Day: February 29, 2008

Differences In The Democratic Candidates–Part One

This will be a short three part series to explain the Dem candidates to the readers.  Originally posted on the website of the Progressive Review, very informative and very interesting.  All Dem votersshould read this and decide if they are behund the right person.

BARACK OBAMA

  • GOOD
  • Promises not to sign a trade bill without environmental and labor protections.
  • Voted against immunity for telecoms’ illegal spying on Americans
  • Has inspired a lot of young and minority voters to get involved in politics
  • Helped fight for restoration of habeas corpus at Gitmo
  • Would end the corrupt, destructive Bush-Clinton dynasty
  • Favored cluster bomb ban in civilian areas
  • Opposes most individual mandates in healthcare
  • Has released personal financial information
  • BAD
  • Deserted previous support for two-state solution to Mid East situation
  • Misled on extent on lobbyist support
  • Opposed filibuster efforts against nominated Supreme Couirt Justice Alioto
  • Called the late Paul Wellstone “something of a gadfly”
  • Voted for a business-friendly “tort reform” bill
  • Wrote that conservatives and Bill Clinton were right about welfare
  • Is willing to put rightwingers in his cabinet
  • Says “everything is on the table” with Social Security
  • Opposed efffort to censure Bush administration for illegal wiretapping
  • Voted to make John Negroponte the National Intelligence Director.
  • Voted for a nuclear energy bill that included money for bunker buster bombs and full funding for Yucca Mountain.
  • Won’t rule out first strike nuclear attack on Iran
  • Received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006
  • Went to Connecticut to support Joe Lieberman in the primary against Ned Lamont
  • Supports federally funded ethanol
  • Refuses to take a position on the anti-constitutional Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
  • Called Pakistan “the right battlefield … in the war on terrorism” Threatened to invade Pakistan
  • Opposed putting heating fuel assistance for low income in stimulas bill
  • Sounds sort of like Tony Robbins
  • Uses various evangelical cons to win supporters
  • His policies in most areas have yet to be revealed
  • Voted against a 30% interest rate cap on credit cards
  • Has a developer buddy who just got indicted
  • Opposed the war as a state senator, less certain as a federal one

Liberalism?

If one spends much time on line, especially if you are interested in politics, one would see that Conservs and liberals seldom agree on much.  As a matter of fact, being a liberal is akin to being mentally ill.  But the problem is that not many really understand the term liberal.

For years I have been analyzing, reporting and debunking the American political system.  Most Americans think that they are either conservative or liberal, a bit simplistic, at best but that is the way they think.  For instance, if youare not a Republican then you are on the Left(?).  I have yet to find one person that thinks that way that can explain it satisfactorily.  To think that a Democrat is somehow a Leftist, is beyond humor and flies straight into ignorance.

First, if a person is to be labelled a Liberal–what type of liberal are they?  Classical or Modern?  Ask that question and then observe the face of the person being questioned–“a deer caught in the headlights” comes to mind.  Confusion is a good description, but really not that accurate.

Let us take a look at the types of Liberals there are:

Classic Liberal–the so called father of liberalism–John Locke pretty much defines it as thus:

Individual is more important than the state and becomes a citizen of the state only through consent.

The individual is rational and capable of making his/her own decisions.

Progress is posible in political affairs, so change should not be feared.

State power should be limited.

Economic inequality is not necessarily a bad thing.

Economic freedom is more important than economic equality.

Next is what we shall call a Modern Liberal–

Government intervention into individual and social life is sometimes necessary to prevent individuals from denying freedom to others.

Liberty should be understood in broad, expansive, positive terms:  as the liberty to seek out ways to develope the human potential and contgribute in a meaningful way to society.

Economic inequalities is to be regarded with suspicion, as a condition likely to undermine the welfare of those who have lower incomes and thus erode their chances of being free.

These are a bit simplistic as I have said and could be expanded on which in turn would make the whole thing so confusing that no amount of trying could bring about an understanding.

I sincerely hope that this has assisted the reader in some way, to help identify the differences in liberals and has help in the identification of what a liberal really believes.  They are not all Leftists, as smoe would have you believe.

Ready! Aim! Fire!

Geez! Obama has got to feel like a proverbial duck in a barrel. Everyone is taking shots at him. McCain tries to emphasis his inexperience on the Middle East. Clinton is trying to just grab a few more votes. But the real funny is the surrogates of each of the mentioned candidates.

The Clinton surrogates have nothing, so they make it up as they go and then there are the 527’s. You gotta love these slimy little sh*ts! As I go around talking with people about Obama, it surprises me the people that actually believe every word of these horrible emails. Especially the one about him being a Muslim mole in the machine. I ask these people if he were a Muslim why is he a member of a supposedly “white-hating” Christian church? That is a direct violation of Islam. The funny part is I never get an answer.

The there is the “inevitable” Repub nominee, who spends more time on Obama than on his positions. But there is a reason for that, he has nothing but tired old diatribes. And it helps keep the spotlight off his flip flopping on issues like tax cuts and torture. Two things he was opposed to and now he has seen the light and he supports them. The light? The light of the presidency.

All in all this whole attack Obama thing is something that they need to be prepared for and it is something rather silly. The voter learns nothing about issues and positions and stances by this type of crap.