The Barack Obama Phenomenon

[Dale King]

Last year at this time, not many people had ever heard of Illinois senator Barack Obama. Now he's on the threshold of becoming the next president of the United States. What are your thoughts on Barack Obama? Do you like him or dislike him? Please explain your answer.

Dale King

[Theros]

I don't dislike him as a person. However, I dislike him for his "views" on the world and such. Let me warn you that I'm a Hillary supporter first...

Obama to me is just way too inexperienced to be leading a country that is in such a dangerous/tricky situation right now! I mean, how can anyone defend his slim portfolio? He should have waited a bit longer in my opinion. Hillary trumps him in ever regard here. Plus the fact, you get a two in one package here with Bill being in the white house a 2nd time. His experience is invaluable, especially in this time where our position in the world is extremely contested and everything we do has drastic effects elsewhere.

In addition, I feel voters right now are voting more based on "electability" than on actual credentials... I mean what the hell does electability even mean!!? Is it because he looks better? I generally support young people going out to vote, however I feel that they are being drawn to him because of his really "broad" We Can Change the World stance. What the hell does that mean? To me, Hillary and Obama are both democrats, and both generally believe in the same damn things! So they'd rather vote for the better talking one, who appeals to young voters? Sure, he's got great tactics, but does he have the knowledge and the experience to back his claims up? I think not.

[Dale King]

Theros, I think the way Hillary and Obama are running their respective campaigns is a snapshot into how they would each run the country. Obama's campaign is exciting and extremely organized and he reaches across political and ethnic barriers. His campaign is a well-oiled machine. And it doesn't hurt that he's an amazing speaker. This talent makes people want to follow him.

Hillary's campaign on the other hand is extremely disorganized, rife with in-fighting and she is a very polarizing candidate. Not only that, she changes her message every week. Basically, her campaign is a mess. That's why Obama is winning.

I started this thread to spark a nice debate. Please everyone, let's keep it civil and respect other people's political opinions and viewpoints. No nastiness, please.

Dale King

[SendBlast]

Obama will not be president.

[Dale King]

Originally Posted by SendBlast

Obama will not be president.

Right. And the Giants won't win the Super Bowl either.

Dale King

[SendBlast]

Originally Posted by Dale King

Right. And the Giants won't win the Super Bowl either.

Dale King

I'm not sure what the means?

btw, im a die hard giants fan. but still, he wont be president

[BusinessAdviser]

Dale,

I'm just curious for your reasoning that Obama is on the threshold of becoming the next President. Isn't it still only the primaries? And isn't he in a rather tight race to be the Democratic candidate? True, he may win the primaries, and yes, he could then win the Presidency, but "on the threshold?"

[BusinessAdviser]

Originally Posted by NorKal

Obama is not a phenomenon. He has been a media darling ever since he started running for President. In fact, I can't remember the last time I didn't hear his name when I turned on CNN, MSNBC, etc. Oh, and he's on the cover of Time magazine this week.

A phenomenon is something or someone that defies the odds. Like for example, raising over $6 million in one day, the most money ever raised in a single day in American political fund raising history...

...DESPITE the media blackout and smearing attempts against him. Despite being made to look like a nut by the media, despite being ignored and laughed at during debates. Despite having his name not even on the ballot in some areas during primaries.

Despite all this, he is still in the race. Despite other supposed "national front-runners" dropping out.

That would be Ron Paul.

---

I don't want Obama as President. Will he be? Who knows. As someone said above, he's not much different from Clinton. I wouldn't be surprised if they run on the same ticket. I don't want Clinton or McCain as President either.

They're not much different from each other anyway. They've sold their souls to lobbyists and criminals. They don't stand for anything besides trying to win by any means necessary.

This isn't American Idol. It's the future of our country.

---

How will Obama be any different from President Bush?

Obama talks about "change" yet he is exactly the opposite. He is more of the same. He speaks very vaguely, and when asked to clarify his positions are nearly identical to that of Hillary Clinton. I am very much against his positions.

Specifics?

He voted against the war, yet he voted to fund the war while we were there. He says we should end the war but is okay with staying until 2013. He also voted to send 100,000 more troops. He also wants to send troops to Pakistan. A little hypocritical don't you think?

He is not experienced to help us out of the (oncoming) economic recession. None of the 'front-runner' candidates really understand the issues with our economy. Just 5 years in the Senate doesn't make you experienced enough.

He has very close ties with criminals, such as Tony Rezko , long-time friend and fund raiser.

He is highly in favor of Internet regulations, such as pledging to Net Neutrality.

He wants to enforce gun control.

He voted to re-authorize the Patriot Act.

-----

I don't know if most people understand, but we're moving closer and closer towards a police state. We've already lost most of our freedoms through the Patriot Act. Some people say, "well why should you care unless you have something to hide?"

Well, that actually means we can't question the authority of the government. That means that your ISP may be monitoring your Internet activity. And that you, yes you, can be eliminated by the government for no reason whatsoever, without any due process. Have a nice life. It basically means, they don't need any 'reason' to take you out. Whether you have anything to hide or not, you should be concerned. This is America, not Iraq, this country was founded upon these principles. That means you can be put in prison for no reason, and they now have a right to do that.

