important info for our times

[chuck smith]

Re: Obama - What does it mean to you?
« Reply #199 on: March 13, 2008, 06:29:51 PM » Quote

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by Ken Blackwell - Columnist for the New York Sun

It's an amazing time to be alive in America . We're in a year of firsts in this presidential election: the first viable woman candidate; the first viable African-American candidate; and, a candidate who is the first frontrunning freedom fighter over 70. The next president of America will be a first.

We won't truly be in an election of firsts, however, until we judge every candidate by where they stand. We won't arrive where we should be until we no longer talk about skin color or gender. Now that Barack Obama steps to the front of the Democratic field, we need to stop talking about his race, and start talking about his policies and his politics.

The reality is this: Though the Democrats will not have a nominee until August, unless Hillary Clinton drops out, Mr. Obama is now the frontrunner, and its time America takes a closer and deeper look at him.

Some pundits are calling him the next John F. Kennedy. He's not. He's the next George McGovern. And it's time people learned the facts.

Because the truth is that Mr. Obama is the single most liberal senator in the entire U.S. Senate. He is more liberal than Ted Kennedy, Bernie Sanders, or Mrs. Clinton. Never in my life have I seen a presidential frontrunner whose rhetoric is so far removed from his record. Walter Mondale promised to raise our taxes, and he lost. George McGovern promised military weakness, and he lost. Michael Dukakis promised a liberal domestic agenda, and he lost.

Yet Mr. Obama is promising all those things, and he's not behind in the polls. Why? Because the press has dealt with him as if he were in a beauty pageant. Mr. Obama talks about getting past party, getting past red and blue, to lead the United States of America . But let's look at the more defined strokes of who he is underneath this superficial "beauty."

Start with national security, since the president's most important duties are as commander-in-chief. Over the summer, Mr. Obama talked about invading Pakistan, a nation armed with nuclear weapons; meeting without preconditions with Mahmoud Ahmadin eja d, who vows to destroy Israel and create another Holocaust; and Kim Jong II, who is murdering and starving his people, but emphasized that the nuclear option was off the table against terrorists - something no president has ever taken off the table since we created nuclear weapons in the 1940s. Even Democrats who have worked in national security condemned all of those remarks. Mr. Obama is a foreign-policy novice who would put our national security at risk.

Next, consider economic policy. For all its faults, our health care system is the strongest in the world. And free trade agreements, created by Bill Clinton as well as President Bush, have made more goods more affordable so that even people of modest means can live a life that no one imagined a generation ago. Yet Mr. Obama promises to raise taxes on "the rich." How to fix Social Security? Raise taxes. How to fix Medicare? Raise taxes. Prescription drugs? Raise taxes. Free college? Raise taxes. Socialize medicine? Raise taxes. His solution to everything is to have government take it over. Big Brother on steroids, funded by your paycheck.

Finally, look at the social issues. Mr. Obama had the audacity to open a stadium rally by saying, "All praise and glory to God!" but says that Christian leaders speaking for life and marriage have "hijacked" - hijacked - Christianity. He is pro-partial birth abortion, and promises to appoint Supreme Court justices who will rule any restriction on it unconstitutional. He espouses the abortion views of Margaret Sanger, one of the early advocates of racial cleansing. His spiritual leaders endorse homosexual marriage, and he is moving in that direction. In Illinois , he refused to vote against a statewide ban - ban - on all handguns in the state. These are radical left, Hollywood , and San Francisco values, not Middle America values.

The real Mr. Obama is an easy target for the general election. Mrs. Clinton is a far tougher opponent. But Mr. Obama could win if people don't start looking behind his veneer and flowery speeches. His vision of "bringing America together" means saying that those who disagree with his agenda for America are hijackers or warmongers. Uniting the country means adopting his liberal agenda and abandoning any conflicting beliefs.

But right now everyone is talking about how eloquent of a speaker he is and - yes - they're talking about his race. Those should never be the factors on which we base our choice for president. Mr. Obama's radical agenda sets him far outside the American mainstream, to the left of Mrs. Clinton.

It's time to talk about the real Barack Obama. In an election of firsts, let's first make sure we elect the person who is qualified to be our president in a nuclear age during a global civilizational war.

[JimmyMac]

Chuck,
We are British Sun readers and we don't really care about US politics.

Ron do we have to put up with this ?

[40 Bud]

It is the "Paddock"! If you don't have any interest or don't like it, DON'T READ IT!!

[chuck smith]

James, do you have trouble not reading a thread that you have no interest in? It is quite easy to do, as I find myself quite often avoiding yours since I find you very pedantic most of the time. As has been pointed out before, this is the Paddock, so perhaps Ron could remove it from view on your computer if that makes it easier for you.

