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Or both. Your choice.
Thanks for reading.
JOHN McCAIN = George W. Bush's 3rd term.
by chumley on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 01:04:07 PM PDT
for the recognition that who is president matters less than what the rest of us are doing.
And for defending my candidate, but that's secondary in this case.
What the individual can do is to give a fine example, and to have the courage to uphold ethical values .. in a society of cynics." - Albert Einstein
by smijer on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 01:48:13 PM PDT
[ Parent ]
My candidate will be the Democrat. I like Edwards best, Obama next, but I'll be a Hillary whosis if that's what it takes.
I like them all for different reasons, but the future of this country ought to be the path Edwards has laid out, and I'm pulling for him.
(0+ / 0-), (0+ / 0-), it's off to kos I go...
by doorguy on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 02:41:16 PM PDT
support as #1 but something that pulled Obama to my #1 spot about a year ago was seeing the overwhelming support that Obama has from our "Independent" and disenfranchised voters in our Tampa Bay area that despised the Clinton and Bush administrations for their devisiveness and their corporate/MIC ties, including my National Guard SSG son that ran an ANA Depot in Afghanistan for a year and his military friends. Good Luck everyone with your favored Democratic candidate and thank you to all the workers on the ground in Iowa. We will "Crash the Gates" this time!
I trust Barack Obama.
by mjd in florida on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:41:16 PM PDT
They love his appeal, it reminded my lovely-but-totally-GOP stepmom of Reagan's charisma.
I despised Reagan and never felt any of that charisma, I thought it was the purest bull$#!+...but, that's what she says.
"Think. It ain't illegal yet." - George Clinton
by jbeach on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:48:19 PM PDT
And whether folks like it or not, your step-mom is not telling her truth: Obama resembles Reagan and 43.
I think some Obama folks overstate his appeal among repubs. But he looks pretty and he isn't angry.
Unlike them, I have immense respect for Obama's intellect and political skills. I couldn't give a damn what he looks like.
If he wins, he better understand that his new Republican supporters are going to expect him to get up and move deferentially to the back.
When he doesn't we'll all stand up and cheer.
Any of the three candidates will be an immense improvement over 43 and the sad, sick Republican field.
by kidneystones on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 04:42:50 PM PDT
and she is conservative Republican to the core; she's even a delegate in Florida.
So there really is something to this appeal Obama has conservatives. I could theorize, but I don't pretend to understand it. It even seems like he makes them like themselves, in some way.
by jbeach on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 06:09:48 PM PDT
in the link above.
Folks really do need to ask how anyone can stand for anything substantive and still appeal to such a diverse group of people.
I'm certain the conservative folks you like are completely sincere, and wonderful people.
That they can find themselves in Obama bothers me.
by kidneystones on Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 02:51:25 AM PDT
They are human too, after all. They've just been hornswoggled by political car salesmen for a few decades, and shown humanity they can relate to that came with hidden fine print...as long as we make sure Obama's fine print is in line with our ideals, we're golden, IMHO.
by jbeach on Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 11:48:31 AM PDT
You could be right, but I'm not convinced.
by kidneystones on Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 12:12:27 PM PDT
figure... and I sure hate the flame wars between candidate camps on this site. I've stayed away from that and will continue to do so. I will, however, continue to quietly back my chosen candidate as I see fit, with occasional contribs and some possible organizing should I find time.
Save the passion for fighting the Republicans.
This is a good, mature, thoughtful post on the current situation.
I personally feel that it will take at least a generation to repair the damage the Republicans have caused over the last seven years.
Some of us are serious, committed activists. Some of us can't do that but try to help by providing money and occasional phone-banking. I'm in the latter camp.
I am so glad Obama won in Iowa. But there's a long way to go.
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog.
by The Lighthouse Keeper on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 07:27:45 PM PDT
Reminds me of the classic scene from The Life of Brian in the catacombs under Pontias Pilate's palace:
Brian: We must unite against our enemy! Judean People's Front leader: You mean the People's Front of Judea? Brian: No! The Romans!
Brian: We must unite against our enemy!
Judean People's Front leader: You mean the People's Front of Judea?
Brian: No! The Romans!
Then they all kill each other, leaving only Brian to fight the Romans. I think some here have forgotten who the real "enemy" is.
by ccyd on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 01:54:19 PM PDT
I am a long time Edwards supporter but if Edwards drops out at any point, I will quite easily and enthusiastically support Obama in a heartbeat.
