Why Would You Vote For This Man?

[Gligamesh]

It's my opinion that the vast sum spent celebrating himself is just one more facet of the arrogance he exudes. He's as arrogant and I-know-better-than-you as Bush ever was.

The pendulum has swung back to the left, is all that's different, and the only "change" (not much will change, imo...) will be the extreme to which it swings. The left will overreach, just as every congressional/executive majority in history has, and the momentum from their folly will send it swinging back to the right.

They're human just as anyone else, so I don't see the party overcoming human nature and ushering in anything but the same old crap.

 

Bitter *censored*?

Not at all. Just pointing out it doesn't mesh with who he says he is. How is what he has and hasn't done drivel? Because it doesn't add up to the messiah he's made out to be? To the great and fearless (don't look behind the curtain!) leader he implies himself to be? I think it's pretty damn relevant.

 

But yes, I look forward to seeing what does happen. Any outcome is fine with me. I'm an adaptable feller.

 

We already help. We petition our grievances, pay our taxes, and build our communities. We volunteer our time, energy, and assets to charitable causes.

Our great and powerful government has sold us out. "Free trade" has bankrupted us. Americans went from being producers to being consumers.

 

Know what'd help a bunch? Being productive, for one. DO something with yourself. Make something. Add to the world. Don't make society carry you. Buy only what you can afford. Pay your debts. Be responsible. Be a parent. (harder than it sounds) Common sense, no?

 

Personally, I volunteer by consulting on Active Shooter scenarios and assisting in training law enforcement personell to effectively respond to and cope with crazed gunmen in schools, stores, work places, etc... You'd be surprised how many beat cops don't know how to properly clear a doorway...

I counsel troubled kids on my own time and try to get them to either go to a community college or the military, and direct them to the proper resources. I try to track their progress and encourage them to continue on to something better than a life in prison or a needlessly stupid early plot or an urn.

My girlfriend volunteers at a food bank.

 

And yes, for all their whining, Americans are incredibly privileged. I know I am. And I'm appreciative. Questioning our leaders about their motives and actions is inherently American. So, no. I'm not bitter. I'm just not sold.

[herosinger]

To get back to the title of this thread: Why would I vote for this man?

 

Judge suspends Guantanamo 9/11 trial: Obama administration circulates draft order to close Cuban site within year

 

He did it yesterday.

 

Edit: More changes already in the works (quotes from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28767687/)

 

"...President Barack Obama issued his first orders — a pay freeze for senior staff. The pay freeze impacts about 100 White House employees who make more than $100,000 a year. 'Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington,' Obama said just before Vice President Joe Biden swore in the new senior staff at the White House."

 

"He said there would be a two-year, rather than a one-year, waiting period for government officials to be able to work on such issues and said they would 'not be able to work on matters you lobbied on or White House agencies you lobbied during the last two years.' 'Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this administration,' Obama said in a statement to reporters."

 

"The White House said that the president had earlier called the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan following the Israeli military assault on Gaza. 'He used this opportunity on his first day in office to communicate his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term, and to express his hope for their continued cooperation and leadership,' White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement. 'In the aftermath of the Gaza conflict,' Gibbs added, the president 'emphasized his determination to work to help consolidate the cease-fire by establishing an effective anti-smuggling regime to prevent Hamas from rearming, and facilitating in partnership with the Palestinian Authority a major reconstruction effort for Palestinians in Gaza.'"

[Gligamesh]

Pure misdirection. Guantanamo is closed. Whoopee. I guarantee you another site or sites with less visibility is/are in operation, with more scrutiny being given with regrd to security clearances.

 

Regarding the freeze. Bush started that. Obama just expanded it. Where was the "attaboy" for Bush? Eh? http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aafedpaycut_2.htm

 

There already IS a two year waiting period for senior congressional/executive before they are allowed to legally lobby. Again, just a tiny expansion.

 

And good luck with the Hamas thing.

 

In summation, he hasn't changed jack.

[herosinger]

Regarding the freeze. Bush started that. Obama just expanded it. Where was the "attaboy" for Bush? Eh? http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aafedpaycut_2.htm

I have to acknowledge Bush before I can acknowledge Obama whenever Obama expands or furthers a policy Bush started? Because he didn't start it, only expanded it, it's not a change?

