How then should I praise John McCain? Thusly: I already know that he will betray everything I hold dear about this nation and freedom should he be selected as the next Bush. He will not surprise and consternate through betrayed hope. There is little doubt that Lame John will live down to my worst fears for the safety of my country and my liberty. Thus, there is nothing unknown left to use to betray. It is on the other side of the political street where disappointment still resides.
With the selection of Joe Biden to be Barack Obama's running mate, the Democratic capitulation to the stale status quo is now complete. Associated Press Writer Ron Fournier suggests, in his selection report, that Obama has lost his nerve, choosing to subvert his program of changes desperately needed by the nation to the goal of his winning the White House. One has to wonder that if one throws one's entire platform under the bus, what will remain available to begin governance?
Picture this, if you will. Obama is standing with Biden as the results come in. Somehow, Obama-Biden has withstood the Swiftboating and scurrilous slanders, and managed not to alienate enough voters to provide the margin of victory to McCain. Obama - repeatedly tagged during the campaign by both Democrats and Republicans as too inexperienced to lead - turns to Biden and says, "We won. What do we do now?"
One thing the inexperienced Obama can't do is again pick up the progressive plans which got him through the primaries. His choice of the Senator from MNBA (provider of the Capital One credit card - who ELSE do they buy from THEIR wallet?) will prevent that from happening. Obama will end up promoting a kinder and less hostile version of the existing Reagan-Bush corporate agenda.
But little of it will see the light of legal day even if he loyally serves the dark lords of profit well. It's my considered opinion that the only measures he offered during the primary that MIGHT see some form of passage will be those improving the medical system. But it won't be to serve the benefit of the general public. It will be to expand the national capacity to treat war wounded.
Obama will not be allowed to shave Bush's Terror War Against Terror. In fact, he will be heavily pressured to expand it, especially into Africa. Should some facsimile of this situation come to pass, the existing medical facilities will prove insufficient and will require massive sums to build additional facilities and to hire staff. Obama will be allowed to claim authorship of the expansion of the medical system as his historic legacy, but control of the new facility usage will belong to the Pentagon.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - InTheKnow
Obama Makes Fun Of The Bible
I've been watching the counter for hours the replies keep going in but they've frozen the counter.
2 - Jordan Richardson
"Only a Muslim Would Do This" is the subhead for the video. Fuck, that's all kinds of pathetic...
3 - Jonathan Scanlan
Hahaha, that video is hysterical!
4 - Lee Richards
Obama started out as a populist reformer in order to win the nomination and has now moved to the center to win the election. It seems to be a planned strategy; whether it will work is a gamble he's taking.
Maybe he could win by being the inspiring shining knight his early followers perceived, but he obviously thinks he needs to appeal to a broader, more moderate range of voters. Maybe. Right now, to some, it just looks like the air is leaking from the balloon.
"Only a Muslim would do this":
No, plenty of christians and jews who have actually read the Bible find many parts of it impossible to accept literally, and inconsistent with modern concepts of justice, morality, and common sense.
5 - Condor
The voters are in control. Vote.
6 - Baritone
Obama is correct. The bible is full of incredible cruelty, contradictions and generally indecipherable jibberish.
Most christians cherry pick passages from the bible that support or otherwise illustrate particular points while ignoring the ludicrous and often contradictory passages. The bible is a conglomeration - oft translated and oft altered -a mish-mash of baloney written (and altered)thousands of years ago by people with their own agendas and prejudices. To believe that the bible or any such text is "holy," supposedly written by god is in itself ludicrous. Also, to believe that those ancients were somehow inherently wiser or more prophetic than the rest of us is equally balderdash.
Certainly, there have been those who, throughout human history have made wise observations regarding the human condition. Afterall, our behaviour, our motives and so on have not changed all that much over time. But those chroniclers were no more wise, nor in some other way gifted, or "touched" by god than others who have come since.
B
7 - Baritone
Real,
If not Biden, who then? Bayh or Caine? Either would have been an "okay" choice, but certainly not anything special or electrifying.
Clinton? Picking Hillary would have been a disaster for Obama. One could picture her, with the aide of hubby, Bill, attempting to bully Obama and his staff, essentially attempting an in-house coup.
I would have been perfectly happy with Richardson, but his being Hispanic may have been too heavy a hit on a campaign already burdened with racial issues.
No one else seemed to be particularly interested in the job, and no one else had the credentials that Biden brings to the table.
Realist, your rhetoric belies your moniker. You look upon the government as being rife with corruption and totally under the thumb of corporate America. I don't doubt that a good deal of corruption and undue influence abound in government at all levels. When did it not? I just don't see Obama's opting for Biden as the straw that broke... yada, yada, yada. Perhaps you were expecting for far too much from Obama. He's just a cog in the machine like everybody else. That Obama might provide some kind of "deliverence" from the evils of government is, at best, a vain hope.
B
8 - Doug Hunter
You can consider that the government is under the thumb of corporate America, but I consider it more truthful to say that they are only extensions of each other. Big corporations and big government are one and the same. Each half of that beast points the finger at the other and the citizenry is thus divided and conquered.
Dems only see one half of the problem, big business, republicans the other (big government). Each side places foolish blind faith in their half and allows the unholy alliance to continue and thrive.
9 - Clavos
Doug has an interesting point...
