On the racial issue, I was just trying to separate the reasons for voting for him from the fact that it's a positive of the election. Regardless of why he was elected, I think it's a great thing that our country has moved one step closer to racial equality. I would have felt the same way if Al Sharpton had been elected, even if I had not voted for him. I would have felt the same way, albeit about gender, if Clinton had won. Or if Ferraro or Palin had been elected as vice president. Even though I think Palin would be a poor choice for VP, I would still take that as a positive had that ticket won. And I agree, surely some people voted for Obama just on the racial issue -- I was just saying that to me, that didn't need to be the reason you voted for him for it to be a positive about the election -- you don't even have to have voted for him for it to be a positive.
As for it being the *most* positive thing about the election, I can see where that would be more troubling, since at the end of the day he has to govern, and obviously his governance isn't going to be a function of his skin color. But given how historic this is, I can see why it's getting all the press, and I'm okay with that. Once he actually takes office I suspect that will take a back seat to real issues. As for my feelings on Palin, I didn't think she was unqualified due to how long she had been in politics or what offices she had held. I agree that both she and Obama are relative newcomers to politics (although I do think his resume is a bit longer, but I can see where this is debatable). My concerns about her stemmed from her seeming inability to speak intelligent and articulately about the issues facing our country, the fact that she didn't own a passport until last year, and her comments on her foreign policy qualifications. All politicans like to return to their talking points, but I really got the impression from her speeches that she was using the talking points as a defense, so she would not betray her lack of knowledge about the various subjects. The news that has been leaking out since the election (not knowing Africa was a continent versus a country, for example) only reinforces my views here. The other three principals (Obama, Biden, and McCain) all struck me as far more knowledgable and intelligent than she did. It seemed to me that she was selected primarily to energize the Republican base of religious conservatives, and she certainly accomplished that. But I think they could have chosen someone who had those values but also was more knowledgable on the issues facing the world today. I don't mean to offend anyone by saying any of this -- I am just trying to explain my reasoning. I know we all hold our own opinions and have our own reasons for supporting our candidates, and I completely respect that. I'm glad I live in a country where we can have discussions like this. Mitch On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 3:17 PM, MrSinatra < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > i totally respect your feelings and so on, and i don't mean to imply > that the reason everyone, or most people, voted for him is b/c he's > black, (although thats surely the case for a lot of people) > > i'm just saying its become the number one "positive" of the election if > you simply go by the media or even what people are saying, (like in this > thread). and its to me, totally besides the point. al sharpton is > black too, so why didn't we vote him in when he ran? > > i have to say though, your post doesn't make sense to me in this > respect: you say you voted for him b/c palin wasn't qualified. what > made you think he was? and did it not matter to you their respective > spots on the ticket? > > the frustrating thing to me about this whole election is that all the > things obama claimed he was, is actually all the things mccain is. he > really was a moderate guy who crosses party lines, and gets things > done, and isn't corrupt. a genuine hero. > > but the reality is that style wins over substance, and that people were > just ready to turn over a new leaf, and go in a totally different > direction, regardless of the merits of the candidates. thats my read > on it. the icing on the cake then for a lot of people was the option > to also be so PC at the same time. it was just a perfect storm. > > the problem however as i see it, is we just bought a house without > having been in it. one can only hope the floors, plumbing, > electricity, and so on are any good. he's got four years to make his > case, he has no obstacles in congress, we all shall find out soon > enough the wisdom, or lack thereof, of this choice. > > > -- > MrSinatra > > www.LION-Radio.org > Using: > Squeezebox2 (primary) / SBR (secondary) / SBC - w/SC 7.3b - Win XP Pro > SP3 - 3.2ghz / 2gig ram - D-Link DIR-655 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > MrSinatra's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2336 > View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=54678 > > _______________________________________________ > discuss mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss >
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