As the election gets near...

[Glenn]

Why should I be allowed to decide what you do with your paycheck?
I didn't help you earn it......why should I, just because I can get a lot of my buddies to vote for it--get to live off your sweat and toil?

So you're the one I can blame!!!!

[Bill Glasheen]

The idea that one person is qualified to launch wars and direct our taxes/financial course and make decisions about stem cell research or abortion at the same time is nuts. Very few of us endorse all the plans the person we vote for will enact--but we're stuck with one wimp King.

To start with, the president doesn't really have that much power. Your characterization of the powers of the president are distorted at the very least.

That being said... an executive is an executive. Since you don't have either the training or the experience, you may not understand the need. But without one, it isn't possible to put all the pieces together and make them work with one (1) budget.

Presidents don't micromanage. Presidents don't legislate. Presidents don't make judicial decisions. What they do however is perform a role in the balance of powers.

Yours truly - a libertarian-leaning individual - tends to prefer gridlock between Congress and the Executive branch so that no one party can run away with their agendas. The last time we had a balanced budget was when the Republican "Contract With America" worked in dynamic tension with Democrat Bill Clinton. Works for me!

- Bill

[cxt]

Bill

I have to agree, things work best when the "balance of power" so to speak, is pretty even with the 3 branchs.

There need to be checks on power.

What is the saying?

"Presidents always want to be kings, congress thinks its the nobility--(the House of Lords in the old sense of the word) and the courts always think they are divinely inspired."

Something like that.

[AAAhmed46]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXh3elLDOOc


Voice message 1: ERRR NIGGGEERRR NIGGGEEERRRR

Voice Message 2: Welfareeee, I HOPE YOU KIDS DIE....YOUR KIDS DESERVE TO DIEE.........



God, this makes McCain look bad, McCain does not believe in this stuff, it's clear he doesn't. God some of his supporters make the rest of them look bad.

The people on this forum who support McCain are fairly educated and articulate.

It must piss you guys off that people vote for your man based on such stupidity.

[cxt]

AAA

You have no idea just how much.

[Uechij]

Oops! McCain asks Russia's U.N. envoy for money

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – John McCain's U.S. presidential election campaign has solicited a financial contribution from an unlikely source -- Russia's U.N. envoy -- but a McCain spokesman said on Monday it was a mistake.

In the letter, McCain urged Russia's U.N. Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, to contribute anywhere from $35 to $5,000 to help ensure McCain's victory over Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, currently ahead in voter preference polls.

"If I have the honor of continuing to serve you, I make you this promise: We will always put America -- her strength, her ideals, her future -- before every other consideration," McCain assured Churkin.

Moscow's mission to the United Nations issued a terse statement on the Republican presidential candidate's letter, saying that the Russian government and its officials "do not finance political activity in foreign countries."

A spokesman for McCain, a long-time critic of Russia, had a simple explanation for the fundraising letter's arrival at the Russian mission in New York: "It was an error in the mailing list."

The letter was addressed to Churkin and sported a McCain signature near the bottom.

Earlier this month, both McCain and Obama harshly criticized Russia for invading Georgia two months ago, but neither was willing to say yes when asked if Russia under Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the "evil empire".

It is illegal for U.S. presidential candidates to accept funds from foreign sources. The McCain campaign accused Obama earlier this month of not doing enough to screen for illegal contributors and asked U.S. election officials to investigate.

McCain has agreed to public financing for his campaign and therefore cannot accept funds from private donors.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081021/od_ ... ssia_odd_1

[mhosea]

It must piss you guys off that people vote for your man based on such stupidity.

Sure, but did you hear about this?

http://tertiumquids.blogspot.com/2008/1 ... -asks.html

I try to look at it the same way as I do when people complain about officiating in football. Sure, they're going to make some bad calls and they're going to miss some calls, but hopefully it evens out in the end. I'm afraid I might be too optimistic here, but what can you do?

I wouldn't say that I support McCain. I will vote for him despite some reservations and quite general disappointment over the way his campaign has been run. I actually like Obama and don't mind him having an important role in our government, but when I go down the policies one by one, I prefer McCain's policies, 80-90%.

[IJ]

CXT proposes that you can't vote unless you pay taxes or can't work... I would argue that a full time student who could sent to war by the next President has an interest. One also wonders whether you're implying that anyone who works at all should pay taxes, because there are a lot of working voters who pay no (income) tax because they're under the poverty line. Ultimately though, while we don't want to be ruled by the Lazy Class, we probably don't want the haves to totally manage the have nots, especially since they could keep them there without too much work.

Bill writes that one cannot appreciate the miracle of the Presidency without having been a CEO. I'm less convinced, but then, I've never been a CEO. As for Presidential powers, they HAVE launched wars... Iraq the most recent, but we also invaded Grenada and Panama. I was wee then, but I don't recall a congressional vote, unless you count the lame decision to hand the power over the Bush. Man up, or woman up, and decide when we fight, representatives! Until then, Presidents start wars. They also control the SCOTUS. Obviously they have to work with Congress over budgets, but they obviously have a large sway there, and my understanding is our Framers were a little hesitant about creating our (wimpy, elected) version of a king.

