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Ellis has encouraged me to follow American politics.
I wonder who he thinks will win the election, or if he supports any candidates.
I saw that Obama guy on Jon Stewart a while ago, he seemed quite cool. -
Obama FTW.
I want to see him win the Presidency, if only to see how pissed off all the red-neck American hunters get when I bring him up as they wait for their gas. (Hurrah public service industry....great for fucking with people I don't like). -
If the Democrats win, please let it be anyone but Clinton. She seems to willing to say what people want to hear, particularly when it comes to keeping foreign policy hawks happy. If the Republicans win, please let it be anyone other then Huckabee. I think that him winning would be one of the signs of the endtymes. But really, does it matter who gets in?
Not that I think that British politics is any better. Here, it looks pretty likely that people want to use their freedom of choice to elect David FUCKING Cameron. Because we haven't just stopped being ruled by a slimy, cynical PR man, have we? -
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CommentAuthorAndre Navarro
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
I'm hoping for Obama. He's articulate and intelligent. And a black president would be a huge step against racism and a punch in the face of any member of KKK.
"But wait - how do we know Obama's not actually an asshole pretending to be a good guy until he becomes president?"
We DON'T know. He's just the one who sounds less artificial. Welcome to Politics.If the Republicans win, please let it be anyone other then Huckabee. I think that him winning would be one of the signs of the endtymes.
And I completely fucking agree. Fortunately, him winning Iowa doesn't mean shit - Iowa is full of religious people who would love to see a guy like Huckabee in the presidency.
Obama winning Iowa, now... THAT means something. -
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- CommentAuthorolivertwisted
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
I'd rate Hilary Clinton as moderately evil but probably quite competent. She's not my first choice but I wouldn't lose too much sleep if she got the nomination. Obama currently looks to the be the best of the Democrats and I was pleased to see him do so well in Iowa. The Republicans have yet to demonstrate a candidate who isn't completely insane in some major and relevant way. Huckabee emerging so strongly from Iowa depressed the shit out of me. It bothers me that a potential leader of the free world can garner so much support through refusing to believe in evolution, comparing abortion to the holocaust and describing homosexuals as evil. Romney is a Mormon which means he's already mad as a weasel on PCP but he does at least appear to have a basic understanding of the separation between church and state.
McCain might be the best of a bad lot on the Republican side but he's about a million years old. Guiliani just comes across as desperately confused by actual politics. Meanwhile Democrat John Edwards might pick up a surprising amount of support by simply being the most comfortingly safe of the Democratic candidates. In the frightening conservative world of Presidential politics being neither black nor female is sadly probably a bankable asset.
Regardless of how it turns out it's going to be the most exciting political event going. Back in good old Blighty we currently have no prospect of a meaningful election for Brown's government and when it finally does limp to the end of its tenure we'll all be faced with the unedifying choice between re-electing a Labour government that is very much passed its sell by date, electing a Conservative government run by Cameron that is functionally identical except for the unprecedented levels of glibness and wasting our vote on the Liberal Democrats, a party that was functioning significantly better when they had an alcoholic in charge.
Small wonder that I'm following the US election with great interest, it takes my mind off the political landscape at home. -
- CommentAuthorF. David Swallow II
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
I'm having a time out until I can learn some manners.As one whose been following Obama's career for going on 6 years now, I'm pretty confident in his Honesty and integrety. He has ALWAYS voted in the manner he spoke and never sold out to special interests. He easily has the potential to be the best president in a long time.
Either way, if he dosen't get it this time, he will later, this guy is definetly going in the history books.
If anyone heard Edwards speak, He's dead, his heart just wasn't in it, I'm sure it has to do with his wife's cancer coming back, which is sad, he's a nice guy, hopefully he stays around long enough to keep hillary (Who would be a god awful choice) down.
as for republicans, it'd be nice if Ron Paul won, but only in a perfect world, The states would never pick up the social programs(That they should be running anyways) that he would drop.
I'm hoping for Romney in that reguard, he's middle enough and all the other canidates are too flawed in one way or another. -
Barak better win this election. Every generation has a JFK type, and Barak is it. Hillary is filling the status quo of Washington. Bill Richardson would be the best second choice, especially for those who want to vote based on experience. Hillary keeps claiming experience, but she wants to take credit for all the good that happened under her husband, but claims no responsibility for the bad.
