My problem with Barak Obama is..

[Skyrad 0]

So what is your problem (assuming you have one) with Barak Obama? Be honest, no one will know what you voted. Of course if you'd like to expand on your vote and say what your problem is in a post then great. If you are honest in your responses then this should be quite interesting. Thanks for voting.

P.S Would have added 'his lack of experience' but couldn't change the poll optons after the post went up.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[shropshire 0]

He's a politician

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[miked10270 0]

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So what is your problem (assuming you have one) with Barak Obama?...

My own problem with him is that he's such an anodyne candidate. Carefully designed to appeal to each & every voting block.

Take, for example, his ethnicity: He's American (tick) and black (tick) with roots in the Muslim (tick) and Christian (tick) faith. His family come from Africa (tick) through Hawaii (tick) and now Ireland (tick).

It's almost like the Democratic Party decided to genetically engineer and brainwash the perfect Presidential candidate to be and say all thing to all voting blocks.

I wonder what he's really like?

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[Skyrad 0]

Well, I'm alot of those things as well, but does it effect me on a day to day basis? Hard to say as I am who I am. My diverse background makes me more open to ideas and cultures I think but when it comes down to am I a good guy in the choices I make in life, that comes down to life experience and upbringing.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Squeak 17]

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So what is your problem (assuming you have one) with Barak Obama?...

My own problem with him is that he's such an anodyne candidate. Carefully designed to appeal to each & every voting block.

Take, for example, his ethnicity: He's American (tick) and black (tick) with roots in the Muslim (tick) and Christian (tick) faith. His family come from Africa (tick) through Hawaii (tick) and now Ireland (tick).

It's almost like the Democratic Party decided to genetically engineer and brainwash the perfect Presidential candidate to be and say all thing to all voting blocks.

I wonder what he's really like?

Mike.

So you dont like him because he is representative

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[miked10270 0]

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Well, I'm alot of those things as well... I am who I am...

That's my point. You are who you are, I just don't feel that Obama is being who he is! He's being who the focus groups feel a post Bush president should be!

At least with McCain & Palin, you can see who they are, warts and all. Obama and err... seem to be conducting a campaign based entirely on doing no wrong and not getting ANY disapproval.

To me this just makes McCain & Palin seem more honest & open - the electorate may not agree with them on everything, but at least they know what they're getting. Meanwhile, Obama & Err... seem to be campaign on making it impossible to disagree with them on anything.

Hence the mistrust on my part.

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[Skyrad 0]

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I just don't feel that Obama is being who he is! He's being who the focus groups feel a post Bush president should be!

I understand what you are saying, the thing is that the focus groups seem to be working for the majority. The only thing we can say for sure about Obama if he becomes President is that he will almost undoubtedly become unpopular and be voted out as most politicians who become President are be they left or right. Time tells all.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[airdvr 210]

You left out the experience issue. The man has a whopping 4 years as a Senator, 2 of which have been spent campaining for POTUS.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[jakee 1,594]

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My own problem with him is that he's such an anodyne candidate. Carefully designed to appeal to each & every voting block.

Take, for example, his ethnicity: He's American (tick) and black (tick) with roots in the Muslim (tick) and Christian (tick) faith. His family come from Africa (tick) through Hawaii (tick) and now Ireland (tick).

A) So what have you got against mixed race people? Not his fault he isn't either totally white or totally black and you can hardly say his race was a calculated move on his part!

B) You've forgotten about the fairly vocal voting blocks that would never vote for him because "he's a muslim" or because he's black, or because he "wasn't born in America," and the very significant voting block that doesn't give a toss about what race he is.

What is it in his speeches and policies that make you think he's an "anodyne candidate" because picking on his ethnicity as an example is just absurd.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[miked10270 0]

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So what is your problem (assuming you have one) with Barak Obama?...

So you dont like him because he is representative

Not exactly.

I don't like him because all he seems to be doing is showing us how "representative" he is. McCain & Palin are transparent whiule Obama & Err... are deliberately opaque.

To descend into a metaphor: I see McCain & Palin like a jar of pickles. It says Pickles on the label, and you can see into the jar - it contains pickles; Obama & Err... are like a tin. The label says it contains Ambrosia made with the Milk of Human kindness, BUT... You've got to buy the tin before you can open it and see what's really inside.

Billvon made an excellent post about a previous American election which was won by the less hated candidate who tirned out to be not what he seemed. From a British point of view, remember how "Healing & Uniting" Margaret Thatcher promised to be in 1979?

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[lawrocket 3]

His political party's socialist platform.

Other than socialism, I don't have a problem with the guy. Much like other than "that" Mrs. Lincoln had a nice night at the playhouse.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Skyrad 0]

Maggie was exactly what the UK needed to put it back on its feet again. Sometimes strong medicine has a bitter taste but works well. She broke the back of the Unions when they became Marxist orientated and protected the Falklands from Argie agression. Made it possible for people in council houses to buy their own property and laid the foundations for the sucess of the 1990s. She made the IRA realise that they could not win by terrorism. As for the commie bastards who wanted our country to fail in the winter of discontent she kicked their arses. God Bless Maggie Thatcher.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Squeak 17]

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So what is your problem (assuming you have one) with Barak Obama?...

So you dont like him because he is representative

Not exactly.

I don't like him because all he seems to be doing is showing us how "representative" he is. McCain & Palin are transparent whiule Obama & Err... are deliberately opaque.
Mike.

The thing is if he is elected, he is elected as a Figure head of a party. it's the party that makes the decisions not the person. He speaks for his party not for him self. And so far you have said nothing to indicate that the "representative" he appears is not a valid stance. you are stating that he's not what he appears to be without anything to support this assertion. Would you truly deny him your vote based soley on the "He looks too good to be true" premise?

