The thing about the 2008 campaign is that it is hard to keep up with it. We seem to end up talking about yesterday's headlines, instead of today's headlines or perhaps the underlying current that will surface as tomorrow's headline.
Here's an odd tidbit: Mike Huckabee is scheduled to serve as the visiting Minister to Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia at 11:00 a.m. this morning. If you do not live in Lynchburg, that church happens to be the Mega church that was built by the late evangelical leader Jerry Falwell. There is no punch line to this, it just occurred to me that Jerry Falwell had so many negatives for so many americans, but Huckabee who believes so many of the same things does not. Huckabee, when reminded recently that the numbers do not hold up for his presidential campaign, replied that he believes in miracles. Okay Mike, just as long as you don't think you can make climate change go away through mass prayer.
Current President George W. Bush (really, I am not making this up, he is still our president) sought to reassure conservatives this week that John McCain is conservative. Yes, said George, McCain is pro life and believes in tax cuts and is strong on national security- those three items apparently being the sacred texts of conservatism? As a non-conservative observer to this, I was bemused and wondered if the message would have the desired result. Do conservatives at this point think that George W. Bush is a true conservative? Your input is requested, true conservatives.
As to the other half of the election campaign, the Democratic Party, the main story seems to be that Obama won yesterday's crop of primaries and Clinton did not. In terms of the future, it appears that Obama holds the edge for the Chesapeake region primary set for Tuesday (Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia). Obama and Clinton are both harvesting cash from donors. Clinton's camp boasted of collecting 10 million since Super Tuesday and Obama seems to be doing as well or better. Obama seems to be more successful at appealing to the activist, MoveOn leaning sector of the Democratic party that shows up to primary elections more than the centrists and independents do. Give Obama an edge. The dream ticket, Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama, sees like it may be that, a dream. That is because there are two wings to the Dems just as there are two wings to the Republicans, and those two wings do not see the world the same way and may not want to harness up in the same horse team.
It is hard for me to glimpse the ultimate result, our leadership over the next four years that will do much to determine our future and the future of the greater human community around our planet. Will we be mired in partisanship and recrimination? Will we adopt reconciliation, and look outward instead of inward, as 9/11 recedes into the past and we face the true challenges to the human race (hint: Jihadism is not in the top three)? Will we make the right compromises to create policies and pathways that access our future, or will we make timid compromises that reflect our longing for the material comforts and moral certainties of the 20th century?
I talk too much. Let's get the election over with first.
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 27
There is a better form of money than the kind of money that every nation (empire. kingdom) has been using for thousands of years. You probably don't know about it because until the last few years it has not been technically possible. Now we have the possibility of creating a money that is not a root of evil. Please check it out by reading my novel "Invisible Hand." I published it here on Gather and also online at:
http://www.unc.edu/~mason/hand.html
where there are no ads.
If you want to understand why our current money fails so badly and causes and allows such terrible disasters as wars, poverty, organized crime and unemployment please check out the POM Education group and the articles posted there.
There's no money involved in reading any of this material so it can't be evil. :-)
"Vote for
Anyone Democrat"
Ya think my windows will still be in place by the end of the week?
Notsomuch!
Truly...stop watching the news, until their ratings go down and they start reporting real truth. Not just political blatherings. Let's talk about the budget numbers on the news. Let's talk about the new homelessness. Let's hear about how people VOTED, and what they VOTED on, and Why... I can't believe, any longer, in the words that come out of their mouths. Show me where they put their money. Show me where they voted for the people, instead of the corporations.
So, I guess you can tell I'm from Missouri...LOL.
Wilka
Wilka
Wilka
Regardless of which party or which candidate wins in November, the two huge challenges we must face - or face extinction - are the "clear and present dangers" of our time: Radical Islamic Jihadism and Entitlements and Federal Spending. If we are fortunate enough to continue avoiding another 9-11 (or much worse), which is highly unlikely, then surely total bankruptcy will send America into the history books as a nation of "couldabeens." Do you actually believe that terrorism will go away and that another 9-11 won't happen?
If I were John McCain, I would say no thanks to endorsements by President Bush. We all know who got us into this mess.
BTW, here are the specifics of Bush's odd comments on the election campaign:
"I can understand why President Clinton wants to campaign hard for his wife. And those accusations that Bill Clinton's a racist, I think is just wrong. I just don't agree with it."
"I certainly don't know what he believes in." (referring to Barack Obama)
"I think that if John's the nominee, he's got some convincing to do to convince people that he is a solid conservative. And I'd be glad to help him if he's the nominee." (referring to mcCain)
"a good, solid conservative person." (referring to Huckabee)
of course one can ask the question: why pay any attention to what GWB has to say about the election? He is not objective- who knows he might actually be trying to push the Clinton ticket on the theory that Clinton has more negatives that would motivate Republicans to show up at the polls? One phone call from Rove. You could say the same about me of course in reference to Huckabee- my commentary on him tends to reflect my hostility and you might wish to take that into account.
Once upon a time the Democrats were for the little guy. Now they claim to be but are just as much in the pockets of their high rolling contributors as the Republicans
I think Obama really does want to change the system but he won't unless he lets the 'powers that be' rule.
Hillary will keep the status quo so to speak. McCain might be more inclined to reach across the aisle as he's done in the past and if he tagged Lieberman for VP--he'd be more apt to lean but then would lose the party backing.
