It has been said that those who don't remember their history are doomed to repeat it. Let's look at some recent history and see if we have had anyone like Obama trying for the presidency before.
Both Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama were Democrats running for the United States presidency. Both ran on a "Change" platform, but neither defined the word "Change" or listed the changes he planned to make. Carter was an outsider to Washington politics having been in a Georgia state senator and governor. As a junior U.S. senator, Barack is also an outsider.
Both wrote best selling books that were basically arrogant self-promotion. Carter's book was even called, "Why Not the Best?"
Both belonged to highly controversial churches. During the 1976 election, Carter's church refused to sit blacks. Carter made no move to change churches although he did criticize his minister and church officials.
Both men were highly educated and elitists.
After Carter's election, it became clear that he had no plan for the change he had spoken of in the campaign. He changed his mind often and senators, even those in his own party, found him difficult if not impossible to work with. "Stagnation" was a new word in our vocabularies and the people began calling the U.S. dollar the J.C. (Jimmy Carter) penny.
His inexperience in international politics did not seem to be much of a problem until a gang of Muslim fanatics took over our embassy in Iran and 52 Americans were taken hostage. It was clear to the world that Carter did not have a plan; it was clear to Americans that we did need change.
Carter was defeated in 1980 by Ronald Reagan, a man who never went to church or bragged about his religion or used the word "Change." The second after Reagan became president, hostages were released. Under Reagan, Communism was defeated and under George Bush the First the Berlin wall came down. That was real change and it was brought about by Reagan, not Carter or Obama.
It took a Ronald Reagan to recover from a Jimmy Carter presidency. What will it take to recover from a Barack Obama presidency?
Let's hope we do not have to answer that question.
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Comments: 71
Jimmy Carter was President during a Revolution in Iran. The entire Middle East had been buried under the weight of imperialism for so long and the loudest voices, not necessarily the best voices, ended the era. Like Bush's own ignorance in the attacks against America on American soil on 9/11, it was underestimating the power of these fanatics in the Muslim world which caused the the Presidents to fail.
I am beginning to believe that we need two Presidents, one for domestic affairs and one for foreign affairs. I just haven't found a good candidate for both in recent years, sans Wes Clark.
Also...it doesn't take an experienced President to create good foreign policy, but an experienced Cabinet and National Security Council to advise him properly. Apparently pre-9/11, Bush had none.
However, as far as McCain's offshore drilling is concerned ... he, too, is barking up the wrong tree of "salvation" for if we poison our land and water and kill off our natural resources, we will back ourselves into a corner.
Mary Ann ... I think we are facing an election with someone who talks through his hat about a change he can't define and a old man with a death wish who wants to take us all down with him. And, I must say, that we are caught between the devil and a hard rock! God help us all!
Dont you see what is going on here? The Dems dont want us drilling in Alaska, etc.. they want to try and force the prices up so bad, to make president Bush go to Iraq and buy their oil, then they will come back and say, we told you this war in Iraq was all about oil. The USA went to war to gain the oil from Iraq, to make Bush more money... Think about this, it makes sense to me.....? Its not more far fetched this the ones that say 9/11 was an inside job.
Please read my latest post about the marquis de lafayette and John McCain. We need to lket history guide us.
See my article on McCain and Lafayette.
Bush #2 got stuck with Clinton's messes (muslims, back-end-loaded debt, etc). He's made some mistakes, but whichever candidate gets elected, he'll be handed a better situation. And Obama, of course, would have someone to blame.
I find it sad that when we have a real chance to improve lives for the bottom 97% of people in this country with someone who has dedicated his life to public service the fear-mongers come out to play.
Obama is a great man and history will be my witness. The sacrifice it takes to become president, and the slime that gets thrown are unbelievable. What really scares the opposition about Obama is how brilliant he really is and how he can communicate with the masses. Masses being defined as the average American, not the ruling class.
Sorry, but I respectfully state that your premise is quite flawed.
Jimmy Carter had a plan that would have freed us from our dependency on foreign oil within a decade. Reagan, who was indebted (some might say owned) by the oil companies defunded those initiatives almost as soon as he got into office.
More than anything, Reagan resembles Bush 43, and McCain is offering nothing besides more of the same.
And if you're going to quote history, please attempt to get it right. It's STAGFLATION, and it's pretty much what we have now under Bush.
I'd rather have a president who is the smartest guy in the room than a guy who is still trying to understand basic economic policy.
I know what I am getting with John McCain and I support him. The White House is not an affirmative action hire, nor is it on-the-job training. Yes, Elizabeth, that has all been said before. It doesn't make it any less true.
