Obama's Speech on Race & America

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

I prefer to call it slime. The man is slimey just like all politicians.

As far as black Americans go, he's only recently gained ground and its because of pandering to them. All politicians do it.....give you what you need to or want to hear at that particular time to get you in their corner. Before that, you don't matter much but when they need a boost, you are THE MAN!

[Sabaron]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

That speech was meant to remind people that racism is still a very real issue in the USA (and even here in Canada actually) and that we gotta stop pretending like it doesn't happen.

I believe it was to show the man's character, and to emphasize his message of change and dealing with the challenges of today. He handled the "two most toxic topics in politics - Race and Religion" masterfully IMO, taking the moral high ground the whole time.


This wasn't about his policies, it was about his convictions. And IMO, the man has certainly shown plenty of character over the course of the campaign and given us a pretty good idea of how he'll be in office.


Oh yeah and god forbid anyone actually do any research of their own on these candidates. Yeah there's no denying that a lot of his speeches are about inspiring people, but that's what people really want to hear right now. After the utter lack of confidence in government Bush has created, you need someone who can rally the people. Believe me, he'll get a lot more into specifics once he's sealed up the nomination. And again, it's all laid out clearly on Barackobama.com


But I guess some people can't be bothered to look beyond their TV's or the tabloids for information.

Your obvious intention with this particular speech is to sway people to the Obama camp by posting it. You intend for this speech inandof itself to do this for you. I have stated that the speech you have posted has no political substance and you suggest that I seek information elsewhere? If you want him elected why not post relevant informaiton instead of a demagogue speech?

Nowhere, you will notice, have I said that Obama is a bad person. Nowhere, have I stated that he is any different than any other political candidate. In fact, all political candidates use demagoguery as a means to bring people into their camps. Speeches like this I compare to the suckers and condoms that people who were running for office in the Student Senate during college used. They give you stuff that makes you feel good and then you like them. That's what this speech is--it is the quintessential condom for suckers, and I will tell you that you can probably find a speech like this from every candidate on the ticket. How does that make me like Obama more than anyone else?

Answer: It doesn't. I don't want his condoms--they have holes in them.

As for racism being real, I don't doubt that. Just as I don't doubt that there are currently (illegal) slaves in the US. The point I'm trying to make is that race is already protected by The Constitution. What more laws are going to be made to make it better? What lovely freedoms are we going to take away to make our nation more Egalitarian?

How do we determine who is disenfranchised?

Who decides who benefits from the programs Mr. Obama makes?

Will the Democrats warm and fuzzy Socialized Medicine Bill work or will it just put everyone's healthcare in the crapper?

As far as party line policy is concerned, what makes Obama different than Mrs. Clinton?

The speech you posted doesn't answer any of these questions. Therefore, I classify it as a waste of time. If you want to convince people that Obama is who they should vote for, perhaps you'll select a more substantial Youtube clip next time.

And don't take the cop out that "people are lazy and won't go look for themselves". You're obviously pushing for Obama... Do it right! People are lazy bastards. If you want to convince people to vote for him, know how to defend your man! If you can't defend him, don't try to promote him because you will fail. Spoon Feed America! That's what they want.

Other stuff:

1. Shameless plug: My cousin is assisting Mr. Obama's camp (in some districts) with it's donation collection (He's being paid). He has a cool new toy for campaign promoter type people: Voter Solutions.
2. My aunt was a Democratic Elector in the last election (she bowed out this year because she is too busy).
3. I'm advocating Ron Paul and have refrained from saying anything about him on your thread about Obama.
4. If RP doesn't end up on the Republican ticket, I'll probably vote for the Dems regardless of which horse they run.
5. I'm favoring Mrs. Clinton on the ticket because she's the evil we know. We are already well aware that Mrs. Clinton likes money, real estate deals, and expensive hair cuts. That's what she'll do. What sort of sordid deeds will Mr. Obama do when confronted with the sea of corruption that is Whitehouse Politics?

[Malacite]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

Just because there are laws in place though doesn't automatically fix it. This is a big issue that's really gotta be addressed on a broader scale than just simple law making Sabaron. At leas that's my interpretation.

And if people actually bothered to read his plans on his website they'd see that they're actually very long and detailed. He really can't go into full detail in his speeches (or he'd be going on and on for hours), so he just touches on them while trying to inspire us. It works for me.

Barack Obama | Change We Can Believe In | Issues

Economy

Barack Obama's Plan
Provide Middle Class Americans Tax Relief

Obama will cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay.

* Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
* Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Experts estimate that the Obama proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.

Trade

Obama believes that trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic security.

* Fight for Fair Trade: Obama will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. He will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks. Obama will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
* Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama believes that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. Obama will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
* Improve Transition Assistance: To help all workers adapt to a rapidly changing economy, Obama would update the existing system of Trade Adjustment Assistance by extending it to service industries, creating flexible education accounts to help workers retrain, and providing retraining assistance for workers in sectors of the economy vulnerable to dislocation before they lose their jobs.

Technology, Innovation and Creating Jobs

Obama will encourage the deployment of the most modern communications infrastructure to reduce the costs of health care, help solve our energy crisis, create new jobs, and fuel our economic growth.

* Support Job Creation: Barack Obama believes we need to double federal funding for basic research and make the research and development tax credit permanent to help create high-paying, secure jobs. Obama will also make long-term investments in education, training, and workforce development so that Americans can leverage our strengths - our ingenuity and entrepreneurialism - to create new high-wage jobs and prosper in a world economy.
* Invest in U.S. Manufacturing: The Obama comprehensive energy independence and climate change plan will invest in America's highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world. Obama will also provide assistance to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient vehicles are built by American workers.
* Create New Job Training Programs for Clean Technologies: The Obama plan will increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, into their efforts to help Americans find and retain stable, high-paying jobs. Obama will also create an energy-focused youth jobs program to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth.
* Boost the Renewable Energy Sector and Create New Jobs: The Obama plan will create new federal policies, and expand existing ones, that have been proven to create new American jobs. Obama will create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025, which has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs on its own. Obama will also extend the Production Tax Credit, a credit used successfully by American farmers and investors to increase renewable energy production and create new local jobs.
* Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Obama believes we can get broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.
* Protect the Openness of the Internet: Obama supports the basic principle that network providers should not be allowed to charge fees to privilege the content or applications of some web sites and Internet applications over others. This principle will ensure that the new competitors, especially small or nonprofit speakers, have the same opportunity as big companies to innovate and reach large audiences.
* Invest in Rural Areas: Obama will invest in rural small businesses and fight to expand high-speed Internet access. He will improve rural schools and attract more doctors to rural areas.

Labor

Obama will strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions. He will fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama will ensure that his labor appointees support workers' rights and will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers. Obama will also increase the minimum wage and index it to inflation to ensure it rises every year.

* Ensure Freedom to Unionize: Obama believes that workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama cosponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize. He will continue to fight for EFCA's passage and sign it into law.
* Fight Attacks on Workers' Right to Organize: Obama has fought the Bush National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) efforts to strip workers of their right to organize. He is a cosponsor of legislation to overturn the NLRB's "Kentucky River" decisions classifying hundreds of thousands of nurses, construction, and professional workers as "supervisors" who are not protected by federal labor laws.
* Protect Striking Workers: Obama supports the right of workers to bargain collectively and strike if necessary. He will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers, so workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about losing their livelihoods.
* Raise the Minimum Wage: Barack Obama will raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs.

Protect Homeownership and Crack Down on Mortgage Fraud

Obama will crack down on fraudulent brokers and lenders. He will also make sure homebuyers have honest and complete information about their mortgage options, and he will give a tax credit to all middle-class homeowners.

* Create a Universal Mortgage Credit: Obama will create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit to provide homeowners who do not itemize tax relief. This credit will provide an average of $500 to 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 per year.
* Ensure More Accountability in the Subprime Mortgage Industry: Obama has been closely monitoring the subprime mortgage situation for years, and introduced comprehensive legislation over a year ago to fight mortgage fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices. Obama's STOP FRAUD Act provides the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increases funding for federal and state law enforcement programs, creates new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and requires industry insiders to report suspicious activity.
* Mandate Accurate Loan Disclosure: Obama will create a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages. The HOME score will allow individuals to easily compare various mortgage products and understand the full cost of the loan.
* Create Fund to Help Homeowners Avoid Foreclosures: Obama will create a fund to help people refinance their mortgages and provide comprehensive supports to innocent homeowners. The fund will be partially paid for by Obama's increased penalties on lenders who act irresponsibly and commit fraud.
* Close Bankruptcy Loophole for Mortgage Companies: Obama will work to eliminate the provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual's mortgage payments. Obama believes that the subprime mortgage industry, which has engaged in dangerous and sometimes unscrupulous business practices, should not be shielded by outdated federal law.

