Excerpt: "Any thoughts on whom Romney will end up picking? And whom he'd be wise to pick? He seems to be determined to pick a duller white man than he is. That's a very high bar."
Frank Rich. (photo: Brigette Lacombe)
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There is at least one point that is missed by every person who thinks not voting for Obama or voting for a third party candidate on the national level is a good idea.
There are major differences between Obama and Romney. Probably the most important is the potential to appoint future members of the Supreme Court. The next president may very well get to appoint two Justices. Romney appointments would be a disaster for the country, giving us a far right wingnut court for thirty or more years. For that reason alone it is extremely important to re-elect Obama.
Sure Obama has faults, lots of them. That does not change the fact that Romney is FAR worse. If you are fed up with the two party system, a third party is a real idea, but ...
The place to start a third party movement is on the state level, and working on US Congress members, both Senate and House. As a third party gathers strength on the local and Congress levels, it will begin to exert real positive effects on the Nation. Eventually, a third party, or coalition of third parties, could field a Presidential candidate with a real chance of being elected.
(continued)
Wall Street corruption has stripped the soul of the American economy and Romney played a major role. The problem isn't a 2-party system. It's that the 2-parties are relatively wings of the same capitalist convention. The only difference is that because of the crisis expanding under Obama - he has been forced to prop up the banks on government taxpayer welfare - the financial sector version of socialism.
Obama's 99% base disagrees with his Wall Street support. The Republicans know this and their Tea Party aka Liberty split faction has called for an audit of the Fed and if the crash happens before the election that wing will grab the spotlight and strengthen the party or split it in half.
Obama would be wise to charge off after Wall Street - but he probably fears that would cause their collapse on his watch...but it's going to happen anyway.
I knock him and have done alot of thinking before I started, he is as much a problem as Romney is if not more so...and as for the Supreme Court nominations, although your argument does make some sense logically, I am also afraid that Obama will appoint the same conservative judges! Obama has promoted some very conservative legislation! NDAA and the Patriot act extension is not liberal or progressive by any means!
That said, I will vote for Obama. It's not a complicated choice.
Vote Obama in 2012. Make a positive difference and organize locally to elect sane Congressional and local candidates.
get a grip...
YES! THANK YOU, JAMES38! You are saying what I've been saying and continue to try to say when I see all this negativity re Obama come out, here or anywhere. But you say it SO well!
He will be a "Lame Duck" president. How much pressure do you think you can bring to him? People have been voting for the "least worst" for years. How's that worked out for us? Just a slower slide to a corporate run slave country.
The Republicans may or may not win this time, but whether they do or not, they will continue their 40 year march to corporate dictatorship, unless the entire system is changed. And the Democrats? Well, they just move a little slower is all.
Another issue, and this is one you appear to need to think about, is can we take the necessary long view of a Nation? Four or eight years is a drop in the bucket in many ways. Can we make Obama aware of that, discuss that with him? If we or he of a lot of us talk and think on that level, many important things come into focus, and a President such as Obama will feel the need and the pressure to work on some very important things that can be ignored if four or eight year politics are over-emphasized - as usual.
The big one is Climate Change. One of the long term policies we need to concentrate on to deal with that is converting the economy to non-fossil fuels. One of the best ways to do that is Thorium based fast breeder reactors that can use the existing stockpiles of nuclear "Waste" and warheads from decommissioned weapons as fuel. These reactors were under development for years, and were dropped by Clinton. That was a terrible mistake.
(Continued)
And by the way, I think an eventual movement to repeal that rule would be a good thing. If I remember correctly it was a right wing idea reacting to Roosevelt having three terms.
But the most important Constitutional change is ridding ourselves of the absurd Electoral College nonsense. That was an unpopular compromise at the time the Constitution was written, and needs to be eliminated. We need a simple one-citizen-one -vote election for President and Vice President.
Every citizen's vote counts equally, no matter where you live. That is fair and democratic and sensible and is the ONLY thing that makes sense.
The Electoral College is an ABOMINATION, and makes the US subject to ridicule Globally. The very idea that we, the USA, go around telling other countries how to run their elections and we have that Utterly Foolish Nonsense written into our Constitution is absurd and embarrassing.
