One of the reasons the Republicans have been so successful is that they have been able to take people with vastly divergent opinions and bring them together to vote for them. With the Democrats it has been more like herding cats. The Republicans win when the Democrats split over tiny differences in ideologies. Hillary Clinton is doing a HUGE disservice to the party by not letting it come together behind the winner. Hillary Clinton, please, please, please, help us move on.I strongly believe that Barack Obama will win the White House either way, but this fight is hurting the party as a whole and the party needs to win BIG!!! if we want to put the changes in motion that will be required to actually make a difference in the next four years and recover from the damages of the past 28 years. Even eight years will not be enough to turn a lot of these issues around. The conservative machine has dug itself in and it will be a lot of work and take many many years to uproot it at all levels of government, from the corrupt policies to the conservative judges. Let us bring this nation together instead of having our pride get in the way of the work that needs to be done!~Paul de Jong
The trickle down theory, which actually means what it says, i.e. everything stays at the top, except the little bits that accidentally trickle down!
In moving on from the primary, Reagan was able to sell the ultra conservative agenda to the public via his ability to speak in a powerful way. He presented many simple slogans that people could remember. One of the things I would like to see Obama do during his campaign is to start debunking those myths thereby taking this powerful tool away from the Republicans. The slogans are almost without exception contradictory, if not down right nonsensical. The approach I am thinking of is to counter the slogans with equally powerful counter slogans, but not on the cheap. It needs to be done carefully. When McCain says "Tax and Spend Liberal" Obama first explains his point in detail then says something like "it is not the liberals who caused this, it is the Borrow and Keep Republicans! The Borrow and Keep Republicans are not even conservatives, true conservatives are people of high moral values, these politicians are not of high moral values! These politicians have been robbing the poor and giving to the rich for the past 27 and a half years, depriving the vast majority of Americans of their fair share. It is time we stopped these borrow and keep Republican Politicians!" (Two key points: 1. 27 years, including Bill Clinton in that group, where he belongs. 2. Targeting the politicians, not conservatives is key; these people are using conservatives, not supporting them. Not that I agree with conservatives on any level, but at least they have some convictions, all be they misguided ones and I am less offended by that then the people who abuse their naivete for personal gain!) Someone smart should go through each of the Republican slogans and derive answers to them, similar to the one above (read Don't Think of an Elephant! for more details)... then just wait for McCain to step in the trap.
I implore Obama to challenge Clinton to continue her campaign to win the nomination for president by showing who would be better in the fight to win against McCain by focusing on that fight rather then bringing the Democratic party down. If she thinks she would be better she should prove it, but she knows she can not win that fight. The Republicans know she can not win that fight. I think that by making that challenge Obama will be able to focus on the high road again with fewer distractions. I have not been excited about a presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama has all of his good traits yet none of his bad ones! I feel strongly that Obama will be as brave as Carter was with pushing for new policies and a new direction, but will not have the same problems getting the policies in motion. People have forgotten that Carter was very popular up until the hostage crises began. From renewable energy programs to increased social equity to changing the military away from weapons of mass destruction, Obama has the right ideas and he does have the audacity to get those solutions implemented like no other president before him. I have not been this hopeful in my adult life! I remember President Reagan removing the working solar panels from the roof of the White House that Carter had installed. Reagan's policies towards Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union (which would have fell under a Carter second term as well), help the Russian mafia take hold of that country and the fall out of that is still having a huge negative impact on Russia, so much so that we may very well end up in another cold war soon. I also never liked Bill Clinton because he overtly disregarded his first 100 day campaign promises, deregulated radio so large corporations could gain control of the air waves and he was a fiscal republicrat! Again, I have a very strong feeling that Obama means what he says (he has the voting record to prove it!), he believes in building coalitions to work for the greater good and gives the same message to Wall Street as he does to the UAW. Obama's honesty is exactly what this country needs rather then deceptive concepts like trickle