Defending the Truth

Katczinsky · 10-24-2006, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefferson

You vote for somebody based on what he "says he will do"?

You have GOT to be kidding me! We're talking about politicians here, right?

I never said that, don't put words in my mouth. I said what you believe they will do in the future by looking at their policies and what they support (not necessarily what they "say they're going to do") and not what they have done in the past to somehow 'earn' your vote.

hevusa · 10-25-2006, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alias

What's he done to deserve my vote? I've asked this twice now without a response so far.

He is a Harvard Law School graduate, a Senator and has incredibly insightful progressive views. Works for me.

Jefferson · 10-25-2006, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hevusa

He is a Harvard Law School graduate, a Senator and has incredibly insightful progressive views. Works for me.

But most important: He's a Democrat.

chrisg967 · 10-25-2006, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alias

I could write a book about my upbringing and religion and it would be interesting. Does that qualify me to run for president? I don't think so. If he is going to run for president, what experience does he have in governing a state, a county, a city, a village? None. He's been a senator for 4 years. Whoopee. No one still has told me what he has done to deserve my vote or what all the fuss is about. What makes him so popular among you dems?

Did I say ANYTHING about his qualifications for president??? I only said I read an exerpt from his book that was interesting! You might find it interesting, too, who knows?

alias · 10-26-2006, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisg967

Did I say ANYTHING about his qualifications for president??? I only said I read an exerpt from his book that was interesting! You might find it interesting, too, who knows?

I still don't know what he's done to turn on the democrats so much. He's on the cover of magazines, in the news, blah, blah, blah. It's like he's a rock star.

alias · 10-26-2006, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hevusa

He is a Harvard Law School graduate, a Senator and has incredibly insightful progressive views. Works for me.

Hevusa: "Incredibly insightful progressive views".

My my. You mean he is for killing children before they are born and legalizing marriage between men who take it up the ass?

Yes, that is very "progressive".

Nebraskaboy · 10-26-2006, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hevusa

He is a Harvard Law School graduate, a Senator and has incredibly insightful progressive views. Works for me.

Hev, you would vote for him because he is two things: Black and a Democrat. Personally, I like the guy. However, I know very little about him, and even less about his politics. Every time I hear his name surface, it usually praises him, so I think I am going to surf the web and find out more about him.

chrisg967 · 10-27-2006, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alias

I still don't know what he's done to turn on the democrats so much. He's on the cover of magazines, in the news, blah, blah, blah. It's like he's a rock star.

Here's why I found the article interesting: he talks about his spritual journey. His mom belonged to no religion, yet lived a very spiritual life. His father was a muslim who became an athiest. Even if he doesn't run for president, the exerpt I read is interesting enough for me to hunt down a copy of the book. Here's the first page of the exerpt from time.com:

Quote:

My Spiritual Journey

Two days after I won the democratic nomination in my U.S. Senate race, I received an email from a doctor at the University of Chicago Medical School.

"Congratulations on your overwhelming and inspiring primary win," the doctor wrote. "I was happy to vote for you, and I will tell you that I am seriously considering voting for you in the general election. I write to express my concerns that may, in the end, prevent me from supporting you."

The doctor described himself as a Christian who understood his commitments to be comprehensive and "totalizing." His faith led him to strongly oppose abortion and gay marriage, but he said his faith also led him to question the idolatry of the free market and the quick resort to militarism that seemed to characterize much of President Bush's foreign policy.

The reason the doctor was considering voting for my opponent was not my position on abortion as such. Rather, he had read an entry that my campaign had posted on my website, suggesting that I would fight "right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman's right to choose." He went on to write:

"Whatever your convictions, if you truly believe that those who oppose abortion are all ideologues driven by perverse desires to inflict suffering on women, then you, in my judgment, are not fair-minded. ... I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words."

I checked my website and found the offending words. They were not my own; my staff had posted them to summarize my pro-choice position during the Democratic primary, at a time when some of my opponents were questioning my commitment to protect Roe v. Wade. Within the bubble of Democratic Party politics, this was standard boilerplate, designed to fire up the base. The notion of engaging the other side on the issue was pointless, the argument went; any ambiguity on the issue implied weakness.

Rereading the doctor's letter, though, I felt a pang of shame. Yes, I thought, there were those in the antiabortion movement for whom I had no sympathy, those who jostled or blocked women who were entering clinics; those who bullied and intimidated and occasionally resorted to violence. But those antiabortion protesters weren't the ones who occasionally appeared at my campaign rallies. The ones I encountered usually showed up in the smaller communities that we visited, their expressions weary but determined as they stood in silent vigil outside whatever building in which the rally was taking place, their handmade signs or banners held before them like shields. They didn't yell or try to disrupt our events, although they still made my staff jumpy. The first time a group of protesters showed up, my advance team went on red alert; five minutes before my arrival at the meeting hall, they called the car I was in and suggested that I slip in through the rear entrance to avoid a confrontation.

"I don't want to go through the back," I told the staffer driving me. "Tell them we're coming through the front."

TIME.com: My Spiritual Journey -- Oct. 23, 2006 -- Page 1

sgtdmski · 10-28-2006, 02:12 AM

The simple truth of the matter is that it is highly unlikely that he will run in 2008. He has yet to prove himself politically yet. Let us just look at recent elections, Senators who have ran for President have lost. Whereas Governors have won.......Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Dubya. The notable exception is Kennedy. Bush 41, was a Vice President as was Johnson and Truman.

Like it or not, it would seem that the voting public values those with previous executive experience rather than legislative experience.

dmk

satv365 · 10-28-2006, 02:34 AM

He stands for Net-Neutrality. A subject im concerned by. He is against the war in Iraq, in it's current form.

I voted for him last election. Not so sure he's getting a second vote from me.

Here is a little website to check on some info about him.

Barack Obama - U.S. Senator for Illinois

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