13 responses so far ↓

• 1 Michaelr // Sep 20, 2008 at 12:20 pm

  Based on how Barack Obama has run his campaign, it’s rather obvious his inner circle and those providing day to day, week to week strategies are all very enlightened, highly intelligent people. You would think…based on this alone, this would generate enough leadership confidence and mass appeal to carry him into the White House. However, along the Bible belt, the Rust belt, and states like Utah, Idaho, and Arizona, and along the Mid West voters don’t think along those lines. These citizens voted for GWB twice. And it wasn’t because GWB ran an enlightened campaign. It’s these same voters who have trouble connecting the GWB administration to the abuses that have crippled our economy, robbed us of our tax dollars, and killed our children in Iraq. The next four years are crucial to our survival as a First World Nation. If we continue to be blinded by the lies and the profiteering of the GOP, the United States stands a good chance of becoming a Third World Nation in the next four years. My people have been in California for eight generations. The last thing we want to resemble is the chaos happening just south of us across the border. And we’re not very far from that. Vote Democratic…vote for Barack Obama/Joe Biden. Save the America we knew eight years ago for our children. Look beyond all that lipstick.

• 2 theKaiser // Sep 20, 2008 at 6:25 pm

  Unless the federal government incorporates the policies of FDR to regulate Wall Street and the rest of Corporate America, the U.S. taxpayer is always going to get screwed. That’s what has been happening for nearly eight years. And I agree on how shameless the Bush Administration is, sending soldiers to their death in Iraq so Halliburton and the oil industry can fill their coffers. Blood for oil.

• 3 Bearguez // Sep 20, 2008 at 6:56 pm

  I don’t think anyone with half a brain would ever consider the Bush Administration a selfless intelligent group of politicians/administrators. Based on that statement all those voters in the red states will probably have to invoke their religious beliefs to defend their continuous support of these White House liars and thieves, and ignore simple mathematics. We all want to be proud of our leaders, but it’s pretty difficult to ignore the blatant dishonesty of this Bush Administration. As far as the Republican Party goes, I don’t believe all of them have sold themselves to Wall Street and the military industrial complex. I can think of one or two that seem to be above all that self-serving prostituting theft. And the Democrats aren’t exactly that much different, although they do project themselves more intelligently. With racial bigots like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly spouting the virtues of conservative ideology, I really don’t think anyone who claims to be a Republican even understands what that means, especially now that William Buckley has moved on. So is there an intellectual heartbeat within the GOP? By their behavior, I don’t even think they read books

• 4 Irma // Sep 22, 2008 at 8:54 am

  Barak Obama isnt coming coming clean.
  Why doesnt he have the guts to say that
  the recent home mortgage crises coupled with bank failures and the impending bailout of the economy will render IMPOSSIBLE all of his proposed
  plans for education, health care etc.

  When I was growing up, my parents didnt have a problem in explaining to us why all 4 of my siblings had to share one bike. There were bills to pay – electricity, the rent, gas and food.

  If Obama wants the presidency – he has to show
  America that he is ready to be a grown up.

  The fact is that even with all the advisors in the world, it is the President who has to make the right decision. The scary thing is that to date,
  the confidence that some people have in Barak Obama is due to his advisors and vice presidential pick. I voted for Bill Clinton
  because of him and him alone. I knew he would pick the best team . Barak Obama does not
  inspire that kind of confidence yet -even with all those advisors.

• 5 DexterManley // Sep 23, 2008 at 7:58 am

  I’m not American so I have no problem saying it. Gringos just are not that smart. How can Obama not be winning this election easily? And I still would never trade Torrijos or Balbina Herrera for him.

  I went to college and business school in the states but my girlfriend doesn’t speak any English. We watch the political coverage and I explain what’s going on and she can’t believe it. She doesn’t believe it. And no one in South America can believe America’s criminal justice system. Even Obama is in favor of the death penalty, GITMO, and incarcerating juveniles with adults. How can they spend all that money for Bush’s GI Joe bs wars and nothing on single-payer health care. EVERY COUNTRY DOWN HERE HAS IT. No politician even on the right could ever get elected on Obama’s social platform. Let alone McCain’s.

  And the American stereotypes of any Spanish-speaking person just drive me up the wall. On the other hand, it’s good in a way because it has an effect of easing a lot of nationalism and inter-country rivalries down here. Panamanians versus Colombians, obviously. But all that goes out the window when the subject is Americans: “asquerosos, maleducados,” that’s what everybody from every country says.