down therory, which actually means what it says, i.e. everything stays at the top, except the little bits that accidentally trickle down! I want a candidate willing to say "that is a promise I can't make, and if my opponent makes it you will know s/he is lying!" I want a candidate who is willing to challenge his opponent to not make promises that can't be kept just because it is what s/he thinks the people want to hear" as Obama did regarding the troupe pull out rates. If this great nations resources were well directed we would be able to do everything we want and everyone would be better off, even the rich! Their kids would be safer, we could work to keep their beach front properties above sea level and they could take pride in a country that once again would be leading the World towards a better tomorrow! There are so many things we can do and it is such a shame that we have not only neglected them, but even taken steps backwards over the last 27 years. We need Obama now! Instead of a war, how about a new rail system, better schools with well paid teachers (especially in the poorest neighborhoods), a food honesty labeling program, universal health care, cars with twice the fuel efficiency and longevity and corporations that are held accountable for their actions if they want to do business in the US. I know that it will take another 27 years or longer to undo many of the damages caused by Reaganomics and those who have been riding on those deceptive coattails. Speaking of Reagan and all the strange twists of logic he and his propaganda machine were able to convince this country of; his power was derived from his ability to speak. Barack Obama's speaking abilities make Reagan look like an amateur! It is time to start debunking some of the myths of the past 27 years and start thinking about change for the greater good. YES WE CAN! Thanks for listening,
Paul de JongSan Francisco, CAMarch 27, 2008
I really do not like how the media repeats things that candidates say verbatim without verifying it. McCain and Hillary are both completely off the mark when they claim that Barack Obama does not have substance. All one has to do is look at the legislation he has written and voted on and compare that to any other candidate to be convinced that Obama truly is a candidate of change!Here is an amazing article on that topic:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633
I even recommended it as a topic for NPR!Read it, it is a great tool.Thanks,~Paul
When Bill Clinton ran for office he did what every other candidate does, promise the world and then forget everything he said once he got into office. The clue that everyone seems to ignore is that his promises did not reflect his record, and that is the exact path that Hillary Clinton is following. She voted for the war and she has not stood up to Dick Chaney's and George Bush's policies. What makes people think she will do that if she were to get elected for president. Barack Obama's record on the other hand is clear. He stood up against the war, even when it was a vastly unpopular thing to do in Washington and he has stood up to the status quo, something Hillary Clinton can not claim.I have listen to several Hillary Clinton speeches and heard her state things like "Europe is obligated to help us with Iraq, because we helped them after World War II". Those are inflammatory remarks and will get us know where in International politics. We need to re-earn the respect of the World by cleaning up our own internal issues and by showing an honest desire to be better International citizens. We need to pay our UN dues and build coalitions, rather then shun the World and act as if we were the chosen ones with our noses up in the air. Barack Obama on the other hand suggests that we need to get the various factions together and get them to talk to one another and make a plan together. That is a path that the World community can respect. We can't tell Europe or anyone what to do, we need to earn their respect. Once we do that they will want to help us. Those are things Obama stands for. He talks about hope, and that hope is based on a solid path forward that helps the poor and middle income people of this country and pays for it by reducing corporate crime and spending on wars that have no ethical purpose. Barack Obama gets people together and makes them want to work together and build coalitions. Barack Obama's economic plans are also vastly superior to Hillary Clinton's plans, because he is not afraid to take on the backward economic policies of corruption and deceit, commonly referred to as "Reganomic's". Any basic book on economics states that the economic value of a dollar given to someone who will spend it is far more valuable than giving it to someone who has so much they couldn't spend it in ten lifetimes. That is the government helping capitalism by helping the less fortunate, verses bribery, deceit and corruption. How is it that the rhetoric of the past 28 years has turned reality on its head to this extent is beyond me. That is the one true miracle of the Regan/Bush legacy! If you have any questions about Barack Obama's ideas and goals, I recommend reading this page:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/CmzmAnd here is the economic plan:http://obama.3cdn.net/8f478c5e1bb07ca0b1_sh1umv2zy.pdf