Does anybody think the rest of the world is unaware that we can, and disastrously have, elected a President who LOST the popular vote? Can you spell "stupid"? The Electoral College is STUPID.
Official candidates, write in space and a "NONE of the ABOVE"...and limit the ballot to "The Office of the President".
Senate and Representative are run in the states as an in the state issue and could be on the local ballots.
Elect true progressive in November.
Even counting the casualties of Chernobyl (far fewer than many reports say), nuclear power has been a very safe energy source – far, far safer than Coal, which kills thousands of people each year due to pollution of air and water, and in mining accidents. The nuclear accidents that have happened have been the result of old designs and poor designs (Chernobyl was a joke – it had no containment structure at all, and Fukushima was built in an abysmally stupid place), then compounded by operator error.
Modern reactors are far safer, and the latest designs are as near to failsafe as imaginable. They go into cold-shutdown with no need for operator intervention and no need for external power or cooling. Look up LIFTR – (Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor) designs.
We, as a Nation, and we, as citizens of Planet Earth, must begin to demand that our leaders think and work on this level. If we fail to do so, Climate Change will provide us with problems and lessons that will make our current preoccupation with petty wars and religious nonsense and money grubbing corporate con-men look like the Kindergarten food-fight that it all really is.
So yes, we need to re-elect Obama, and push him toward a single-payer health system and a decent education system for starters.
He has made a complete mess of his first term, I dread to even think of what additional harm he could accomplish in another 4 years?
I will also not vote for Mitt Romney,
Obama is his own worst enemy, and that is why Romney may well win the presidency! I can't condone a mass murderer...and isn't that what Obama and his drone warefare is all about? and his illegal kill list!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Mitt Romney attracting 47% of the vote, while President Obama earns 43%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and another five percent (5%) are undecided.
if the appologists would have snapped out of their denial state earlier we may have been able to get behind a real candidate, one not controlled and with strings to which he dances...
Your own statistics showing inadequate support for Obama should scare you into vigorously supporting him. Why you are obdurately insisting on your petulant refusal to do anything that makes sense is utterly beyond me. I recommend that you get real and figure out that in spite of all the objections you can come up with about Obama's policies and actions, Romney (whom I think of as Wrongmney) would be far, far worse. Do you really mean to totally ignore the issue of Supreme Court nominations? Really?
Your last sentence is a classic of sour grapes seasoned with your own version of a "denial state".
"Out in left field" doesn't come close to describing your position. How's the weather out there in in the boonies beyond the park?
so you think your vote for Obama was a waste, and McCain/Palin would have been better? Or at least not worse? Really?
And SO, since by not wasting your "vote for him again" you will this time be voting for Wrongmney, this is somehow better than voting for Obama? Really?
Perhaps you could treat us with one of your rather, um, 'special' explanations of your latest "Lockean" position? Or perhaps you could just toss in the towel and say "OK", I will suck it up and vote for the bastige, but I will certainly write him a bunch of letters explaining what he should really be doing.
Those I would like to see, since we all need to concentrate on where we need to go from here, rather than just complaining about where we have been.
First the weather here has been hot at about 103, today June 21...we are close to Vegas and our temp is close also maybe a few degrees cooler...Thanks for asking!
Second, As I consider we have already lost the republic... and it's only a matter who finishes it off, I would rather vote for a real candidate and not a puppet as Obama is...the end result no matter who wins will be the same, neither are their own man!
We need to completely collapse before we can rebuild the republic. I have said that consistently, so I will neither vote for Obama or Romney, I am out of the controlled games...
no matter who wins wall street wins, we lose! SS and Medicare and medicaid are going to be gutted, they will be privatized and turned over to wall street...Obama has set that in motion, whether its him or Romney the same thing will happen, denying it won't change the outcome...
Continued
The ostriches will well man the sand pile with consciences forever pecked by knowing they were duped into a perverted moral choice.
Where do we go, first we need to support Occupy and make it a real party of the people, we need leaders to come forward who we collectively can support, we should take over the state governments first and from there actually make the federal changes, which would include any controlls we have to put on congress like making lobbying illegal as a constitutional amendment...
we cut off the bribes, We also require all campaigns to be publicly funded... any politician caught taking a bribe will receive the death penalty, both the politician and the person who gave him the bribe!
