Politics

[Duragar]

Well, this was inevitable, given the fast approaching presidential campaign.

I'm pretty sure I'm throwing my lot in with Obama.
lessig.org/blog/Fact%20Sheet%20Innovation%20and%20Technology%20Plan%20FINAL.pdf

If something political interests you, put it up here. XD

[Pikachu]

Oh noes. You're gonna make me type a lot.

Rather than focusing on the politics, I'm gonna drop two cents in on the personalities of the candidates on this post.

First, I love Obama's charisma and new school approach. I think his ability to compromise is not wishy-washy as some people like to frame it, but actually a very brave approach. A lot of his ideals and ways of functioning resound a lot with the ideals of Community Psychology, which for me is a big plus. I think he'll be a good follow-up to repair a lot of damage to the foreign relations we've suffered from given his inclusive attitude and willingness to speak to even regimes we find a threat. The age-old approach of sanctions, punishment and diplomatic cutoffs is a flawed, flawed idea in the 21st century. We only need to look at Myanmar, Iran, and N. Korea as examples of how not to handle threats.

Clintons have been polarizing within the party, which I'm not sure is a good thing. I'm hoping this is a front they just feel they need to put up for the primaries and that they're not so jaded they've abandoned the inclusiveness that Obama resonates with in exchange for the "with us or against us" attitude. We'll only know after Feb. 5th. I haven't liked Bill Clinton for the past week much because his attacks on Obama have crossed the line. Not grossly, but enough where the Democratic party doesn't need those waves. He ought to know better. Yet, I can't judge the Clinton camp as a whole because even Hillary seems to think that her husband has gone a bit far. If she can put a clamp on his protectiveness, it'll go a long way in increasing my faith in the now old-guard faction of the Democratic party. It's the faction with more credentials than Obama, frankly. At the same time, they're more willing to get a little dirty when it's necessary, and that's a sad necessity in Capitol Hill.

It's also a necessity that Obama has not demonstrated a lot of capability in, which can bury him if he's elected into office. No matter one's ideals, as a President, you must burn someone in the term(s) you serve. It's inevitable. I see the Clintons as a better choice in this one because they'll need to make some less-than-ideal compromises just to pass some changes and get things done. I worry a lot more about Obama getting cockblocked because he's not willing to cross certain lines.

In a dark ugly world of 2008, I see more hope with another Clinton, not because of the ideals they espouse, but because of the results I'm confident they can achieve. I don't feel as if I can bank on the better ideas and ideals right now, rather, I think we're all more desperate for results and patch fixes to make sure we even survive a few more decades. I prefer to see a Clinton/Obama ticket... I feel as if this will deliver the best of both worlds in the most ideal fashion. An Obama/Clinton ticket would be neat as well, but I think that makes 16 years of Democratic control a tad less likely.

I will vote for Hillary just for the chance to see it happen. If the Democratic Party decides otherwise and throws all their support behind Obama, then that's cool too. What this comes down to for me is conflicting personal interest. No matter which one wins, I will fucking vote for without question because at the end of the day I am happy with them both. Ideally, Obama resounds stronger with me, but Clintons just seem practical atm.

However, Obama's hype lately has been freaking insane. I tend to be cautious when hype reaches this level as well. Then again, if there is a candidate that just might live up to the hype, it's Barack f'n Obama. If he convinces me he can deliver 100%, I just might jump ship on Super Tuesday. But either way, whoever wins gets my vote in 2008. I worry that McCain would have a psychotic episode as president, I don't like Romney much, and I am developing a strong distrust for Huckabee. Anyone who is a preacher and can blindly get support of the Evangelicals scares me. Yeah, that's coming from me.. hard to believe huh? But theology is for another discussion.

[dyuman]

Democracy is retarded and voting causes me to get jury duty via registration.

Josh hurry up and overthrow the gov.

[Pikachu]

I've done this all in my head:

If we have a Hillary + Obama ticket, I'm fairly confident Obama will win 2016. The combo is just too broken, and the Republicans are just a weak set with no counters. Yes, I'm willing to bet that Hillary can even go for re-election. Bill Clinton sideboard + splash of Al Gore + Kennedy mana engine = win.

So if Obama makes it to 2024, which he will, because black is the best color in Magic next to Blue (Red Republican sligh is gonna fizzle out), I'll be 40 by then and I can run for Pres.

[dyuman]

I've always wondered why a winning VP/Pres team doesnt switch roles (al gore pres with clinton as vp) and bounce back and forth since presidents only cant serve more than 2 consecutive terms. If they were considered good president and vp they would just sorta win over and over again.

Prolly better money to drop out of politics and get paid for speeches and from lobbyists.

[Pikachu]

That's certainly one aspect of it. Actually, a President can't serve more than two terms period. Even if it were limited to consecutive terms, people would never vote like that because it's so simple to play the candidates as a dictator.

Clinton has earned like, 40 mil doing speeches alone since leaving the White House, though he needs to sever those business ties if Hillary gets the primary vote. Gore has been doing really well in the private sector as well, even if it's for something as little as consultation or advisory board. Not to mention one has become a hero for fighting AIDS and poverty, while the other is the man with the most powerful Powerpoint presentation EVER. Broken.

Compare all this with the 400k you get per year as Pres. The Clintons were broke when they left the White House, and now they're really freaking well off. Not that I mind that, really.

[Pikachu]

Well, slight bump to this thread. Since we last had any activity here, we probably assumed the Democrats would have had their nominee a little after Super Tuesday (obligatory lol). In the mean time, it's been a long Astarian borg-like grind for the nomination. I actually thought the victory in North Carolina would just eke out a clear result that Obama should be the presumed nominee. Then last night, Clinton gets a pretty impressive, though not good enough, victory with West Virginia. I was worried that it'd keep the grind going even longer.

Edwards came out and endorsed Obama today. Holy assfucking Moses. I think Obama's flipped the stone cold nuts on the river at this point, because this news will definitely overshadow Hillary's last-ditch comeback.

I hope the candidates (and by that I really just mean Obama) get some rest between now and the inevitably nasty run off to the general elections.

[dyuman]

Unfortunately though I would like Obama to win overall, I'd say that McCain has won due to hilary's push to win the primary while he just sat there and campaigned, and that all the red states will become extreme anti-Obama.

[dyuman]

lawl

[Pikachu]

Well, it goes both ways.

There is something to salvage from the long grind of the Democrats' primaries, and that's the extensive media coverage. One one hand, there's the ugly side, but on the other hand, any publicity can be good publicity. Normally, we wouldn't hear much about the presidential elections until the summer really starts... sometimes much later. This is different. Everyone knows McCain, because he's had a long time to exhibit his mental breakdowns and phenomenal comebacks after them. He's remembered very well. Obama would otherwise be a n00b that people may have heard of, but not really know of. True, he's received a lot of hype during the run up to Super Tuesday, but the extra time means he can develop his shaky ideas more and get more and more people warmed up to the fact that a black man is running for pres. Now, whether his campaign really takes advantage of this is a whole other subject.

Polls are starting to show that the extended grind isn't harming the party as much as everyone thought. As much as I don't take tons of stock in polls, a lot of people I've talked to are trying hard to make sure cooler heads prevail. If the adage of "What does not kill us makes us stronger" applies, then it could be a good thing for the winner of the Dem's primaries, which I'm assuming is Obama now.