Lincoln Chafee locks down the metric advocate vote

[hack89]

As he sweated through a steamy 34-degree Celsius Texas day, Paul Trusten tried and tried to get in touch with Lincoln Chafee's campaign.

What he wanted to say: If you want to make switching the United States to the metric system a centerpiece of your presidential run, we're here to help. "Everybody measures things. It's not a matter of political philosophy," he said.

Trusten, a Midland pharmacist who's the vice president of the U.S. Metric Association, has for years wanted politicians to embrace the idea that Chafee -- the former Rhode Island governor and senator -- mentioned Wednesday night in his campaign's launch speech.

"Let's be bold. Let's join the rest of the world and go metric," Chafee said Wednesday night at George Mason University in Virginia.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/04/politics/lincoln-chafee-metric-system/index.html

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Sadly, no.

I'm a long time metric advocate, and I'm still behind Bernie. Sorry, Lincoln. We're a split bunch, not a monolith.

[HassleCat]

2. Laugh it up

OK, I admit he was searching for an issue and stumbled on this, but it's an important indicator of the way the right wing works in this country. Years ago, we were well on our way to understanding the difference between a centimeter and a centipede. We actually taught kids how to use the metric system, until the right wingers decided we don't need no high falutin Yurpeen metric system, no sir. I'm not sure Chafee intended to make this point, but the Republican Party of which he was a member for so many years has been an obstacle to progress, very anti-business, totally against free trade, etc. by opposing the metric system.

[MADem]

3. As some one who thinks USA kids should be bi-weights and measures

and be taught this in school, I nonetheless feel that Chaffee doomed himself with those comments. DAILY SHOW had a field day mocking him. It's a steep climb outta that hole...

[yellowcanine]

4. I am in favor of the U.S. going metric but this is not a good campaign issue, imo.

And actually we mostly are metric except for the building trades and the transportation system. I could see gradually going metric on road signs, etc. but again, not an issue worthy of basing a presidential campaign on.

[CTyankee]

5. It would freak some people out. Lots of kids are learning it in school but older folks

would go nuts. This idea was advanced in the 1970s and my mother got terrified that one day she'd wake up one day and find all the mileage signs on the highway in metric measure and then she wouldn't know exactly where she was in distance.

[yellowcanine]

6. Most of the boomers who are becoming "the older folks" grew up with the metric system.

It is not a big deal. I suspect the strongest resistance would be to switching from Fahrenheit to Celsius. So use both. Same with highway signs. Post in both miles and kilometers.

[CTyankee]

7. Yep. I agree.

[brooklynite]

8. All 3.12 of them

[Reter]

9. What's the point in changing now?

It is easier for kids to learn?