 

There already IS a two year waiting period for senior congressional/executive before they are allowed to legally lobby. Again, just a tiny expansion.

This is sort of the opposite of that. This is a two year waiting period after lobbying before taking a related government position. It doubles the previous rule.

[Gligamesh]

I have to acknowledge Bush before I can acknowledge Obama whenever Obama expands or furthers a policy Bush started? Because he didn't start it, only expanded it, it's not a change?

Regarding this, what little media coverage regarding Bush's action generated nothing but contempt for the idea, and accusations of overstepping his boundries, and abusing executive authority.

But it's all good when Obama plagarizes it, eh? It was merely a continuation of an executive order that had expired. Not a "change" of any sort.

 

This is sort of the opposite of that. This is a two year waiting period after lobbying before taking a related government position. It doubles the previous rule

Reread what I said. I said SENIOR congressional and executive staff. He doubled it for small fry aides. Whoopee.

 

Nice slip up on the Oath there too.

Solidifies his "election" (there is no way votes were tallied that quickly, I call BS) as high Farce.

[herosinger]

Nice slip up on the Oath there too.

Solidifies his "election" (there is no way votes were tallied that quickly, I call BS) as high Farce.

I wondered if that would be brought up here. Notice it was Roberts who messed up the oath, not Obama. To be fair, it was Roberts's first inauguration, and he was probably nervous. They did it again yesterday, just to make sure it was considered legal.

 

As far as Gitmo is concerned, the closing is symbolic more than anything else. Maybe there are other, secret, detention centers; the point is that the world knew about Gitmo. Now that the cat's out of the bag, it was time to try and save face.

 

This is sort of the opposite of that. This is a two year waiting period after lobbying before taking a related government position. It doubles the previous rule

Reread what I said. I said SENIOR congressional and executive staff. He doubled it for small fry aides. Whoopee.

Want to play it that way? Fine.

 

Reread what you said. You said that senior congressional and executive staff had to wait two years after leaving a government position before they would be allowed to lobby.

 

Not the same thing.

[Gligamesh]

Nice slip up on the Oath there too.

Solidifies his "election" (there is no way votes were tallied that quickly, I call BS) as high Farce.

I wondered if that would be brought up here. Notice it was Roberts who messed up the oath, not Obama. To be fair, it was Roberts's first inauguration, and he was probably nervous. They did it again yesterday, just to make sure it was considered legal.

 

As far as Gitmo is concerned, the closing is symbolic more than anything else. Maybe there are other, secret, detention centers; the point is that the world knew about Gitmo. Now that the cat's out of the bag, it was time to try and save face.

 

This is sort of the opposite of that. This is a two year waiting period after lobbying before taking a related government position. It doubles the previous rule

Reread what I said. I said SENIOR congressional and executive staff. He doubled it for small fry aides. Whoopee.

Want to play it that way? Fine.

 

Reread what you said. You said that senior congressional and executive staff had to wait two years after leaving a government position before they would be allowed to lobby.

 

Not the same thing.

 

D'oh!

hahaha Got me there. I was pretty tired yesterday.

 

Gligamesh uses *literacy*! It wasn't very effective...

 

Aye, good deal, but there's still plenty of time for appointments based on contributions.

I didn't care about the Oath thing, aside from the humor content. Some of the hardcore righties were raising hell though, which is just as humorous. Both Roberts and Obama flubbed it. Roberts screwed up first, corrected himself, then Obama repeated the screwup. From what I read.

As far as Gitmo, yeah, it's symbolic. That's all it is. We still kidnap folks when they go overseas, and detain them in foreign prisons. Not that I'm against the idea. Don't act stupid and you won't get caught up.

There's plenty of Gitmos out there. They just need to do a better job deciding who gets a security clearance...

I'm thinkin' cell phones and recording devices of any kind are banned in such places now.

[buddah]

The election is over, we have a winner......he has been in office for 2 days now.

 

This discussion therefore is irrelevant and is over.

 

Buddah