"I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead."
Ah thanks! My DVR glitched a bit during Obama's speech, so it cut out a tiny portion. Go figure it was the bit I was looking for. That's very good of him to say then, thanks for posting.
Vassago - McCains speech was good. If he had been talking like that the whole time I think he would have done better. It was like the old McCain.
Agreed, that's the McCain I knew and liked and would have voted for. Too bad that guy wasn't on the campaign trail the last few months. Instead we got a dog and pony show filled full Joe the (insert occupation here) and other distractions. Its good to see he's back and hopefully he'll continue to crack some heads in the senate.
It's just too bad the McCain I voted against, isn't the same McCain I would have voted for.
I've seen 8yrs of trash talk coming from the dems, not the reps. But everyone has their own opinion.
Trash talk or reporting on whats been going on? Well its not every president that starts (and botches) 2 wars, lies to the America people and burns through their cabinet and press secretaries a few times over. Those things are all big news and just because hes the president we shouldn't have talked about it?
Like I said a lot has been put on Bushes plate he didn't ask for. but there's a lot of shit that went down and just talking about it isn't slinging mud.
On the other hand, calling (or leading other people to believe) someone is a "arab-socialistic-terrorist-baby-killing-extremist" just to bag a few votes is just bad form...
This is my favorite part of the elections! watch closely as everyone that bashed and slandered obama, come out to cheer him on, and push there entire support in his direction. If you watch close enough, you will see just how shallow and filled with lies these people are. Great example is hillary...
Bush didn't cause this economic issue...
Bush didn't help it, no doubt about it....
He made it worse....
But be sure you're pointing your finger in the right direction before you sling accusations around.
I accuse bush of being a terrible president, you want to guess which finger I'm pointing at him? No matter what things were in motion before he took office he is responsible for the direction our country has taken these past 4, if not 8, years.
Just as Obama will be responsible for the direction he takes the country in, despite the mistakes made before he took office.
Its funny that racism is being brought up when Obama had a much better campain and and more support than the last two white guys the democrats offered up. I really dont think it was as much of an issue as people like to think.
Oh for sure EQ, but it still doesn't go to say it's not obviously present. I grew up outside of Detroit and now living in GB, and there's always been a floating point of racism around. I know it's a small crowd of people, but I have definitely been subjected to it here in local bars or numerous shops I've been in.
And while I don't know if the actual numbers are true (2:1), Obama's site has this on Civil Rights and from having a more than one experience with a few of my black friends being harassed to all hell I wouldn't doubt it:
Disparities Continue to Plague Criminal Justice System: African Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely as whites to be searched, arrested, or subdued with force when stopped by police. Disparities in drug sentencing laws, like the differential treatment of crack as opposed to powder cocaine, are unfair.
All i hope is that the fellow from the disclosure project that was in obamas campaign team has his way and we finally get awesomerad new technologies. SERIOUSLY, i want a god damn hover car and board already. hover boards!!!
I think we should not gloat. There may not have been gloating on these boards but there was plenty of gloating to go around when bush won. However that's in the past now and we should celebrate but not gloat.
It's truly time to heal the divides in the country and I am proud to support a soon to be pres that I feel will step up to tackle this task and lead us back into prosperity.
Well said. I just recently watched Obamas Acceptance speech online at Yahoo. I was impressed. Despite my personal political views, now that this is all over, i don't feel like he's a dooms day guy bringing death and destruction (Exaggeration but you get the point). After it has soaked in alittle i think im ok with it. I pray to my God with faith that all will be ok and since he will be my next president, I will pray for him like i prayed for Bush. For wisdom, patients and humility.
One more thing - McCain had a very graceful speech for conceding the election. Very nice words were spoken about Obama. What urked me a little was that Obama's speech never once mentioned McCain as a good person or opponent. Not a big thing, but it did put a slight hamper on my mood. I'd have thought Obama would've been more courteous.
He actually did say a bit at the beginning.
"Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader."
I don't like the current republican leadership. Their words came out of Palin's mouth, and to a slightly lesser extent McCains during the last few months of the campaign. I was on the fence but when he went negative and turned into a puppet he lost my vote. The GOP leadership actually did more to ruin America then Bush did, but they're happy to pin it on him if it get them a new puppet.
