Obama seeks to assure nervous governors on economy

Wednesday 03rd December, 04:56 AM JST

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smithinjapan at 06:38 PM JST - 3rd December

skipthesong: "I didn't say that, but while several posters believe Obama's greatness is that he is black, why can't I do that same and not get flack for it? I personally think Obama owes us a lot and I haven't seen anything yet, even potentially."

I find it interesting that you claim a lot of people think Obama's greatness is that he is black, while you think he is lacking because he didn't choose more Hispanics, and if he HAD chosen more you would think he's great. True, there probably ARE a number of people that are proud a (half) African-American is soon to be President, but I think more think it's great to have an African-American man as president for a change, and not necessarily that Obama is great because he's black.

What's more, while McCain and Palin could do nothing but cough up the same, tired old Republican hate-mongering during the election, Obama actually talked about changing the USA and improving it's image; he gave people hope instead of instilling them with fear (a tactic that won bush a second term).

Anyway, skip, I DO agree with you that it'll be excellent to one day see a Hispanic person as President, or even more Hispanic people in the White House, but as you preach that it's not right to like Obama solely because he's black, you shouldn't also want people in office solely because they are Hispanic; you should want them because, like Obama, they are going to lead the country in a positive manner, with excellent results.
skipthesong at 06:57 PM JST - 3rd December

smitty, come on, give me a break. I was joking, but yes, a great many and on this board have stated such. Which is why I brought it up.

If he doesn't find a Hispanic, and I mean the right one, I actually won't be offended. I would prefer he doesn't just simply put one in just to please me, but instead find the actual ones who can do the job and care enough about the country to make something work.

Believe me, there are a lot of Hispanic politicians who I just cringe when I hear them speak. Richardson on the other hand, I would prefer he be in a better position, but not because he is Hispanic (half actually) but because he was one of the few who reached across aisles to get things done. BTW, I didn't even know he was Hispanic decent until a short time ago.

One thing though, you put a Hispanic in the White House, you will have a much better band for the president. Even hve dance classes in gyms across the entire country.
TooFarGone at 07:19 PM JST - 3rd December

It is fascinating - and commendable- to see how non-Americans come here to learn about the United States of America. Some even go to the trouble to learn about governors from minor states like New Mexico, in order to find ways to help minorities and women in places like Canada overcome the racism and sexism still so prevalent there.

Good work.
skipthesong at 07:26 PM JST - 3rd December

toofargone:

I think your post is due to the fact that basically the low end, middle class white guy is out.
Betzee at 10:30 PM JST - 3rd December

betzee, there's a pretty good chance that the majority of people who have lost their homes or in deep financial trouble because they borrowed more than they could pay back and generally don't know how to manage their finances

Could be. But the GWB administration hardly provided a good example of fiscal responsibility when it it blew through five trillion, refusing to raise taxes on the grounds it would undermine "our great economy."

Home ownership itself is a source of wealth redistribution; Uncle Sam allows owners to deduct the interest paid on their mortgages from their taxable income. If you're a renter, well it's coming out of your pocket.

As the Republican Party finds its fortunes ebbing, just a few years after Karl Rove confidently predicted "a permanent Republican majority," some revisionist scholars have come up with some startling conclusions. Specifically, modern-day conservatism should not be traced back to Barry Goldwater but Joseph McCarthy, who invented "the fear card."

While Goldwater wanted to shrink the federal government, McCarthy had no vision of government in that regard. Neither did Nixon or GWB, both were perfectly willing to expand the reach of Uncle Sam's largesse to garner votes while at the same time playing "the fear card." This time around many voters were savvy enough to realize many popular government entitlements such as Medicare and farm subsidies, expanded by Republican administrations, could easily be labeled socialism so the scary vision of Obama as a fella bent on radical restructuring fell kinda flat.