The most recent loss of the Republic occurred during the reign of Dubya, Dick "Goering" Cheney, Condi Rice, Wolfowitz, and the rest of the War Criminals who forced the "War of Lies" on Iraq, the USA and the rest of the world.
Obama, for all his faltering and stupid appointments, and his deplorable failure to prosecute GW Bush, Cheney ET AL, is part of the current recovery. The US Government, Republic and all, has never fully lived up to its promise, but in spite of the powerful undercurrent of Far Right Wing-Nut/Corpor ate bloody-mindedne ss and greed, the US has had its moments of greatness and positive actions.
The entire history of our planet and its unfortunate over-infestatio n of humans has led us to the brink of total ecosystem failure and Climate Change destruction. I am often and sorely reminded of the incredibly pungent quote from Mahatma Gandhi, who, when asked what he thought about Western Civilization, paused, and then said, “I think it would be a good idea.”
(Continued)
You say “We need to completely collapse” but we not only don’t need that, we haven’t the time for it. Climate Change is too much upon us. Dr James E Hansen gave the warning to Congress in the late 1980’s, and was ignored. We lost all those years. Read his excellent book, “Storms of My Grandchildren” to get a better understanding of the crisis we face.
(Continued)
Your call for the death penalty, stated in the mode of “doctrinaire revolutionary absolutism”, indicates that your purblind set-in-stone attitudes are shading more toward the distortions of Pol Pot than toward a reasonable approach to social maturity and change. While I would hope you would change your tune, you are sounding more and more like the nut-case fringe of the militias and the goofballs creeping around in the bushes with their popguns. They are more dangerous to themselves and their neighbors than they are a solution to our problems, and they are an unfortunate indication of the result of eroding the US education system.
(Continued)
You say “we should take over the state governments”. Who is that “we”? “WE” ARE the State Governments, we and our neighbors. What “we” must do is communicate better, discuss more clearly, and IMPROVE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.
You need a wake up dose of 'something'.
Obviously the same fools who want more development of fossil carbon are the same ones who want to gut the EPA.
However, your anti "nuke" nonsense just indicates a serious lack of real information.
Read "Power to Save the World" by Gwyneth Cravens, and "Storms of My Grandchildren" by Dr James E Hansen.
Read those books before you say any more nonsense about "nukes".
Your claims are not founded in the real world; But in the mirror from which they are being viewed in distortion.
Yes the environment and our eco system is on the verge of Collapse, so Obama has the solution, he appoints a Monsanto stooge to over see the agency.... a company that is environmentally friendly? Don’t think so!
Neither Obama or Romney gives a (the thing that blocks water) about our environment, Obama has authorized two nuclear facilities in the face of the problems in not only Japan but San Diego California…He has already agreed to the Tar Sands project…your denial doesn’t make that less true!…
Your loyalty to a party that is now one step removed from a dinosaur is misplaced. You, even though you fail to grasp the reality of the moment are supporting your own demise. Sadly mine as well!
When the end of our republic becomes common knowledge, at least I can say I tried to wake people up, but sadly that was an impossible task given the IQ of the average American!
What denial re The Tar Sands Craziness are you talking about? Read my comment.
I fully support the development of modern nuclear reactors. Also read my comments above.
I have no "loyalty" to any party. I am purely interested in whatever incremental positive change is possible, and in our present situation, Obama is the best choice.
Since you chose to ignore the real issues I brought up, brushing them off with "...said very little. No Facts ...", you are writing propaganda, not discussing issues. That, to me, is pandering to "the IQ of the average Amarican", instead of trying to increase it.
I have discussed the misapprehension s of problems with old reactor designs before, and will do so again. Your reference to Fukushima and San Onofre indicates a severe lack of understanding and information. Fukushima was an old design in a terrible location, and San Onofre is just old. They both should be replaced by modern reactors, which are far safer. The LIFTR (Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor) can use present stockpiles of Nuclear "Waste" as fuel, solving both the clean energy problem and the waste storage problem. Do some research.
Nuclear Power, in spite of the few but famous disasters (Chernobyl, Fukushima) has a far, far better safety record than Coal, which kills thousands of people each year.
