December 28th, 2007
Change
I watched this Obama speech today.
Some highlights for me.
“The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result.”
“You can’t at once argue that you’re the master of a broken system in Washington and offer yourself as the person to change it.”
“There’s no shortage of anger and bluster and bitter partisanship out there. We don’t need more heat. We need more light. I’ve learned in my life that you can stand firm in your principles while still reaching out to those who might not always agree with you.”
Joe B. says:
I like Obama. Peggy Noonan wrote last week that she’d just like to see someone reasonable in the White House — a grownup, I read that to mean — and to me, Obama seems reasonable. Of course, my own values require conservative economic policy (low taxes that spur job creation and more revenue) and a view of national defense that I don’t imagine Obama (or other reasonable liberal-leaning folks like you, John), particularly share.
Hillary’s got the seriousness, but the core values are lacking. I think Hillary’s top priority in life is winning. Romney seems decent, but it’s hard to know what he stands for, either, and I live in his state. Edwards makes my skin crawl; he might be the most repulsive sycophant in American political history. Ron Paul I could dig if he weren’t so goofy on foreign policy. Maybe McCain, but he’s got first-amendment and tax baggage. Huckabee? A liberal with an evangelical streak? WTF?
I was telling a workmate today that all the truly reasonable, smart, serious folks in America go and start businesses or do something great with their lives. Few become career politicians, but that’s largely the pool from which we choose our presidents.
So, in the end, maybe going Obama and taking a break from Clinton-Bush isn’t such a bad thing. It would be nice if Congress were Republican-led under that scenario, since split government generally reins in the excesses of both parties. (See: Clinton’s welfare and free-trade compromises after 1994, and Bush suddenly figuring out how a friggin’ veto pen works after 6 years of misplacing it.) The public usually agrees, given the tendency of the party occupying the White House to lose seats in off-year elections.
Anyway, whatever. McCain-Lieberman, anyone?
Happy New Year, by the way!
December 31st, 2007 at 8:16 pm
John says:
well I really do agree with you on many things my man. I find Obama to be really the only one that would be someone who could unite people and get things done. Reagan did it with Tip Oneill and Clinton and Gingrich well…erh..uhm…Anyway. The point is I will refuse the personal attacks on hillary and I get so mad when I hear people call her a bitch. That to me is a bit sexist and unnecessary. but igt shows the polarization that she would bring to the presidency. Plus I don;t like being told by the media who is the winner. and I resent her recent fear tactics out of bushs playbook.
edwards-agree
GOP very flawed candidates. I like McCain..a lot. I find him less hawkish than hillary…but i lost respect for him when he kissed bush at the 04 convention.
romney is the devil.
huckabee is very likeable. I could tolerate him.
guliani–is a joke with no punchline. a shame cuz i want to vot for an italian.
I just dont any of the old guard in there. Obama and Paul are the closest thing we could get to a fresh start.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Matt says:
How the F*** is Huckabee lickable. I mean come on, the idiot doesn’t even believe in evolution! So you’re saying that a backwards, religious bent moron is likeable because he doesn’t sing “bomb bomb Iran” like McCain did?
I like Obama, but frankly I find Edwards to be a refreshing example of a man pulling himself up by his own bootstraps. Romney is a crowd pleaser, and I mean he speaks out of both sides of his mouth to please whatever he feels the “popular” kids want to hear.
Let’s face it the whole GOP is filled with disgusting examples of people who play to the lowest common denomintaor, and use our safety as a way of scaring us into voting for them.
Bednar I expect this from but you John?
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Joe B. says:
Huckabee’s lickable? Only by his wife in the context of a committed, heterosexual marriage union, his church might insist. And even then concerns might arise.
Matt, I know you’re deeply committed to electing only Dems, and that’s fine. I agree with you on Romney, which is why he wouldn’t be my candidate. But Hillary is the reigning queen of triangulation, only she does so without her husband’s impressive political skill. In fact, all these people, on both sides of the aisle, make sometimes-odious compromises. The way we pick a president is kinda ridiculous, when you get right down to it.
So, please, spare us the “GOP = evil, Dems = good” line — I mean, this has not been a banner year for Congress’ newly in-charge party, which has already broken all its promises to run government with more openness and fiscal transparency than the GOP did. I’m willing to scan the entire landscape for the ideal candidate, or at least the least-flawed. If you think a Dem-dominated Washington is the only way to go, then — as Huckabee would say — God bless y’all.
But, good Lord … John Edwards … urgh.
Happy New Year to you, too, Matt.
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Matt says:
Joe,
Your problem with Edwards may be more personal than I can help.
You must believe this, I would LOVE a GOP canidate that I could at least tolerate, hell I voted for William Weld in MA! Yet morons like Huckabee who spout religion before the constitution should laughed off the politcal stage. And the others have done nothing to even appear like they will consider ideas beyond the crap we’re stuck with now.
As for Hilary if she is a front for bill and his people, BRING THEM ON! Let’s not forget how stable and financially fertile this country was during his time in office. I know the sex thing, but as the 2000 year old man said, “if they don’t do it to their wives or mistresses than they’ll do it to the country”
Then again can we even hope to meet in a middle ground when people think Bush was a good president?
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:10 pm
John says:
I think Huckabee is likeable in so much I have seen him on Bill Mahers show and Jon Stewarts show and I remember thinking that he was likeable. And he seemed to be ahead of most of his party on the environment. I must admit that his the most recent two weeks he has tended to really been riding the fundamentalist crap and really pandering. I never agreed with the majority of his platform, if any, nor can i say I agree with anything really from the entire GOP…except maybe that Government spending is out of control…But if I had to sit through another four years of a republican I would probably lose less sleep and be less nauseous with Huckabee than with Romney or Rudy. But then again who knows what any of these feckn guys are gonna do if they get in….Bush ran as a “compassionate conservative” if i remember correctly.
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
John says:
Regarding Edwards I just cannot get that debate with Cheney out of my head. There is just something about Edwards that just doesnt sit right with me. I’ll admit its all personality or something. I totally agree with almost everything he believes. I agree with the two americas thing totally. I just wish I could read his words rather than hear him or see him…I would vote for him without question over any of the GOP. But there is just something that just doesn’t “get” him. Kind of like those beach boy albums that Rolling Stone always rates high in their TOP ALBUMS OF ALL TIME issues…I just don’t get it…even though I do think “god only knows” is a great song.
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Joe B. says:
“… nor can i say I agree with anything really from the entire GOP…except maybe that Government spending is out of control…
It would have been nice if the GOP actually ACTED like they believed that over the past 6 years. I think they’re realizing now that abandoning core principles kind of sucks. At least the Dems are unapologetic about bringin’ home the bacon.
“…I agree with the two americas thing totally…”
I do believe I’m in the America that doesn’t have access to hedge funds.
“…Kind of like those beach boy albums that Rolling Stone always rates high in their TOP ALBUMS OF ALL TIME issues…”
Tell me about it. Totally agree. Although “God Only Knows” kicks so much ass that it actually leaves an alarming shortage of unkicked asses in its wake for other songs to kick.
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:43 pm