Obama 08

Hillary is the favorite candidate of the extreme right. That is they hate to waste the smear campaign against her these past sixteen years. Her main crime? It appears that being an intelligent, well-educated female is her main crime. Oh yeah, and being a forgiving spouse. I am sure that if the dirt mongering far right media were to scour through most of our lives we would look much worst than Hillary ever thought about. Who was it that said something about ?casting the first stone??
I do not see her as a viable candidate, but I am sick of the rightwing smear. It is getting old.

While I hear you on the $$$ running the country, it does directly affect the population when the President has the authority to appoint Supreme Court Justices. ;-)

I'm not voting for him, but Rudi Giuliani is center enough with his social issues, and still favorable in the public eye regarding his reactions following 911, that he may very well be the next President. -- That is, if the Republicans will vote for him. Many people in the GOP think Rudi is much too liberal. I wonder how he would have handled the Katrina craziness if he had been mayor of NOLA at the time.

Regarding Obama's legal drug addiction, I have no comment, as I too am a drug addict. Take away my caffeine and who knows what I might do. While I don't like the idea of leaders setting bad examples for the followers, I think his smoking would be more of a problem if he were being appointed to the office of Surgeon General. My guess is that the press would be kind to Obama's regarding his smoking habit, chosing not to reveal it -- probably even more kind to him than they have been to Mrs Bush, whom I've yet to see smoking on the television. One need not look past the lips to tell if one has been a smoker for a while. Muscles around the mouth don't lie.​

Great post SJ.

I read an entire article about Obama's smoking the other day. The issue is definitely being spun as well as anything can be spun. :roll: It seems this is his major vice (that we know of) and before the press starts showing unattractive photos of him lighting up, he's getting it out in the open. The story is wife wants him to quit so he can get healthy, but he's talked about how he's worried that he won't be able to with the stress of the campaign trail. He's tried Nicorette and he says it's helping but people are telling him to get behavior modification therapy also. I think the story said he smokes about a pack a day.

There is no judgment from me on any of it, but it is interesting the way it is being handled. Either Obama, his wife or his campaign manager (or all three) is a genius. By acknowledging his addiction right away and his struggle to overcome it, it makes him relatable. But this would not work with most addictions. (Other than coffee. ) The only real problem with the addiction is that he could be hurting himself or his family. It doesn't affect the way he would run the country.

I like him a lot but he has not yet been subjected to the Full Monty of public scrutiny, nor have many of the other candidates. This time next year it may be a completely different game. I admit being terribly conflicted about Hillary ...​

What are his tax policies?

There is no judgment from me on any of it, but it is interesting the way it is being handled. Either Obama, his wife or his campaign manager (or all three) is a genius. By acknowledging his addiction right away and his struggle to overcome it, it makes him relatable. But this would not work with most addictions. (Other than coffee. ) The only real problem with the addiction is that he could be hurting himself or his family. It doesn't affect the way he would run the country.

I like him a lot but he has not yet been subjected to the Full Monty of public scrutiny, nor have many of the other candidates. This time next year it may be a completely different game. I admit being terribly conflicted about Hillary ...

But what about his policies? Doesn't that matter anymore?

Nothing there at all. A lot of generalities. Will he raise taxes on married couples who both have jobs? If the 2003 tax cuts expire my wife and I are going to be hit hard with a tax increase like a number of married couples I know. Is he going to raise the capital gains tax on Real Estate? These are issues important to my family, so where does he stand?????

It is too early to start nailing down the boards of a platform. We will have to endure at least a season of trial balloons first. :shock:

Can I just say I don't care for John Edwards? What a classic limo liberal-stirring class envy from the comfy digs of his 12000 square foot house

Can I just say I don't care for John Edwards? What a classic limo liberal-stirring class envy from the comfy digs of his 12000 square foot house...gonna 'fix' healthcare even though he and other cash greedy trial attorneys sued the bejeezum out of the industry to the point that there is a need to practice defensive medicine, which is by no means good cost effective medicine. Thank you John Edwards

I'm reading the house is 29,000 square feet, but whose counting. How many poor people are running for president this time out?

Well probably none. But being filthy rich and living in the lap of luxury just conflicts with being liberal to me.

Yes, but if you turn that logic around, you condone what's going on now. Rich folks taking care of their own. How does success in life preclude you from caring about those with less material wealth? Would you throw the same barb at JFK? Edwards actually comes from a blue collar background, and has litigated his way to the upper class, doing what he was trained to do, as a trial lawyer. He did not have his money handed to him by his family connections, rather he is self-made.

I say Smiling Joe for president!!!!:clap_1: You can do it!

Yes, but if you turn that logic around, you condone what's going on now. Rich folks taking care of their own. How does success in life preclude you from caring about those with less material wealth? Would you throw the same barb at JFK? Edwards actually comes from a blue collar background, and has litigated his way to the upper class, doing what he was trained to do, as a trial lawyer. He did not have his money handed to him by his family connections, rather he is self-made.