• 6 Michaelr // Sep 23, 2008 at 9:42 pm

  Irma…hello Irma from Planet X…since when is Barack Obama not a grown up? What an incredibly stupid thing to say. All that education, and you’re still comparing apples to oranges. Your comparisons of Barack Obama and your father have absolutely no relevance. Since when did your Dad have the ability to collect taxes, print currency, eavesdrop on your conversations and email, and promote and quell international conflicts? You’re embarrassing me with this dialogue. The 700 billion dollar bailout that the Bush Administration wants to hand to Wall Street is not going to happen without a fight from Congress. But it will probably happen. Bush has given more than 2 trillion dollars of your tax dollars to contractors and vendors in Iraq and we’re all still here.

  Bill Clinton inherited a 9 trillion dollar deficit from Bush 1 in 1992. And he managed to steer the economy in the right direction, and chase female interns and deal with all those lawsuits at the same time. He actually left a surplus for the Bush 2. Bush 2 is going to leave a 15 trillion deficit for Barack Obama, or John McShame, opps McCain. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the last three Republican administrations (Reagan, Bush, and Bush) have looted the federal treasury, told insurmountable lies to the American citizens they claimed to serve, and took away tax dollars from educational, social, and infrastructural programs and gave that money to their buddies on Wall Street, the banking industry, and the military industrial complex. I don’t think John McShame, oops McCain is going to make any changes in that department. So before you begin telling everyone the sky is falling…think before you write.

• 7 Irma // Sep 24, 2008 at 8:33 am

  Grownups dont throw their grandmother under the bus and make fun of people who cannot type on a computer keyboard because the Vietnamese did terrible things to their hands and arms.
  This is Barak Obama – sorry but he is no grownup.

• 8 Irma // Sep 24, 2008 at 8:46 am

  My late father with his third grade education was a very smart guy who taught himself basic algebra just so he could understand the basics of electronic circuitry. He taught himself to read English and had a very sophisticated understanding of economics and politics. In 1968, he predicted that Latinos would someday
  become a political force in the US because of our birth rate and the inability of the US to
  close our Southern border. He would have seen Barak Obama as someone who has had few accomplishments except a few degrees and
  a remarkable ability to get elected. He would have seen John McCain as a person who was so desperate to get elected that he was willing to sell his soul. Yes, my dad would have assessed the current political situation in the United States as I do – a nightmare that neither the
  Democrats or the Republicans will be able to fix
  in one or even two terms.

  Yes, it is true I have a few degrees – but it is true to say that my world view comes mainly from a
  mojado who was in my estimation at least as smart as a lot of Ivy league professors that I know.

• 9 webmaster // Sep 24, 2008 at 12:17 pm

  Irma,

  Your father sounds like he was a remarkable and accomplished man in his own right.

  Political experience in D.C. does not always equal good governing. If you know anything about political organizing or community organizing, then you will know that some of the strongest movements and coalitions are built from the bottom up instead of top down. Barack Obama, having been a community organizer and seasoned in the state legislature, is probably closer to the average American in terms of experiences. Furthermore, he has had success in bringing about reform and working across party aisles and has acquired the resources through his degrees and contacts to be even more successful. Maybe you are more comfortable with leaders who have been in Washington D.C. for years and who answer to lobbyists instead of every day Americans. We currently have a top-down type of government, and look what is happening.

  Maybe you don’t have much faith in your fellow Americans or those who have been guiding Barack Obama, but I don’t think that you would be happy even if Obama were elected and achieved some of his goals. He could very well end the war in Iraq, shore up the banking crisis, and strengthen the value of the dollar, but you would probably still be bitter that Hillary Clinton lost. Some people unfortunately can never be pleased.

  My question to you is: what are you doing during this election cycle to help us get out of the crisis we are in? Are you actively participating in some of the local races in your community to help bring about change? We, as common citizens, have more of a chance to impact the local political climate than the national one. I would hate to see your bitterness about Hillary Clinton’s loss cloud your ability to engage in your community to help elect leaders who will advocate for the greater good. You know the saying, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

• 10 Irma // Sep 24, 2008 at 2:58 pm

  Webmaster,

  I am very active politically. I am Democrat ,and while I will not support Barak Obama, I plan to vote Democratic for every other elected office.
  I am encouraging all of my friends, students,
  colleagues and family to vote Democrat. They know that I do not support Obama – some of them will vote for him – many will not.