I've never read anything more ridiculous.
First of all, the campaign for Iraqi oil began as as soon as the Bush gang took office. That's why the transcripts for Dick Cheney's meetings with the oil company executives haven't been released.
Second, since there's no NATIONAL oil company, there's no guarantee than any of the oil in Anwar would be used domestically anyway. And at the very minimum it would take 5 years for us to see any of it anyway.
Third, no one forced Bush to go into Iraq. We know now that the intelligence that was used was cooked to make a case.
Third, the economic loophole that has allowed the speculation on oil prices was created under Bush 41 by the wife of Senator Phil Graham, who is one of John McCain's campaign stalwarts.
Conspiracy is one thing, reality is bigger.
I guess if you live in a world where intelligence, charisma,new ideas and competence are liabilities, John McCain should be your candidate. Of course, you probably think the Bush gang has done a great job too.
I'd rather vote for the guy who can write books and teach than the guy who is still figuring out who we're supporting and who our enemies are.
We've shed millions of decent paying manufacturing jobs and created millions of low paying service industry jobs under Bush.
The price of gas has trebled since the Bush gang has been in office.
I think those events are equivalent to what happened under Carter.
I'm going McCaim. Youth and enthusiasm cannot run a country. Age and wisdom can.
(a) Community activist
(b) Illinois Legislature
(c) Two Years US Senate
Whenever anyone points out the obvious, namely, that Mr. B. Hussein Obama is a little thin in the experience department, the faithful on Gather.com get their little undies all in a bunch. To borrow a line from the movie "A Few Good Men" "You can't handle the truth."
Mr. B. Hussein Obama is a highly skilled speaker, orator, who is adept at giving a speech and working a crowd. He makes good use of the black, preacher man intonation of "Amerrrica" and "chang-a" and sends the crowds into a tizzy! All style, no substance; where is Clara Peller when you need her---- "Where's the Beef?"
Obama, king of the flip flops, is a self serving elitist and a racist. You can tell when he is lying because his mouth is moving.
In selecting a president, all we can do is choose the man with the most integrity. That is John McCain.
I cannot vote for a man whose wife has never been proud of this country or whose minister for over 10 years was the Reverend Wright. It goes to character. In Jimmy Carter and iin the action of his church, we got a glimpse of the soul of the man. People still elected Carter.
My point is: Look at the man and think: Do we want him as our leader>
I see the age, I don't see the wisdom. Bob Dole was as much a hero as McCain, and he wasn't presidential material either.
I'm looking at his positions, and all I see are the same things that have gotten us into our present mess, only moreso.
I could not vote for a man who thinks that clowning around singing "bomb, bomb Iran" is a good idea.
I could not vote for a man who promises 100 years in Iraq.
I could not vote a man who wants to make tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans permanent.
I could not vote for a man who thinks nuclear energy is "green".
I could not vote for a man who doesn't have a basic understanding of economics.
I can look at McCain and see that he's nothing but Bush's third term, and the country deserves better than that.
Obama could have gone into the private sector and made millions, but he chose public service.
All McCain did was destroy his first marriage so he could chase after a heiress.
The US must recognize that strength comes from forming alliances, not identifying people of countries as enemies and bombing them.
Cutting taxes, at a time when the national debt is so deep is irresponsible.
Active participation in the checks and balances of domestic economic planning is a constitutional requirement of the presidential office. When George W. Bush didn't know the price of milk (one of the staples in the national shopping cart for economic forecasting), he belied his abrogation of the this element of his job description. McCain seems slated to do the same.
Alternative energy sources may or may not be "green". Those that can cause, or are likely to cause greater problems in disposal or security, are not green.
In any case, I have a clear choice now between a man who has been true to his wife and a man who dumped his wife after she had been disfigured in a horrible automobile accident, the woman who kept his family together and raised his children while he was a POW.
And I have much more fear for four more years of Bush than just about anything else. After all, the past 7 years have been so wonderful.
Not scarier than running up the national debt so that our great grand children will be paying it off?
Not scarier than not having a plan for the country, just the same bullsh*t that has been proven not to work already?
Most conservatives are even bigger hypocrites. They're supposed to be for small government, but they've been spending like drunken sailors for the past 7 years. They're supposed to be for individual liberties, but want to control everything from our sex lives to a woman's right to choose. And they're willing to suspend the constitution and spy on us to do it.
I'll take a chance on Obama.
I love the photo. LMAO.
Bill B.
You can't use logic with the Obamanoids. They have tasted the koolaid and their minds are not their own.
