What caused a win for who was clearly the least experienced candidate?
There were a lot of issues that lead to this. Some by fate others by circumstance. Fate being that this great land is not supposed to last forever and maybe this is just the beginning of the end for the United States.
Other issues are race and youth. When people were talking about Obama being an African American and people not voting for him because of his color it was actually the other way around. People voted for him because of his color. First off all there is never enough credit given to the American people. Yes there are racists in the country and plenty of them. But there are also people like myself who could care less about someone’s color but care about what they represent.
As with most elections people vote on what they think will help them the most. This election was a little different. Obama ran on change for America. The youth loved the message. After all they went or go to colleges where liberal professors teach them about the evil America while collecting paychecks from the taxes of hard working people. The kids are young, not really in a career yet so they have no idea how much they are already paying in taxes or what the really important issues are. The youth voted for change, without really understanding what Obama’s plan is. They were caught up in the history making election of an African American. First off Obama is only 50% black and 50% white. Secondly why do we make such a big deal in this country about a persons color or gender? Shouldn’t the qualifications be looked at when electing someone? Martin Luther King died for the rights of the blacks. Even he would not be thrilled with the fact that someone gets elected because of his color not because of his qualifications.
In this case it was clear Obama won not because he was better qualified but because people where more interested is making history rather than the right decision.
Reading the blogs out there I ran across some interesting ones. This one was from MTV a younger group who feels the same way.
“The only reason he was elected is because there are a bunch of uninformed voters. I can personally say that I have talked to at least 50 people at my college who said they were voting for Obama, and all of them could not name me 3 of his political views!!!!!!! Now I'm sure that this is true all over the country, and that is why not everyone should be able to vote. I don’t know how to fix it but uninformed voters should not be able to vote because they are always going to vote based on how the candidate looks, talks, and by the color of his skin. We don't need a president who was voted in because of his physical characteristics we need one that can fix the country when needed and run the country when everything is good. This election reminds me a lot of High school student council, a popularity contest. If you were good looking and people like you got in, or if you were on the football team, you were voted for. Americans need to step it up and make sure that they are informed before they vote! But I am open minded, and am interested in seeing what our new president will accomplish.”
To back up that point even further I think it was Howard Stern who sent a guy out on the streets of Harlem and asked who people were voting for.
The majority said Obama and that is fine. The follow up questions were the ones that really bothered me. He then asked what they thought of Sarah Palin as Obama’s running mate. The majority said she was a great choice. The next question was even better. The guy ran through the positions and again the majority said they agreed with Obama's plans. The only problem was that the positions the guy told them were all John McCain’s. Why were these people voting? Not based on issues. They didn’t even have a clue of what Obama stands for.
As voters we all are suppose to look at what can better the country. In most cases it comes down to selfishness and what will be better for me.
But listening to Obama there was nothing that impressed me other than his ability as a great speaker. But we must also remember that Hitler was a great speaker as well and look at how that ended up.
The bottom line here is that Obama will be our new president. My hope is that he will do a good job and help this country. Do I think he will? Not at all.
Until he is sworn in he will say all the right things to make it seem that he can appeal to both parties. He will tell us that he will reach out to all Americans to improve our country. Once sworn in he will do as he wants. He is the most liberal Senator in our history. Anyone who thinks that will suddenly change when he is sworn is fooling themselves. But we should still be respectful and can disagree without resorting to the name calling that the Democrats have been doing for the past 8 years.
Here are my predictions that I hope and pray I am totally wrong.
We will have a huge crisis whether it is here or somewhere else. Obama will weaken our military and that will weaken this country making us venerable to attacks.
Our courts will have Liberal judges appointed and most of the laws that have kept us safe and free from attacks over the past 8 years will be overturned.
Socialism will prevail. The government will get more involved in businesses as well as socialize health care.
They will not allow for more drilling in this country and prices will go back up for gas.
Change will come but it will not be what they thought how could it be?
What the geniuses forgot who voted for “change” is that we still have the same Democratic liberal controlled Congress and Senate which has a lower approval rating than the President they wanted out of office.