I kept listening for hints that that McCain I knew was still in there, but all we got was Palin with her overactive imagination and rhetoric. The one knife he had in Obama's side (experience) was removed when he choose her...
It wasn't about being charismatic it was about being McCain (the right guy for the job) or being "the current GOP presidential candidate" (the newest gas powered puppet). I don't think McCain fought enough to run the campaign like he would have (probably because Bush gave him such a beating the last time he ran) and didn't trust his instincts. That to me made me question if he was the right guy for the job.
I don't get where people think Obama is charismatic, the guy stutters and stammers almost as bad as Ozzy when its not rehearsed. just because he does a good Rock impersonation doesn't make him charismatic...
He ran a cleaner campaign and actually talked about the issues and solutions to problems. Not pitbulls and plumbers.
just because he does a good Rock impersonation doesn't make him charismatic...
LOL can you smell what the Barack is cooking
I'm really glad he won, being a resident in a country and not a citizen sucks, you gotta put up with what the people vote for but not have a say even though you live there, pay taxes there, and abide by the laws.
I think the world is happy about this move as well, the one thing that sticks in my mind is the fact that when giving his acceptance speech, he told his daughters we're getting a puppy and it's moving with us to the white house.
too me that shows he is not a puppet and has a soul. he's a real human being. Thank-you America, please don't forget what happens when you let corporation run your country, the whole world goes to pot.
I'll prolly get flamed for this, but am I the only one who thinks this isnt going to change a damn thing? Im very pessimistic about this and believe the only 'change' here thats taken place is that you got a black prez instead of a white one. Discuss.
I'll prolly get flamed for this, but am I the only one who thinks this isnt going to change a damn thing? Im very pessimistic about this and believe the only 'change' here thats taken place is that you got a black prez instead of a white one. Discuss.
Economy wise I doubt it will change much in the short term (1-2 years). Obama has it tough, he's going to have to deal with defecit for a long time whereas Clinton and Bush had surplus budgets when they came into power. So yeah, once the rush of "breaking the mold" passes and reality sets in Obama will likely have to break a lot of his original campaign promises just to keep the books in order.
Considering the money we're spending on the war(s) and Obama's plans to end them and bring our troops home you can guess where he's looking to cut costs. Which could help balance the budget in the short term but could be disastrous later, for the next president... or not, it's a gamble. But for sure if we stop spending so much on military we can save an insane amount of money.
McCain was looking to keep the wars going and make life rough on us back here at home to keep funding them. Hopefully Obama has seen that just pulling out leave the world in for more hurt.
I'm not sure who was right, but we'll see if Obama's sinks or floats.
yeah, 0bAmA was elected last night, i was watching the thing... and when it said he won, i jumped up in the air and yelled "FRIED CHICKEN FOR EVERY1!!!!!'' srry to be racial xD
McCain was looking to keep the wars going and make life rough on us back here at home to keep funding them. Hopefully Obama has seen that just pulling out leave the world in for more hurt.
I'm Canadian so I don't know all Obama's campaign policies or promises. But the political coverage up here is pretty on the ball. There was talk Obama want's to pull out of Iraq and expand Afghanistan. Obviously there's savings by stopping the full war. But Canadians here view the Afghan issue as a bit of a hot button because we've ALWAYS been there and are finally pulling out, no doubt the Americans will be asking us for help there but we won't be providing it. (tension, relations etc.)
No more than idle pondering on that one though sofar from the pundits here in Canada.
I'm Canadian so I don't know all Obama's campaign policies or promises. But the political coverage up here is pretty on the ball. There was talk Obama want's to pull out of Iraq and expand Afghanistan. Obviously there's savings by stopping the full war. But Canadians here view the Afghan issue as a bit of a hot button because we've ALWAYS been there and are finally pulling out, no doubt the Americans will be asking us for help there but we won't be providing it. (tension, relations etc.)
No more than idle pondering on that one though sofar from the pundits here in Canada.
Ahh crap you mean to say they pulled that one guy out? Damn it! Seriously though how many did Canada even have in Afghanistan?
On a side note though, I find it interesting the rest of the world follows our elections so closely. The US never really follows any countries elections closely at all.