Erik,
A woman's right to choose. Did you mean the right to murder an unborn child because she is to irresponsible to have used a condom?
What you're attempting Bill, is just another smear. Obama doesn't FAVOR any of those things. What he has supported in the past is open access to reproductive services for women. I'm for that.
Don;
Did you have your brain removed before you became a Republican, or is that just a rite of passage?
You did get part of it right. Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it.
The USSR got into a war it could not win in Afghanistan. The Mujahideen used a guerrilla-style method of combat which the Soviets could not defeat. The USSR eventually went bankrupt because of the war and the union fell apart. Osama Bin Laden organized a system of funneling money and guns to the war.
Does any of that sound familiar?
Experience. Ronald Reagan had no experience except as an actor. I lived in CA when Reagan was governor. Trust me, he never made a move on his own.
Reagan's greatness. I think he was a front man for his "kitchen cabinet" and Mommy but his administration was perhaps the most corrupt of the 20th century. The early 80s were an economic nadir second only to the Great Depression. We were saved by computers and hi tech electronics.
Carter was sabotaged on the hostage crisis by people in congress and career government employees. Iran waited for the election before making a move. There was an unfortunate helicopter incident too.
Among the foreign affairs achievements of the Reagan administration were support for Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. Good choices, eh?
Congratulations. The single most ignorant statement I have yet seen. And that's saying a LOT.
I think the federal govt has preempted the area of abortion already through Roe v. Wade. I could be wrong. I know there are some state laws that try to regulate it. I think they're unconstitutional.
Is this the reason all conservatives seem to be against any teaching of our teens that there even IS a thing called a condom? Come on, you hypocritical a**es need to make it one or the other. IS she irresponsible because no one bothered to teach her there were condoms, or because she didn't use one that she wasn't allowed to be taught about, or......now you're confusing even me..........
Damn, I thought that motel would be full up of repugnican page molesting types, and airport urinal tap dancers by now, lol.
If you get by the conservative spin, and take a look at Carter's Energy Agenda, you will find if we'd have listened to him, his policies WOULD have very possibly averted the energy problems we now have. Carter installed solar panels on the white house, Raygun, immediately upon taking office, had them removed. If that isn't a stark indication of intent, I don't know what is. Afghanistan, and the resulting fall of the USSR was ENTIRELY the policy of Carter and Brzezinski, at work. They roped them in, they let them get comfortable, and then they sprang the trap, using the CIA, and US supplied, hand held, surface to air rockets. There is more history to be read than conservative non history, I assure you. The very beginning of Iran Contra, was the promise of helicopter parts to Iran, not to release the hostages till after the election. Carter had most of the business as usual, corrupt members of his own party, and all of the republican party working against him, because he was that most dangerous of political foes, an honest man. It is not hard, therefor, to see why he was ineffective, and this is what I fear most of all for an Obama presidency. I'm willing to risk it, though, and try again. Being like Carter is a plus, not a minus, though all are working against him, as well.........
I've read McCain's website have any of you conservatives read Obamas.
Don't think the upper 1% give rat's ass about any of you, they're laughing all the way to the bank.
Just sad.
I see you had Don's operation.
I was there. Honestly, nobody thought Reagan or Bush 41 had anything to do with it.
For example, I doubt you're aware of this:
1) Those making from $0-250,000 actually keep MORE MONEY through Obama's plan than through McCain's (source: www.CNN.com)
2) Those making between $250,000 to $2.8 million do keep a few hundred extra dollars through McCain's plan than through Obama's.
3) Those making $2.8 million and above are taxed a bit more through Obama's plan and actually save more through McCain's plan.
Thus, which category are you in? If you are making $2.8 million and above, then I absolutely understand that you're upset because you'll be paying extra money.
If you're in the $250,000 to $2.8 million range, yep, you'll save a few extra hundred through McCain's plan than through Obama's.
However, if you are in the category of making $0 to $250,000, you actually get to KEEP MORE MONEY through Obama's plan than through McCain's plan.
Now I'm not pushing for one candidate over another. I'm simply showing you how different groups of people may economically back one candidate vs another (and with valid reasons). So, which group do you fall under?
Essentially, EDUCATE YOURSELVES or you'll simply be speaking rhetoric and lines that you've heard off the news or off of some talk radio station. Our country is best when we have an INFORMED public.
Thanks, Dan, you left this comment in several places to make sure I see it. But it still means some points for me.
As former GOP Senator Rick Santorum put it, "Everybody has a McCain story." Over his tenure in Congress, McCain has had angry, expletive-laced exchanges with a number of his colleagues and peers,- both Democrat and Republican alike- many of which have been covered extensively by local Arizona and nationwide news sources. Below are the ten most notable among them.
