Obama and the younger generation

I am quite amused by the media references to his "youth" and the infatuation the college crowd has with him.

I have college kids.

I am the same age as Obama.

They think I'm an old fart.

Re: college kids:

1) He's cute, like a black JFK.

2) He's safely non-status quo, and a Democrat.

3) They're college kids.

OF COURSE they're infatuated with him. It's almost as if Dave Matthews was running for president.

actually youth in this regard is relative...

how old is mccain anyway? 72?

yeah.. the college crowd is really gonna identify with him..

Duke wrote: It's almost as if Dave Matthews was running for president.

I'm in college (29y.o. working grad school student).

If dave matthews were running for president, I wouldn't vote for him. Infact I'd ....

I can't go down this path again.. My wife loves DMB and I got in enough trouble for the, I want to kick Dave Matthew's ass webpage I put up in college...( I was dating her then)

Well, with a Constitutional amendment, we could have the Republicans pit Ahnold Shwarzenegger against Dave Matthews for the Democrats in 2012.

No holds barred steel cage grudge match, anyone? I'd buy it on pay-per-view...

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but the way our political system has been functioning of late, I think we could toss a coin to choose the next puppet, uh.. I mean, President.

And little or nothing would change, regardless of who won.

I'm voting for John McCain because he killed a Triceratops with his bare hands.

Wowak wrote: I'm voting for John McCain because he killed a Triceratops with his bare hands.

back in the day he was probably cool, but the last speech I heard him give was extremely lacking in passion/fire. Geritol? maybe?

approximation of speech:

"come on guys.. this gas tax holiday, that people who drive big vehicles, who could be poor, maybe, are sort of, maybe driving... and they could need it to support them to be maybe sort of good" (faint smile)

boy better eat his wheaties.

Once upon a day, say back in 2000 or so, right up until the South Carolina primary, McCain was somebody cool, and I could actually see myself voting for him. In the years since he lost that campaign he's done nothing but become McBush.

I'm not wild about Obama, but he's probably more electable than Hillary, who is only just slightly polarizing.

Black JFK? The Kennedy history is one of power and money from the turn of the century. Like Dan Quail comparing himself to JFK... "Senator, I've met Jack Kennedy and you're no Jack Kennedy".

I like Obama, more electable? Yes, definately the lesser of the Democratic evils but I have no idea where he stands on many issues so I'm hesitant. LQ would be worse, I've seen what she hasn't done in NY. McCain is old and some say he will be Bush's third term, I doubt it.

Here's my Electile Dysfunction view:

With any luck, DC v Heller will take Firearms and the Second Amendment out of presidential politics for the next few years, and if that happens, I don't really care who's elected.

"But TheRex," I hear you cry. "Single Issue Voters ruin the electoral process!" I get what you're saying, but there's no other issue that the two candidates differ on enough to matter. Illegal Immigration? Neither candidate is going to close the borders. The Economy? It's so berkeleyed up that I don't have any educated guess as to what would fix it, and what few things I think would help have got nothing to do with the president, but Congress. Abortion? Abortion is settled, in my opinion. The Supreme Court has ruled...if you don't like abortion (and I don't) then work towards streamlining adoption processes, and offering alternatives (And stop fighting easy access to Birth Control. Seriously, wtf...head the abortion problem off at the pass). Neither candidate is going to stop flushing money down the toilet in the two "War on Stuffs" we got going on, and neither candidate is going to "fix" the Iraq situation in a hurry.

So, we've got two sides of the same coin. Same agenda, different methods. If DC v Heller settles the gun question, either one will be fine with me (so far)...unless we can have a do-over.

therex wrote: ...if you don't like abortion (and I don't) then ...stop fighting easy access to Birth Control. Seriously, wtf...head the abortion problem off at the pass).

Wholly cow. You're the first anti-abortion person I've heard actually say these words. Congratulations! And I mean that in all sincerity. Thank you for saying that.