I'm Canadian so I don't know all Obama's campaign policies or promises. But the political coverage up here is pretty on the ball. There was talk Obama want's to pull out of Iraq and expand Afghanistan. Obviously there's savings by stopping the full war. But Canadians here view the Afghan issue as a bit of a hot button because we've ALWAYS been there and are finally pulling out, no doubt the Americans will be asking us for help there but we won't be providing it. (tension, relations etc.)
No more than idle pondering on that one though sofar from the pundits here in Canada.
Part of ending them (and winning) is doing what Nixon did (but successfully) and escalate things before we can bring them to a close. The nations we occupy are reliant on coalition forces providing "security" and are more then happy to let them do the fighting (after all it started it) but at some point that has to end and they need to stand on their own. If they need a push from us to make that happen we should do it. But they need to know we won't continue to stay indefinitely and waste or money and soldiers.
With Obama who championed the war had failed and we need to pull out (until recently when he switched to "end it responsibly but end it") it puts the pressure on those fledgling governments to step up or fold. We'll see how it goes. It's likely if we pull out too soon he won't have to deal with the ramifications, the next 2-3 presidents would. Which could make for a slick turn around and he could go out on a good note with a semi balanced budget and the wars finished.
Part of ending them (and winning) is doing what Nixon did (but successfully) and escalate things before we can bring them to a close. The nations we occupy are reliant on coalition forces providing "security" and are more then happy to let them do the fighting (after all it started it) but at some point that has to end and they need to stand on their own. If they need a push from us to make that happen we should do it. But they need to know we won't continue to stay indefinitely and waste or money and soldiers.
With Obama who championed the war had failed and we need to pull out (until recently when he switched to "end it responsibly but end it") it puts the pressure on those fledgling governments to step up or fold. We'll see how it goes. It's likely if we pull out too soon he won't have to deal with the ramifications, the next 2-3 presidents would. Which could make for a slick turn around and he could go out on a good note with a semi balanced budget and the wars finished.
1- Not true. Iraqi forces are taking the vast majority of the violence and looking more and more self-sufficient lately. Things are finally going according to the plan, actually, with just a couple of botched years to delay it.
2- We're not going to pull out completely, or quickly. The only logical reason to make it even *sound* like that is to appease the liberal voting base. The idea is a horrible one from every angle.
Also, 'The war' is an awful way to describe it (since it isn't one) and completely ignores its relationship with our conflicts in afghanistan, our political and military tensions with pakistan, our political issues with iran... There's a lot more going on in that theater than just occupation of iraq. Obama has marketed himself as the candidate who understands the Afghani-pakistani relationship that has been causing us troubles since 2001 -- and just recently has seen a huge escalation of violence in afghanistan. Expect to see more troops deployed there as fast as they're pulled from iraq.
edit: oh yeah: awesome, obama won, celebrations, etc. Glad we didn't get mccain.
Hmm, sort of random thought here, but I am just watching the acceptance speech with my breakfast here and I'm REALLY not liking it so far. I'm only 15 minutes in, but the McCain bashing is a bit much. Especially after McCain's concession speech was so graceful, it seems that Obama could have taken a far better approach. Seems to me that there is no reason to slander an opponent once you have already won?
The speech so far has actually seemed divisive rather the unifying. "This is why democrats are better than Republicans, this is why Republican's are so stupid" etc...
I may have wanted Obama, but part of the reason for that is that he is a charismatic man and a good speaker who has the ability to unify rather than divide.
osama is president.... I hope this doesn't come bite us in the arse.
and thats just the sort of racist bullshit i would expect from a right winger. who knew we would see that kind of BS here on polycount. for shame sir. for shame.
I'm only 15 minutes in, but the McCain bashing is a bit much. Especially after McCain's concession speech was so graceful, it seems that Obama could have taken a far better approach. Seems to me that there is no reason to slander an opponent once you have already won?
Oh, I must have watched the "other" acceptance speech. The one where he didn't bash McCain.
Seriously, at what point did he bash McCain during his acceptance speech? I didn't see that.
1. I agree Iraq is stepping up but possibly only because so much pressure has been put on them and they see the end of American occupation is near. It looks like Obama will keep that pressure up, I'm not sure McCain would have.