The whole reason we have freedom of speech is to be able to question our government. We have gun rights to be able to protect ourselves from our government. The government's purpose is to defend us and protect our freedoms. People have become accustomed to the government invading our lives and taking away our freedoms.

And people are cool with that?

The sad part of all this is, that the man who actually speaks the truth, the man who can actually save our country and our freedoms, is shut out from the media just because he doesn't support their commercial interests.

The man who is really for the people is Ron Paul. He is against Internet regulation, he is against the Patriot Act, he is against the war in Iraq (which is one of the biggest reasons our economy is doing so poorly), and he truly understands the fundamental reasons for the problems we are facing.

And people call Obama a phenomenon. Give me a break.

All of that, and just one pathetic little question, I know. However, bc it's relevant to the site's topic, I'll ask it:

What's your reasoning for stating that the war in Iraq "is one of the biggest reasons our economy is doing so poorly?"

[BusinessAdviser]

For starters, are you sure taxes have increased, as opposed to our national debt just continuing to grow?

Originally Posted by NorKal

A couple reasons.

First off, it's a whole lot of spending. It puts us trillions of dollars in debt. So as a result, we're taxing people and businesses, which slows economic growth. Because consumers are not buying as much and businesses aren't profiting as much.

Of course, to offset this, we print more money to lower interest rates to boost economic growth and consumer spending, but this can lead to inflation.

Second of all, the Iraq war has created a lot more instability in the Middle East than there was before we went there. That's resulted in increased oil prices. Oil prices per barrel have gone through the roof.

When oil prices go up, it effects our markets. It effects businesses because they need oil for energy and (gasoline) for transportation.

Higher inflation also means the value of the currency decreases. When that happens, other countries will not invest in the United States as much.

And these are the reasons our economy is flailing. It happens when we choose to engage in wars that cost us millions of dollars every minute. The real solution is to not go to an unjust war and spend trillions in the first place.

Now notice I'm not blaming the war for anything. I still believe that anyone, given these circumstances can still succeed and make money in this economy. People like Donald Trump are having the time of their lives even with the real estate troubles for example. There is always opportunity everywhere, and I don't believe in blaming anyone else other than oneself for failure or business trouble.

However, the war is clearly taking a toll on the economy. And while many people continue to succeed and do well, the majority of people are doing quite poorly at the moment. And to ignore the repercussions that the war has had on our economy may do a lot of damage to this country.

[jasaunders]

I am pretty drunk right now, but there are several blatant lies in this thread. If I wake up at a reasonable time tomorrow, maybe I'll respond to them.

(ie. "He is highly in favor of Internet regulations, such as pledging to Net Neutrality.") That is ridiculous. If you are an avid reader of TechCrunch, you would know that he is the candidate that is most for protecting the rights of internet users and a strong proponent of net neutrality.
Q&A With Senator Barack Obama On Key Technology Issues
Our Tech President Endorsements: Barack Obama and John McCain
Barack Obama’s Google-Friendly Technology Platform
Barack Obama | Change We Can Believe In | Technology
The Swamp: Obama's day at Google

[Dale King]

Originally Posted by jmenq2

Dale,

I'm just curious for your reasoning that Obama is on the threshold of becoming the next President. Isn't it still only the primaries? And isn't he in a rather tight race to be the Democratic candidate? True, he may win the primaries, and yes, he could then win the Presidency, but "on the threshold?"

Jonathan, I suggest you look up the actual definition of the word "theshold."

Dale King

[Theros]

Even if Obama wins the primaries....McCain would definitely win over Obama in my opinion because he would unite all of the conservatives as well as the racists, crazy people, etc against him. I mean, just because he wins in the primaries honestly means nothing in the actual elections.

[Dale King]

Originally Posted by NorKal

Obama is not a phenomenon.

Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, Barack Obama is indeed a "phenomenon." Those aren't just my words, those are the words of every media outlet in the country. And while I could easily post a thousand different links to support my argument, for the purpose of brevity, I will only post a few:

The Obama phenomenon

James Zogby: The Obama Phenomenon - Politics on The Huffington Post

The Obama phenomenon

Barack Obama: Cultural Phenomenon - The Fix

Gingrich: 'Phenomenon' Obama Like JFK » Propeller

Dale King

[Dale King]

Originally Posted by Theros

Even if Obama wins the primaries....McCain would definitely win over Obama in my opinion because he would unite all of the conservatives as well as the racists, crazy people, etc against him. I mean, just because he wins in the primaries honestly means nothing in the actual elections.

I don't even know why I'm acknowledging your posts, because you're not presenting any intelligible facts. You're basically just spouting off. Here's one fact: Nearly every poll taken suggests that Barack Obama would defeat John McCain in the general election. But don't take my word for it, look it up!

Dale King

[SendBlast]

Dale, is obama was white, would you still vote for him?