On the Republican side I would settle for anyone winning the nomination besides the racist Ron Paul. Paul cries Constitution - Constitution, but if you look at his record it shows his hypocrisy. -
David Swallow said:
" Either way, if he dosen't get it this time, he will later, this guy is definetly going in the history books."
Barak's wife said that this is it. If he doesn't win now they will not run again. From the stories I have heard, Barak had to do some sweet talking to convince her for this run. I honestly believe it's a now or never time. You only capture lightning in a bottle once, and once you have it. it's up to you to what you do with it. Barak captured lightning in a bottle, now let's see what he does with it. So far - so good. -
- CommentAuthorDavidBrown
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
I have no doubts that politics, especially American and Eurpeon are complete shit. Most would agree with that statement, yet particiapate in it anyway. This confuses me to no end. It seems to me that it is our right and our obligation to either fix whats wrong, or create something better. And you don't fix a problem using the same level of intelligence that got you into it in the first place (ie: voting somebody new in). Either way, living under rule of criminals is unacceptable. Plus, the sound of the title President Huckabee is the silliest thing I've ever heard. I may have to defect to Canada if that guy gets in.
I know that this paints me as an extemist, but goddamn it i'm not. I'm a realist...and I hope i'm not alone. -
Maybe it's because I'm looking in from the outside, but I can't get my head around why Obama is so popular.. I mean, he's pretty much a newbie. This is the guy you want to be the leader of the free world..? I'm not saying Clinton is perfect either, but she seems the much more solid choice to me. More.. I dunno. Responsible. But then again, I am looking in from the outside, and we're all terrified out here that you guys pick some batfucking drooling whacko for president.
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"Maybe it's because I'm looking in from the outside, but I can't get my head around why Obama is so popular.. I mean, he's pretty much a newbie."
New, does not equal bad. Obama has actually been around for a while, just not on the national stage. He's worked with, not for, government early in his career. He knows the kind of help that inner city communities need, and the problems that face them. He does lack foreign policy experience, but that can be said about most of the candidates, including Hillary. In fact, most of Bill Clinton's former foreign affair advisors are now working on the Obama campaign.
Personally I am not 100% sold on Obama, but if my choices are him and Hillary then Obama will get my vote.
When you really think about, Hillary has only held elected office for two years more than Obama. Hillary has never negotiated arms agreements, or signed treaties with foreign nations - her husband did. -
- CommentAuthorKosmopolit
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
If the campaign were about experience, it'd be a straight race between McCain and Richardson.
As it is, McCain's still a very long shot for the Republican nomination and Richardson's got a remote chance of becoming the VP. -
"If the campaign were about experience, it'd be a straight race between McCain and Richardson."
The second best thing that could happen to Obama is that he Richardson drops out of the race and Obama picks him up as VP. The best thing that could happen to Obama is that Edwards drops out of the race and throws all of his support behind Obama. Frankly, the Edwards scenario is more likely. There's no love loss between Edwards and Clinton. I firmly believe that if Edwards wants to see the White House his best bet is to tag along as VP and run afterwards. -
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CommentAuthorZachary Cole
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
New, does not equal bad. Obama has actually been around for a while, just not on the national stage. He's worked with, not for, government early in his career. He knows the kind of help that inner city communities need, and the problems that face them. He does lack foreign policy experience, but that can be said about most of the candidates, including Hillary. In fact, most of Bill Clinton's former foreign affair advisors are now working on the Obama campaign.
Exactly. Obama has a fair about of experience in state government. More importantly for me, Barack taught the Constitution. In the age of illegal wiretaps and waterboarding, I'd like to see a President who doesn't seem entirely ignorant of the document (ala Huckabee).
Speaking of whom, I feel a little sorry for Republicans. Eeven though I consider myself a liberal, it's obvious that there are actually some solid candidates on the conservative side (McCain). How a clueless fellow like Huckabee nabbed Iowa is still beyond my understanding, besides recognizing that to some in this country religious convinction has more weight than anything else. -
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I could live with any of the Democratic candidates.
