Obama for change?

[lil_elvis]

Oh NO! God forbid that Obama is picking people who have proven experience and track records of getting things done! WTF can he be thinking! These "terrible" choices are people who might even mean that he will be able to do what he said he would! How dare he!

Not to mention starting the selection process WELL before what is normal!
(What next? OMG, he might actually start accomplishing things as soon as he is in office!)

It's not terrible thinking. It's just that Obama made references on several occasions to thinking outside the box in terms of composition of his cabinet. The choices so far are all mainstream Democrats and show he's not even pushing on the walls, leaving some with a feeling of bait & switch.

Only time will tell if these will result in progress.

 

[jomar]

Once again, I can't understand.

What must it be like to believe every single representative elected to office and every single civil servant is at best completely incompetent and more usually an active force of evil?

...

As an aside, it's like a filtration system. The real goobs end up on city council, Bush notwithstanding.

 

[JackLuis]

To Change or just shift Patronage?

I think sr71plt had a good idea, Let's let Obama get inagurated before we pillory him.

We still have Bush and Paulson to bitch about for two more months. It is very likely they are going to Fuck Up big time again.

The Bush Adminstration is a Target Rich Enviroment (TRE).

As for "expierenced leaders" I'll bet there are a lot of good people inthe State Dept now that would be a lot better that Hillary as Sec State.

Some of them might actually have expierence in not pissing people off.

I'd rather see Bill Richardson as Sec State that Hillary.

The Peace-nik's are trying to keep Gates from being Sec Def.

sr71plt, you did some time at the puzzle palace, what do you thnk f Jim Webb for Sec. Def. He's seen the elephant and understands the Infantrymans position.

 

[sr71plt]

I think sr71plt had a good idea, Let's let Obama get inagurated before we sr71plt, you did some time at the puzzle palace, what do you thnk f Jim Webb for Sec. Def. He's seen the elephant and understands the Infantrymans position.

Sorry, I don't think much of Webb as my U.S. senator even. He's a turned Republican, and I think would turn back on a dime if it suited him--only ran as a Democrat here because there was a winning chance for a Democratic candidate. I've had a bit too much "up close" with his career already. The infamous case of his "tenure" at the Naval Academy pretty much defines him for me. He took a year's teaching post there just to get on the inside to interview students and write a slamming magazine article about letting women into the academy only leading to sex orgies--and then he left in the middle of the night without a word and without fulfilling his teaching contract. He did it all for that article. Then, when he was appointed secretary of the Navy, he did a 190 and supported women at the Academy--just to cover his ass in the given moment.

 

[sr71plt]

sr71plt, you did some time at the puzzle palace, what do you thnk f Jim Webb for Sec. Def. He's seen the elephant and understands the Infantrymans position.

I'd leave Bob Gates as Sec. Def. for a year if he was willing to stay. That would be bipartisan (although he isn't really a party politician at all) and is even being discussed as a possibility. Say that, even though I have no love lost for Gates from his time at the CIA.

(Speaking of which, NSA is the puzzle palace. I never spent time there--although my dad was the Army rep. in setting that up, so I have a pretty good feel for that agency--and have worked with folks there from time to time.)

 

[Belegon]

I got zero problem with leaving Gates as S.O.D. I think he has done a very respectable job, especially considering the mess he seemed to inherit. ( I say "seemed" because I wasn't on the inside to actually know...)

 

[DesertPirate]

"WASHINGTON — For months on the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised to bring change to Washington. But now that he's president-elect, his first potential Cabinet picks indicate that he may bring more years of Washington experience to his administration than Bill Clinton or George W. Bush did."

 

[sr71plt]

"WASHINGTON — For months on the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised to bring change to Washington. But now that he's president-elect, his first potential Cabinet picks indicate that he may bring more years of Washington experience to his administration than Bill Clinton or George W. Bush did."

Thank God for that. If you want to actually make any changes, you've got to do it in Washington--through the Washington establishment (modified by all of those knew folks coming into office through the Democratic landslide in the elections, of course).