I am very glad that Obama switched his position to "a responsible pull out" and has said many times that he'd listen to his military advisers and trust them. In politics he gets labeled a flip flop and its next to suicide to switch like that. But honestly it showed me he was open to change his mind if presented with solid facts. Something that hasn't always been done. Rummy flat out ignored anything he didn't agree with and told bush it was a big bag of win.
Yea its not a war, the US hasn't declared war on any nation in a very long time. Korea, Vietnam both where not wars but are referred to them as war. If it quacks like a duck...
I was mostly responding to people thinking Obama is screwed and couldn't possibly turn things around. He can, he just has to be very deliberate about what choices he makes and possibly willing to change plans mid stream. Which I think he is flexible enough to handle it. Bush kind of wanted to ride it out and see things get better... McCain seemed to be of the same mind set and less flexible.
Yea its not a war, the US hasn't declared war on any nation in a very long time. Korea, Vietnam both where not wars but are referred to them as war. If it quacks like a duck...
I was mostly responding to people thinking Obama is screwed and couldn't possibly turn things around. He can, he just has to be very deliberate about what choices he makes and possibly willing to change plans mid stream. Which I think he is flexible enough to handle it. Bush kind of wanted to ride it out and see things get better... McCain seemed to be of the same mind set and less flexible.
I mean in the strategic sense, not the military sense. There are no troops under a banner to line up and fight. We're holding longterm political and military opterations over there, and our occupation of iraq has just made it the focal point for violence. It's not a war, it's an entirely different kind of situation in which troops get shot and killed -- i don't know, maybe i'm being too pedantic, but i see the distinction as pretty important to understand the overall situation.
Yeah, it's definitely pressure from US troops that's got the Iraqis stepping up, but that was the plan all along, we're just finally making it work.
Otherwise, I agree with you. Any flexible, intelligent leader can pull this out, which was one of the main reasons i did not like Mccain. He seems too focused on his own political advancement and partisan goals, i think we'd have seen a stubborn fight in Iraq with no real attempts to improve our situation.
In the end, honestly, this is Bush 1 and Clinton's mess. Our issues with the middle east (if you consider the Cold War era problems a completely different conflict, which i will for the sake of this post considering the 10 year break) started in the late 80s and early 90s -- George W's administration just re-escalated them irresponsibly.
My wife and I picked up some Chick-fil-a today for lunch. I value sized mine, she didn't. As soon as I opened the bag she started pulling fries out of my container. I exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing!? You've got fries of your own." She replied with a smile, "Obama's going to be in charge soon, and you had more fries than me. You'd better get used to it." It was a good laugh. But, unfortunately...the sad truth.
My wife and I picked up some Chick-fil-a today for lunch. I value sized mine, she didn't. As soon as I opened the bag she started pulling fries out of my container. I exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing!? You've got fries of your own." She replied with a smile, "Obama's going to be in charge soon, and you had more fries than me. You'd better get used to it." It was a good laugh. But, unfortunately...the sad truth.
Regardless, life will go on.
And surprisingly he won the 250k+ vote. He said he would raise their taxes and they voted for him anyway. Warren Buffet said jokingly "if there's class warfare going on, sadly mines winning". If the 250+ crowd doesn't mind paying a little more in tax so the little people can get their feet back under them then I don't think I have to worry about the 250+ crowd, especially if they're not worried about it.
Lastly his tax plan is to cut rich hand outs that the GOP put in place. Its not so much that hes going to play Robinhood that he's just going to end tax breaks to the wealthy. Oh crap no more special privileges... They'll still be rich, but just have to go back to paying taxes. Trickle down economics hasn't worked since Regan tried it and we're now going to put and end to it, that's all. Don't buy into the scare tactics of OMG he's going commie and going to socialize us all!
Now now vig, let them have their condescending quips. If people want to deliberately distort and ignore what he says so they can justify not liking him, that's their right. This is america. After all, if the past 8 years have shown us anything, it's that facts and truth have no place in government.
Holy crap, just got an email from a relative that basically said get ready for horrors worst than the holocaust because the devil helped Obama get elected.
you know what i mean unless you got some serious wages going on you're going to see those extra fries not have them taken away. french fries!
did anyone know that french fries were not invented by the french as some might think but are in fact belgian. they are so called because of the food preperationg technique of thinly slicing known as frenching. Thus rendering the term 'freedom fries' rather laughable.
