Powell endorses Obama as 'transformational'

Bruce asks: "It's jingoistic and xenophobic to believe in the US Constitution?"

John muses: Only selected parts thereof. Our founding fathers believed in Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3. A very sad reminder that only four lifetimes ago, otherwise well-meaning people actually thought that way.

 

Damnit! If only I could find my quarter-century old Constitutional Law textbook! Article 1 pertains to the legislative power. But not sure about the section and paragraph numbers.

 

John, I realize you're older than I, but I don't think any of that has ever applied in either of our lifetimes.

It concerns the makeup of representation, with the original document excluding certain categories of people (slaves, Indians, etc.).

 

Well, Obama is on record for wanting to renegotiate NAFTA, so a tariff war isn't out of the question. Saying it and doing it are two different things though.

As a "rich" (insert sarcasm here) person who has worked incredibly hard to get ahead in life, I am watching this election very closely, and am preparing to reduce my personal expenditures even further in 2009 should Obama win office.

I'm assuming that it will take at least a half year for things to get done in Congress related to any income tax or social security tax changes, which would mean at a minimum they probably couldn't be put into effect until the start of the 2010 tax year. Come 2011 the Bush Tax Cuts go away and I jump 4.6%, so I'll need to reduce spending yet again (unless the economy improves and I can increase my income). I'll also probably cash out any equities I have if the cap gains jumps dramatically.

Am I hurting? Nope. However, this whole concept of "redistribution" makes me sick. I pay a LOT in federal, state and local taxes each year and take little back in terms of direct services. No tuition benefits, stimulus checks, etc. No problem, as I don't necessarily need them. However, why should someone who pays nothing in taxes get more back if they haven't struggled as much to get ahead?

I have absolutely no problem with someone making $1 billion or $1 million a year if society supports the concept that I could potentially do it as well.

I also have no problem with paying more if the funds went to something tangible, like fixing our bridges and roads and then having people in need working on them, like FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps, TVA, WPA and other initiatives.

Given Obama's many course changes and politically expedient alliances over the years I really believe that what you see isn't necessarily what you get. There are a few possibilities here:

- what you see IS what you get, so the majority of voters should be content. I won't be, but I'm in the minority and a realist.

- he will go on TV sometime in the first 90 days and say something to the tone of "it'll take longer than I thought" and then back away from many if not most of his campaign promises (i.e. political expediency prior to Nov 4th).

- he will go in a completely different direction that nobody expected. This could be incredibly good or stupendously bad for the nation.

- he'll turn into a full-blown socialist bent on changing the constitution

- he'll turn into a potato (probably as likely as the socialist bit above)

Finally, I am somewhat concerned about having a filibuster-proof Senate and full Congress dominated by Dems who could try to make major policy decisions that radically change the US economy, putting things further into disarray. Would Obama have the cojones to veto any such legislation?

Should this be the case, you'll see a big midterm shift back to the Repubs in Congress.

Time will tell, we're in the final stretch.

 

Roger!
I know what I'm getting with McCain, but With Obama, there is a degree of uncertainty I have to take into account...can I expect the “unknown” to bubble to the surface...probably. Do I feel like can I trust him without a track record?....no....this is what I see with Obama and Biden, thank goodness someone took the time to make this:


http://www.jibjab.com/view/256357

 

Well, the reality is also that McCain IS a cranky old man that doesn't look good in a suit (whether it's because of his POW injuries or a poor stylist who knows). Obama comes across as very smooth.

The electorate responds to that - think back to the Kennedy/Nixon televised debate in '60.

Ultimately, Obama's campaign $$ will get him in. We'll see what comes afterward.

 

That's one of the things that bothers me most about Obama. He's the cheshire-cat in 'Alice in Wonderland' with nothing visible but a smile, a human ink-blot in whom everyone sees precisely what they want to see.

In the primaries he ran against Hillary from her left as the champion of the party's activist left. Now in the general election (with the help of a fawning media who ask no questions) he's suddenly become a non-threatening moderate. Who knows what he'll have become by the time he's sworn-in in January?

My own intuition tells me that Obama's center of gravity is much farther to the left than he tries to let on. The community where he lives (Chicago's Hyde Park) and his circle of friends and associates there kind of indicate where his heart probably is. His acknowledged spiritual mentor is a fire-breathing radical preacher. His circle includes unrepentent former 'movement' terrorists. There's his 'community organizer' days with groups like Acorn. That's the air he prefers to breathe.

My feeling is that Obama would likely be the most politically-left President that the United States has ever seen in its history. If he's accompanied into office by a Democratic Congressional super-majority, then the temptation to make radical changes, to completely remake the country's foundations and set the nation onto an entirely new course, might be irresistible.

Obama promises Change at every opportunity. My fear is that he's totally serious about that and that he's going to deliver. The United States that I grew up in and love so much might be well on its way towards becoming something alien and unrecognizable in a few years. That scares me to death.