To sum it up the state of this country and the direction it is headed I will quote Winston Churchill when he said. “If you’re under 40 and a liberal you have no heart if you are over 40 and a liberal you have no brain.”
God help America.
4 comments:
On November 6, 2008 Walt said:
Hi Luigi, Hope you are doing somewhat better today... I just finished reading your ranting vile column and I assume you will have to use your remaining energy to pack your belongings for a trip to Mexico, because 67% of voters under 25 are Democrat, and 85% of those voted. So after President Barach Obama, for 8 years, we will have President Michelle Obama for ANOTHER 8 Years and after that we will be treated to President Jesse Jackson JR for 8 MORE years. By then you poor frowning conservatives will be dead and gone.....I assume that you no longer want to be an AMERICAN. Oh, I almost forgot! John McCain, HANOI John McCain, as he was known in my platoon in 1969. This guy is a lying bastard traitor that sold out his Country by singing flight vectors and signing confessions, flying while all hung over, and divorcing his loyal wife for some blonde bimbo... "Hero" my Ass. Also, ever hear of "log Cabin Republicans" They are the largest homosexual group in the world. I guess lots of male bonding goes on during those hunting trips. Have a good day and ponder my words, we live in a truly wonderful Country! Sincerely, Walt Godek, Hackettstown, NJ
On November 13, 2008 Judy said:
I am so sick and tired of your right-wing rants and raves. Can't you give President-Elect Obama a CHANCE to prove how great he can be? For GOD'S sake, look what we had to live with for the past 8 years. Did you REALLY think people wanted more of the same? I truly wish your column did not appear in my paper. I think you are so wrong, it's comical. But, I know what you'll say; you'll fight for the right to disagree with people. Well, if you really take advantage of that right, then you might question your own right-of-right leanings. Thanks for your time. I certainly gave you enough of mine. Sincerely, JW
On November 13, 2008 Alex said:
Sir, Your ranting about why Barack Obama won the election and what happened under his presidency were a direct insult to the American people, to the principle of our democracy, and just to the common sense. It is so immature, almost child-like babbling so it is difficult to argue with you. But even you crossed the line by compared this bright educated man, really great speaker (especially compare with your beloved W.!) Obama with ... Hitler (which I strongly believe you are admiring just could not admit right now for the sake of your well being!). I can only suggest you, like some other reader, that you should leave this country, majority of which strogly disagree with you, take your mafia-like profile and go where you belong - to the secret location in ... Sicily. Chao dude!
I read your commentaries from time to time in The Hackettstown Weekly News and disagree with you almost 100% of the time. Sometimes I laugh at some of the views you hold, sometimes I get annoyed at your heavy-handedness, sometimes I get upset at the divisive statements you make. But your column on President-Elect Obama printed in the November 13th Weekly News was a real low point, even for you.
You say that with Senator Obama’s election that the country will go down fast. I suppose this is an understandable reaction for an ultra-conservative right-winger. But as an independent voter who is sick of the partisan extremes in both parties, I am enthused and hopeful for the first time in many years that we will have a president who just might be able to make things better. He certainly can’t do much worse than our current president who in the last eight years has embroiled us in a war with no end in sight (even though he foolishly declared “Mission Accomplished” years ago), brought us to the brink of financial ruin despite starting his administration with a huge surplus, squandered the good will that much of the world felt for us after 9/11 by his cowboy antics and “you’re with us or against us” attitude thereby alienating even some of our most sympathetic allies, defied the law by engaging in secret wiretapping and who knows what else, dishonored us by ignoring international agreements like the Geneva Convention, refused until recently to acknowledge the issue of global warming and demanded that scientific reports be altered to minimize or eliminate anything supporting the mounting evidence, gave tax cuts to the wealthiest people while ignoring the struggling middle class, overturned or scaled back crucial environmental protection laws relating to clean air and water, totally mishandled the relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, etc. Even his supposedly well-intentioned effort to address education (No Child Left Behind) is so flawed that it amounts to little more than “teaching to the tests” instead of improving student progress. The one thing people like to say is that he has kept us safe since 9/11. Perhaps if he had paid more attention to the reports available to him in the months prior to that awful day, it might have been prevented.