My wife and I picked up some Chick-fil-a today for lunch. I value sized mine, she didn't. As soon as I opened the bag she started pulling fries out of my container. I exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing!? You've got fries of your own." She replied with a smile, "Obama's going to be in charge soon, and you had more fries than me. You'd better get used to it." It was a good laugh. But, unfortunately...the sad truth.
Regardless, life will go on.
If you make so much money that you would be getting an Obama tax increase, what are you doing eating at Chick-fil-a? I always assumed that people with six-figure incomes could do better than fast food.
Interesting times for sure, and definetely an historical event. I for one do not like the idea of being taxed higher to help those that aren't doing anything to help themselves, as I was brought up to work hard and not ask for handouts. But I hope that with Obama in the White House, the country can mend and get us back on track, and was at least glad to see that both Obama and Mccain acted at a higher level of respect than I have seen in a long time from politicians.
I for one do not like the idea of being taxed higher to help those that aren't doing anything to help themselves, as I was brought up to work hard and not ask for handouts.
And why would you assume that these people aren't doing anything to help themselves?
Interesting times for sure, and definetely an historical event. I for one do not like the idea of being taxed higher to help those that aren't doing anything to help themselves, as I was brought up to work hard and not ask for handouts. But I hope that with Obama in the White House, the country can mend and get us back on track, and was at least glad to see that both Obama and Mccain acted at a higher level of respect than I have seen in a long time from politicians.
Spark
Will someone please explain how and when the middle class started assuming that if someone was poor it was 100% their own fault, and completely due to laziness/lack of trying?
Whoo!!1 I'd vote for Obama if I could.. well all the my country would as far as I know. Didn't met a single person that would vote for McCain.
"I for one do not like the idea of being taxed higher to help those that aren't doing anything to help themselves, as I was brought up to work hard and not ask for handouts."
It been working for Europe for long now. Socialism is not the evil thing you think it is. Just a single example, allow us to have a human health system and not what you guys have over there...
Will someone please explain how and when the middle class started assuming that if someone was poor it was 100% their own fault, and completely due to laziness/lack of trying?
In American i think it is Lazyness for the most part. In other over seascountries, not so much.
Replies
Ah thanks! My DVR glitched a bit during Obama's speech, so it cut out a tiny portion. Go figure it was the bit I was looking for. That's very good of him to say then, thanks for posting.
It's just too bad the McCain I voted against, isn't the same McCain I would have voted for.
Trash talk or reporting on whats been going on? Well its not every president that starts (and botches) 2 wars, lies to the America people and burns through their cabinet and press secretaries a few times over. Those things are all big news and just because hes the president we shouldn't have talked about it?
Like I said a lot has been put on Bushes plate he didn't ask for. but there's a lot of shit that went down and just talking about it isn't slinging mud.
On the other hand, calling (or leading other people to believe) someone is a "arab-socialistic-terrorist-baby-killing-extremist" just to bag a few votes is just bad form...
I accuse bush of being a terrible president, you want to guess which finger I'm pointing at him? No matter what things were in motion before he took office he is responsible for the direction our country has taken these past 4, if not 8, years.
Just as Obama will be responsible for the direction he takes the country in, despite the mistakes made before he took office.
Oh for sure EQ, but it still doesn't go to say it's not obviously present. I grew up outside of Detroit and now living in GB, and there's always been a floating point of racism around. I know it's a small crowd of people, but I have definitely been subjected to it here in local bars or numerous shops I've been in.
And while I don't know if the actual numbers are true (2:1), Obama's site has this on Civil Rights and from having a more than one experience with a few of my black friends being harassed to all hell I wouldn't doubt it:
Well said. I just recently watched Obamas Acceptance speech online at Yahoo. I was impressed. Despite my personal political views, now that this is all over, i don't feel like he's a dooms day guy bringing death and destruction (Exaggeration but you get the point). After it has soaked in alittle i think im ok with it. I pray to my God with faith that all will be ok and since he will be my next president, I will pray for him like i prayed for Bush. For wisdom, patients and humility.
He actually did say a bit at the beginning.
"Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader."
