OT: The "O" factor: The most powerful person in the US - Page 3

Beetree, just maybe Obama's meteoric rise was due to this country's looking for someone who could offer them a glimpse of a brighter future? Just maybe some are fed up with Bush and his stupid lies and think that a change is due? So what if Oprah supports him, it's the American way to stand up for the candidate you feel would be the best for the job.  McCain has his celebrity supporters like Hasselbeck and Williams. The only difference is that Oprah has more fans than they do and reaches more people. I just don't get  your point.

I am talking landslide here, the votes have to come from somewhere

Obama was an unknown outside of Illinois until he won the Senate race. He got national exposure when as the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic convention, he won acclaim for his eloquence and inspirational speech. It was the first time that I listened to him.

When he decided to run for the presidency no one really gave him much of a chance. He was still relatively unknown and it was generally felt that Hillary Clinton had the Democratic nomination sewn up. But Obama ran a brilliant campaign in the primaries especially with regard to Iowa where he put in a lot of time and effort - and HC did not. Once he won that Iowa, the publicity and momentum propelled him forward - not unlike Jimmy Carter, another unknown who won the nomination after he won Iowa. HC ignored the caucus states - including Iowa - because her campaign thought that they would have it all sewn up by Super Tuesday in February. It was a gargantuan strategic miscalculation on her part.

The irony is that what gave Obama his credibility and support in the primaries with the Democratic base was his opposition to the war in Iraq which was not going well during the period leading up to the primaries. The economy was not much of a factor. HC focused her attacks on Obama citing his lack of experience. Obama focused his attention on the need for change and how he opposed the war in Iraq unlike HC.

In this presidential cycle, "change" trumped "experience". McCain made the same mistake in focusing on his experience and it was only around the time of the Republican convention that he began to present himself as the agent of change - but that was something which seemed contrived. In the meantime he selected Palin which essentially demolished his experience argument against Obama given his age and the possiblility of Palin succeeding him.

The real irony of the whole situation is that if the war in Iraq had not been a big issue while the primary season was going on and the implosion in the economy had taken place a year ago, HC would almost certainly have won the Democratic nomination and more than likely Romney would have won the Republican nomination.

The enthusiasm for Obama especially among the young is remarkable. My three children are avid supporters of Obama - and usually they are relatively disinterested in politics. They will all vote for him. My son is in college in DC and he is coming home on Monday night because he wants to vote in Virginia - where we live - because VA is a swing state and every vote counts. After voting we will drop him off at his college to resume his classes. Just an indication of the enthusiasm that one young man has about voting for Obama.

Like most things in life, timing is everything. If Obama wins and runs his administration half as well as he has run his campaign the contrast to the current administration will be a pleasure to behold.

Sound like sour grapes to me. 

Obama is supported by many, many people from all different walks of life.  The fact is these same voters are clearly much more sophisticated than when Bush was elected.  They no longer fall for the tired old scare tactics and Karl Rove dirty politics that previously won the election for Bush.  I would have to say it is very evident the McCain supporters are clearly out of touch with most Americans.  Most Americans  refuse to be swayed by the  non-issues that the McCain supporters have continued to harp on.  So now when that hasn't worked you want to insult their intelligence by suggesting they haven't bothered to figure out for themselves who to vote for?  The fact is they are voting for Obama because he is clearly the better man for the job. 

It's not difficult to understand at all.  Most  want to barf every time McCain opens his mouth.  Now there is a colossal ass for you.  Who in the world isn't insulted by that phony "My Friends" crap he uses to begin every sentence?   Obviously he doesn't give a crap about this country or he wouldn't have chosen an idiot like Palin - who STILL has no clue what the  job description of Vice President is.  The guy even admitted he is weak when it comes to the economy (and that's an understatement) Finally, he is merely an extension of Bush, and only a raving lunatic would want 4 more years of that kind of insanity.  My god, Bush has single handedly destroyed our relationships with almost every other country in the world, to say nothing of what wars that war monger will have us in by the end of his first year.  We don't even have enough soldiers for the mess we have made in Iraq, to say nothing of where we will end up fighting if this war monger ends up in power.   McCain  BRAGGED he was a staunch supporter of Bush - right up until  he declared himself as a candidate.  What a flip-flopper.  Remember his favorite little ditty "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran"?  Well that scares the holey hell out of me.  As a matter of fact, McCain BRAGGED he was a staunch Bush supporter - right up until he declared himself a candidate - how convenient - and what a bunch of bull.

Well Sue, I don't know if you ever watch John Stewart's "The Daily Show". He had Bill Clinton on recently and he was joking with him that he - Clinton - must feel good about it being Bush who succeeded him because the contrast between the eight years under Clinton and the past eight years is so stunning.

When Bush took office from Clinton, we had eight years of prosperity, millions of jobs created, the middle class was doing very well, we were at peace, we were respected abroad for our system of government and our fundamental values, we had two years of surplus in the federal budget and the forecast was a multi-trillion dollar surplus over the next ten years which Clinton wanted to use to pay down the national debt and strenghten Social Security and Medicare.

The next president - no matter who it is - will have inherited just about the biggest mess any president has had to take on. Even FDR inherited a depression but we were not at war.

RE- Obama

Just maybe many of us feel that he is the right candidate for the Job! It doesn't matter what any one says about either candidate- "we" have the right and free will to choose for what we believe in.

I am glad that  people like Oprah can reach the masses (I never watch her show- not my thing), but she is reaching some of the population whom may not be up on politics. If  McCain had laid out a plan, and stayed focused like Obama he might have better support with the media or Hollywood. McCain it seems spends his time knocking Obama instead of telling us anything of value. Fear is a powerfull thing- it worked in 2004 but we need something else this time.