  You are mistaken, in thinking that I dont want
  Obama or for that matter McCain to bring about
  good things for our country. I hope that our next president ( whoever that will be) WILL be able to get us out of Iraq and save our economy before it sinks. In my line of work, the 700 billion dollar bailout along with the deficit, may
  put me out work someday. Suffice it to say,
  certain jobs subsist almost entirely on competition based government funding.

  I am not bitter that Hilary lost- because she didnt lose. I am very sad that it happened, there is a difference between bitterness and sadness. The Democratic party disenfranchised 2 states thereby giving Barak Obama the nomination.
  But that is water under the bridge so to speak.

  I do want a Democratic congress – but. I want no part of electing either Barak Obama or John McCain.

• 11 Michaelr // Sep 24, 2008 at 4:27 pm

  Seems to me Irma, your political dilemma is purely racial? McCain’s character…the content of his character has been scandalized by his schizophrenic relationship with George W. Bush, his employment of targeted lobbyists within his campaign, and the strategic motivation behind Sarah Palin. The character of Barack Obama is beyond reproach. From his time in the U.S. Senate to now, Obama has distinguished himself as a man of character in an environment hugely populated by high priced well-spoken whores. He is the most genuine politician since Bobby Kennedy.

  It would help to look beyond the skin color, and see all the possibilities this man has to offer. You will not see the likes of a man like Barack Obama in your lifetime again. His message is simple, but his task is massive. Cleaning up that bordello on Capitol Hill is a job no one has tried to tackle since JFK. And look what happened to JFK! I am sure your ideals are firmly planted on Planet X, and far over the Rainbow. But a person as educated as you are should know better than to judge a person by the color of his skin.

• 12 Irma // Sep 25, 2008 at 1:02 pm

  Dear MichaelR,

  Racial? BOTH candidates have been in cahoots with lobbyists throughout their careers.
  Both make use of political strategists as part of their plan to win. It goes with the territory.
  I wouldnt compare Barak Obama to
  Bobby Kennedy. Bob changed his tune several times in his career – he even participated in the
  McCarthy hearings ( helping McCarthy!).
  Barak Obama is certainly NOT beyond reproach.
  He has a history of using dirty politics to demolish his opposition, He learned how to do that in Chicago. He is doing a pretty good job now of demonstrating how well he learned how to do that. McCain is , however, is a quick learner……

  I really dont understand why you seem to think
  that my lack of support for Barak Obama has to do with his heritage. I was very excited when
  I first learned about Barak Obama. I held him to a higher standard than all those white politicians. Then came the Rev Jeremiah Wright, mentor and confidant for 20 years.
  I cant figure out even now why Barak Obama would want to be mentored by such a racist.
  Then I began to listen very hard to learn what
  Barak Obama has actually done in his life.
  Education is a given , I dont give people points for Ivy League degrees . Perhaps it is because
  I have moved in those circles for a long time.
  There are more people who are just average who are Ivy league graduates than those who are brilliant. I have taught Harvard students, they arent any smarter on the average than Cal
  State students, they just have a better vocabulary.

  Barrak Obama’s life experience is not particularly unusual.
  Lots of minorities have had similar experiences.
  I have had the pleasure of going to school with some of them – some are professors at major universities now, some are doctors, engineers, lawyers, scientists, mathematicians etc. The world will be better off because they were born.
  And yet, none of them will ever write a book
  about their life, because they think that they just arent that important.

  Barak Obama ‘s narcissism scares me. People
  like that tend to mess everything up for others.
  The best example of this is George W. Bush.
  His ego, fooled him into thinking that he was
  smart enough to be the President of the USA.
  Barak Obama is certainly smart enough -
  I just dont think to borrow a term – that he is ready.

  Neither is Sarah Palin by the way. John McCain is ready, he is just too old. Joe Biden might
  be ready but he has the wrong spot on the ticket.

  For me there are no acceptable choices for President . The race of the candidate has had no influence on my decision. Character judgment
  was a factor, here McCain failed and so did Barak Obama.

• 13 Michaelr // Sep 25, 2008 at 6:54 pm

  Your bigotry and hatred blinds you to everything that is obvious. Maybe your definition of character is something different from Webster’s’ dictionary’s. You have so much more to benefit from Barack Obama. The world has so much more to benefit from Barack Obama. But you Irma…are truly lost amid all the lies and propaganda.

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