Post by jimc on Nov 8, 2008 23:14:59 GMT -5
First, can we be clear that it is not acceptable to quote another poster and change through editing or omission change the context of the material quoted? I think we need a strong statement on this because some seem to think it's OK.
Second, the unanswered question I have from the thread: how does President-Elect Obama suck? I would have crawled through broken glass to vote for him. As Michael Moore (that name should light things up here) said on CNN, we now have an intelligent president, who respects intelligent people offering him ideas, and one who will bring science back into mix.
I accept that some people choose not to vote -- I just want to know what was wrong with Obama? And as far as greed is concerned, I think it's a given that he is an example of a person who could make a lot more money in the private sector. I still have faith that people choose public service to improve our society and advance the simple beauty of the words in the Constitution. Sure, there are corrupt politicians, as there are corrupt cops, nurses, plumbers, unlicensed plumbers -- fill in the blank. Considering their fishbowl existence, I'll bet a higher percentage of corrupt politicians are caught than in most any other field. Think about marital infidelity: we hear about politicians caught in these scandals every few months (weeks?) -- yet I can name 20 people in my small town who are carrying on affairs outside their marriages at the moment -- and there is rarely a scandal and few professional repercussions.
Third, this presidential election was not about race. The victory is about race: it is staggering that we have finally elected someone other than a white male. We were a nation that allowed the ownership of slaves some 150 years ago. In my lifetime, there were -- legally -- separate water fountains, lunch counters, schools, etc. Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals could not stay with his teammates at the club's Florida hotel during Spring Training in the early 1960s. In my lifetime...I am humbled, proud, smiling, hopeful...at least for a time we may have silenced the voices of fear, division, and bitterness by choosing to say "Yes, We Can." We can do better than we've done.
Second, the unanswered question I have from the thread: how does President-Elect Obama suck? I would have crawled through broken glass to vote for him. As Michael Moore (that name should light things up here) said on CNN, we now have an intelligent president, who respects intelligent people offering him ideas, and one who will bring science back into mix.
I accept that some people choose not to vote -- I just want to know what was wrong with Obama? And as far as greed is concerned, I think it's a given that he is an example of a person who could make a lot more money in the private sector. I still have faith that people choose public service to improve our society and advance the simple beauty of the words in the Constitution. Sure, there are corrupt politicians, as there are corrupt cops, nurses, plumbers, unlicensed plumbers -- fill in the blank. Considering their fishbowl existence, I'll bet a higher percentage of corrupt politicians are caught than in most any other field. Think about marital infidelity: we hear about politicians caught in these scandals every few months (weeks?) -- yet I can name 20 people in my small town who are carrying on affairs outside their marriages at the moment -- and there is rarely a scandal and few professional repercussions.
Third, this presidential election was not about race. The victory is about race: it is staggering that we have finally elected someone other than a white male. We were a nation that allowed the ownership of slaves some 150 years ago. In my lifetime, there were -- legally -- separate water fountains, lunch counters, schools, etc. Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals could not stay with his teammates at the club's Florida hotel during Spring Training in the early 1960s. In my lifetime...I am humbled, proud, smiling, hopeful...at least for a time we may have silenced the voices of fear, division, and bitterness by choosing to say "Yes, We Can." We can do better than we've done.