We need new blood not old, as in partyl-iners, not age wise.
And we dissatisfied folks just keep grumbling and mumbling but vote the same old cronies back into office.
We should all be ashamed.
And to think that jihad is not our #1 worry is insanity. Who gives a s**t about money? What's China going to do if we don't pay up? Attack? It's only money. Having the cash in your pocket to buy a gun & a bullet v. having the gun with the bullet in it pointed at your face are 2 very different things.
And who cares what the rest of the World thinks about us? They don't care what we think about them, so long as we continue to pour money into their economies through trade and tourism. If we all started trading vacations in the south of France for vacations in SoCal or Miami, I guarantee that the frogs would be calling. And if we kicked out all the illegal Mexicans and made every person on welfare pick fruit, I guarantee that the President of Mexico would have a heart attack as his economy completely collapsed.
Obama isn't the answer. He hasn't even said what his change is. If he gets elected, I hope and pray that he has the brains to pick a good Cabinet.
I do think despite what Clinton and Obama say in public, both understand unity is crucial for the General,
Which brings to mind AL Gore, yea you all heard me, AL Gore as the compromise candidate with Hillary and Barack picking slips from a hat on who becomes the veep and Secretary of State. That would be dream team to inspire the big MO out of Denver
I was out last night doing teen limo service and happened upon a conservative talk show on the radio. He was on a massive rant , running down McLame and Huckaphony, while defending the no longer in the running Romney as the "true conservative".
It was quite amusing for the 10 minutes that I could stand to listen. The republicans seen hell bent on cannabalism and squandering what meager chance they may have of uniting behind a "moderate McCain" who could actually make a go of it in the fall.
No one is saying the radical jihadists are going to pack up and sip tea after our election. They will test and prod and do whatever damage they can wherever they can. The real question is how to "fight" the war on terror. Clearly we cannot kill all the terrorists, as our actions in Iraq have proven that military might cannot resolve the underlying issues that create terrorists. To think it can is absolute folly. To suggest that anyone who sees alternatives to "shock and awe" is "weak on terror" or "wants to surrender" is pure canard...and also scary that people can actually think so narrowly. No, a different tack is needed. It might indeed include use of military might when appropriate, but it will also need to include a full understanding of all the tools at our disposal. Ideological blinders never are the answer, despite the beliefs of those who feel they are right and everyone else are idiots.
Let's elect a leader. Not an ideologue. Not a divider.
Very good article.
Oh, we also shouldn't forget that there are a couple of hundred countries in the world. We may be the only superpower, but the many Lilliputians were able to band together to take down the mightly Gulliver. We've already started to see how other countries joining forces can influence the US and may us look ineffectual.
And thinking that we are the big cheese on the planet is very dangerous. China has 5 times the number of people and an economy growing so fast that it will quickly exceed our own wasteful use of resources. Result - a messed up planet and the US as the second most powerful country in the world (or possibly third as Putin consolidates power in Russia again).
So it's time to get off our high horse and start considering ourselves stewards. To start leading.
His pandering, in fact, has been solely to the conservatives so he can get the nomination. It has been sad to see an honorable man who has accomplished so much actually kowtow to the part of the party that is the most intolerant of anything not extreme ideology. Now that he has the nomination virtually assured, I suspect he will be laughing himself to sleep every night knowing that the extreme conservatives will have to vote for him to keep the Democrats out of the White House. And if they refuse to vote for him (either vote Democratic or stay home), they should be ashamed of themselves for such narrow minds.
and yes, I hope that we can reach for stewardship rather than intransigence in our international relations. Our military budget equals that of the rest of the planet combined. I am not asking for unilateral disarmament, simply saying the more we take on the financial burden of being World cop, the more our long term prospects fade. Security? Yes. Ability to defend ourselves? Yes. But we do not rule the world.
That is not what was originally intended by the phrase "new world order", and it is not going to happen. It is crystal clear that we lack the resources, the good judgement, and most of all the willingness of other nations to defer to us, that would be required for us to rule the world.
As for the concept that China has no power to hurt us, ha. We owe China 1.4 trillion dollars. If China were to decide to refuse to buy any more of the Treasury bills from the USA which are financing our budget deficit, we are going to be screwed. Why would China want to do that? I don't know, granted it would ruin the value of their existing investment as well as cause our economy to crash. But methaphorically you do not hand a loaded gun to anybody and guide the business end to your head just because you trust the person. Accidents can happen.
I am a conservative and although I have mixed feelings of Bush he is not a true conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton signed more of Reagan's policies into law in the 90's than Bush ever will. Bush's governing philosophy is more in line with Nixon who also wasn't a true conservative.
I think that after 8 years out of the white house, republicans were so happy to have power back that they sold their integrity out for power and control. They were pretty much thinking like Kathy is now with her: " "Vote for Anyone Democrat" yard sign.
Is Obama supposed to call you up and tell you, point blank what his plans are? Stop being lazy and do some research. Watch a debate, go to his website, watch his interviews, and stop being a big old lazy axx. Geeze I'm sick of that line...."He hasn't even said what his change is--duuuuhhhhh."
What is Hillary's change? What does McCain propose besides more endless war? (I know the answers to these questions John, do you?