Obama is losing ground daily!!!!!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows Mitt Romney attracting 48% of the vote, while President Obama earns 43%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided.
You are going to get what you don't want!... because you didn't fight for a real plausable candidate...
And just WHO might this "real candidate" have been? There is absolutely ZERO precedent for any candidate coming off the bench to reject a sitting President and then win. The last time this was tried was 1896, when the Bryan faction of the Democrats dumped Cleveland and paved the way for McKinley. The only one with any chance at all would have been Hillary, and the Clintons have far too many ties to the party establishment to commit such a public sin unless Obama were prepared to withdraw. Lounging around convinced that there's any other Democrat out there who would fare better against Romney than a sitting Obama, for all his faults, is simply political self-abuse.
Apology!!! Retraction!!! Good Grief!!! AAARRGhhh!!!!
Time for that precedent to change...
What will it take to wake you up. the dismantling of our Bill of Rights "openly" maybe not even that, you will still appologize for Obama probably claiming he had no other choice.
You can't fix the problems if you caused the problem!
However though I agree Obama is the only option and must be voted for, the appointment of peoples such as Summers and Geithner, major movers in the incipient process of this debacle which is the 20008 crash and is still upon us.....was not forced buy any republican. Others such as krugman were available.
I could go on and on showing how many many choices were made to continue status quo as opposed to effect change...hopefu lly this will suffice.
WE voted change and got status quo with bells whistles and bones throw to progressive causes just enough to keep them on that short leach.. Theater, not change. Theater to enable continuance of power and reelection.
We have no choice, and must vote for him. But republicans forcing this upon us.....seems not. He really really wants what was to succeed, not to change what was, to a better thing.
So he makes little changes here and there, and hopes against all hope this ship will not sink.... abet it is sinking...real change was what was needed...that ship has sailed.
More hopey changey fantasy ya ask me...
Morally as a moral decision I could not vote republican. More personal real harm immediately will result usually to innocents.
However as a pragmatic thing...it was the excessive corporate power of the 1920's and the resultant crash with Hoover as the steerer of that particular ship that led over time to the most progressive period of american history, the 1930's.
Of course subsequent to that collapse were untoward effects globally such as the rise of racism antisemitism and a more baser view of things...eventu ally world war 2.
So morality aside....who really can say the eventual end of things of this sort.....
Ralph Nader I have always felt, but to not know, with his behaviors is perhaps one who has held this view...things must get much worse before they get much better.
In one sense the opposition tempers and allows for a continuance of sorts seemingly.
Hoover and Hoover lite the choices being now before us....Hoover lite of course is the choice, it carrying not so much heavy baggage..... but the end is not so pretty I surmise in any eventuality other than the most immediate..
FDr was needed not Hoover lite...things did not just get bad enough for a new FDR. So we stumble along for a little while longer.
Wake up, America.
If he gets that one right, he exceeds the previous Republican "standard".
Maybe you should ask John Locke, since he appears to think Palin would have been just as good as Biden for Veep.
The best I can say about all this is we don't need to worry about who Romney sticks in the ticket for VP, it is Wrongmney we must not allow "so close to the White House". That would be a disaster, but not as funny as thinking about what it would have been like to have Palin running around the World popping off with hilarious nonsense as the second in command of the biggest power on the planet. Aaarrgh.
When Bush 43 moved into the White House in 2001 and started invoking Jesus at public events covered by press, I thought I would puke (no offense intended to actual Christians who believe in the separation of church and state). Compared to the cult-ish sophistry that comes out of Romney's pie hole, Dubya is just a moderately infuriating asshole (@James38: I took your point and made an edit). I simply can't conceive of president Mitt, and if by some evil "accident" of voter suppression around the country, he becomes president, I will move to the greener pastures of Greece.
Dubya the war criminal may be better than Romney, that is debatable, but better only on the level of being a "breath of fresh fetid swamp gas" compared to the searing choking cloud of sulfuric acid vapor spewing from Wrongmney.
It might help people understand the descent of the Repuglican party into Authoritarian Fundamentalism if they read the interesting book "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John Dean. He has gone trough quite a change since being Nixon's chief counsel.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=A+Self+Validity+Contract+To+Replace+The+Social+Contract
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