Obama Elected President of the United States

[Moondazed]

I have two bumper stickers I adore:

Vote, it's patriotic

Think, it's patriotic

:)

[Greenthorn]

What is all this stuff about Obama being the Anti-Christ?  Not that I believe it, I just want to know where the heck it came from.

Well, basically someone "different" is leading us and many people are excited about it...typical Catholic no-no

*rolls eyes*

(I'm Catholic)

[Avi]

Well, basically someone "different" is leading us and many people are excited about it...typical Catholic no-no

*rolls eyes*

(I'm Catholic)

*laughs*  Yeah, I'm Catholic, and it amazes me how many people I'm friends with refused to vote for Obama just because he's pro-choice.  While I don't condone abortion (I'm adopted), I certainly don't think you should base your entire perspective on someone off of a singular stance.  Doesn't Jesus tell us to help those who are in need, to give of ourselves? 

Obama has been pushing values like that all through his campaign and now into his presidency.  Kind of hypocritical to say you support life, but then condemn people to lives of poverty just because you don't think you should have to pay a bit extra in taxes if you ask me.

[Mathim]

I think inevitably, almost every person votes for something for the wrong reasons. They just don't know that they're doing it.

We've seen the Republicans botch things up so bad, it's actually very fair to say there's no going back. Can we at least give the Democrats the benefit of the doubt? It's very, very hard to imagine them being able to do a worse job, you guys have to admit. Seriously, there hasn't been a single positive thing about Bush's presidency for the people below the poverty line.

[Zakharra]

 One party control over two branches of government is always a bad idea.

[Moondazed]

That kind of generalization is precisely why the two party system is so flawed.  The people in office aren't cookie cutouts, they're individuals who lean left, right, and center, and to over-simplify things to that degree only feeds the Us/Them mentality that is at the core of our political unrest these days.

[RubySlippers]

Well Obama is right on the mark you have to have a strong Middle Class then have wealth trickle down from there - they spend the money on the bulk of services and products the lower classes do to earn a living. Take Child Care the wealth don't use it that much the Middle Class and working mothers do, the same for dining out, barbering, hairdressing, buying cars, going on vacations and well everything else.

Oh and my favorite bumper sticker: DON'T STEAL! The Government Hates Competition

[Duchess]

Obama won and i'm glad

he brought something a lot of presidents havent show in ages and its called hope
and that is black help people believe that anything is possible and it shows in how many latin american voted for him
on top of that other countries see him as a possibiltie to tie their country with america again . like Cuba and Venezuela, afghanistan and more. he show them diffrent he a chance at peace.
changes cant happend in 1 or 2 years , give the man a chance to try a difrent aprouch . i not from teh states but anything taht happend  with teh states affect my island. like the economic downfall . i no tan expert in politics who we felt it too. hope is something people has lost in america a lot dont see it as teh country of possibility nomore and with obama winning it might grow back

[Chris Brady]

I'm worried, actually.  Frankly, no matter who won, it's a rough ride ahead.  And so far, Obama has talked the talk, but can he walk the walk?

For the entire world's sake?  I hope so.

[The Overlord]

And so far, Obama has talked the talk, but can he walk the walk?

For the entire world's sake?  I hope so.

Actually, my standpoint on the entire election to this point would be to ask the very same of John McCain.

The duties of the president are typically five jobs in one.

Yes, McCain's been in the senate for a long time, this does not automatically mean he's the best pick as chief of government.

He has an extensive military career, but this doesn't mean he's automatically the best choice for commander in chief.

Actually, at least two years back, I considered McCain about the best choice for the GOP. He went to war, he led people, and he was POW for five and a half years. I figured, here's a guy that's seen war, and just how ugly and undesirable it is. As a commander in chief, he'll be a measured fellow that will only throw our people into harm's way when he absolutely needs to. I expected him to be firm and tough as nails as a negotiator, but tempered by his experiences.

Then he started campaigning and I lost my faith in the man. This is not to discredit the man and his efforts and sacrifices, on the contrary I take my hat off to Senator McCain, but he's a Cold War warrior still fighting that fight. After this many decades in the military and government, he's bought and paid for by the machine. So, it was with some level of reluctance and maybe little sadness that I couldn't support him, regardless of his party.

Of the two of them, Obama is the right man at the right time; McCain isn't. If we're ready for a black president, and now we know we finally are, then we're surely ready for a woman as president. But unfortunately Hillary wasn't the right woman at the right time.

The fact remains is that they have all talked the talk this campaign, and no matter who won, they would have to show they could walk the walk.

For those of who supported Obama, fair to say there is a consensus, a belief, that he will deliver on this.

[Tawni Black]

My hope is now that there is an African American President we as a people can stop looking at race so closely in things like this. I'd like to be able to say that he is our President, and not have to qualify with African American. He should be like any other President, whose goal should be to better America for everyone.

The race card frustrates me so much, because I want to look at everyone as human beings and Americans. We should be equal.

[Chris Brady]

Tawni, that's a nice fantasy, but that's what that is.

How many people voted for Obama because he is Black, so they won't be decryed as 'Racist'?  How many others voted AGAINST him BECAUSE he is?

I personally think the answer to those two questions is:  More than people are going to admit.

[The Overlord]

Tawni, that's a nice fantasy, but that's what that is.

How many people voted for Obama because he is Black, so they won't be decryed as 'Racist'?  How many others voted AGAINST him BECAUSE he is?