Address Predatory Credit Card Practices

Obama will establish a five-star rating system so that every consumer knows the risk involved in every credit card. He also will establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights to stop credit card companies from exploiting consumers with unfair practices.

* Create a Credit Card Rating System to Improve Disclosure: Obama will create a credit card rating system, modeled on five-star systems used for other consumer products, to provide consumers an easily identifiable ranking of credit cards, based on the card's features. Credit card companies will be required to display the rating on all application and contract materials, enabling consumers to quickly understand all of the major provisions of a credit card without having to rely exclusively on fine print in lengthy documents.
* Establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights to Protect Consumers: Obama will create a Credit Card Bill of Rights to protect consumers. The Obama plan will:
o Ban Unilateral Changes
o Apply Interest Rate Increases Only to Future Debt
o Prohibit Interest on Fees
o Prohibit "Universal Defaults"
o Require Prompt and Fair Crediting of Cardholder Payments

Reform Bankruptcy Laws

Obama will reform our bankruptcy laws to protect working people, ban executive bonuses for bankrupt companies, and require disclosure of all pension investments.

* Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure: Obama supports extending a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans. Obama will require lenders to provide clear and simplified information about loan fees, payments and penalties, which is why he'll require lenders to provide this information during the application process.
* Encourage Responsible Lending Institutions to Make Small Consumer Loans: Obama will encourage banks, credit unions and Community Development Financial Institutions to provide affordable short-term and small-dollar loans and to drive unscrupulous lenders out of business.
* Reform Bankruptcy Laws to Protect Families Facing a Medical Crisis: Obama will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will create a process that forgives the debt and lets the individuals get back on their feet.

Work/Family Balance

Obama will double funding for after-school programs, expand the Family Medical Leave Act, provide low-income families with a refundable tax credit to help with their child-care expenses, and encourage flexible work schedules.

* Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act: The FMLA covers only certain employees of employers with 50 or more employees. Obama will expand it to cover businesses with 25 or more employees. He will expand the FMLA to cover more purposes as well, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence.
* Encourage States to Adopt Paid Leave: As president, Obama will initiate a strategy to encourage all 50 states to adopt paid-leave systems. Obama will provide a $1.5 billion fund to assist states with start-up costs and to help states offset the costs for employees and employers.
* Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve a million more children. Obama will include measures to maximize performance and effectiveness across grantees nationwide.
* Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit provides too little relief to families that struggle to afford child care expenses. Obama will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their child care expenses.
* Protect Against Caregiver Discrimination: Workers with family obligations often are discriminated against in the workplace. Obama will enforce the recently-enacted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines on caregiver discrimination.
* Expand Flexible Work Arrangements: Obama will create a program to inform businesses about the benefits of flexible work schedules; help businesses create flexible work opportunities; and increase federal incentives for telecommuting. Obama will also make the federal government a model employer in terms of adopting flexible work schedules and permitting employees to request flexible arrangements.

Barack Obama's Record

* Housing: In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began.
* Predatory Lending: In the Illinois State Senate, Obama called attention to predatory lending issues. Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbying the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.
* American Jobs: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

And it goes into even more detail @ the bottom. Do you honestly expect him to fully go into all that @ a rally? Trust me, the crowd would get pretty bored after a while.

Now I'm not saying he shouldn't address the issues, but he should probably instead try to promote his website more and inform the people to inform themselves (Hey what do ya know, a self-help message. That ought to turn some conservative heads)


I gotta say I really do find the negative remarks towards his speeches very offensive. You don't hear anyone talking shit about Lincoln 'sor JFK's speeches.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

I'd rather be led by an intelligent liar than a lying idiot.

In my view, the choice has always been picking the lesser of two lying idiots.

I don't want Hillary Clinton in this race at all. First and foremost I hate, hate, hate dynasty presidencies. Don't care of its a formor Vice-President running or the First Lady or the son of a previous president, its just poor voter logic to follow up with someone related to the previous president who had poor policies. Bush was linked to Regan, Bush led into Clinton and then we had that moron for eight years, then the son of Bush for eight more. Poor foreign policy all around since Regan left office. Not that I look back fondly on Regan, I was too young to remember, but Bush > Clinton > Bush I keenly remember no real progress being made.

Bush in trouble? Send out the troops. Clinton in a scandal? Let's do something in Middle East for a little bit, worked for Bush when he had it bad. Bush Jr. carries on daddy's war. Hillary would just follow that up with firing off more rockets and sending out more troops to die for no good reason like her husband did. Make things worse instead of better like in Somalia.