Duke wrote:

therex wrote: ...if you don't like abortion (and I don't) then ...stop fighting easy access to Birth Control. Seriously, wtf...head the abortion problem off at the pass).

Wholly cow. You're the first anti-abortion person I've heard actually say these words. Congratulations! And I mean that in all sincerity. Thank you for saying that.

Well, you're welcome Duke. Here's the thing. I think that most of the country would agree that Abortion As Birth Control is pretty much a Bad Thing. Pro-"choice" folks normally point to rape and incest and "danger to life of the mother" but let's face it: That's a pretty small percentage of abortions. I'll concede abortions in those circumstances (I don't really like it, but I'll compromise) if Abortions For Birth Control are eliminated. Well, guess what...I don't have to legislate anything if everyone having sex that doesn't want to have a baby is on birth control!

I'll go one further and take one of the most logically consistent (but extremely rare) positions you've seen.

Roe v Wade is bad law. Period. A desirable outcome (if you support abortion) does not justify the turning and twisiting necessary to find the "right" in the Constitution.

The Constitution is silent on the issue, so it's a State legislative issue.

Now I'm personally opposed to abortion (so you're saying "not surprising he thinks it's bad law) BUT I support keeping it legal... and if Roe v Wade were overturned, I would not support any state (or Federal) law outlawing the procedure.

I'm with therex that birth control should be more readily available and that I'd like to see abortion being used as simple birth control reduced/elminiated.

It's interesting that the left (and young people in particular) are willing to put up with the fascism of thought control, rigid adherence to orthodoxy and the refusal to allow conflicting positions to be heard, political correctnectess, and the criminalization of opinion just so they can keep unlimited "abortion at will" as a Constitutional right. (Invariably listed in the top 3 reasons to vote Leftist in the US...)

Bill

I'm voting Libertarian until I can afford to move.

therex wrote: ...if you don't like abortion (and I don't) then ...stop fighting easy access to Birth Control. Seriously, wtf...head the abortion problem off at the pass).

I agree to nth power.

Edited the off-topic stuff....

Obama has much more of a broad appeal than to younger voters. A few reasons:

1 - He is actually compassionate. He doesn't have to use the word compassionate in his speeches for everyone to know this. i.e. "compassionate conservative" being the oxy-moron I have in mind.

2 - He is for change. Any change, in my mind, is good now. The course we're on now has proven to be disastrous in many different ways. I blame the current government we have which includes a President who can't be reasoned with and a Congress that lost both nuts 8 years ago.

3 - He is intelligent. new-clear. Need I say anything else?

4 - He has instant credibility internationally. In this way he can help us rebuild the international capital that has been squandered in the last 8 years.

5 - He is humble. Not much smirking going on there. A welcome change for nothing else than changes sake. I'd had enough of coke sniffing frat boys in college. We don't need one running the nation anymore.

6 - He speaks about tackling hard problems the current administration shirks. Healthcare, social security reform, the economy, and how to get out of Iraq. What's Bush got? Mars? Remember that? "I have one thing to say...Mars!" Chappelle skewered lil'bush on that. He deserved it too.

..and so the right-wing mocking campaign begins. The best thing anyone can say about Barack O'bama, after the race issue has proven to be a non-issue, is to say "ain't he too pretty to be President?"

Come on. Too intelligent if the last 8 years has proven anything.

1. His solution to most of the above is socialism and that's what young people have been taught since preschool, so they are preprogrammed to accept it. They have thus far only been on the receivng end of socialism and have not yet recognized its cost.

I agree that he seems genuinely likeable and that he actually believes in his positions (however misguided they may be). McCain seems neither of those things.

I do think it's funny that you would seem to want to characterize Bush of being a "coke sniffing frat boy" when that's noting more than an unproven accusation (though likely true) while in Obama's case it's freely admitted behavior. ;-)

Bill

Rex, we couldn't fully withdraw from Iraq before the 2012 elections if we (including the prez.) wanted to, but Obama isn't touting an eternal Occupation.

