US Presidential Elections 2008

[JenniferAlice]

Is Obama that funny guy that's always talking about pies? I like him, he's a laugh riot.
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Barack Obama: Too Much Pie For One Guy

 

[white avenger]

Regardless of the promises and supposed changes the candidates have given, I think that this entire election has deteriorated into a circus and has made our whole political system the brunt of far too many jokes. At best, we are presented with a choice between the lesser of two evils, and at worst just presented with partisan rhetoric that really means "business as usual," regardless of which party wins. We need major changes in the way that the United States handles its interests, both foreign and domestic, and without those changes, we will never see any real changes.

(Now, stepping down off of my soap box) I'll just be glad when the circus is over, even if it means that the clowns take over again.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

So when will we know who won?

 

[Blondie Bear]

^ Sometime early Wednesday morning, like 2 or 3 AM EST, I'd say.

 

[Queen Mum]

So when will we know who won?

After the Supreme Court has decided not to recount some state's votes

 

[Superstar]

yellowcrayon agrees: Brainwashed American Youth karma! It's especially sad when someone presented with McCain's views as Obama's still agrees and says that's why they're voting for Obama.

Unfortunately I have seen that very thing done as a news report.
Peer-pressure was mentioned already and has been proven at colleges as well as high schools.
This whole election has been a farce and an embarrassment.
Actually, it's a lot like the Climate Change movement now that I think about it.

 

[Lou]

I have to admit that I wasn't pro-republican before. But, in watching all the debates and interviews with McCain and/or Palin, I was disgusted to see how much they wouldn't answer or would just switch things to other topics all together.
I'm used to politicians "dancing" around subjects, but it just got miserable with those two after a while.
McCain, in particular, especially in the last debate and the last few interviews seemed to just either 1.) totally duck all questions and change the subject with talking about it in the first 4 words and then saying, "Well, it's like this...." and darting off to something else. 2.) or he's really senile and likes to ramble like my husband's Papaw because he can't keep his thoughts straight.

Either way, most of the things he said seemed a LOT more like the SNL skits where they weren't saying much but kept promoting how things were going to change. Which just isn't enough for me.

On the flip side, I agree that the rich should pay more taxes. If only because they have more loopholes to get OUT of taxes than I do. I agree companies who are shipping their jobs to India should get taxed. I agree that healthcare needs reform but NOT with taxing what we pay to the insurance companies. And there is no way we can get health insurance for our families with $5000 a year.

I don't believe either candidate is going to be able to implement all their policies that they've discussed. But, I do feel better voting for someone who's ideas I agree with than one's I don't. Especially if the candidate doesn't want to elaborate on how things are going to work.

In the end, I think Obama just explained his ideas better than McCain did. I think he set out to insure that the middle class would "get him" and he accomplished that better than McCain. At least in this house.
And I tried to understand. Because of the IRC, I ended up watching the debates, listening to the commentary after from both sides and watching them a 2nd time. If for no other reason than really wanting to understand the theory behind McCain's thoughts in case I'm stuck with him for 4 years. But, it didn't work.

I do know one thing though.....the rich aren't as affected by the ecomony as we are. We are scraping money together for gas and the kid's lunches at school. My in-laws are still trotting off to Aruba 3 times a year and and living like they always have. At least outwardly, they haven't changed their way of life in even the smallest bit. It's upsetting to say the least.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

Unfortunately I have seen that very thing done as a news report.
Peer-pressure was mentioned already and has been proven at colleges as well as high schools.

I've noticed that quite a few people have accused high school and college students being driven toward a certain candidate simply by their peers' opinions, but really, it seems that almost everyone bases at least parts of their political views on what their friends and family believe in, regardless of age or occupation. Also, Obama isn't the only one that people are being pressured into voting for. Just as much bias exists towards McCain, but a lot of people don't acknowledge it because Obama supporters tend to get more attention from the media.

In the end, I think Obama just explained his ideas better than McCain did.

I agree with most of your post, but this stood out to me because I was just thinking the exact same thing. While Obama explained his ideas and plans for the country in detail, McCain spent too much time analyzing the flaws in Obama's plans while at the same time failing to elaborate on his own.

 

[SpikedBuffy]

I have a question that I can't for the live of me remember the answer to. So, someone who knows, please answer.

Why doesn't Obama say the Pledge of Allegiance? He had a reason for it, but I can't remember what that reason is.