Then there's just the singular fact she does not appreciate the full meaning of the First Ammendment. This will always affect my vote, its the Ammendment that gives all others meaning and if its subverted, so are all the rest. Its fine if she wants to try to take M rated games out of the hands of minors, but she wants to find ways to regulate the content itself, too. That's a dangerous precedent to set forth since its an artistic medium and art is speech. If we start controlling what the people of our nation see in any medium, then free press, free speech and democracy in general is threatened. First it will be content control in a game, then televison and newspapers, then textbooks in schools. Very fucking dangerous.

I might sound a bit extreme there, but I've always been thankful that our supreme court justices - regardless of party affiliations - have been able to see past the bullshit and party lines to protect our First Ammendment time and again. Still people who wish to control a medium or how its distributed are dangerous to our democracy and its the biggest reason I don't want Hillary in office. Democrat or Republican, you step on the First Ammendment for whatever reason and you've lost my vote.

I don't care how much of a media darling Obama and McCain are, the fact is that they value our speech and Hillary is willing to sacrifice freedoms for "protecting the children."

Here's a better idea, Hillary - promote parental responsibility.

[Sabaron]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

I gotta say I really do find the negative remarks towards his speeches very offensive. You don't hear anyone talking shit about Lincoln 'sor JFK's speeches.

They want you to feel like that. It means you won't leave him when others try to turn you away. You've been cowed. Defend with logic, not with insults. Saying that you find me calling him a demagogue offensive simply affirms the fact that you're not working based on what you think but how you feel.

Feelings are irrelevant. You can't win an argument by crying.

[Feba]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

His point has no real merit, but he has successfully trolled you (and me) into arguing about it for several posts.

I just wanted to point out that derailment was what Feba was (probably) shooting for.

The whole point of my original argument has nothing to do with Slavery, Feba simply drew the issue out to troll the thread.

Oh, please. Don't get so pissy just because someone called you on being wrong. If you had admitted you were wrong, there would've been nothing to talk about, would there?

Your original post is in support of Feba who is attempting to argue that slavery exists and therefore is a political issue (implicitly).

Ah, putting words in other people's mouths. No, here's what happened:

Malacite: "There are no living slaves in the US."
Feba: "That's wrong."

That has absolutely nothing to do with whether it's a political issue or not, does it? I was simply correcting you on that.

These are all cases of illegal slavery.

So it's only slavery as long as the government says it's A-OK, huh?

this whole thing started because Sabaron started talking about how there isn't any legal slavery.

Wrong. This started because Sabaron said there were no living slaves in the US, which is a blatant mistruth. He said nothing about those slaving being legal.

And then Feba was all "nuh uh!" and most of us were like "yeah huh!" No one is denying that illegal slavery is going on.

Actually, Murphie, you did.

There are no slaves.

If you weren't denying that illegal slavery was going on, you were just blowing a lot of smoke. That was the entire point, and that was made very clear on the first page. Anyone who was discussing slavery after my second post was talking about illegal slavery, there's really no way you could be confused about it.

[Sabaron]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

Stuff

Point conceded, but still irrelevant. I have already provided sufficient correction. For the record, I wasn't intending to sound "pissy."

Oh and more for you Malacite.

Don't take my posts the wrong way, I don't dislike you. I'm very, very particular about the ways I allow people to influence the political leanings of others (and myself by extension), and I really, really, really hate demagoguery. If you wish to attempt to sway others in your direction, you have to be prepared.

Lincoln was an excellent orator and most likely used demagoguery to influence others. Not all of his policies where as white as new T-shirts and historical figures tend to accrue an air of incorruptibility and magnanimity over time. JFK is looked upon similarly. If he hadn't died, however, we wouldn't necessarily remember him so fondly. I don't idealize political figures, dead or alive. You can find fault with many writings. Remember, that most politicians don't have entirely new ideas, they often espouse and adapt the ideas of others.

Obama hasn't been elected yet. He deserves no majesty until after we see what (if any) great things he does.

[Malacite]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

It's not just his speeches though. See, I view them as is hook, and it's a great tactic that works wonderfully. It wasn't until after I'd heard him speak early on in the campaign that I figured I'd take it upon myself (wish more people would have the intelligence to do so) and do some research on the guy.

I read his book "The Audacity of Hope" (GREAT read btw) and I've been meaning to pick up his other book "Dreams of My Father" for a while now. And to be honest, I didn't even know he had a website at first. I just randomly popped in barackobama.com one day about 5 months ago and BAM there it was.