10 - Dan Miller
Doug,
I hadn't really thought of it that way before, but you probably have an excellent point. Perhaps it might be among the reasons why antitrust enforcement has been so very anemic in recent years. I don't see vigorous antitrust enforcement as a panacea, but think it could help all of us very substantially. Unfortunately, it seems low if it even rises to that giddy height that on the agendas of both parties.
Dan
11 - Zedd
Realist,
How is this hindsight?
Doug,
I think they (politicians) all know this. It's we voters (pawns) to don't understand the game afoot.
12 - Baritone
I don't know if all this rises to the insidious level that Doug suggests. However, I have long thought that the problems arise, not from two separate camps, but rather, from a symbiosis of the two. One feeds and feeds off of the other. Perhaps eventually they'll devour each other.
More likely, it is all of us who will become fodder for them.
B
13 - Zedd
Re: #
There goes the entire idea of White supremacy. I'd be mad at InThe(flush)Know if I wanted to maintain my superior position. Wow. For some reason I don't think we can blame excessive partying in college on this one. It just is what it is. Boy
And the video.... You can tell that the person who "produced" it is proud of their analysis. They think they are deep and made a slam dunk against Obama(chuckles). What is sad though is that many will think that what he said is meaningful.
Question: If someone killed their child because they believed god told them to, would we be understanding? Especially if no ram showed up, tangled in the bushes to save the day. Just wondering.
Republicans.
14 - Doug Hunter
"I don't know if all this rises to the insidious level that Doug suggests."
Perhaps my language was a bit colorful but I wouldn't attribute it as necessarily evil or insidious, just the survival of a system. It's not in the best interest of the government or the business world to expose their misuse of power and beyond that who is going to tell you? Bloggers.....roflmao!
15 - Zedd
Dan, Doug, et al
Personally I think the relationship has to be in place. It is this relationship which defines our type of governance. Whether we are communistic, socialistic or capitalistic, this relationship must exist.
Republicans like big government, they just don't like big government which tells them "no". Dems like big business, as long as they adhere to their policies. That is the real tussle. It's only in the rhetoric that one picks up that there is an us against them. ACTUALLY that artificial divide was manipulated most effectively, AGAIN, by the Reps. In the 80's it became part of the deal to tag the Dems with wanting government in your home and in every crevice, while painting themselves as anti government, pro business and therefore pro efficiency. What was funny to me was that everyone had a job and knew full well that business is not run all that efficiently.
16 - Zedd
Re: #1
There goes the entire idea of White supremacy. I'd be mad at InThe(flush)Know if I wanted to maintain my superior position. Wow. For some reason I don't think we can blame excessive partying in college on this one. It just is what it is. Boy
And the video.... You can tell that the person who "produced" it is proud of their analysis. They think they are deep and made a slam dunk against Obama(chuckles). What is sad though is that many will think that what he said is meaningful.
Question: If someone killed their child because they believed god told them to, would we be understanding? Especially if no ram showed up, tangled in the bushes to save the day. Just wondering.
Republicans.
17 - Dan Miller
Zedd,
Welcome back. I've missed you!
Some people think that abortion is the most important issue, others think that global warming is the most important, and others find some other issue of supreme importance -- race, sex and age, for example -- and vote on a one issue basis. To me, that seems juvenile.
Although I think that vigorous antitrust enforcement is very important, I recognize that there are other issues of equal or greater importance.
I have never voted for a Democrat, or against a Republican; nevertheless, I consider myself to be in neither camp.
There is obviously a symbiotic relationship between business and Government, and to some extent it is necessary. In my ideal world, however, both Government and business would be smaller, would have far less power than they now do, and the voters would have the intelligence and the information upon which to base decisions without regard to the demonization of either by the other. Ditto race, sex and the other stuff. Sadly, I don't see any realistic chance of this happening while I am around to enjoy it.
Dan
18 - Dan Miller
Opps,
I did vote for Perot once, and I guess that was a protest vote.
Dan
19 - Baritone
Dan,
I must say that your statement regarding your (nearly)100% Republican voting record and your protestation that you are NOT aligned with either camp brought to mind a statement once made by Jack Nicholson regarding his use of marijuana.
He was asked if he was addicted to it. In answer he said, "No. I've smoked it everyday for fifteen years, and there's no way I'm addicted."
Hmmm.
B
20 - Dan Miller
Baritone,
You may well be correct. I do lean toward Senator McCain. However, I have yet to decide for or against whom I shall vote this time. I may surprise myself.
Dan
21 - Arch Conservative
Am I the only one that sees many eerie similarities between the Obama campaign and Nazi Germany's rise to power?
22 - Arch Conservative
I've already surprised myself and it feels damn good Dan.
I'm voting for Chuck Baldwin and even though I knw he hasn't a shot I'm happier about my vote than I have ever been before.
23 - Baritone
Obama = Nazi Germany? Oh, yeah, I see it. Look out all you Juden. Better find a good glass company. Obama and the brown faces are gonna smash your windows one night soon.
B
24 - Mark Saleski
Am I the only one that sees many eerie similarities between the Obama campaign and Nazi Germany's rise to power?
funny, i thought the same thing when reagan was elected. sig heil!
25 - Lee Richards
Now he's a leftist baby-killing Bible-mocking Nazi.
And I thought he was supposed to be inexperienced!