antishock8 wrote:Possibly, but what's troubling for me determining what's done out of political expediency, and what's true to Senator Obama's heart.
You can be sure everything is done out of political expediency, but you can never be sure about another person's heart. Why even begin to factor "Obama's heart" or "McCain's heart" into the decision? You will only project more of yourself into it if you try and read minds like that.
I just don't know, and I'd prefer to err on the safe side.
I have no idea what "the safe side" could mean given the alternative.
"And yet another little spot is smoothed out of the echo chamber wall..." Bond
The Dude wrote: You can be sure everything is done out of political expediency, but you can never be sure about another person's heart. Why even begin to factor "Obama's heart" or "McCain's heart" into the decision? You will only project more of yourself into it if you try and read minds like that.
I just don't know, and I'd prefer to err on the safe side.
I have no idea what "the safe side" could mean given the alternative.
Well, the safe side is a Senator with 20+ years experience versus a Senator with 2+ years of experience.
Yeah. Sorry. I was viewing the discussion from a 'ticket' perspective rather than Governor Palin versus Senator Obama since the conversation was moved in that direction.
No, he means the Chosen One, the Messiah, Lord Obama, most merciful.
He means the black nationalist, Marxist intellectual poseur presently running for the office of the Presidency for the People's Democratic Party Popular Salvation Front.
He's the guy you're going to vote for, apparently.
You know, he's the one everyone who wants to lose the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and on terror generally is going to vote for. He's the guy you vote for if you agree with legal infanticide. He's the guy you vote for if you believe in the nationalization of virually the entire American economy. He's the guy Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants you to vote for.
That guy.
Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father [in Heaven] and how familiar his face is to us
- President Ezra Taft Benson
I am so old that I can remember when most of the people promoting race hate were white.
The last 8 year have been pretty bad for our country, and in many ways we are falling into ruin. Granted there are many unknowns about the future and about both candidates, yet I feel like given our dire circumstances, the safe choice would be for change -- even for someone with less experienced -- rather than for repetition with a long experienced player. Can anyone argue that McCain would be less likely to maintain the status quo and repeat Bush's mistakes than would Obama? Obama is the safe bet in these terms.
"And yet another little spot is smoothed out of the echo chamber wall..." Bond
The Dude wrote:The last 8 year have been pretty bad for our country, and in many ways we are falling into ruin. Granted there are many unknowns about the future and about both candidates, yet I feel like given our dire circumstances, the safe choice would be for change -- even for someone with less experienced -- rather than for repetition with a long experienced player. Can anyone argue that McCain would be less likely to maintain the status quo and repeat Bush's mistakes than would Obama? Obama is the safe bet in these terms.
Hitchens compares Obama and Dukakis... which is a totally different issue from the other two arguments you have raised against Obama (his past associates and his level of experience). This is all over the map, as if you are just taking any source of negativity you can find against Obama. Notably, Hitchens never says Obama would be a bad president, only that he's running too safe of a campaign when he should be blowing McCain out of the water.
"And yet another little spot is smoothed out of the echo chamber wall..." Bond
Choosing John McCain, in particular, would herald the construction of a bridge to the 20th century—and not necessarily the last part of it, either. McCain represents a Cold War style of nationalism that doesn't get the shift from geopolitics to geoeconomics, the centrality of soft power in a multipolar world, or the transformative nature of digital technology. This is a matter of attitude as much as age. A lot of 71-year-olds are still learning and evolving. But in 2008, being flummoxed by that newfangled doodad, the personal computer, seems like a deal-breaker. At this hinge moment in human history, McCain's approach to our gravest problems is hawkish denial. I like and respect the man, but the maverick has become an ostrich: He wants to deal with the global energy crisis by drilling and our debt crisis by cutting taxes, and he responds to security challenges from Georgia to Iran with Bush-like belligerence and pique.
You may or may not agree with Obama's policy prescriptions, but they are, by and large, serious attempts to deal with the biggest issues we face: a failing health care system, oil dependency, income stagnation, and climate change. To the rest of the world, a rejection of the promise he represents wouldn't just be an odd choice by the United States. It would be taken for what it would be: sign and symptom of a nation's historical decline.
"And yet another little spot is smoothed out of the echo chamber wall..." Bond
The bottom line is you have the Senator Obama campaign sloganeering its way to the Presidency. What you just posted about Governor Palin's supporters could be just as well applied to the Obamaniacs, too. I'm not sure why Senator Obama is getting a pass from so many Democrats reference his lack of experience, his gaffes, his associations, and tepid campaining, but he is. The only thing that I can think of is Democrats have bought into their own "Change!" and "Hope!" while overlooking the obvious:
Senator Obama was not ready to lead.
Period.
Frankly, I'm a little surprised by your comments because they reflect a genuflection that I would not have attributed to you.
As for me, the combination of Senator Obama's inexperience, past associations, and Leftist positions make me extremely uncomfortable. I prefer Senator McCain because he's attempting to center the political process a little more than your average politician. For example, reference this bailout he recommended creating a bipartisan committee to oversee the bailout so both sides could check each other, and so the process could be free of accusations of partisan hackery. This makes sense because if they are going to have a bailout, which seems unavoidable at this point, it's good to see an experienced man taking a reasoned approach to a complex and difficult problem. Being inclusive and thoughtful seems to be something Senator McCain has attempted on more than one occasion, and I appreciate that.
edit: I forgot to mention that I have Slate saved to my Favorites. I try to balance my politics with healthy doses of both Rightis and Leftist blogging. Daily Kos. LGF. Slate. Drudge. Fox. CNN. Etc... As painful as it is to read such polarized opinions I think it's necessary to do so in order to gain an idea of the electorate's mindset.
Last edited by Guest on Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.