Ergo, everything's moving along nicely (much to the chagrin of folks like DP).

 

[Guest]

Thank God for that. If you want to actually make any changes, you've got to do it in Washington--through the Washington establishment (modified by all of those knew folks coming into office through the Democratic landslide in the elections, of course).

Ergo, everything's moving along nicely (much to the chagrin of folks like DP).

Things are moving along nicely, aren't they?

I'm quite pleased with the no bullshit/feet on the ground/prepared for battle attitude that the Obama camp has, two whole months before he'll be president.

It's quite a refreshing change from the reactionary unprepared crap we've had to deal with for so very long.

 

[sr71plt]

Things are moving along nicely, aren't they?

I'm quite pleased with the no bullshit/feet on the ground/prepared for battle attitude that the Obama camp has, two whole months before he'll be president.

It's quite a refreshing change from the reactionary unprepared crap we've had to deal with for so very long.

And it's driving people like DP and JBJ crazy--and has silenced some of the other political crazies here--at least for now. Love it.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

If Obama imitates the later, centrist Clinton, then these guys will be a good influence. If he emulates the earlier, left-wing Clinton, then the Dems will get their asses handed to them in the 2010 elections, and he'll be forced to do what Clinton did: haggle. He's better off doing it BEFORE the Dems get their asses handed to them in the mid-terms, not after it. Then he'll get and deserve more credit for the inevitable success likely to be repeated.

 

[sr71plt]

If Obama imitates the later, centrist Clinton, then these guys will be a good influence. If he emulates the earlier, left-wing Clinton, then the Dems will get their asses handed to them in the 2010 elections, and he'll be forced to do what Clinton did: haggle. He's better off doing it BEFORE the Dems get their asses handed to them in the mid-terms, not after it. Then he'll get and deserve more credit for the inevitable success likely to be repeated.

Again, comforted that you predict that the Dems will get their asses handed to them in the 2010 elections--because your political prognostications have been so far off that this presages an even deeper landslide for the Dems in 2010.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Again, comforted that you predict that the Dems will get their asses handed to them in the 2010 elections--because your political prognostications have been so far off that this presages an even deeper landslide for the Dems in 2010.

Actually, my forecasts are often correct, as when I predicted the outcome of the 1996 and 2000 WV gubernatorial elections. And the 2006 Congressional elections, a year before the Democratic juggernaut. Though my reasoning had more to do with Katrina than anything else.

Not to mention my prediction that Putin would be trouble. And my prediction that the Chinese government will be even more trouble in the future will be born out.

But enough of that. My point was that a Clintonista team would be a good idea, if Obama did listen to them a bit. A team that succeeded (after 1995's revamping, of course) in allowing an economic boom and a surplus is not one to sneeze at.

 

[sr71plt]

Actually, my forecasts are often correct, as when I predicted the outcome of the 1996 and 2000 WV gubernatorial elections. And the 2006 Congressional elections, a year before the Democratic juggernaut. Though my reasoning had more to do with Katrina than anything else.

Not to mention my prediction that Putin would be trouble. And my prediction that the Chinese government will be even more trouble in the future will be born out.

But enough of that. My point was that a Clintonista team would be a good idea, if Obama did listen to them a bit. A team that succeeded (after 1995's revamping, of course) in allowing an economic boom and a surplus is not one to sneeze at.

Naw, you've been mostly wrong--and beligerently so--and not much less "Chicken Little" than amicus, Roz, DP, or JBJ. Why don't you just wait and see what happens as we get closer to 2010? You'd embarrass yourself less.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Naw, you've been mostly wrong--and beligerently so. Why don't you just wait and see what happens as we get closer to 2010? You'd embarrass yourself less.

Suit yourself. But for the record, I have predicted several events correctly. Say what you will about that. I'll hold my record as a prognosticator up against yours any day.

And I was offering some serious advice to our President-elect. I just hope that he gets the same counsel from people that he'll listen to.

 

[sr71plt]

And I was offering some serious advice to our President-elect. I just hope that he gets the same counsel from people that he'll listen to.