I kept listening for hints that that McCain I knew was still in there, but all we got was Palin with her overactive imagination and rhetoric. The one knife he had in Obama's side (experience) was removed when he choose her...
It wasn't about being charismatic it was about being McCain (the right guy for the job) or being "the current GOP presidential candidate" (the newest gas powered puppet). I don't think McCain fought enough to run the campaign like he would have (probably because Bush gave him such a beating the last time he ran) and didn't trust his instincts. That to me made me question if he was the right guy for the job.
I don't get where people think Obama is charismatic, the guy stutters and stammers almost as bad as Ozzy when its not rehearsed. just because he does a good Rock impersonation doesn't make him charismatic...
He ran a cleaner campaign and actually talked about the issues and solutions to problems. Not pitbulls and plumbers.
LOL can you smell what the Barack is cooking
I'm really glad he won, being a resident in a country and not a citizen sucks, you gotta put up with what the people vote for but not have a say even though you live there, pay taxes there, and abide by the laws.
I think the world is happy about this move as well, the one thing that sticks in my mind is the fact that when giving his acceptance speech, he told his daughters we're getting a puppy and it's moving with us to the white house.
too me that shows he is not a puppet and has a soul. he's a real human being. Thank-you America, please don't forget what happens when you let corporation run your country, the whole world goes to pot.
Economy wise I doubt it will change much in the short term (1-2 years). Obama has it tough, he's going to have to deal with defecit for a long time whereas Clinton and Bush had surplus budgets when they came into power. So yeah, once the rush of "breaking the mold" passes and reality sets in Obama will likely have to break a lot of his original campaign promises just to keep the books in order.
McCain was looking to keep the wars going and make life rough on us back here at home to keep funding them. Hopefully Obama has seen that just pulling out leave the world in for more hurt.
I'm not sure who was right, but we'll see if Obama's sinks or floats.
I'm Canadian so I don't know all Obama's campaign policies or promises. But the political coverage up here is pretty on the ball. There was talk Obama want's to pull out of Iraq and expand Afghanistan. Obviously there's savings by stopping the full war. But Canadians here view the Afghan issue as a bit of a hot button because we've ALWAYS been there and are finally pulling out, no doubt the Americans will be asking us for help there but we won't be providing it. (tension, relations etc.)
No more than idle pondering on that one though sofar from the pundits here in Canada.
Ahh crap you mean to say they pulled that one guy out? Damn it! Seriously though how many did Canada even have in Afghanistan?
On a side note though, I find it interesting the rest of the world follows our elections so closely. The US never really follows any countries elections closely at all.
With Obama who championed the war had failed and we need to pull out (until recently when he switched to "end it responsibly but end it") it puts the pressure on those fledgling governments to step up or fold. We'll see how it goes. It's likely if we pull out too soon he won't have to deal with the ramifications, the next 2-3 presidents would. Which could make for a slick turn around and he could go out on a good note with a semi balanced budget and the wars finished.
1- Not true. Iraqi forces are taking the vast majority of the violence and looking more and more self-sufficient lately. Things are finally going according to the plan, actually, with just a couple of botched years to delay it.
2- We're not going to pull out completely, or quickly. The only logical reason to make it even *sound* like that is to appease the liberal voting base. The idea is a horrible one from every angle.
Also, 'The war' is an awful way to describe it (since it isn't one) and completely ignores its relationship with our conflicts in afghanistan, our political and military tensions with pakistan, our political issues with iran... There's a lot more going on in that theater than just occupation of iraq. Obama has marketed himself as the candidate who understands the Afghani-pakistani relationship that has been causing us troubles since 2001 -- and just recently has seen a huge escalation of violence in afghanistan. Expect to see more troops deployed there as fast as they're pulled from iraq.
edit: oh yeah: awesome, obama won, celebrations, etc. Glad we didn't get mccain.
The speech so far has actually seemed divisive rather the unifying. "This is why democrats are better than Republicans, this is why Republican's are so stupid" etc...
I may have wanted Obama, but part of the reason for that is that he is a charismatic man and a good speaker who has the ability to unify rather than divide.
Hopefully it gets better.
and thats just the sort of racist bullshit i would expect from a right winger. who knew we would see that kind of BS here on polycount. for shame sir. for shame.
Oh, I must have watched the "other" acceptance speech. The one where he didn't bash McCain.