As a historian observed, "Republicans continue to push the idea that this is a center-right country and that Americans have swooned for GOP anti-government posturing all these years, but the real electoral bait has been anger, recrimination and scapegoating. That's why John McCain kept describing Barack Obama as some sort of alien and why Palin, taking a page right out of the McCarthy playbook, kept pushing Obama's relationship with onetime radical William Ayers.

And that is also why the Republican Party, despite the recent failure of McCarthyism, is likely to keep moving rightward, appeasing its more extreme elements and stoking their grievances for some time to come. There may be assorted intellectuals and ideologues in the party, maybe even a few centrists, but there is no longer an intellectual or even ideological wing. The party belongs to McCarthy and his heirs -- Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Palin. It's in the genes."
sailwind at 10:57 PM JST - 3rd December

Betzee

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-gabler30-2008nov30,0,1009632.story

Oped Piece.......Nothing more or less

LA Times
Betzee at 11:12 PM JST - 3rd December

Oped Piece.......Nothing more or less

Yeah, opinion pieces, here revisionist scholarship, always are; care to take on the argument? Guess you would have done so if you could have....
sailwind at 11:19 PM JST - 3rd December

care to take on the argument?

McCarthy?.....This is 2008 not the fifties.
smithinjapan at 11:47 PM JST - 3rd December

skip: "One thing though, you put a Hispanic in the White House, you will have a much better band for the president. Even hve dance classes in gyms across the entire country."

Now THAT, I can definitely agree with!
smithinjapan at 11:51 PM JST - 3rd December

TooFarGone: "It is fascinating - and commendable- to see how non-Americans come here to learn about the United States of America."

Actually, we come here to teach you about it. Clearly it's needed, since you still think your former president was a better choice than the President-Elect, and think things like the attacks in Mumbai were based on the timing of the US presidential election. On this thread we have the pleasure of teaching you how much better Obama will be for the nation than GWB ever was, but cautioning you that it will take some time to correct the mistakes bush made that sent your country down the toilet.

Come back anytime, to any thread on things American, and we'll be happy to teach you more. Don't be offended that that's the case, by the way; being an American, it's sometimes hard for people like yourself to step back and see how things really are, being so close to it all and such.
Sarge at 12:10 AM JST - 4th December

Obama: "Programs for the needy are at risk."

How many billions have been spent on welfare with no tangible results?
namuo at 12:43 AM JST - 4th December

Yes. We learn from AMERICA. one of most political abuser of the world. Yes. We learn from AMERICA that when recession comes war comes out. Yes. We learn from AMERICA, only has 200 years of history. Yes. We learn from AMERICA, one of most economical abuser. Do you know how subprime starts. Because of Mr.Bush said such things. "we should provide home to low income people, because having home is AMERICAN dream." then when sub-prime Mortgage actually starts and success, he said "we provide more homes to people in our history." ........... We should not believe President Obama yet. Since he choose team Clinton. Also, during the campaign, he did not say much about what actually he will do. He said, Hope, believe, change. Like religious leader will say such things, but actually hard to know what actually mean. I think people individually connect past experience. I really want to ask each people what do you think what actually he talked about hope, believe, change, then I think each answer will be different. And in Politics, there is big big big question. And one more questions is, if President Obama fail, will it be race issue comes again??? I think there still many negative side. Even I know President Obama is smart, yet Politics is really complicated. and Media control also important. I don't want to believe President Obama become like previous Russian President did in media and that is negative side also.
usaexpat at 01:38 AM JST - 4th December

Smith: I think in the beautiful wellfare society that is America's inner cities that's already the mentality.
usaexpat at 01:40 AM JST - 4th December

Obama will have his hands full but I'm happy with the people he has surrounded himself with. Time will tell but with the mess he's inheriting from Bush he certainly can only make things better.
TooFarGone at 06:03 PM JST - 4th December

pure silliness from smithinjapan:

".. it's needed, since you still think your former president was a better choice than the President-Elect,"

Have I ever said this?

No.

Why?

They never ran against one another.

One has had two terms as POTUS.

The other is still President-elect.

There is just no logic in your arguments.