We need a Democratic administration, badly, to rebalance the Supreme Court and give the Justice Department and various agencies an invigorating personnel enema. Clean those Bush appointees out and replace them with even middling competent people and we'll be on our way out of the hole.
Edwards is most like me politically, but Obama . . . man, getting him elected would show the world we're not, after all, a bunch of racist clod-hoppers and corrupt oilmen. -
- CommentAuthorsacredchao
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008 edited
Obama is fond of talking about the "politics of faith." Fuck him and the horse he rode in on. I can't stand this need for the president to pander to the religious. It disgusts me, frankly.
I'd probably vote Kucinich, and possibly even Gravel (though his ideas on taxes are ridiculous), but since neither of them has a hope in hell of getting the nomination, I'll probably vote Green or Socialist Workers Party. After voting for Kerry, I've not been able to stomach the idea of voting for a mainstream democrat. They are a bunch of cowards. -
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CommentAuthorAndre Navarro
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
Edwards is most like me politically, but Obama . . . man, getting him elected would show the world we're not, after all, a bunch of racist clod-hoppers and corrupt oilmen.
As a Brazilian, I can confirm that yes, that's the vision people have of Americans, at least here. That's not the vision I have of you (I'm an American trapped in the body of a Brazilian), but everyone I talk to says they think Americans are arrogant, greedy, blahblahblah... I tell them they're confusing the people with the government and stuff like that, but they don't listen.Obama is fond of talking about the "politics of faith." Fuck him and the horse he rode in on. I can't stand this need for the president to pander to the religious. It disgusts me, frankly.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/06/obama_on_faith_and_politics_an.html
An excerpt: "It is a prayer I still say for America today – a hope that we can live with one another in a way that reconciles the beliefs of each with the good of all. It’s a prayer worth praying, and a conversation worth having in this country in the months and years to come. Thank you."
He might be Christian, but he seems to understand the essence of religion and he puts reason above religion, apparently. So, I - I'm an atheist - don't think his faith will affect his government. Huckabee's certainly fucking will. -
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- CommentAuthorsacredchao
- CommentTimeJan 6th 2008
"Not a blind faith, not a faith of mere words, not a faith that ignores science, but an active searching faith," said Obama, a member of the United Church of Christ. "It's a faith that does not look at the hardship and pain and suffering in the world and use it all as an excuse for inaction or cynicism, but one that accepts the fact that although we are not going to solve every problem here on earth, we can make a difference."
He wrote this about fixing global warming. It's barely even cogent. I don't want this guy running my country. -
Barely cogent?
Makes perfects sense to me. It basically says that global warming is not going to fix itself, and that if we are actually going to fix it then we need to get up off our asses and do something about it. The hardest problem we have to overcome is saying that it's to big of a problem to deal with and what can I as an individual do about it. -
- CommentAuthorTechnocratJT
- CommentTimeJan 6th 2008
Sacredchao,
I think your reacting against the idea of faith being a political topic at all.
I am can sympathize with that, I am an atheist, but I am aware its a major issue for many people in the states. And part of progressive politics is understanding my views are not controlling. Omaba uses it in the tone of the old left of the civil rights movement - that faith represents a progressive responsibility to act, and speaking as a atheist his words never strike me as threatening or insane. He uses faith in a way which reminds the religious folks they are not the only view either. Back in the day the religious left was critical in allying with the secular left to advance the causes of civil rights. Rebuilding that bridge is critical to getting the fuckheads out of power.
Essentially, burning bridges to the faithful who are progressive, loyal to the separation of Church and State, and open to discourse with people who are different is handing every Christian vote to the right until the end of time.
More so, he used the words you cited when speaking to a (smallish) inter faith "conference" - speaking to local religious leaders and religious people - you seem shocked he discussed faith.
Look at what is quoted right in the link next:
"It is our responsibility to ensure that this planet remains clean and safe and livable for our children and for all of God's children," he told about 200 people gathered at the downtown public library. "But in recent years, science has made it undeniably clear that our generation is not living up to this responsibility. Global warming is not a someday problem, it is now.
He moves right from their faith to their responsibility to follow science in the need to solve climate issues.
This is no faith as the enemy of rational thinking. This is an attempt to get it back on the side of the good guys.
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