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Matt
Trad climber
primordial soup
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 2, 2008 - 09:58pm PT
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With all due respect (and I mean that positively), I would like to ask those who oppose the idea to start their own thread.
This thread is not about conflict, and I request that you respect that.
Seriously-
Let's argue the rest of the year, start your own McCain thread and don't post w/ negativity here.
Thanks in advance.
My story:
My sister, born in April of 1968, would have been named Martin after MLK Jr., had she been a boy.
(her middle name is Mari)
Both of my parents died of cancer having watched (in dismay) gW win back to back elections, and both died before the run-up to the '08 primaries, so any talk of Obama was speculation at best and he was an unknown entity anyway, so they never participated in any real awareness of or excitement about his candidacy.
I have my own strong feelings about where we are as a country and who is or is not responsible, and those feelings alone mandate that I vote against almost anyone the GOP could nominate, and even if they had nominated a candidate that had run a respectable campaign and seemed up to the task, the selection of Palin would have forced my hand anyway, because I cannot fathom- yeah...
In all honesty, I am not voting for Obama because of my parents or how they might have felt if we'd all been fortunate enough to have seen them survive a just few more years, but he was my favorite among the Democratic candidates and I am pleased that he was nominated by the Democratic party.
Now that we are at the eve of the election and it seems at the least probable that Obama will in fact be our next President, I am regularly flirting with emotions that I had not entirely expected, while considering the things either of my parents would have been likely to say to me, had they only managed to make it to this coming Tuesday night...
This is not just any election, and we all know it.
How about you?
I know a lot of people are feeling some really strong feelings these days, let's hear about it.
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MisterE
Trad climber
My Inner Nut
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Yeah, really. Quit holding back, people. Not nearly enough "strong feelings" around here, IMO
What a bunch of fence-sitters - let us know how you really feel!
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Matt
Trad climber
primordial soup
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 2, 2008 - 10:05pm PT
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funny eric, funny
=)
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couchmaster
climber
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I don't like either candidate. Both Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, when they ran against each other - had better qualifications for the job: I still couldn't bring myself to vote for either of them, same now only X-2. So this might be like the other elections except both candidates are more poorly qualified than perhaps any other time in history.
Better to vote straight libertarian ticket and express your hope for real change. Change where the budget really gets balanced and people finally get the gov't off their asses.
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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I don't know if you hear it, or not, but when I hear the Senator speak, I hear his words as genuine. They seem to be spoken from the heart, maybe even words that he's been repeating for a long time. I actually watched a youtube'ed speech of his today. In the whole 30 - 45 minute speech he looked down at his note very few times, leading me to believe that his was a speech that was coming from somewhere other than his speech writer and handed to him shortly before the speech was given.
This, to me, is very inspiring.
Thank you
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Domingo
Trad climber
El Portal, CA
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You can tell he actually loves his family, and that he wants every child to have the education and opportunities his daughters were able to have.
He doesn't speak down to people. He actually lays down his plans clear for everyone to read. He is respectful to people who don't always respect him (McCain). And he's got a great sense of humor.
He is diplomatic, patient, and open-minded, yet capable of taking action.
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville
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Inspiration is relative.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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I guess if you find the prospect of economic depression, national bankruptcy, abrogation of personal freedom and responsibility, war and disorder "inspiring".
Remember an old chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times".
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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I lived thru the brief tenure of an inexperienced idealistic president.
The next October the world came within minutes of ending.
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville
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I hope your candidate wins, it will make you feel good for a few weeks and that has some value. : )
Civilization today is being forced to evolve and break free from a petroleum based economy.
Blaming the figurehead(s) we vote into office for societal ills is just another way of shucking one's resposiblities.
Placing any candidate in the role of Messiah is a mistake.
We need to take responsibility for our actions, and inactions, and change or perish.
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jstan
climber
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Obama does not come from anger. Nixon, Bush II, and McCain were/are apparently always angry or quick to anger, implying they never did learn how to manage even themselves. Anger leads to poor decisions made off the cuff and without thought or planning.
And he has good ideas based on the fundamentals. Just look at what he has done already. He has revolutionized how campaigns will be financed in future and he has based the new approach on, guess what, democracy.
People who obtain authority over others will often be convinced they have all the knowledge required and neither get good advisors nor do they listen to the advisors they have. Such managers create organizations which are no smarter than themselves. An entire nation can take on all the faults of a single individual. During the campaign we have seen that Obama goes out and gets every outstanding person he can and says, "tell me what you think I should do."
As for his ability to withstand stress everything including the kitchen sink has been thrown at him in the last couple of months. He stayed securely on his feet and his challenger lost credibility at every turn. He is patient and sees how things work.
As I posted earlier we watched "Sicko." Moore said something very interesting about his experience in France. In France the government is afraid of the people. In the US the people are afraid of the government. The French go out into the streets in large numbers. We don't. We are so busy fighting each other about canned issues that are not issues at all we are, I swear to god, just like the Arab nations. We can be ignored and manipulated without risk because we are too busy fighting each other.
We are just like the Arabs.
Obama's attempt to include everyone is an attempt to break that destructive cycle. A cycle authored, I believe, by Richard M. Nixon during the McCarthy era. Go watch one of the McCarthy newsreels. See if I am not right.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Obama comes from deep anger over , abandonment by his father, stepfather and mother, racial identity issues and class envy.
read his memoir!
Says so himself!
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MisterE
Trad climber
My Inner Nut
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Oh, and we all have perfect lives and expect perfect people.
Gimme a F#@king break.
Strength comes from having your mettle tested, not being born or marrying into privilege
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Matt
Trad climber
primordial soup
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2008 - 01:46am PT
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TGT-
gW was/is the son of a president, and carries the blood of the bushes, the walkers, and the prescotts. clearly it's what someone offers that counts, not where or what that someone is from. isn't that the foundation of "the american dream"?
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apogee
climber
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Matt- don't waste your time trying to understand the rationale of TGT-types. Their angry view of the world will not be swayed by any kind of compassion, fact, logic or reason. Though the effort to understand is laudable, it's kind of like wrestling a pig- you just get covered in mud & sh*t, and the pig really enjoys it.
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Nohea
Trad climber
Aiea,Hi
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I will have respect for the Presidency either way it goes. There is already a ton of US money outside the US and I will add my retirement cash to somewhere that is none of your biz should joebama be elected. Hell I will do it anyway cuz McCain is no conservative though he sure is not the most left voting junior senator.
Why the hell cannot these two parties give us some good candidates?
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howlostami
Trad climber
Southern Tier, NY
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We need an accountant, not a maverick. I believe he'll put in the time and effort to do the job right.
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Chris2
Trad climber
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I was listening to a professor of political science on the television the other day. He had democrat party leanings.
He pointed out how Clinton was a great politician and Obama is a true statesman. As much as I have problems with the political machine of this country, those words really “struck me.”
A Statesman.
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jstan
climber
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When the Berlin wall fell, had Reagan been a statesman, we might have restarted the Marshall Plan. Just the willingness to help would have been far more important than the money.
Had we done it, the world would now be a different place.
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