Researching Presidental Candidates

[Guest guest]

Welcome back Kim.

I'm not really paying too much to the candidates now. That they have pushed the primaries so far forward is nothing short of a world class joke. The only reason the primaries were moved up with grandstanding and ego because Iowa and New Hampshire got made because Florida bumped their primary up a bit. So, everyone started moving their up too so they could be "First and Most Important." Politics.

Anyway, so now we are going to have to suffer through about a year of this nonsense, campaigns are going to get vastly more expensive, and people are going to be so sick of it all come November, there will as likely be a revolution as voting. That's not too far off the mark really. We now have a long time penalty in the campaigns and just like in the futures markets, you pay a premium for time. In this case, the premium is how much the candidates will have to ratchet up the personal attacks and also the rhetoric. Both will have a caustic effect which will further polarize the country and cause whatever the outcome may be to be bitterly contested and whoever wins to have a hard time in office.

Now, my guess is that the most worthy candidates will be the least likely to make it through the primaries. You have some long serving and experienced men on the Democratic side, like Dodd, but you never hear a word about them. The media is fixated on the young, telegenic man (), the woman (Hillary) and the black guy (Obama). None of them is getting critical treatment nor will they, just like how Bill Clinton sailed through the campaign without any serious questions about many serious matters in his past. I'm not really sure about the Republicans aside to say that I don't trust McCaine. He has lead the greatest attack on political free speech in the history of the US with the McCaine-Finegold Act and others. His extreme cooperation with the Democrats, the bottom feeder types like Kennedy in particular, and his hostility to the tax cuts and many other things, should have put him out of the party, but he is kept only so the Republicans can appear to have more power than they do in Congress.

Really I'm waiting until after the primary nonsense to sort out who is actually going to be on the ticket. I'll worry about who to vote for after that. My guess is though that it will be a tiny person when we need a giant to stand strong in the face of all the problems we have coming.

But we'll see. I'm not optimistic about the next 5 to 6 years and even less out to 20.

I haven't been posting much lately. While the kids were on winter breakI spent most of my time with them, playing, talking, reading etc. Now Iam trying to do as much research into the political presidentalhopefuls. Listening to their speeches is all well and good but I wantto learn more about their past voting records. I am a registeredRepublican but I do not always vote party line. I was wondering ifanyone has some insight to the candidates or opinions about them. Ionly ask because I have been impressed with 's and Tom's thoughtson politics previously.Kim Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

[Guest guest]

I haven't been posting much lately. While the kids were on winter break

I spent most of my time with them, playing, talking, reading etc. Now I

am trying to do as much research into the political presidental

hopefuls. Listening to their speeches is all well and good but I want

to learn more about their past voting records. I am a registered

Republican but I do not always vote party line. I was wondering if

anyone has some insight to the candidates or opinions about them. I

only ask because I have been impressed with 's and Tom's thoughts

on politics previously.

Kim

[Guest guest]

Makes sense to wait but I was actually thinking of doing something I've

never done for the primaries, declare myself a democrat just to vote

against Hillary. I can't believe I would think of stooping to being

dishonest but that woman scares the heck out of me.

The ads that run don't bug me but for the fact that I know there are so

many gullible people who believe everything they hear. So very few will

take the time to read and even that becomes to biased that the facts are

distorted.

Is that why we have the electoral college? To seperate the intellectual

vote from the popular vote?

Kim

>

> Welcome back Kim.

>

> I'm not really paying too much to the candidates now. That they have

pushed

> the primaries so far forward is nothing short of a world class joke.

The only

> reason the primaries were moved up with grandstanding and ego because

Iowa

> and New Hampshire got made because Florida bumped their primary up a

bit. So,

> everyone started moving their up too so they could be " First and Most

> Important. " Politics.

>

> Anyway, so now we are going to have to suffer through about a year of

this

> nonsense, campaigns are going to get vastly more expensive, and people

are

> going to be so sick of it all come November, there will as likely be a

revolution

> as voting. That's not too far off the mark really. We now have a long

time

> penalty in the campaigns and just like in the futures markets, you pay

a

> premium for time. In this case, the premium is how much the candidates

will have

> to ratchet up the personal attacks and also the rhetoric. Both will

have a

> caustic effect which will further polarize the country and cause

whatever the

> outcome may be to be bitterly contested and whoever wins to have a

hard time in

> office.