10. Senator Ted Kennedy - On August 6, 1993, the Boston Globe ran a story detailing a heated verbal exchange between Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy and McCain. Kennedy was at the lectern delivering remarks, when McCain began walking toward him from across the Senate floor, mocking the Massachusetts legislator. McCain shouted at Kennedy to "shut up." A stunned Kennedy fired back at McCain, telling him, "you shut up...and act like a Senator."
9. Democratic Rep. Marty Russo (D-IL) - In its December 1985 issue, Atlantic Monthly described an altercation that took place just a few years after McCain had been elected to the House for the first time. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) found himself in the crossfire between the two Congressman, who were angrily shouting "seven-letter and twelve-letter" epithets back and forth at one another, when the exchange became violent and they began pushing and shoving one another. The two were separated from their tangle by a few other legislators who were nearby.
8. Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson - Newsmax, the "conservative perspective" political publication run by Chris Ruddy, didn't cut McCain any partisan slack in a July 2006 article, in which it recounted a dust-up between McCain and some local government officials in his home state. Speaking at a luncheon at which McCain was in attendance, former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson was among a group of local mayors fielding questions from the Arizona Congressional delegation about local land issues. In the midst of one answer from Johnson, who helmed the city from 1990 to 1994, McCain blurted out, "Hold it a minute. Somebody write down everything this guy has to say. You know what, we need to record him. It's best to get a liar on tape."
Taken aback, Johnson offered the Senator a chance to speak privately, saying, "Senator, if you have a problem with me, why don't we go out in the hallway and talk about it."
McCain fired back: "You're God-damn right I have a problem with you! They've been treating you like a princess in Phoenix while they've been burning me over this damn deal, and I'm sick of it!"
7. Unidentified GOP Senator - Accounts of McCain's outburst at a Senate GOP policy lunch has reached near-epic proportion, having been written about by just about every blog and news site from Newsmax, to DailyKos, to the Huffington Post, to Wonkette, and so on. During a vitriolic exchange between McCain and another unnamed Senator who took a position contrary to that of his colleague from Arizona. McCain became infuriated, jumping from his chair and calling his fellow Republican a "shithead," prompting an immediate demand for an apology. McCain stood up again and issued it...sort of. "Okay, I apologize," he said. "But you're still a shithead."
6. Senator Pete Domenici - Newsweek's February 21, 2000 edition highlighted an exchange between McCain and Republican Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Chairman of the Budget Committee. In staunch disagreement with a particular portion of a budget amendment, McCain exploded. "Only an asshole would put together a budget like that." Domenici, who'd been in the Senate nearly 30 years by that point, gave a restrained reply, noting that even in the most heated debated throughout his entire career, no one had ever used that kind of language toward him. McCain didn't back down. "I wouldn't call you an asshole unless you really were an asshole."
5. Unidentified GOP Senator- In 2006, Ron Kessler of Newsmax wrote that much of McCain's unpopularity in the Senate stems from his 2000 campaign, when the vast majority- in fact, all but four- of his colleagues backed George W. Bush in the GOP primary. One of McCain's top aides recounted a telephone conversation between McCain and another Senator, who was explaining that he'd already committed to supporting Bush. When he finished, McCain bristled. "Fuck you," he said, and hung up, never to speak to him again.
4. Senator Strom Thurmond - In an article titled "Senator Hothead," The Washingtonian recounted one particular encounter between McCain and then-92-year-old Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. McCain was giving an opening statement at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when Thurmond, the committee chairman, interrupted to inquire as to whether McCain was finished so that the proceedings could be moved along. McCain glared at Thurmond and thanked him for his "courtesy." McCain later confronted Thurmond on the Senate floor, and a "scuffle" ensued. "The two didn't part friends."
3. Senator Chuck Grassley - The same Newsweek article that outlined McCain's confrontation with Domenici pointed to a similar incident with Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa. The two were debating issues related to soldiers who had been reported Missing In Action in Vietnam. After a blistering commentary by McCain, Grassley took offense. "Are you calling me stupid?" he asked.
McCain didn't miss a beat. "No, I'm calling you a fucking jerk."
2. Senator John Cornyn - On May 18, 2007, The Washington Post reported that McCain had locked horns with another one of his GOP colleagues, this time Senator John Cornyn of Texas. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill of 2007 had caused an enormous rift among Republicans, and the two Senators found themselves on opposite sides. Cornyn objected to a provision of the bill that allowed for what he perceived as too many judicial appeals for illegal immigrants. McCain called his objections "chicken shit" and accused Cornyn of making petty tactics to sabotage the whole bill. Cornyn took immediate offense.