I have watched the FOX news and MSNBC almost nightly for the last month and there is a huge difference on what is being said at the various rallies & news programs. I strongly believe that Palin is a huge problem for McCain and has incited much hate towards Obama. She has played to the base well, but has struggled to offer anything of value to the rest of us.

 I have watched the debates and did my reading and picked whom I think will do right for our country. I like John McCain I think he is a great asset to our country. However I think Obama is a better choice for all and that is why I will be voting for Obama.

BTW/ I voted for Palin as Govenor of Alaska. I do not think she is qualified to be our VP. This was one of the reasons that McCain dropped on my list. She has lost my support. I will not vote for her again. She changed the minute she opened her mouth.

Peace!

 WOW... WOW

You must of been in a different USA from 92 to 2000  Lets see the start of the housing bubble Pushed by cheap money that Billy was pushing. A failed negotiation with North Korea on nukes Billy told us look there going to be good and give up nukes come to find out didnt happen, First big push for N.A.F.T.A., White water, Dead white water people of intrest. an administration in the 2nd term who did nothing but pound the drums of war after Sadam and last but not least (and this is a good one) I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN. And then infront  of a investigative commette to use the defense of "it depends on what your definition of is is"  ya wonderful years if you were runnig around with rose colored glasses. oh and lets not forget the depletion of military strength and resourses to the FBI and CIA to the point of uselessness. 

WOW great time had by all.

Oh by the way just check the congressional record on any of those above mentioned items...   

They are all a bunch of assholes acting like school kids, "pick me pick me". I'd like to pick em allright, pick em off with my 22 from 100 feet or so. Power hungry, money hungry, want change? Change that will bennefit them and their pocketbook. I just am utterly disgusted with how much $ is raised and wasted on this shit. Why can't we raise that kinda money for a real cause, not some loonie's power struggle for top USA dog? All it falls down to every time, is who can raise the most funds that tranfers into votes. Everything in this country is bought and sold, even your own opinions. How much goes covered up, untold, twisted and told wrong?

All this ellection has done is devided us as a whole and made us weaker.

Bank Bailouts? What bailouts? I don't see the banks spreading the wealth, they are holding it tight and fast, saving their own asses. These high and mighty wind bags will do the same when this country is in the hole even deeper than she is now.

Racism? I'm sick and fucking tired of hearing anaybody not pro Obama being labeled. People not backing McCain are not getting that shit. I'ts not about the color of the guys skin, it's about is he genuine? My opinion on that is "no", gotta go with my gut and I wouldn't trust either one of them as far as I could throw em.

Does our Constitution need  a revamp? Are we today better at finding mans true needs or are we too blinded by or own greed? Is our vision blurred by our own society? I don't think half of people know what they really "need" they only know what they "want", big difference.

I'm not for taking away a womans rights to abortion but I'm not for taking away what I make to hand to the welfare surfing bitch down the road either. Maybe if she had an abortion or 2 or better yet closed her legs period, she wouldn't need a handout. Bottom line is everybody wants to tell me what I can't and can't do, lets keep it  simple, listen to the Bill of rights we already have, no changing, no more rules, quite trying to interpret your own bullshit theories into it like ya'all do to the bible. There were poor people 400 years ago, guess what, the strong survive, even without handouts. Have you ever noticed the poorest and least able to care for children are the ones having them left and right?

Bottome line, we can't all be winners. Supporting those who don't want to support themselves is enabling. Maybe they need to starve awhile, maybe that will wake them up, if not, then they don't need to procreate another generation ready to do the same.  Why work when you don't have to? People and animals alike will be lazy if you let them, quite letting them.

It's a fact of life, somebody always has to be at the bottom. I'm at the bottom and I'm not asking for a damn handout, never been on assistence, don't want to file bankrupcy. You wont catch my ass in a bread line asking for food, leave me my damn guns and I'll go out and shoot myself some dinner, thanks. If you ask me we need to study our Bill of rights/Constitution and take a few steps back, not forward. Less is more.

4pack

I bow to your greatness, well said... 

Thanks Bob, your rewrite of history reminds me:

I  don't now, nor did I ever give a shit about Clinton getting a blow job from Monica.  I did find the entire Kenneth Starr witch hunt debacle to be a colossal waste of time and money.  Turned out to be a whole lot of hot air over nothing.  Funny how so many of those same holier than thou Republicans who couldn't wait to censure Clinton had more than a few skeletons in their own closets too.  Sort of like Republican Senator Larry Craig.  You know, the one who was busted for soliciting sex from a male cop in the men's room of the airport?  I did feel bad for his wife, though.  What a bunch of hypocrites.

Personally, I don't care about the sex life of any politicians, any more than I care about their religious proclivities or advisers.  I am bothered by Bush's assertions he talks to god, sort of self aggrandizing if you ask me.

4pack, I understand why you feel the way you do about politics and politicians, It's hard to stay positive in a country that has  failed most but the very wealthy. I suppose I do sound as if I blame racism for people opposing Obama, that's wrong and I apologize. I know it's not the only reason, I have my doubts about him too and not because of his race. However, when I read the outright lies that people are using with the intent of inciting the home grown lunatics, then I have to think that race must a part of the equation. We have people right here who insist he is not a native born American although that has been debunked many times by reliable independent sources. If one doesn't like his economic policies, his foreign policies, stuff like that, then I think those are very valid reasons to oppose him. However getting on the net and raving that he's a muslim, not a US citizen, the son of Malcomb X, and all sorts of other lies and half truths then there is something fundametally wrong with us as a nation. Worse yet, some actually believe that shit without even checking it out and even when proven wrong they still don't stop.