I believe that we should respect the office of the President. But I also believe we are not bound to respect the occupant of that office if he is incompetent or destructive. I would say both those adjectives apply to Mr. Bush. So, like many others of all ages, backgrounds and cultures (not just the uninformed youth as you state), I was excited to vote for Senator Obama and eagerly look forward to his time in office. He is intelligent, well-spoken, a good listener according to those who know him, a strong family man and by many accounts a consensus-builder. If his campaign efforts are any indication of what his style of governing will be – calm, steady, reasoned – then I think there’s a good chance that he will be able to accomplish some positive things.
I had respect for Senator McCain for his military service, war experience and occasional attempts to cross party lines. But I lost most of it because of his angry and erratic campaigning, disgraceful personal attacks on Senator Obama and his choice of Governor Palin as his running mate. After months of criticizing Obama for his lack of foreign policy experience, he then picked someone who had none at all. It was an obvious ploy to consolidate support from the GOP base – the Christian right who had no love for him – and I think that undercut all his previous attempts to present himself as a man of honor who stuck to his principles.
You gleefully point out that many of the people who voted for Senator Obama didn’t have a clue what he stands for and you’re probably right. But are you trying to say that everyone who voted for Senator McCain knew his stands on the issues? I don’t think even you can be that naïve. You also say that Obama will say the right things until he is sworn in and then do what he wants; I believe you are wrong, but I do agree that this is certainly what most politicians do.
I don’t know why you say that Obama will weaken our military – it has already been seriously weakened by the Iraq war thanks to the current administration. The military has been stretched thin and our soldiers exhausted by having their tours of duty extended – some of them two and three times. If our efforts had been concentrated in Afghanistan (the war which most people supported and where the real base of terrorism is), perhaps we would have made more progress in the war on terror. Most experts agree that Iraq was not a significant terrorist threat to us.
You complain that under a President Obama, the government will get more involved in businesses and health care. As to businesses, this is happening now under President Bush because of the dire economic situation. And since many economists and others are pointing to deregulation (pushed by Republicans such as Senator McCain) as one of the major contributing factors to the current mess, more government involvement is apparently necessary to some degree. As far as health care goes, I don’t know if socialized medicine is the right way to go, but with millions of families in this country having little or no coverage it seems obvious that our present system doesn’t work. Does it seem fair to you that only the well-to-do can afford top-notch care?
As for the new administration not allowing oil drilling in this country, I think you and many others put the emphasis in the wrong place. Drilling at home may help somewhat, although it wouldn’t be for quite a few years after the process is started, but it’s only one piece of an effective overall energy program. All options need to be explored. But it bothers me a great deal that Americans are so wasteful and have this sense of entitlement to cheap gas. I visited Europe in 1983 and they were paying the equivalent of $4 a gallon or more back then. We think we should be guaranteed low prices and shouldn’t have to make any efforts to conserve. It’s no wonder so many foreigners look at us as selfish and greedy. When Senator Obama made his comment about correct tire pressure, people mocked him even though this is advice given time and time again by the experts as one way to increase gas mileage. (The same was trued for poor Jimmy Carter when he had the gall to suggest that people should put on sweaters and turn down their thermostats.) It seems most Americans don’t want to have to sacrifice even the tiniest bit. Whatever happened to the common sense and responsible behavior demonstrated by my parents and others from their generation?
I feel sorry for you – you sound like such an angry disappointed man. It’s a shame that you use your column solely to criticize and denounce. You have the opportunity to present a reasoned view of conservative ideology but you waste it by spewing venom and making outrageous statements. You sound like a lot of the people employed by Fox News who love to shout and draw attention to themselves instead of supplying a forum for intelligent debate on the critical issues we face. No problem is ever solved by denouncing other views and refusing to listen to anything but one’s own ranting and raving. The only hope of even trying to address difficult issues is by reasonable discussion with input from all sides. Unfortunately, people like you are an obstacle to this process.
By the way, the quote you attribute to Winston Churchill at the end of your column is denied by The Churchill Centre. They state that Mr. Churchill would not have made that statement since he was a conservative at 15 but a liberal at 35. Obviously, he learned something as he matured – perhaps there’s still time for you to do the same.
Irene Vincent
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