And yes- there is a lot of peer-pressure in schools. Even in my second grade class, the kids have been discussing the Presidents. A majority of the teachers are Democrats and have been teaching the kids the blessings of Obama and the evils of McCain. Those kids are telling all the other kids who 'they should vote for'. Even without discussing these two candidates (We're covering this tomorrow and Tuesday in my classroom), my children have already decided that Obama will be the best. Without even knowing anything about them. So yes, peer-pressure happens... even when you're 8!

I think I"ll be the only teacher that presents positives from both sides of the campaign for the children. I'm a minority... a republican teacher. 🙂

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Why doesn't Obama say the Pledge of Allegiance? He had a reason for it, but I can't remember what that reason is.

I think you got may have gotten the facts alittle backwards; it was his refusal to put his hand over his heart for OUR National Anthem. To which the canned response was (more or less) 'sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't'

I have not heard the tale of the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

[Blondie Bear]

There was apparently an e-mail going around that claimed Obama said he didn't wear the flag pin because he didn't want to "appear to be taking sides" because he thought a lot of people saw the American flag as "a symbol of oppression," and also that the National Anthem was "too militant, with all the stuff about bombs bursting" and he wanted to change it to "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing."

Turns out, whoever wrote that was doing so as a satire, but a LOT of people believed it (not that I blame them; he and his family and friends have said so much other stuff that it's not hard to believe that he'd say something like this). I don't know if that's what you heard, but I hope it helps.

 

[ckg927]

I think you got may have gotten the facts alittle backwards; it was his refusal to put his hand over his heart for OUR National Anthem. To which the canned response was (more or less) 'sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't'

I have not heard the tale of the Pledge of Allegiance.

If we're going to get into this type of silliness,answer me this: Why couldn't John McCain be bothered to wear a flag pin at the deabtes? Why does John McCain hate America? 🙂

Seriously,though,here's my point: A flag is a SYMBOL. Nothing more,nothing less. Is a person who doesn't wear such a pin,yet has a lot of love and respect for his or her country less of a person than someone who prattles on and on about how we must all be flag-waving,flag-pin wearing superpatriots,yet does not practice what they preach? Samuel Johnson said it best: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

 

[Kali]

*wades in and no doubt puts her foot in her big fat British feminist mouth... at the every least lights blue touch paper and stands well back 😉

My choice got booted out. I wanted Hillary. I've been backing her for 9 years, well before she even started building up the campaign warchest. She kicks the others into touch, and what's more, she directly represents a minority regardless of ethnicity - the half of the population that are WOMEN. Plus Obama, McCain (in particular) and Palin all have really whiney voices. At least she spoke with tonal depth as well as political gravitas. If it hadn't have been for that twonk of a philandering husband of hers coming with I think she would have stood a much better chance.

I'm with you BotD, that it was Obama's colour that got him this far - his experience is lacking. You can hear it now - 'oooohhh look how liberal and forward thinking we are, we aren't racist at all, we might even have a black president! Never mind that we left the populace of New Orleans to rot in sewage, that's bygones, this makes up for it.'

I don't like any of them, and I am particularly worried about the amount of bible related 'god bless us all' nonsense that goes with both tickets too. At least here god and church don't get mentioned in state affairs unless it is directly relevant to the issue at hand. I find it quite, quite worrying that the president in waiting is still singing religion at a time when, particularly from a Muslim perspective, what can really only be construed as 'the new crusades' in Iraq and Afghanistan are still being fought. This situation finds many people, christians and non-Christians alike, quite aggrieved by mishandling and bungling, so proselytising and preaching god seems ill advised and inappropriate.

My best scenario.... Hillary divorces Bill and gets rid of the dead weight, Obama loses, Hills gets in in 4 years. But it's still pants 'cos that means McCain wins. Or better still, Hillary does a reverse Michael Jackson and becomes black, or at the very least mixed race. That's a win-win. 😉

 

[Lou]

^^ Actually, it wasn't Obama's color that did squat for me.
HOWEVER, if I were to be voting based on outward appearances, I would say that his age and the ages of his children being close to mine would have cinched it.

The age means a LOT more to me than anything else!

 

[SpikedBuffy]

Oh, maybe it was the National Anthem. I just remember that he refuses to do one of them, and I couldn't remember why. I remember seeing a picture maybe last year or so of a whole group of people standing for one of them (either the pledge or the anthem) and he was refusing to do it.

That's all I wanted to know. Thanks!

