>I don't trust McCain, I don't trust Republican machinery, I don't trust Obama, >and I don't trust Democrat's machinery. >I do not trust politicians. Do you?
Yes, I do trust some politicians -- and more to the point I trust some more than others. The cynical position that all politicians are bad or untrustworthy is no more reasonable than any other blanket indictment of a group. I think the record of administrations in my lifetime (I'm 45, born the same week Kennedy was shot) is pretty clear -- Democrats have proven themselves more responsible and trustworthy than Republicans by orders of magnitude. Not only on "Democratic" issues like civil rights and the environment (my number one issue) but also on what are supposed to be conservative issues like fiscal responsibility. Clinton was by far the most fiscally responsible president of my lifetime. And yes, I trusted Bill Clinton on the big issues -- not on everything certainly, not on his personal life for instance, and I recognize the faults of both Clintons, through I have enormous respect for both of them -- but I think its telling that Clinton got impeached in large part be cause he had enough respect for the rule of law to testify under oath for a deposition. He lied, true, but he lied about a question that never should have been within the scope of the investigation in the first place. The Bush gang won't go anywhere near an oath -- they avoid them like vampires avoid garlic. I trust the Democratic party several orders of magnitude more than I trust the Republicans, and I don't think that's just ideology -- I think it's the only valid empirical conclusion from the experience of the last forty years. Olin ----- Original Message ----- From: John Williams<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion<mailto:brin-l@mccmedia.com> Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 12:25 PM Subject: Re: McCain Positions Olin wrote: > And even if I did trust John McCain personally (which I don't), I > wouldn't trust the Republican machinery that comes with him. I don't trust McCain, I don't trust Republican machinery, I don't trust Obama, and I don't trust Democrat's machinery. I do not trust politicians. Do you? I am generally in favor of politicians who demonstrate a record of less government spending and smaller government. Unfortunately, libertarians do not seem able to win many elections. I guess it has something to do with being difficult to win an election without pandering to special interests. I have not decided whether I will vote for McCain or Obama (I will not vote 3rd party since I do not want to waste my vote). One thing that I have not seen mentioned yet about the candidates is that McCain has a dramatically better voting record on free trade (one of few points of near universal agreement among economists is that subsidies and trade barriers are harmful): http://www.freetrade.org/congress?senator=84<http://www.freetrade.org/congress?senator=84> http://www.freetrade.org/congress?senator=75<http://www.freetrade.org/congress?senator=75> _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l<http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l> _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