[JimmyMac]

Chuck,
I don't agree with this, it's my pedantic opinion of this thread if you wish, and I certainly don't need your patronism.
We have a saying in the UK regarding common courtesy to others and it is "Never discuss politics, religion nor football with strangers".
So since I find this site protocol unacceptable, I am logging out of here for good.

[chuck smith]

so be it

[Pat Buckley]

Good riddance.

[Simon]

I think James may have a bee in his bonnett.
I hope he returns when he's calmed down a bit.
Simon

[Mark Clapp]

Wow, I know I've seen threads on issues in Austrailia and even threads on where cops have traffic traps in England. Not all on the top of my agenda, but I check them out and if interested, I read on. This is a world community like it says at the top of the page.

[chuck smith]

I was really not trying to start a debate here on politics. Who you vote for is your business, however, really knowing who you vote for is important. To think that the choice for the next president of the United States does not have global implications is foolish and shortsided, just as the leaders of european and other nations will affect us. The above article makes for good reading. I have no intentions of arguing about whether it is accurate in other peoples minds or whether it is important to them or not.

[woodz428]

I don't understand the rational of deleting oneself because the topic is not what you want. Might as well be a right wing fundamentalist.
I think all of the candidates are treasonous bastards and until we start prosecuting again for treason, we will likely continue to get that type of scum.

[Paul W]

One point to maybe bear in mind here is that the american health care system is probably universally viewed as the most backward, expensive and unfair joke in the western world. Maybe ask any canadian, english, french or any european for that matter if they would prefer it - I'd put money on them not. In fact I happily travel all over the place without health insurance but not to the states ! A few of the statements above are just opinions not facts - opinions are like a$$%*!3s, everybody has one !

[chuck smith]

as do you, and it is just as valuable

[Ron Earp]

Originally Posted by JIMMYMAC

Chuck,
We are British Sun readers and we don't really care about US politics.

Ron do we have to put up with this ?

Hi James,

I respect your opinion in this area as much as I respect any other member of the forum that might post here. While you might not care for Chuck's posting of another's political view, this off topic area doesn't have to be read.

By the same token there are many threads in this forum that have a lot to do with European politics. I'd wager many of the US folks don't care about those threads. For example, and I'll pick a non-political one for neutrality sake, many American's don't follow F1 - and I assume that those folks not interested in F1 don't read the thread. I know I do not read the F1 threads as I don't follow F1, but I don't worry about them being present on the forum.

I firmly believe a forum needs an "Off Topic" area that members can get to know one another. It allows the normal forum areas to be free from noise since folks have an area to vent their views and so on without clouding the main forums. That said, I think some of your recent suggestions on organization will enacted as soon as I can get that done, probably next week.

Best,
Ron

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Personally, I read the "News of the World" and never get past the "page two girl"

It's the LOUNGE, people!

And I live in a state where the governor just resigned because he was gettin' it from a 5K per hour "Escort"!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave Peterman]

There is alot of good about our country but there is alot of bad too. Unless you have traveled to a third world country like Honduras you can take things here for granted. You never hear any politician say any thing about a salary cap for them or a term limit. Long terms in a postion of power gives them that much more time to become corrupt. Washington is long overdue for a major house cleaning or flushing. I really doubt Mc Cain , Clinton or Obama would be able to make the changes that we need any way.
Voting is really just become trying to pick the lesser of two evils anyway.

[MReid]

Oh, where to start...

Paul, I disagree with you on the healthcare system in the US. I have lived in four countries and I'll take healthcare in this country over any other. That includes the UK where I lived for almost four years moving back here last summer. I lived in central London and found the treatment options and timing to be horrific. We came back to the US for anything more than basic treatment.

Chuck, I read that article this morning and I thought it raised some great questions and gave me some things to consider that I hadn't thought of before.

James, I don't even know what to say to you, your reaction was bizzarre. I followed the whole Gordon Brown rise to power and was bewildered. Most people in the US (I'll put on my flame proof suit now) would have traded George Bush for Tony Blair in a second and you guys allowed him to be replaced by Mr. personality. I still cared about the issues. Still followed the debate and tried to understand the positions. It's not my country, but still a world power that makes decisions that impact more than your borders.

Rick, my wife and I were discussing what he could possibly have gotten and how he got it that made it worth $5k...please don't answer that!

[charlie c]

Mmmm..... free trade. I assume down there in Texas you crawl under your car while it's being supported by Chinese-made jackstands?