Thursday, February 21, 2008

Politics

The current political climate is exciting. Being a moderate independent, I find it great that McCain will be the Republican candiate. This is not because I support him or his party, but because of all of the contenders, he's at least someone I can respect. He's not beholden to fundamentalist Christians, for example (the Republican party sucks because of those fools). Ironically, that might cost him dearly, depending on his VP pick. So, even if he wins, I won't feel like we're just getting a new monkey to sit in the hotseat, and pretend things like gay marriage are things we have time to worry about right now.

Anyway, the real reason for this post: check out the linked article. One of the big arguments on the Democratic side is the discussion that Obama is big on "words" and Clinton is big on "action." They go round and round, it is kind of amusing. A point not brought up (because you have to insult the electorate) is that big grand "words" without specifics work better with the masses - they make better sound bytes, they are easily consumable, they work with the voters who don't really engage much.

Moving on, the article points out, quite rightly, that the only real, unbiased place you can find to show just what their real positions are is to compare their Senate records. Not their voting records - but their history of what bills they author and who co-sponsors them. You can draw some VERY interesting facts about both of these effective Senators, and I think it becomes apparent why Obama is really pulling ahead with those educated voters as well as with the masses who are just hooked on his grand oratory skills.

7 comments:

Kelsey said...

Blech, I hate politics, I really don't even know that much about them. I'm just glad that Bush is being taken out of office. I just want a president who won't waste his time rebuilding something we destroyed for a reason. I want our troops to come home :(

Anonymous said...

That's an interesting point you bring up, Tom.

There's certainly a face people put on for their speeches and the crowds, but then there's always what they've actually done in the past.

Great line, by the way; "and pretend things like gay marriage are things we have time to worry about right now."

This will certainly be a new, extremely eventful election (more-so than the last, anyway) because we KNOW Bush is leaving office and we KNOW something big is going to change. I just hope it's for the best. Hillary's campaign promise about pulling the troops out within 90 days after her election scares me to death.

I don't claim to know what's right and right, (I don't have all the information, nor would I ever want to be in charge of something that massive) but I do think THAT particular thing would be a horrible decision. Obama at least seems to have his head screwed on right. Hillary's Utopian idea on the world is just not going to work, no matter how strongly she believes it.

Sure, we all want peace, but the things she says and has done in the past just frighten me. Right now when I'm asked who I would vote for, I give a nice clear "Anyone but Hillary."

:D

McCain and Obama certainly are looking to be winners.

Anonymous said...

Oh jeez, bad typo in there. "I don't claim to know what's right and wrong". :D

Pillage said...

Achronos is cute.

Anonymous said...

I usually do not get into politics, mostly because of the bickering. I just can't justify voting for people that resort to name calling and whatnot. I am one of those people that feels that the president is a pawn and the large coporations run the country. I am intrigued at the prospect of having a first black president or the first female president. I can't wait to see how things go.

RighteousTyrant said...

And I show up a little late to this party.

Hillary scares me because she wants to be president way too much for my liking. It seems like a personal vendetta to her, maybe her college-years-feminism urging her to break through that ultimate glass ceiling. All the money she's spent, holding on to the bitter end, and now she can be seen in news clips essentially trying to out-drink Obama to appeal to the common person...the pandering is sickening.

Not that the other candidates aren't guilty of the same--it's just that I find her brand of it especially sickening.

Do I expect change from this election? There will be someone new in the Oval Office, and I think that's about all that can be said. The major parties have been bought out by K Street lobbyists for a while now...change will come when we, the people, force some lobbying reforms. And I say force because we cannot expect Washington to bite the hand that feeds it.

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