Election 2008

[Coral Rhedd]

Anyone for Rice?

 

Anne? I think she drinks a bit.

 

Oh you mean the one who always has her nose up Bush's . . .

[In My Memory]

Pangloss,

 

Seems like a nice person' date=' but a follower, not a leader.

 

But this is really the first time she's been in a forefront leadership role. Let's see how the next couple years go.[/quote']

She would be well-suited for VP.

Giuliani and Rice, a perfectly electable ticket.

 

Hey Bud' date=' did you notice your buddy Obama voting in favor of the Schiavo law a few weeks ago?

 

(hides)[/quote']

I am glad I'm not the only liberal refusing to swoon over Sen. Obama.

[budullewraagh]

pangloss is a liberal? ack, what is this platform coming to?

 

out of curiosity, why are the two of you not enamored by obama?

 

btw, rice is pure evil

[Pangloss]

Oh I think he's a very interesting fellow, and I'll be following him closely. I just wonder how many of his supporters are aware that he voted for the Schiavo law. Not that that was any great surprise, mind you -- I believe the entire CBC voted as a block on that issue (although I could be mistaken). But it's not the hard-line liberal position, for sure.

[Aardvark]

Why do so many people think Obama is such a great politician? (other than the fact that he is black).

[budullewraagh]

have you heard any of his speeches?

[Aardvark]

Only the headlines reported on TV.

 

All i've heard is a lot of talk about how good he is, but no one has actually said why.

[Aardvark]

He seems a good enough person, but nothing special.

 

I don't understand all the fuss. He doesn't seem to have any particularly new or inspiring ideas.

[budullewraagh]

check out his speech at the DNC on nytimes.com

[Aardvark]

Just been checking out his website.

 

Nice enough stuff, but nothing particularly exciting or original.

[-Demosthenes-]

I must admit he pitches the liberal issues very well.

[Douglas]

I'm hoping they repeal the 22nd amendment and Bush runs for a 3rd term.

[Pangloss]

Hey, how come nobody's talking about Hillary vs. Laura?

[AzurePhoenix]

McKain all the way!!! Too bad it will never happen.

[Aardvark]

I'm hoping they repeal the 22nd amendment and Bush runs for a 3rd term.

 

G W Bush versus Bill Clinton.

 

Could be interesting.

[budullewraagh]

mccain has become a whore to the extremists

 

douglas, bush isnt anywhere near the greatness that was fdr. i think the ignorant have had their time screwing the us over and that by 2008 we'll be through with this hypocrisy

[Pangloss]

mccain has become a whore to the extremists

 

Really? How so? He's always seemed like an anti-extremist kind of guy to me.

[paleolithic]

Arnie++

 

AHHHHH! lol. Aw man, I live in CA and Arnie is just crazy. It seems like everyday he gets worked up and says something that gets him in political trouble, then has to apologize, it's hilarious. The most recent one, he blamed his poor english when he said california should close it's borders. Man, I can just imagine him being president.

[Dapthar]

She would be well-suited for VP.

Giuliani and Rice' date=' a perfectly electable ticket.

[/quote']I believe the same thing was said about Kerry and Edwards early on, and it didn't seem to do them much good.

 

AHHHHH! lol. Aw man, I live in CA and Arnie is just crazy. ... Man, I can just imagine him being president.

The constitution would have to be amended for a non-natural born citizen to become President.

 

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States, specifically, the "Requirements to hold office" section.)

[In My Memory]

Budullewraagh,

 

out of curiosity, why are the two of you not enamored by obama?

A sense of jaded negativity I suppose.

 

I consider that he is relatively new, and doesnt have a great deal to show, so I have little reason to throw my hands up for him to cheer as loudly as the rest of Illinois.

 

At best, his high-profile entrance into politics and high public approval are good predictors of his solid place in politics, but I'm afraid I am without reason to believe he should be anymore remarkable any other politician. (If in the worst case scenario, that he habitually votes along party lines, then my respect for him would be on the same level as every other ideological politician.)

 

 

Pangloss,

 

Really? How so? He's always seemed like an anti-extremist kind of guy to me.

I wouldnt call him an extremist, but recently I've been rather disappointed with McCain.

 

My repsect for McCain has waned after he campaigned heavily for a Bush victory in '04.