I got to reading about his positions, and that in combination with how he has conducted himself on TV is what sold me on the man. I really think this guy is the real deal, and there's nothing wrong with his style (despite what many imply to the contrary. Go **** yourself HRC you conniving hypocrite)

Like I said before, there is almost no faith in the US government these days. Bush's approval ratings are proof enough of that (and there's mountains more if that isn't enough) and so we really do need someone like this. Hell, Bush got elected and the guy sounds like a cornered (retarded) animal whenever he speaks in public, and turned out to be completely full of crap and incompetent.


Barack on the other hand, is eloquent and IMO has delivered the goods thus far and will continue to do so. God forbid if people have to do a little work on their end to see for themselves that this man is genuine.

[Spazz]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

So much political shit going on... I figured, why not throw in my two cents...

I have no problem with a woman running our great nation, as long as its not Hillary. Hillary has been caught multiple times lying, breaking campaign laws, and has done nothing but bash everyone around her. She doesnt even admit to her own mistakes! I can not and will not trust in a PERSON (race or gender doesnt matter) who can look in the mirror and say "Im perfect!" Her politics are not only shady but I also find that making things mandatory is just as bad as the worst HNM LS in FFXI. Making stuff mandatory and restricting certain things will only make matters worse.

Obama.... well... lets just say that I love his speeches. They are very well spoken and very motivating. I do agree that his speeches should include a bit more politics, but he has addressed many issues on his website. I do like that Obama has said that he has made bad judgment calls in the past and has even made mistakes that he wishes he could change. That to me makes him more... human. I do agree with everything he said in his speech on race... there is too much drama and issue to be pushed aside. We do need to deal with issues... however, we can not forget our priorities.

Now... with all that being said. NO... I am not a democrat. I'm a republican who just happens to not like any of the republican candidates. LOL

[Feba]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

Honestly, the only reason I'd go with Obama is because he's the lesser of the evils.

I mean, HRC is a lying bitch who's basically trying to win the election by copying what other people are doing and hoping it works.

McCain is four more years of Bush.

Obama at least has no problem admitting his mistakes (and even revealing them), although who knows if that will carry over once he's in office.

Really, though, it's impossible for me to trust any political candidate who doesn't intend to remove the 'candidate' part from politics.

[Malacite]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

You're impossible to please though Feba

[Sabaron]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

Honestly, the only reason I'd go with Obama is because he's the lesser of the evils.

I would say he's the lesser known of two evils. He hasn't been an icon long enough for him to have terribly much dirt, but he has a good shot to win the nomination still. The Democrats love to bill him as the Untarnished One. Hillary's dirt is known--all of her streaked undies have been hanging in the breeze for 16 years now... You already know exactly what you'll get.

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

Correction, McCain is four more years of Bush if he manages to live through his term.

[Feba]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

Malacite: It's not that I'm impossible to please, it's just that the amount of candidates who are going to vote exactly the same way I would is exceedingly slim.
______________________________

I would say he's the lesser known of two evils. He hasn't been an icon long enough for him to have terribly much dirt,

I would disagree, there's plenty of negative stuff to say about him. It's just that nobody is focusing on it. Plus, if you're judging them purely off policy, he seems to be pretty open with his.

[Dahc]

Re: Obama's Speech on Race & America

Well for me being a member of the Armed Forces (USAF -- 1997-now) I am in total disbelief when it comes to any of the candidates stating that they gonna pull our troops out of iraq. Should we have gone there in the first place, well while I have no faith in the Civilian side of our chain of command, I strongly believe in the Joint cheifs of staff and our military. I personally feel that it is a waist of resources but that decision is made and I have faith that no matter what the direction we are lead in, our US military will and does get the job done on a daily bases. AS one of the military Ihope that my brothers and sisters in arms do come home soon, but to sit here and hear a politician go on about how they gonna bring them home, well I say shut up and do something already. Also keep in mind that when it comes to the military acting on something, the president is not the only person at the table making the decisions about where, when and how the military reacts. Screw this election, will I vote? Yes I will do my civic duty and vote for one of these A holes, do I believe them,? hell no! Whoever gets elected just needs to step up and do something about it when the time comes. Beacuse I will tell you one thing for sure, whoever becomes Presdient, they damn sure better deliver on that one promise to draw down, because Ican garuntee you if they don't, they will not make it a second term and that is a fact.