As for perpetual gridlock--it's a good idea as long as your options for leadership are drawn from the ranks of the incompetent. There has not been any substantial control of goofy spending, lobbying, government growth, social security, etc with the two parties squabbling. Health care finance is a good example--60% is paid for from taxes on some level, and costs are rising steadily. Wages are stagnant because there are no free benefits: compensation = wage + bennies, and as the health care costs rise, wages stagnate. We are on a collision course with financial insolvency of medicare/medicaid, and no one is effectively driving quality, cost effectiveness, market forces, or the general direction (eg, with a primary care clinic at the center) of our health care system. The uninsured are rising, insurance is costing more, gridlock means eventual doom. Someone has to take charge and fix the system.

[AAAhmed46]

AAA

You have no idea just how much.

Was watching an american news show, showed a woman who said she would vote against Obama because his mother was an atheist and that worried her, and that his father was a Muslim, which worried her more, and that Obama's Christianity is not the Christianity of the bible.
EDIT: Here it is. Sad i had to find it on the young turks(It's a bit bias, which is why im a bit sad it's where i get alot of clips from. Clear...clear liberal bias.) Apparently on PBS.
This is why obama will lose:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QYwsM17a2M

I love listening to black preachers. They have great energy, im not even a christian and i find some of their sermons make me want to get up and dance. I don't see whats wrong with their christianity(yes wright is a bit aggressive, but he said offensive stuff in a few sermons, his congregation as a whole probably don't listen to him just for those reasons)


Obama's mother was an atheist sure, but his father was an atheist as well, he just used to be Muslim. And Reverend wrights speeches that he did over the course of ten years was some how summarized in a few sound bytes?

McCain personally can't be blamed for it, but aspects in his campagn can be.
And, McCain is being blamed for spreading hatred that was started by Hilary clinton.That is not fair.

This goes for Obama as well, his campaign has said some brutal things about McCain as well now too. There was truth in the fact that McCains nickname was george bush, which is pretty harsh. Also, "that one'' isn't so bad, it was blown out of proportion. I truly doubt McCain was trying to be offensive by saying 'that one'.

[Jason Rees]

It must piss you guys off that people vote for your man based on such stupidity.

Alot of people vote for retarded reasons.

A large number of women stated they voted for Bill because he was the 'cute one.'

No accounting for taste.

[Jason Rees]

Is Kerry trying to take Howard Dean's job?

Depends? Really? Methinks a case of projection, perhaps.

[AAAhmed46]

It must piss you guys off that people vote for your man based on such stupidity.

Alot of people vote for retarded reasons.

A large number of women stated they voted for Bill because he was the 'cute one.'

No accounting for taste.

Are you serious? Wow what a sad state politics is in.

[cxt]

IJ

Just asking a question.

Again, some 40% (depending on whom is doing the math) ---1/3 of the nation pays no taxs at all[/ yet they have a major say in whom gets to run things and how money they didn't earn gets spent.

Its a complex subject---I simply question the basic fairness of people that are not paying into the kitty telling everyone else how that money should be spent.

There is no shame in being poor...and the "haves" should certainly be helping the "have nots."
But how do we prevent the "have-nots" from deciding to simply vote themselves a larger share of the pie?
And how do we prevent politicos from simply catering to them?

Like I said....as goes the saying "those that rob Peter to pay Paul can always count on Paul's support."

Don't have a solution---wish I did.

[cxt]

AAA

If McCain can be blamed for what some of his supports do then so can Obama.......you see the web ad that all buts claims McCain is going to die of cancer?
Or the reporter that is soliticing input from teenagers on FaceBook who's parents "might" know something about Cindy McCain.

Or the people that spew hate and venom on McCain

Its not a one sided issue here....which you point out.

I have a problem with Wright for 2 reasons"

1-Mainly sloppy thinking

2-It might well be political speech from the pulpit---which is, depending on when and where and how, is banned in the USA--has to do with a churchs tax exempt status.

I don't think Obama is going to lose---unless a lot of polls and pollsters are wrong.
Its happend before.........so it could happen again......but quite probably Obama is going to be the next President.

BTW---in many places, if Obama's father ........"used to be a Muslim" he still is leaving the muslim faith is consider a serious crime in many muslim nations---sometimes even carrying the death penality.....at least according to my buddies from Afganistain and parts of Malaysia.......less a question of how he views himself and more of a question of how he is viewed by some.

[AAAhmed46]

BTW---in many places, if Obama's father ........"used to be a Muslim" he still is leaving the muslim faith is consider a serious crime in many muslim nations---sometimes even carrying the death penality.....at least according to my buddies from Afganistain and parts of Malaysia.......less a question of how he views himself and more of a question of how he is viewed by some.

But these people are not going to be president of the united states. Obama might be. Meaning how his father viewed homself does matter, because it shows what barrack might have picked up from his father.

And if his father was an atheist, or believed himself to be an atheist, however you want to put it, the whole "his father was a Muslim, that scares me" is null, because really why would he pass on values of a belief system he does not believe in to his son, little Barack? He married an athiest woman as well. And even if barack obama was a muslim(which he clearly isn't), why does it matter? Why can't he be president? Yes yes i know, politics and perception and hysteria. I doubt a man with a russian background could be elected in 1960-1980 to office. It's understandable. But his father wasn't a Muslim.

If his father did not believe in Islam, then surely that should destroy the belief that Obama is not a secret Muslim spy.

By the way, i think McCain showed great integrity by his speech saying that he thought Obama was a good man, and showed how he himself is separate from all this dirty campaigning.

Barack is no saint, his brother and grand mother arn't exactly in the best shape despite his wealth.

So im not exactly his biggest fan. But THOSE should be reasons for disliking him, not his name or his mother or father.