>

> Now, my guess is that the most worthy candidates will be the least

likely to

> make it through the primaries. You have some long serving and

experienced men

> on the Democratic side, like Dodd, but you never hear a word about

them. The

> media is fixated on the young, telegenic man (), the woman

(Hillary)

> and the black guy (Obama). None of them is getting critical treatment

nor

> will they, just like how Bill Clinton sailed through the campaign

without any

> serious questions about many serious matters in his past. I'm not

really sure

> about the Republicans aside to say that I don't trust McCaine. He has

lead the

> greatest attack on political free speech in the history of the US with

the

> McCaine-Finegold Act and others. His extreme cooperation with the

Democrats,

> the bottom feeder types like Kennedy in particular, and his hostility

to the

> tax cuts and many other things, should have put him out of the party,

but he

> is kept only so the Republicans can appear to have more power than

they do in

> Congress.

>

> Really I'm waiting until after the primary nonsense to sort out who is

> actually going to be on the ticket. I'll worry about who to vote for

after that.

> My guess is though that it will be a tiny person when we need a giant

to stand

> strong in the face of all the problems we have coming.

>

> But we'll see. I'm not optimistic about the next 5 to 6 years and even

less

> out to 20.

>

>

[Guest guest]

>> Welcome back Kim.

Although this has nothing to do with the subject line, just seeing my name in print got the theme song from Cheers running in my head. I guess this is as opposite of the bar scene as you can get but the part of the song they used to play still applies.

Kim

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same You wanna be where everybody knows Your name. You wanna go where people know, people are all the same, You wanna go where everybody knows your name.

[Guest guest]

My opinion is simple. They're faces with no power, only a representation of congress and some object for the media to manipulate american minds with. They're a term-dependent concept created by congress as a scapegoat. Americans don't have a choice. Democrat/republican hmmmm......... Sounds like there isn't a choice really. Yes vote for hillaryobamamccainedwardsblablabla. They're the leaders of our country?! That's a lie. The leaders of our country are the capitalists who make or break the economy. Political issues affecting far off lands and requiring hundreds of thousands of well-paid soldiers is obviously an economic burden. Outsourcing is a burden. Rising costs of housing is a burden. However, the culture of America is getting even more consumeristic and lazy. If you want to know the truth then read "Stiffed" by Faludi. She won the pulitzer prize in 1991. She explains some of those american mythological beliefs that we hold so closely to protect deeper issues

that we don't care to discuss. We're not born with these consumeristic,helpless feelings. We learned a very skewed, primitive version of history when we were institutionalized into the public and/or private schools. We are so far behind asians and germans when it comes to education. Sometimes I wonder if we're not made to be expendable to international purposes in the way we handle war,in the way we get fragmented from noble causes, in the way we have so many useless prisons, in the way we are scared and enraged about things such as 9/11 yet, have no true understanding of why in the heck it happened.

[Guest guest]

Here is a link that might help you with your decision. If I had one

word of advice, do not vote for Obama. He is another Blagoyovich.

Clinton is no good either. No one in her hometown where I live is

voting for her.

http://politics.nytimes.com/election-

guide/2008/issues/index.html#/context=index/issue=health

I am voting for Huckabee. I have heard him during a number of press

interviews and he seems to be the most sensible candidate out of all

that I have heard. He also has some pretty good ideas for solving a lot

of our problems. Believe it or not, his religious affiliations don;t

have much to do with my decision at all.

If Huckabee gets voted off the list in the caucuses, then I have no

idea who I will vote for.

Tom

Administrator

" I haven't been posting much lately. While the kids were on winter break

I spent most of my time with them, playing, talking, reading etc. Now I

am trying to do as much research into the political presidental

hopefuls. Listening to their speeches is all well and good but I want

to learn more about their past voting records. I am a registered

Republican but I do not always vote party line. I was wondering if

anyone has some insight to the candidates or opinions about them. I

only ask because I have been impressed with 's and Tom's thoughts

on politics previously. "

Kim

[Guest guest]

" Makes sense to wait but I was actually thinking of doing something I've

never done for the primaries, declare myself a democrat just to vote

against Hillary. I can't believe I would think of stooping to being

dishonest but that woman scares the heck out of me. "

My dad has been known to do stuff like that.

Tom

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Very well. Whenever you disappear for a while and all of a sudden start posting, I'll write KIM!!!

My favorite episode of cheers is when Sam and Norm and the gang are in some other part of town on an errand and they stop at some random bar to get a drink. The second Norm walks in, everyone their says "NORM!!!"