I'm sure he'll want to know what you have to say. He could use a good laugh now and then.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

I'm sure he'll want to know what you have to say. He could use a good laugh now and then.

Governing from the center is just common sense. That's not bad advice. But of course he would want to hear it from experts, not a smut writer.

 

[sr71plt]

Governing from the center is just common sense. That's not bad advice. But of course he would want to hear it from experts, not a smut writer.

Ah, but you plan on running for something--so I'm sure he'll be holding off on any decisions until he's had your golden counsel--should you ever settle on a guiding philosophy, of course.

 

[Guest]

If it's all the same to the nay-sayers, I don't really care about the next presidential election.

Not yet.

I am more concerned with the needs of my family and my country starting now.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Obama doesnt make me crazy.

Obama is the naked emperor of the old fable. I expect he'll fail because he believes all the bullshit about how great he is.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

If it's all the same to the nay-sayers, I don't really care about the next presidential election.

Not yet.

I am more concerned with the needs of my family and my country starting now.

Yep. Me, too.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Ah, but you plan on running for something--so I'm sure he'll be holding off on any decisions until he's had your golden counsel--should you ever settle on a guiding philosophy, of course.

You sounds as if you've been a lifelong liberal. If so, that's your business. Hope it works out for you.

But I, on the other hand, spent the first 24 years of my life under the heavy influence of a small circle of social conservatives. It took a great deal of intellectual curiosity and reflection for me to cast aside the belief system of my parents. Don't diss someone for changing one's politics, when someone does so out of principle.

The next 8 years I was a Libertarian, though moderating and suffering doubts about it for the past 5. It took a lot of soul searching to come to this point. I am now the political equivalent of an apostate from two faiths, both out of personal conscience.

Excuse me if I don't rush into a new ideology without doing some research beforehand and looking at the facts. Having spent over 32 years adhering to philosophies that proved wrong, I want to be more intellectually rigorous about this process this time around and avoid another false dogma.

Don't judge me until you've been in my place. Of course, when you are, you won't have time to judge. You'll be too busy sorting things out.

 

[sr71plt]

You sounds as if you've been a lifelong liberal. If so, that's your business. Hope it works out for you.

But I, on the other hand, spent the first 24 years of my life under the heavy influence of a small circle of social conservatives. It took a great deal of intellectual curiosity and reflection for me to cast aside the belief system of my parents. Don't diss someone for changing one's politics, when someone does so out of principle.

The next 8 years I was a Libertarian, though moderating and suffering doubts about it for the past 5. It took a lot of soul searching to come to this point. I am now the political equivalent of an apostate from two faiths, both out of personal conscience.

Excuse me if I don't rush into a new ideology without doing some research beforehand and looking at the facts. Having spent over 32 years adhering to philosophies that proved wrong, I want to be more intellectually rigorous about this process this time around and avoid another false dogma.

Don't judge me until you've been in my place. Of course, when you are, you won't have time to judge. You'll be too busy sorting things out.

I come from a family of conservative Republicans (some of whom held/hold office).

However, I keep the formation of my political views to myself--and I certainly wish we didn't have to suffer the gurgling over of your process and your running from one extreme to another and badmouthing yesterday's--and anyone else's--convictions. You'd make a great fundamental Christian megachurch groupie, I think.

 

[Dragonlipz]

you sad, sorry, butt-clinched 'conservatives' need

to get yourselves together, find a cause, craft a message and push yer brand!
The election is over. Allah is Great!! Salaam Ulakem!! Barak dar Obama will take your weapons, punish your wicked western ways, take your DVD players from you to discourage the wickedness you use them for; he will smite you for your wickedness, and smite you again because he can!!!
Resistance is futile; conformnity to the liberal groupmind will ensure peace and tranquility! He must be loved! He must be obeyed! He will smite your ass for being so liberal. He will smite your ass for being so Western! He will smite yo' ass cos he can!!!!
You is smote and smoten!!!!
Smote that ya cracka foooos

 

[Guest]

Cracka?