I personally think the answer to those two questions is:  More than people are going to admit.

Or how many of us voted for him because we could give a rat's ass about his race, but rather (hold onto your socks) voted because we thought he was the better man for the job?

80% white Iowa voted for Obama in the primaries...Virginia hadn't turned Democratic for over 40 years, and they did for a black man. Race didn't always matter this time, and it was good to see it.

[Chris Brady]

Overlord, I think it did, just not in ways most people were expecting, though.

Either way, I hope he can get the U.S. out of it's slump, cuz it's affecting us Canucks!

[Apple of Eris]

The scariest thing is the increase in reported hate crimes against minorities since the election, and the reported major increase on white supremacy websites. I can just hear the racisits running off screaming cuz a 1/2 black man is headed for washington.

If only this would make them leave the country. *sigh*

[Vekseid]

Four black men also tortured and murdered a white man and his black wife shortly after the election... they'll deny it as a cause but this sort of violence is not one way.

I think it's been mentioned before - this isn't the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream. It is a milestone, however.

[Duchess]

Four black men also tortured and murdered a white man and his black wife shortly after the election... they'll deny it as a cause but this sort of violence is not one way.

I think it's been mentioned before - this isn't the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream. It is a milestone, however.

good lord that's horrible, but haven't that been happening all the time ready?

[Vekseid]

good lord that's horrible, but haven't that been happening all the time ready?

Probably, and the election didn't make it stop.

Like I said, this isn't the end of racism.

[Duchess]

yes true,

and its a hope that one day, we might look at each other and see the person not the color.
hoping doesn't mean it will happen but it stimulate you in believing that you can reach there.

look at Brazil ,a place with mix race. and still they mostly chose white people in the government.
with Obama winning the election had them reconsidering  black people they had look down too.

racism will not end, but having faith and hope for a change.
makes people strong and know that there will be an other day

[ZK]

It's either going to take a grand event (miracle, great new government change, person, aliens, yadda yadda) to bring us all together and say FU to racism. Or a great catastrophe that spans the entire earth one.

But, this is a change. Maybe next President can be Asian.


Well, here's to me hoping. ^.^

[Duchess]

It's either going to take a grand event (miracle, great new government change, person, aliens, yadda yadda) to bring us all together and say FU to racism. Or a great catastrophe that spans the entire earth one.

But, this is a change. Maybe next President can be Asian.


Well, here's to me hoping. ^.^

LOL  ...YOU SEE .. that's the faith

[The Overlord]

Overlord, I think it did, just not in ways most people were expecting, though.

I think race mattered more in a positive way than a negative way this time around. A vast majority of black voters did indeed vote for Obama, and I'm sure many took the vote just to get a brother in the Oval Office, but a lot of white voters put him there too...that includes myself and a large portion of my extended family.

So we can't claim racial preference...I cast my vote for Obama early in the year in the Georgia primary and I did it again this month. I made my choice I'm sticking to that decision and I voted for who I believed was the best candidate. I believe I voted for the right reasons.

Four black men also tortured and murdered a white man and his black wife shortly after the election... they'll deny it as a cause but this sort of violence is not one way.

I think it's been mentioned before - this isn't the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream. It is a milestone, however.

Veks, to paraphrase Dr. King, I don't think we'll ever truly 'get there'...not 100%. A near-utopian society as we see in Star Trek might be a bit too much to ask for, but I think a future where we've largely marginalized issues like racism is most certainly attainable.

Our problem lies in the fact that we attribute too many crimes and sins against race, and not individuals. It's a lot easier to divide people up by skin color and backgrounds than to assign it good vs. evil...which is especially interesting since so many societal institutions including religion seem bent on veering away from evil.

And let's face it, slavery is a permanent blot on our country's resume...Germany is never going to entirely live down the Nazi era, but both countries have also made much progress since then. I think the thing to be mindful of here in the States is that nobody alive is responsible for or can be sued, blamed or otherwise condemned for slavery; it's a far bygone era and everyone connected to it is long dead.

So cutting a check to the black population to pay them off to be silent is the totally wrong approach; because they know in their hearts it's really about getting the money, and nothing else. In much of the white population’s eyes, it will do nothing to destroy the image of the welfare black, only make it worse. In the end, everyone will remain just as bitter. The very least the government can do is publicly apologize for it, but I really don't know what else can be done, other than truly take Dr. King's words and deeds to heart and make the place a better one for everyone.

The white supremacists that fuel the flames in racially tense times; these guys are nothing but cowards. They're scared little people that erroneously believe an influx of non-white blood into the national population is going to marginalize them in society. These guys need to put down Jim Beam and their banjoes and get off their asses and make something of themselves, and stop waiting to put down another race just to make themselves look better.
We have to ask ourselves at what point do we stop passing the buck and the blame? If blacks can get a government check for slavery, then they better get in line fast, because that line is going to be full of Native Americans who have been marginalized for just as long or longer.

And how far can we go back? I should be able to sue Rome then, because once upon a time my Celtic and Germanic ancestors were slain or enslaved by Romans, or at least forced to live under the flag of a vassal state.

So...racially-fueled incidents will probably always haunt us, because some people will always be raised in ignorance, or choose to remain that way. Even in the Star trek ideal there were individuals and incidents, but if we move the right direction as a society, we might not land smack in the center of the Promised Land, but we can surely at least reach the suburbs.