I like both candidates a great deal and both inspire me. I just tend to agree more with Edwards approach but that does not diminish my respect for Obama.
So while I would prefer Edwards, I am fine with Obama as well.
These hit pieces based on nonsense, well they make no sense.
The one thing we know about the McCain campaign...is that they're very good at negative campaigns, they're not so good at governing- Barack Obama
by wishingwell on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 01:54:37 PM PDT
I don't know. I want Edwards to win. Edwards losing would discourage me because I just don't think Obama's approach will work.
But, an Obama/Edwards ticket? I'll consider it.
Conservatives are close-minded, shallow, superficial people that live in a fantasy world where everything is black and white and there are NO shades of gray.
by Brad007 on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:02:01 PM PDT
...Really? Truly? You'd give up if Obama earned the nomination instead of your guy?
Any (ANY) of the Dem candidates align more with my progressive values than any and all of the would-be Bush successors. Do they not also align more closely with your principles?
As for "Obama's approach" I'd be curious to know what you think his approach is. To put it simply, I've always thought of it as a worthwhile approach.
From what I've seen of Obama in action (I'm in Illinois), he appears to bring every interested party to the table to at least let them have their say. If he feels it won't impede his progressive agenda to throw them a bone he does so. If he feels it would be detrimental to the progressive cause, he tends to say thanks but no and then explain precisely why he thinks it's the wrong way to go.
Shutting the door on people, ignoring what they have to say, and talking over them when they do speak is what we've had for 7+ years. In light of that, I don't mind "Obama's approach" so much (it's not like everyone in America is, in fact, progressive no matter how much you or I may wish it so.)
-4.00, -5.79 | Visit Illinois Reason.
by thesill on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:29:16 PM PDT
about? NOWHERE does Brad007 state or even imply he(?) wouldn't vote in the general. This is about the current Primary season.
Settle down. ;o)
P.S. Obama's approach, as I see it, is to be non-confrontational, congenial and let's-meet-in-the-middle. IMO the f*cking lockstep Roadblock ReThuglicans in Congress have No Interest in compromise. They Always bring a .44 magnum while we bring a straw and some rolled up paper to the proverbial legislative "gunfight".
Bottled hot water for dehydrated babies? WTF?!
by JVolvo on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 05:10:26 PM PDT
...Is political jujitsu. Pay attention to his speeches and his ads and you'll start to see it in action.
"Non-confrontational" led to India's independence and our own country's Civil Rights movement.
You're likely right that Repubs have no interest in compromise. But shutting them out from the start only serves to continue the polarization, hyperpartisanship and ostracization so many folks claim to deplore.
But Obama's approach is hardly "let's meet in the middle" -- and I challenge you to find concrete examples of your claim.
I'm ok with a leader willing to step up and bring everyone to the table to defend their positions. If the Repubs are at that table and are forced to explain themselves... you'll start to see a lot of hollowness come to light on a lot of issues; and that will tend to bolster the progressive position even as it brings more independents and even some Obama Republicans into "the Democratic tent".
by thesill on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 10:54:44 PM PDT
I didn't say I was giving the vote to a Republican. Don't jump to conclusions.
by Brad007 on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 05:45:45 PM PDT
by thesill on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 10:55:14 PM PDT
Bash 'em when they're dead wrong about one of our own and show you're ready to support the winner!
That's what brings the hard-won win in the long run!
Thanks, chumley!
At Facebook: The 12/12 Campaign / Harry Taylor for Congress 2008
by Iddybud on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 01:59:39 PM PDT
I wish we saw more of this, instead of the constant inane mudslinging that has permeated the blogs of late.
Have we forgotten that we're ultimately all in this together?
Sean Robertson Discharge John McCain!
by Sean Robertson on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 02:19:02 PM PDT
and is much needed right about now. Terrific diary, tipped and rec'd.
by Jennifer Clare on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 02:23:34 PM PDT
the AP might have misquoted him. DUH! Anyway, to nitpick further, being from academia, I wouldn't call someone a professor unless they were a doctorate (I consider the ranking to go undergraduate, graduate, doctor, professor in order of prestige, and it matters to me because of the effort level involved - if someone has a masters and teaches, they're a lecturer to me), but of course a law degree is a JD, so I'm not sure where Obama falls in that spectrum, or any lawyer, because isn't there a higher degree than JD for professors of law? Is Obama even a JD? If so, I'm happy to call him professor, because he would have a doctorate and be a teacher. I don't require tenure of anyone, though; associate professor or whatever is all professor to me.