 

Recently, he has trumpeted Mr. Bush's social security plan. However, the fact McCain supports this plan so ardently before Bush considers actually revealing his social security fix is evidence that McCain is merely toeing the partisan line.

 

Those kinds of moves cost him valuable integrity points.

 

 

Dapthar,

 

I believe the same thing was said about Kerry and Edwards early on, and it didn't seem to do them much good.

Maybe we should raise our standards of "electable ticket" above a man to the left of the Democrat's mean, and above the level of a former ambulance chaser.

 

The election was very close, 51/49, it seems the nation voted virtually along party lines. I believe the deciding factor in the election were the "moral values" factor (which to anyone who can read between the lines, translates directly into "smear the queers") that probably put Bush over the top.

 

The constitution would have to be amended for a non-natural born citizen to become President.

 

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States' date=' specifically, the "Requirements to hold office" section.[/i'])

I believe that particular constitutional provision should be repealed. The provision was originally included to prevent English kingsmen from obtaining power and eventually merging the US back under the English monarchy - I dont think we need to worry about those things now. Today, the natural-born requirement discriminates against certain group of citizens, and I consider that to be grounds to declare the Article II obsolete.

 

Democrats are currently opposing the provisions to rewrite the Article is to prevent Arnold from becoming president (if he ran, I'm certain he would win). A major problem for the Democrats in refusing to re-amend the constitution is that is looks like they are being prejudiced against people from foreign nations - Dems are stuck being a rock and a hard place.

[Hellbender]

I'm hoping they repeal the 22nd amendment and Bush runs for a 3rd term.

 

I'm not a masochist, so I hope they don't just for Bush.

 

The constitution would have to be amended for a non-natural born citizen to become President.

 

Oh don't worry, someone will try that too....

[AzurePhoenix]

mccain has become a whore to the extremists

I must admit to being an independent liberal-extremist, but mostly, I want an Arizonan senator in office so that someone will finally be in position to help out our state's school system, and I'm one of those people who pledge allegiance to their state more so than their country.

[Pangloss]

Sure, I just want to know in what way he's become a "whore to the extremists". I'm not necessarily even disagreeing, I'm just curious what prompted that assessment.

[john5746]

 

I wouldnt call him an extremist' date=' but recently I've been rather disappointed with McCain.

 

My repsect for McCain has waned after he campaigned heavily for a Bush victory in '04.

 

Recently, he has trumpeted Mr. Bush's social security plan. However, the fact McCain supports this plan so ardently before Bush considers actually revealing his social security fix is evidence that McCain is merely toeing the partisan line.

 

Those kinds of moves cost him valuable integrity points.

 

It is obvious to me that McCain is thinking of running in 08. I don't see how supporting a President in his own party is wrong. He made it apparent that while he liked Kerry, he thought Bush was the best Commander in Chief. It is apparent to everyone that SOMETHING should be done to fix social security, so when the pres says he wants to do something about it, what's wrong with supporting him?

 

I am not a supporter of Bush, but I understand why McCain supports him on some of the issues.

[In My Memory]

John,

 

It is obvious to me that McCain is thinking of running in 08. I don't see how supporting a President in his own party is wrong. He made it apparent that while he liked Kerry' date=' he thought Bush was the best Commander in Chief. It is apparent to everyone that SOMETHING should be done to fix social security, so when the pres says he wants to do something about it, what's wrong with supporting him?

 

I am not a supporter of Bush, but I understand why McCain supports him on some of the issues.[/quote']

Part of the reason people liked McCain - the old McCain - was his ability to be upfront, genuine, and honest. Of all things, he didnt act like a politician, and until now few of his actions seemed to be motivated by partisan thinking, and as a politician he was fairly moderate. Style and personal image are what made him such a likable politician, not the ability to adhere to the labels "liberal" or "conservative". Thats the reason people liked him - he was the Repub's very own Bill Clinton.

 

But, if his idea of running in '08 means nudging away from the center, then I find he is doing more to alienate a large number of the Democratic voters he would have had. And I dont think its necessary for McCain to pander to the right-leaning Repubs before the primaries, McCain is already quite politically secure and popular enough that it isnt necessary for him to pretend to move further to the right.

 

I can imagine that what McCain is doing is probably strategically acceptable, but it leaves the bad taste of "dirty politics".