 

[Lou]

SpikedBuffy-

We got the WHOLE opposite scenerio here. It was just weird. A month or so ago the kids started coming home from school saying they were learning about the election (or perfection, depending on which kid you asked) and they ONLY knew McCain was running. They hadn't even been told about Obama. I gave it a week or so, thinking they were going to learn about it later, and they apparently never did.
They just kept saying McCain was running and he was going to be president.

I was utterly confused. I'm still confused. I'd have much rather the school taught them equally about both candidates. Maybe not ALL the issues, because they're tiny, but at least that there were two candidates and some things about them so that they could start to realize that people make different decisions for different reasons.

I'm am VERY pleased to hear your teaching your students that way. I don't really care which way the kids wanna vote, but I do care that they learn about both candidates and make their own decisions someday.

 

[ckg927]

Kali: I have to agree with part of your post as far as religion goes. Understand that both parties invoke God in this country for entirely different reasons. The Republicans do it because they're wed(in the figurative sense)to the "religious right"(or,as I like to call them,the American Taliban)and have been for decades. The Democrats do it because they fear being tarred by the R's as anti-religious(doesn't stop some of them from saying it,anyway).

Now,as far as Hillary goes: My take is that she would be in the same position as Obama is right now IF she had run a better campaign-in terms of her advisors,etc. making one stupid statement after another. Her husband's inability to keep the zipper closed had nothing to do with it.

One more note: Some of this country's presidents have been elected with similarly wanting political resumes. Just because you have served in high office for so-and-so years does not automatically translate into being a good president.

 

[SpikedBuffy]

That's very interesting! 🙂

We're having our talk tomorrow, and it's not going to be intensive. It's going to be like 3 positive things about what they will do for America that children can understand. And then Tuesday, we'll talk about elections and have our vote. The majority of the talk is going to be about how an election is done. I mean, they're freaking 8. They will not understand their policies, even if I bring them down to their level. I don't even fully understand all the policies and I'm an adult.

 

[Queen Mum]

You obviously don't know what you're talking about.

The social concious is something that is born and lives on. I know plenty of Germans who are ashamed of their history because of what happened. They don't have to have been born in that time to feel really bad about what happened because they are direct descendants of the atrocities.

It is like white folks in the world feeling ashamed of slavery. People are still dealing with that through Reparations as repayment for the shameful act.

WW1 and WW2 will be in the social conscience of Germany and co for quite a few generations to come - especially since countries like the UK continually make mention of it.
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The point is, Germany is the only country that has shown the fervour they have for Obama. I am pretty sure there are MANY countries that will be glad to see the back end of Bush, equal to or more so than Germany BUT they have gotten behind Obama in a really vocal way.

Ohh and with all that is going on in the world, that 'paper' doesn't sound too appealing really considering its quite obvious who are voting for him.

I discussed this with a few friends and we actually cannot see in what way our conscious is supposed to be effected by the two world wars. Well obviously they are both both things which shall never be forgotten, but generally speaking after nearly 70 years, one should stop making comparisons with Germany back then and now. Of course one should not forget, but I do think that this association with us being in favour of Obama, just to clense our soul really is a bit of.

Referring to Monty Python, just please stop mentioning the war, at least when a subject has got really nothing to with it. Obama just really is in a surprising, striking and in an odd way extremely popular with the Germans. I'm basically puzzled about it and I can't find any good answer to this question, however I'm pretty sure it does not include World War 2. I suspect it just has to with the Germans just really cannot get the proposed policies of McCain and cannot identify with them, but instead believe him to be the bigger of the two evils and the Obama is the guy, who will stop McCain and the Repubicans. I just really think that the Republicans have got a bad image with President Dodo. Interstingly he really hasn't opened his mouth much in the last weeks. 🙂


Also Obama might appear in the eyes of the German as a "Gutmensch". Somebody who basically works for the greater good with respect to the wishes of society. I believe, that this is a bit of an euphemstic view, but we will hopefully see, what Obama will be up to ins first term as President. I really hope he will lead America and the world through our present crisis. he might be the guy to tackle it.🙂

 

[Superstar]

Blondie Bear agrees: Yay, no sarcasm (way too easy to read stuff like that into a text-only medium).

Here's some sarcasm:
Everyone is pretty much aware of the term Voodoo Economics and Reagan - I've minted two new phrases in honor of this election

McCain - Hoodoo Economics
Obama - Hobo Economics