Quote:
Originally Posted by gwynned
I think we are all confusing the message with the messenger. Despite the fact that the war is unpopular and the public is generally outraged by the 'bailout,' Obama did not pander to popular sentiment, but to the elite who pay his salary by backing off his demand that we pull out of Iraq, and supporting the bailout unconditionally.
And why is it that he doesn't attack McCain for his involvement in the Keating 5 and the S&L scandal? Could it be that he's been instructed that such criticisms of the established order are off limits?
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gwynned: Obama did not by any means support the bailout
"unconditionally". In fact, he stated 4 conditions that had to be included in the bill for him to vote for it.
1. The possibility of "upside" potential for American taxpayers. Taxpayers are treated as investors. If our money is put at risk, we would share the rewards, should "the system" right itself.
2. No CEO "golden parachutes".
3. Bipartisan oversight of the spending.
4. Measures to keep families at risk of foreclosure in their homes.
If you want to learn more about the Keating 5, visit
this website built by Obama for America.
I'm not sure where you're getting your information about Obama's Iraq plan, but you're incorrect. Read the plan
here. His goal is to end the war, but to use as much care and caution
as we didn't use before going to war. A responsible, phased withdrawal.
The American people, and especially still-undecided voters, do not like negative campaigning. This has been proven over and over and over again during this election cycle. Obama knows this, and he has kept a mostly positive campaign, focusing on the issues. When he "goes negative" it's primarily been to defend himself, and mostly kept on the web. Such criticisms are not "off limits" by some controlling body "instructing" the candidates.
He's doing what he's doing to win. We have to allow him that. Obama knows the system is broken,
and has said so, but he still has to take on that system and win before anything can improve.
That's politics for you. This bailout plan was crafted as a way to box Obama in. There's consequences for voting either way, just as the FISA bill earlier this year was written and pushed through as a way to box him in and tie him to the consequences on one side or the other. Vote against FISA, and you're "soft on terror". Vote for it and you're allowing illegal wiretapping.
What Obama has managed to do is take the dialogue up a level. He's good at explaining himself, and people listen and understand him. We have to allow him to exist within that dichotomy for another 17 days, and if and when he wins, we can start to demand real solutions.
We simply need to understand that right now, everything he's doing is to sway undecided voters into his column. Now before anyone says, "See? He's just like all the rest.." go back and read this message again from the beginning.
He has to play the game established by the system in order to win. Once he wins, we can start to make some changes, and dismantle the broken system and build a real one.
A couple things are going to happen in 17 days, when this presidential campaign is
finally over. There will be record voter turn-out all across the country. There will be so many people that the voting system will be forced to completely restructure because twice as many people will be engaged.
This will be our first step toward creating a real democracy based on fairness, justice, and equality.
But right now, we simply have to allow him to play to win, and not hold it against him. The guy is extremely smart, and knows exactly what he's doing, and what he's up against.
There's only a little wiggle room given to a president, but by getting people involved (about 3 million donors, 4 million volunteers), and taking the dialogue up to a level where the people here can understand logic and reason again, and can connect thoughts and ideas in sequence, Obama has opened up a larger politics.
The fact is, if you want to continue to search for reasons to be fearful and paranoid of Obama, you'll surely find them. There's plenty of smears to buy into, and plenty of lies put forth by the McCain campaign (and Avalon users) if you really want to find a way to not trust him. Heck, this is true of anything you might have faith in.
Just look around long enough, and you're sure to find someone willing to tell you what you believe is wrong.
It's a choice of how you want to live. Do you want to live in fear? Or hope?
If you find you simply cannot find a way to trust a higher calling given to man who continues his path in the face of threats of violence against him and his family,
you can at least cast your vote against Bush's 3rd term.