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Skyrad 0]

Its not really Socialism though is it. In fact the recent actions of the Republican party have been more true to Socialism than the Democratic party policies are.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[kallend 2,146]

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His political party's socialist platform.

Other than socialism, I don't have a problem with the guy. Much like other than "that" Mrs. Lincoln had a nice night at the playhouse.

You mean he'd nationalize things like banks and insurance companies? No, that would NEVER happen in the USA.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[shropshire 0]

Fairly good metaphor (certainly for BO)... but McCain/Pain is more like a jar of Marmite. I know what's in there , but I for one won't be opening the jar.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[shropshire 0]

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His political party's socialist platform.

Other than socialism, I don't have a problem with the guy. Much like other than "that" Mrs. Lincoln had a nice night at the playhouse.

yeah, but to be honest, it's only American socialism, which is still further right than most of Europe.

Left & Right only means anything, if you know where the centre is.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[kallend 2,146]

Your first problem with him is that you misspell his name.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[pirana 0]

The problem I have with him is that on the one big issue of this campaign on which I am relatively expert (health insurance and health care financing), he is all wet.

I've spent my entire adult career both in the trenches of operations and providing consulting; and the crap ALL of the candidates put out there (or at least there backing organizations) are carefuly crafted messages to appeal to people's emotions. It is totally worthless drivel that proves that either:

1 - They don't know shit; or . . .

2 - They know their shit but have given up on trying to speak meaningfully to the issue because that will not help get them elected.

All of that makes me wonder if the same thing is happening on the issues with which I am not knowledgeable. Are any of them saying anything meaningful about anything?

It occurs to me that we are firmly committed to pussyfooting around all the tough issues because real solutions are guaranteed to:

1 - Offend the sensibilities of some person or some group or another.

2 - Upset the status quo. That together with the not-in-my-back-yard mentality creates a change-proof gridlock. Everybody wants entitlements put on the table - except their own of course.

3 - Scare people. Beyond just maintaining status quo privileges and special considerations; the threat of real change scares the shit out of people. It's the old devil you know versus the devil you don't know syndrome. People's fear of an unknown and the pain it may cause is far more motivating than their dislike of the pain they know. It's why things have to get so unbelievably fucking bad before we move to action.

Look at the auto industry. The writing was on the wall for decades, yet there was almost no change in the way that business was carried out until we were way down the path of losing that business to overseas competition.

Back on health care and it's financing - - it is a local good/service that can't be imported or exported, the controllers of supply have it really locked down and are protected by very powerful lobbies (AMA & the med schools), and demand seems to be driven by some bizarre utopian principle that has a lot of people feeling they deserve a Caddy even if they can only afford a Chevy.

Something really big has got to give at some point because over the last 2 decades the cost of care has averaged double-digit percentage increases. Utilization and cost per encounter keep going up; resulting in bigger premiums to employers; which then translate to bigger deductibles, copays, and premium contribution for patients.

It's hardly insurance once we get to the point where everybody has a $20K deductible. ($5K and even $10K are becoming increasingly common).

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[lawrocket 3]

Indeed! Republicans are socialist, too. The only difference with Dems is what they want to socialize.

My problem with McCain is that he is the figurehead of the GOP. Unfortunately, from the gutter to the GOP ain't up.

Choosing between Dems and the GOP is like choosing between having my right leg broken or my left leg broken.

And kallend's comment merely shows how far we've gone. Other comments about it being comparatively right wing as far as socialism goes cause me more pause. "You think we'll be done there? We have WAY further to go."

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Skyrad 0]

What does GOP stand for?

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[kallend 2,146]

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Indeed! Republicans are socialist, too. The only difference with Dems is what they want to socialize.

My problem with McCain is that he is the figurehead of the GOP. Unfortunately, from the gutter to the GOP ain't up.

Choosing between Dems and the GOP is like choosing between having my right leg broken or my left leg broken.

And kallend's comment merely shows how far we've gone. Other comments about it being comparatively right wing as far as socialism goes cause me more pause. "You think we'll be done there? We have WAY further to go."

Let's be quite clear here. I'm sure you're OK with things like highways, police, fire departments, ATC, national parks, etc. being community owned and controlled - that's technically socialist but very few object.

The type of socialism you object to is government ownership and control of, say, airlines, railroads, mines, banks..., is that correct?

Seems to me that in general it is the excesses of unregulated free market capitalism that have led to government takeovers of industries. We've seen it right here in the US of A in the last two months.

Unregulated free market capitalism leads to instabilites, "bubbles" and other excesses which we generally find unacceptable.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kallend 2,146]

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What does GOP stand for?

Grumpy Old Poops

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[miked10270 0]

Please bear with me while I attempt to answer multiple points:

Skyrad, I'm not suggesting the Maggie was "bad", I personally admire her and her achievements. My point was that she promised to be a unifying and harmonious leader in her famous "Where there is... Let us bring..." speech of 1979. She then proved to be divisive and confrontational.

History will never reveal how Jim Callaghan would have responded to the 1982 Falklands Invasion, but he averted a similar incident in 1978 much more elegantly without loss of life, etc...

Also, remember that by 1982, "Maggie's-Medicine" was so unpopular with the electorate that (in the words of John O'Farrel): "Nothing short of winning a war would restore her popularity!"

Squeak, When something seems too good to be true, it's generally proved to be neither!

Jakee, I was citing his ethnicity as an example of how I just can't seem to get a hold on what Obama & Err... actually stand for... Well... They stand for "Change" and "Healing" of course, but it all gets a bit vague once you're beyond the platitudes.

Shropshire, You may well be right about his espousing "American-Socialism" being confusing to us Brits & Euros. Perhaps it's just easier for us to understand McCain & Palin.

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[normiss 891]

I thought you were a Dem?