Seriously, at what point did he bash McCain during his acceptance speech? I didn't see that.
I am very glad that Obama switched his position to "a responsible pull out" and has said many times that he'd listen to his military advisers and trust them. In politics he gets labeled a flip flop and its next to suicide to switch like that. But honestly it showed me he was open to change his mind if presented with solid facts. Something that hasn't always been done. Rummy flat out ignored anything he didn't agree with and told bush it was a big bag of win.
Yea its not a war, the US hasn't declared war on any nation in a very long time. Korea, Vietnam both where not wars but are referred to them as war. If it quacks like a duck...
I was mostly responding to people thinking Obama is screwed and couldn't possibly turn things around. He can, he just has to be very deliberate about what choices he makes and possibly willing to change plans mid stream. Which I think he is flexible enough to handle it. Bush kind of wanted to ride it out and see things get better... McCain seemed to be of the same mind set and less flexible.
I mean in the strategic sense, not the military sense. There are no troops under a banner to line up and fight. We're holding longterm political and military opterations over there, and our occupation of iraq has just made it the focal point for violence. It's not a war, it's an entirely different kind of situation in which troops get shot and killed -- i don't know, maybe i'm being too pedantic, but i see the distinction as pretty important to understand the overall situation.
Yeah, it's definitely pressure from US troops that's got the Iraqis stepping up, but that was the plan all along, we're just finally making it work.
Otherwise, I agree with you. Any flexible, intelligent leader can pull this out, which was one of the main reasons i did not like Mccain. He seems too focused on his own political advancement and partisan goals, i think we'd have seen a stubborn fight in Iraq with no real attempts to improve our situation.
In the end, honestly, this is Bush 1 and Clinton's mess. Our issues with the middle east (if you consider the Cold War era problems a completely different conflict, which i will for the sake of this post considering the 10 year break) started in the late 80s and early 90s -- George W's administration just re-escalated them irresponsibly.
Heh, so I was watching the wrong speech. :P
A for effort though
That's what I get for just doing a youtube search for obama acceptance speech.
My wife and I picked up some Chick-fil-a today for lunch. I value sized mine, she didn't. As soon as I opened the bag she started pulling fries out of my container. I exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing!? You've got fries of your own." She replied with a smile, "Obama's going to be in charge soon, and you had more fries than me. You'd better get used to it." It was a good laugh. But, unfortunately...the sad truth.
Regardless, life will go on.
[ame]
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And surprisingly he won the 250k+ vote. He said he would raise their taxes and they voted for him anyway. Warren Buffet said jokingly "if there's class warfare going on, sadly mines winning". If the 250+ crowd doesn't mind paying a little more in tax so the little people can get their feet back under them then I don't think I have to worry about the 250+ crowd, especially if they're not worried about it.
Lastly his tax plan is to cut rich hand outs that the GOP put in place. Its not so much that hes going to play Robinhood that he's just going to end tax breaks to the wealthy. Oh crap no more special privileges... They'll still be rich, but just have to go back to paying taxes. Trickle down economics hasn't worked since Regan tried it and we're now going to put and end to it, that's all. Don't buy into the scare tactics of OMG he's going commie and going to socialize us all!
did anyone know that french fries were not invented by the french as some might think but are in fact belgian. they are so called because of the food preperationg technique of thinly slicing known as frenching. Thus rendering the term 'freedom fries' rather laughable.
If you make so much money that you would be getting an Obama tax increase, what are you doing eating at Chick-fil-a? I always assumed that people with six-figure incomes could do better than fast food.
Spark
And why would you assume that these people aren't doing anything to help themselves?
so basically i'm a piece of shit. Nice. I know I will never make 250k as a video game artist. Sad but true.
-my fiance this morning
*face palm*
Will someone please explain how and when the middle class started assuming that if someone was poor it was 100% their own fault, and completely due to laziness/lack of trying?
"I for one do not like the idea of being taxed higher to help those that aren't doing anything to help themselves, as I was brought up to work hard and not ask for handouts."
It been working for Europe for long now. Socialism is not the evil thing you think it is. Just a single example, allow us to have a human health system and not what you guys have over there...
In American i think it is Lazyness for the most part. In other over seascountries, not so much.