannot vote. It is too dangerous." But my daughters insisted, "Papa, you must. We beg you." They were right. Looking into the faces of my children, I knew we had to take this risk. But this morning, my doubts returned. There were bombs at 8 (a.m.) and more bombs around 9 (a.m.). Then, mortar attacks. The whole neighbourhood (as-Saidiya, in southwest Baghdad) felt it. Our windows were shaking. We were shaking. We all sat in the house, maybe one hour, just looking at each other, wondering what we should do. And then finally, I said to everyone, "I'm going outside to take a look." When I reached the corner, I could not believe my eyes. There were hundreds of people, everyone moving toward the voting centre. Waves and waves of people. Old men, old women, handicapped people. People dressed in their most elegant clothes. They were Shia and Kurdi and yes, some Sunnis as well. All together, moving together. They were happy. I ran back to the house and told everyone, "We can do it. Everyone is going." We gathered our friends and neighbours and moved as one, five or six families walking together. The distance to the school was about one kilometre. Nobody was allowed to drive. Everyone was on foot. We were still very nervous. But then we saw the Iraqi National Guard soldiers everywhere along the route. The Iraqi soldiers were using loudspeakers. They said, "The voting centres are safe. Everything is secure. Have no fear. We will protect you." I remember in the time of Saddam, we were also expected to vote. And we were always afraid of these men, the Iraqi police, on such days. But today, they were a part of us. At one point, we saw the Iraqi guards drive by with an old man in the car. He was too frail to walk, so they were carrying him to the poll. My wife brought an Iraqi flag for the walk. She carried it on her shoulders and the soldiers cheered and saluted. Then we put it on our 4-year-old son. He was so proud. People pointed, and said, "He is our future. He is the new Iraq." When we got to the voting centre, everything was open. It all happened very quickly. I voted. My family voted. I think the truth is many Iraqis are ignorant of the rules. There are so many candidates, so many lists. People only recognize maybe the first 10 of these lists. But they came anyway. I think Iraqis came to affirm their rights, even if they don't have all the information they need. They want to show each other, they want to show the Arab world, they want to show the outside world, that we are not an ignorant people. That we are ready to rise from this disaster. I am still afraid those devils in the Arab world outside Iraq, they will want to doubt the legitimacy. I don't know how many people voted in the places with the most troubles, in Falluja, or Ramadi or Samara. But when we walked home, we began to see something very unexpected. Saidiya is a mixed neighbourhood, one of the places of the insurgents in Baghdad. But we could see that many of the Sunni Arabs on our streets started to change their minds this afternoon. More and more of the Sunni people in Saidiya started coming out of their houses. They decided to vote, to be a part of this day. We returned to the house. We switched on the television to see how many people died today. So far, the reports are of eight or nine suicide bombs, maybe 17 people killed. It is a horrible thing to say, but we looked at each other and we were relieved. This number makes this just a normal day. Every day, we have this many bombs. Even my children expected worse. But we have not seen it. Not today. Not yet. They we went to my father-in-law. We spent the whole night before trying to convince him to vote, but he said "No." He was against everything after the war. He was against the Americans, against the interim government, against these elections. But when he saw our faces and listened to our stories, even he changed his mind. "I am going to vote," he announced. In our family, he was the last one. In our family, I am proud to say, the turnout was 100 per cent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 I am in favor of the war and I am very pleased that the elections turned out well. However, we still gots a looong way to go. For example, there is going to be a vote soon to appropriate another $100 billion for Iraq. Well do you think Bush might divulge a little bit more information this time as to how this 100million is going to be spent, or is it just another "please sign this check without having a clue where it is going" campaigns? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Ol' Smitty 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 I am in favor of the war and I am very pleased that the elections turned out well. However, we still gots a looong way to go. For example, there is going to be a vote soon to appropriate another $100 billion for Iraq. Well do you think Bush might divulge a little bit more information this time as to how this 100million is going to be spent, or is it just another "please sign this check without having a clue where it is going" campaigns? Probably more of the same. *Edit* How the fuck do you lose $9 billion? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 I am in favor of the war and I am very pleased that the elections turned out well. However, we still gots a looong way to go. For example, there is going to be a vote soon to appropriate another $100 billion for Iraq. Well do you think Bush might divulge a little bit more information this time as to how this 100million is going to be spent, or is it just another "please sign this check without having a clue where it is going" campaigns? Probably more of the same. Off-hand do you remember the government official that predicted Iraq would cost 100-200 billion and he was promptly fired and silenced as Bush officials said it would never cost nearly that much... Oh and I can't even view that link right now, as my work has a block on webpages that fall under the category "advocacy groups" LOL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2005 Can anyone confirm or deny a report from an ABC radio report that there 4000 candidates on the Iraqi ballots? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jobber of the Week 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2005 Can anyone confirm or deny a report from an ABC radio report that there 4000 candidates on the Iraqi ballots? Clearly, they need Ballotman more than ever if that's true. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbacon 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2005 "United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting. According to reports from Saigon, 83 percent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong. A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam." - New York Times, September 4, 1967 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2005 "United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting. According to reports from Saigon, 83 percent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong. A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam." - New York Times, September 4, 1967 by gawd, what are you implying? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justice 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2005 "United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting. According to reports from Saigon, 83 percent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong. A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam." - New York Times, September 4, 1967 by gawd, what are you implying? That he lacks little knowledge of what Vietnam actually was, apparently. I guess fighting an actual country is the same as fighting an insurgency, considering that the NVA caused far more damage than the VC ever could have hoped for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lil' Bitch 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2005 When are we suppose to leave Iraq again? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