2 - He is for change. Any change, in my mind, is good now.

3 - He is intelligent. new-clear. Need I say anything else?

4 - He has instant credibility internationally.

I'm not seeing the instant credibility here.
What International experience can he tout as credible? I'm not busting stones, just curious. Has he negotiated with anyone, sat with Blair or any of our allies? Are seeing something I don't?

914Driver wrote: 2 - He is for change. Any change, in my mind, is good now. 3 - He is intelligent. new-clear. Need I say anything else? 4 - He has instant credibility internationally. * * * I'm not seeing the instant credibility here. What International experience can he tout as credible? I'm not busting stones, just curious. Has he negotiated with anyone, sat with Blair or any of our allies? Are seeing something I don't?

I was reading a newspaper article about someones travels in Asia, the mid east, and africa. The comment he said about the election(before O locked it up) was.. "all I get asked when I go to other countries is, "when will obama be president."

paraphased and I can't remember my source, but All the euros I talk to at work want him and not moron boy 2

wcelliot wrote: I do think it's funny that you would seem to want to characterize Bush of being a "coke sniffing frat boy" when that's noting more than an unproven accusation (though likely true) while in Obama's case it's freely admitted behavior. ;-) Bill

I'd go with the guy who admitted and recinded vs the.. I didn't at all.

Bush's daughters like father like ho bag

I was reading a newspaper article about someones travels in Asia, the mid east, and africa. The comment he said about the election(before O locked it up) was.. "all I get asked when I go to other countries is, "when will obama be president." paraphased and I can't remember my source, but All the euros I talk to at work want him and not moron boy 2

At the same time, however, I've heard interviews with people in Africa who assume that Obama as president means they'll get money from the U.S. to fix up their homes and provide jobs.

So, just because other countries may wonder when he'll be president, it doesn't mean that he knows how to talk to them.

(BTW, I'm so frustrated with the process it general just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. )

-Rob

Giant Douche vs. Turd Sandwich.

So, just out of curiosity, how does someone's opinion in a foreign country of who should our next President be matter? Seems to me that if foreigners like someone, that's a minus because it would indicate that they think they can get more from him at our expense than the other guy. Not that I think the other guy is worth voting for either, mind you.

OK, Xceler8x, I'll play. BHO's attributes:

1. Compassionate. How do you figure that? Because he says he's compassionate? What actions has he done that would indicate he was compassionate? Vote for killing babies while the momma is pushing them out? Is that compassionate? Voting to take your money away from you and give it to me? That would be compassionate for whom?

2. For change. Change in and of itself is not necessarily always for the better. Things will get worse.

3. Intelligent. Based on his reading of a teleprompter? Graduating law school? Plenty of questionable people graduate law school. Where's his great contribution to society besides managing to get elected to the senate? I see no strong evidence here. Great speaker, though. If you want to pick the smartest man for president, you'd better come up with a test and put them all through it. I bet Little Mac is no slouch either.

4. International credibility. Is that important? I say berkeley the "international community." It's about time we stopped feeding them and see how they like us then. About time for the "international community" to do some serious butt kissing on the U.S.A. It is possible that this is what the current play on food prices is, by the way. We'll just burn our corn in our gas tanks and ya'll can go hungry and see how you like it.

5. Humble. Oh, come on. It's called "Acting." If he was humble, he wouldn't be in politics.

6. Hard problems. Bush tried to address SS. The D's killed all attempts at fixing it. Of course, every time a politician says "We need to fix Social Security" that really translates to "We need to butt berkeley GregW1 and Dr.Hess." I'm already the age that they keep bumping up the year I can get any of the thousands I've paid in back. Health care is a disaster that was created by the Democratics, likely with the R's consent. I've addressed the causes of the current "crisis" before and won't touch on them again. Creating a problem to solve it is not a "hard problem." The hard part is convincing you and the rest of us that "something needs to be done."

He is a great speaker.