"Wait a second here. I've been sitting in here for all these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line."
Then McCain, who'd been spending a lot of time away from Washington on his presidential campaign, got a little more out of line. "Fuck you!" he shouted. "I know more about this than anyone in this room!" McCain apologized shortly afterword.
1. His Own Wife, Cindy McCain - In his new book, The Real McCain, Cliff Schecter, a journalist and frequent contributor at the Huffington Post related perhaps the most disturbing of McCain's tirades. During his 2000 White House bid, the Senator was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, his aides, and three journalists who spoke to Schecter on condition of anonymity, but independently confirmed each other's accounts of the incident. Cindy McCain playfully ran her fingers through the Senator's hair and teased, "You're getting a little thin up there." McCain reddened and fired back, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollup, you cunt." After he'd cooled down, McCain apologized, saying he'd had a long day.
The fact that terrorist in Iran may have supported Reagan (The second after Reagan became president, hostages were released) is something I'd want advertised if I were a Republican.
I recall the Berlin wall coming down, and I remember a lot more statements like East Berliners finally finding a route to West Berlin via governments overthrown by their own people rather than US or Bush's actions. This whole "domino theory" scenario started in Poland because the Communist couldn't spend so much money supporting a huge military any more. (Hum, sounds familiar - the huge military part.) During the Clinton years Apartheid ended. Big deal. Both Bush and Reagan have a tendency to claim responsibility for things they had nothing to do with. Great politics, lousy reasoning.
Sure Bill Clinton couldn't keep it in his pants but he was far more interesting of a president than GW could ever be. I'm actually looking forward to the last day that he (Mr. Bush is no longer in his current position. Maybe then the United States can become a World Power with the respect that it used to have when Clinton was in office. Let's not even go there to Ronald Reagan. A great actor? maybe but nothing more than that. He left this country in almost as bad a shape as the current administration has. I live around staunch Republicans that will surely be surprised to here some of what I've said. But that's what makes life interesting-surprise and positive change brought about by new ideas from new "Elitists like Obama is suppose to be. I can't wait for the day to come.
Jim A.
Jimmy Caters base conatined many blue collar workers. Many of Obama's people are just loons who wanted to limit and free speech against thei candidate.
Solar One became operational in 1981 in California, producing 10 MWatts of power. Nine solar trough power plants were built in the 1980s in California, with a combined capacity of 354 MWatts, generating enough electricity to meet the power needs of approximately 500,000 people.
The National Renewable Energy Resources Lab was set up, but its budget was reduced and reduced by the Republicans. In 1991, a veto by Republican Governor Deukmejian caused a worldwide halt in the construction of solar thermal power plants. Republicans have sabotaged better ways to produce energy ever since.
McCain's energy policy has no susbstance, the centerpiece of McCain's policy is to increase oil production. The republican campaign consists of smear and the plan to "drill, drill and drill", which is a stunt, as discussed in my article on this topic and it should be exposed as such. Let's not allow McCain's dirty oily fingers to sabotage our future and ruin the world!
Steve Forbes call Bush "Jimmy Carter Bush" lol.
"I know what I am getting with John McCain and I support him." -Mary Ann S
I know what you're gonna get too - SCREWED. Pardon me for not wanting to be part of THAT.
The Journey to Hell in the Handbag Forged by the last 30 years of PORK and Corrupt government practices will get it's last boost to completion with Obama. Maybe then, everyone will be happy -- they finally got 'something different.'
It took a Ronald Reagan to recover from a Jimmy Carter presidency. What will it take to recover from a Barack Obama presidency?
I have to argue that Communism was deafeated. I never bought that Russia went quietly into the night. WHAT they did was go off the radar to regroup - as evidenced THIS year full force as they once again ARE the largest holders of foreign currency, have helped manipulate the strangling prices of gas and oil with their friends in OPEC, made gabillions of dollars off of the US when gas shot up to 4.00 per gallon and used that money in the arms trades with countries like Venezuela. Really WHAT does Venezuela need with atomic weapons??? The entire Russia 'pull down your wall' phase was nothing more than posturing and faking the world out - meanwhile Russia has been behind the scenes helping to build the fires the US runs around globally putting out to the tune of trillions of dollars. Russia is looking forward to Obama, the Middle East Wants Obama, FRANCE wants Obama.
Whens the last time any American was so hotly vested into who became the leader of any other country.....you have to wonder if our ENEMIES are pulling for Obama -- WHY would Americans vote him in?
McCain/Palin '08