Miscellaneous > The Lounge
Obama
SiMuLaCrUm:
--- Quote from: fishcorn on 5 November 2008, 16:51 ---You actually want to stay in Iraq and want roughly the same economic policies forever?
--- End quote ---
No, those can change. But a lot of Obama's ideas don't seem all that practical. Oh well, I guess we'll just see what happens.
Lead Head:
The popular vote was actually pretty close. At one point there was less then a few hundred thousand votes between them. Obama just won the states that really count however.
worker201:
--- Quote from: Refalm on 5 November 2008, 14:46 ---Wouldn't there be a lot of change with Obama as president?
The US congress is now under Democratic control. Won't all the proposals by President Obama get passed in an eye-blink this way?
--- End quote ---
There's always the first hundred days, where any new president gets pretty much anything they want passed. It's called the 'Bully Pulpit', where the president shouts a lot about his new mandate, and pretty much every president has passed something during that time. But most change enacted by politicians is either incremental change, which people barely notice; or isolated change, which affects 5 people greatly, and everyone else not at all. Particularly, economic stimulants, those will be incremental, if not invisible to the general public. If health care comes up, the results will be nowhere near what Europeans enjoy, and 99% of people won't be affected at all - they'll still get substandard coverage from their employer, and they will still be denied benefits left and right by a greedy insurance company. So even something that sounds as sweeping as health care reform will actually be just another bill that passes with little fanfare and minimal effect.
I think that when people got excited about Obama, they thought he was going to swing in on January 20th like Superman and save the day. With Congress on his side, he could end the war in Iraq, cut taxes for the poor, end world hunger, and defeat terrorism, all in 2 swift strokes, and take the rest of the month of January for a vacation.. It's a tempting illusion, but it is nonetheless 100% illusion. The impotence of the executive office was designed into the Constitution with good reason - it makes dictatorial change impossible. What the common man doesn't seem to realize is that it makes speed and chaotic change impossible also. So we get the freedom we desire, and lose the dynamism we crave. Presidential elections are to government what romantic comedies are to relationships - watered down 2-hour idealistic representations that teach us nothing about the true behind-the-scenes processes.
Of all the things George W. said he was going to do, the only differences in my day to day life over the course of 8 years turned out to be a war on TV, a spike in gas prices, and a check for $600.
WMD:
--- Quote from: worker201 ---I think that when people got excited about Obama, they thought he was going to swing in on January 20th like Superman and save the day.
--- End quote ---
Either Superman or Jesus. Some people seem to think he's the second coming, or something - people were crying with joy in Grant Park and Times Square. For people to be this emotionally invested in a politician is unnerving to me.
--- Quote from: Refalm ---Wouldn't there be a lot of change with Obama as president?
The US congress is now under Democratic control. Won't all the proposals by President Obama get passed in an eye-blink this way?
--- End quote ---
The Democrats have 58 seats in the Senate...while this is enough to pass bills, it's not enough to avoid filibusters (60) or bypass vetoes (67). Vetoes shouldn't be a problem with a Democrat in the White House as well, though it was a serious problem for the last two years. Filibustering...well, I couldn't say how much the Republicans could do with just that on their side. They could certainly delay bills for a while, but some of them may end up being voted on anyway.
yahurd:
I live in colorado and am damn proud.
We beat the red menace.
--- Quote ---Either Superman or Jesus. Some people seem to think he's the second coming, or something - people were crying with joy in Grant Park and Times Square. For people to be this emotionally invested in a politician is unnerving to me.
--- End quote ---
Well, we just came out of bush, and so they are excited john bush is gone, and he/it wont get reelected.
Plus hes a black guy, its a huge step forward everywhere.
Black politicians in europe can now become prime minister.
Race is no issue when running for anything in america. Except texas. (N)
Plus we finally have a president that is intelligent! He went to harvard!
And the most important reason?
WE ARE DONE WITH BUSH!
America the world police is back!
America the elected democracy is come to town.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Simulcrum, I literally planned to move to the UK.
I am not joking not "seriously considering"
If you recall my posts here, I literally planned to move to either london, or ireland.
This election has restored my faith in this country so much I am upending that plan, and changing it to a long term plan of living in the United States of America.
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