Mojito ergo sum.
by Uniter on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 02:42:28 PM PDT
cum laude, a rare accomplishment while being editor in chief (president) of the prestigious Harvard Law Review.
At U of Chicago Law School all teachers are called Professor or just Mr/Ms.
We are in a time where it is risky NOT to change. Barack Obama 7-30-08
by samddobermann on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:34:19 PM PDT
When I get my Ph.D., I'm damn well going to insist that people call me "Doctor Mistersite." The title and the fancy hat are the only reasons I'm getting the degree.
So why is a Juris Doctor called "Mr." or "Ms."?
Join the Matthew 25 Network and help Democrats win the next generation of evangelicals.
by mistersite on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 04:00:17 PM PDT
Go with "Mr. Doctorsite." Or do like I do: Say your name, and then make a fffffdd sound. I have also found as much success as you would imagine in going around bars, telling women I'm a doctor and asking to see their privates. PhDs in English are way huge turnons for most women in bars.
. . . And that Lecturer crap: It's an internal title, like Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Full Professor. Large proportions of professors at many universities have the internal title of "Lecturer," and not a one of them ever, ever gets called "Lecturer."
I guess one could make the strained argument that, to avoid any semblance of self-aggrandizement, Obama should have said he was a "Law School Professor, at the Lecturer level." But puh leeze.
by deminva on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 04:33:18 PM PDT
...and I'm a lowly graduate assistant. (They've also called me "Dr. [blank]" before, to my amusement... as if Dr. anything would be teaching a 100-level speech course at a major research university...)
by mistersite on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 05:14:29 PM PDT
I TA'ed many courses at UVA, and many students reflexively called me "Professor Deminva." I always stressed that I preferred they call me by my first name, so I avoided much of that, but I also always clarified that I wasn't a doctor.
by deminva on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 07:44:22 PM PDT
...for writing a sane diary at the height of a period of insanity.
Over the years, I've really, truely come to hate primaries. I'm willing to back a candidate, yeah... But hero worship is wrong on two fronts. One, it'll hurt your ability to work for someone else who's probably almost, if not just as, good a candidate, if they win the nominatin instead. And, two, if you fall into hero worship, you're just setting yourself up to be let down at some point in the future.
by WayneNight on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 02:47:24 PM PDT
Even Sirota's can't-we-all-just-get-along diary had to take a cheap swipe and Hillary and Barack for some reason...
I don't care who you or anyone else on this board is supporting. If your candidate earns (not "wins", "earns") the nomination and mine doesn't ... I will still be devoting at least one pair of shoes and several weeks worth of walking and talking and volunteering for OUR candidate this summer and fall.
All of these candidates have strengths and weaknesses. Obviously, I prefer one at present, but he has some weaknesses his rivals don't. It's just absurd to act as if the world will crumble if one's chosen candidate doesn't make it all the way.
Well said, with the caveat that your preferred candidate also has some strengths the others don't.
Such is life. Period.
by thesill on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:22:01 PM PDT
Your claims are baloney. There is a humongous difference between a lecturer and a professor of any form (assistant, associate or full) in any worthwhile university or institution you go to. Lecturers are not required to have any serious record of research. But to be offered a professor position in any decent college/university, you must have a good record of research, typically a Ph.D, although there are exceptions. You can have a bachelor's degree and be a lecturer in many universities. Although it is likely common that a typical lecturer in any half decent university/college has a masters degree. Professor of any kind typically is a tenured position in most decent universities/colleges, while the lecturer is not, by definition. Some colleges may have its lecturers stay for life (like tenured) while strictly not associating a tenure with that position.
This is not to say somehow Obama is less electable due to this. But if he did claim that he was a professor (I have seen his supporters claiming here that he is a professor and dismissed that claim offhand, since it just simply isnt true) that claim is false. I dont think this is of any consequence to the election however.
by pdxarch on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 04:55:51 PM PDT
Corporate Media: Republicans are their base.
by lecsmith on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 05:10:07 PM PDT
Barack Obama, the "Bipartisanator".
Trash the base, condemn "divisiveness", and "reach across the aisle".
Can you feel the "Joementum"?
What a crock. This isn't change, it's more of the same with a new face.
by elesares on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 06:16:38 PM PDT
wide narrow
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