Tom

Administrator

"Although this has nothing to do with the subject line, just seeing my name in print got the theme song from Cheers running in my head. I guess this is as opposite of the bar scene as you can get but the part of the song they used to play still applies."

Kim

[Guest guest]

>

> My opinion is simple. They're faces with no power, only a

representation of congress and some object for the media to >manipulate

american minds with. They're a term-dependent concept created by

congress as a scapegoat. Americans don't >have a choice.

Democrat/republican hmmmm......... Sounds like there isn't a choice

really. Yes vote for >hillaryobamamccainedwardsblablabla. They're the

leaders of our country?! That's a lie. The leaders of our country are

the >capitalists who make or break the economy.

Whether or not the choices and legislation made by our representatives

is corrupted by big business, I still feel it is my right and duty to

vote. It has been said here before and I think it still holds true for

me, that we choose the lesser of two evils when we vote. I am looking

at all the candidates and their backgrounds yet none will ever have all

or most of the qualities I desire in a leader. Perhaps it is for just

the reason you stated, they have no real power, nonetheless one will be

chosen.

>Political issues affecting far off lands and requiring hundreds of

thousands of well-paid soldiers is obviously an economic >burden.

Outsourcing is a burden. Rising costs of housing is a burden. However,

the culture of America is getting even more >consumeristic and lazy. If

you want to know the truth then read " Stiffed " by Faludi. She won

the pulitzer prize in 1991. >She explains some of those american

mythological beliefs that we hold so closely to protect deeper issues

that

> we don't care to discuss.

I'll look that book up on my next trip to the library. Though I do not

think any cynical reading material will influence my decision to vote.

>We're not born with these consumeristic,helpless feelings. We learned a

very skewed, primitive version of history when we >were

institutionalized into the public and/or private schools.

Agreed but it is possible to think for oneself as I believe you have

just proven, dispite the forced educational views to which we've been

subjected.

>We are so far behind asians and germans when it comes to education.

That is fact.

>Sometimes I wonder if we're not made to be expendable to international

purposes in the way we handle war,in the way we get >fragmented from

noble causes, in the way we have so many useless prisons, in the way we

are scared and enraged about >things such as 9/11 yet, have no true

understanding of why in the heck it happened.

That we are being bred to serve some bigger plot is giving far to much

credit to those who can barely deal with much smaller issues, in my

opinion. I do not see the intelligence of a few, far sighted

individuals bringing any worthwhile change so why believe in

shortsighted egotists?

Kim

[Guest guest]

>

> Here is a link that might help you with your decision. If I had one

> word of advice, do not vote for Obama. He is another Blagoyovich.

> Clinton is no good either. No one in her hometown where I live is

> voting for her.

Oh, I know I won't be casting my vote for either of those two. I've

read the local news about Obama and his real estate profits.

> http://politics.nytimes.com/election-

> guide/2008/issues/index.html#/context=index/issue=health

I'll check it out tonight.

> I am voting for Huckabee. I have heard him during a number of press

> interviews and he seems to be the most sensible candidate out of all

> that I have heard. He also has some pretty good ideas for solving a

lot

> of our problems. Believe it or not, his religious affiliations don;t

> have much to do with my decision at all.

He is who my husband was leaning towards. I like where he stands on

most things, I just have a hard time with the fact that he doesn't

believe in evolution.

> If Huckabee gets voted off the list in the caucuses, then I have no

> idea who I will vote for.

Time will tell. That is part of the reason I'm researching all of them

now, for a second and third choice.

Kim

[Guest guest]

>

>

> Very well. Whenever you disappear for a while and all of a sudden

start

> posting, I'll write KIM!!!

Yea, I'll feel sooooo popular!

>

> My favorite episode of cheers is when Sam and Norm and the gang are in

> some other part of town on an errand and they stop at some random bar

to

> get a drink. The second Norm walks in, everyone their says " NORM!!! "

Me too.

[Guest guest]

" He is who my husband was leaning towards. I like where he stands on

most things, I just have a hard time with the fact that he doesn't

believe in evolution. "

Except in the matter of stem cell research and abortion, I don't see

where his disbelief in evolution will make a difference in terms of his

ability to run the country. He is sensible in all other areas, in my

opinion.

I am sure McCain will get the Republican nomination anyway, in which

case, I have no idea who I will vote for.

Tom

Administrator