Barack Obama Elected President!

[Roman]

Unfortunately, that is what it has turned into. Now granted, Al Gore & John Kerry ran HORRIBLE campaigns. And, there are many in the American body politic who did not do their homework, so many voters may have seemed like they were voting for the lesser of two evils instead of having a clear choice.

But I still remember hearing after the Bush/Gore debates that even though Gore beat Bush on the issues, Bush won the debates because he came off more "presidential" and more "ordinary" than Gore did. That is where the mistakes were made, IMO.

[wiccachick_1]

The popularity contest campaigns have been going on for years and not just at the national level. Local elections are the same way. Light on details, issues and actual plans of action and heavy on the mudslinging and baby kissing. It drives me crazy. In my political journalism course, my professor believed that the orgins of it comes from campaign managers that want to take their appeal to the lowest common denominator in the American public. Basically it's candidates talking down to their constituents. I don't necessarily agree. I think some of the responsibility for this type of campaign is a direct result of the two party system. The adversarial style of it plays right into American's competitive nature and the "us" against "them" mentality. The parties tell the candidates what they are required to spout as far as policy and in order to not bite thehand that feeds them and go against their party (even if they believe something else entirely) they give us broad strokes, no details, and focus on the other guy.

and LOL about Auburn. Just ask any Auburn fan to this day and they will be happy to tell you about how they were screwed and they were. I think if the same circumstances were to happen again, Auburn might be in that game because the SEC has gained a lot of respect in the past couple of years so strength of schedule could be on their side.

and WAY TO GO DAWGS!! Georgia 56 Central Michigan 17 WOOOOOT!!

[Wales2004]

I'm not following in terms of what you're saying the mistakes are. Help me out please. I think the heatwave is melting what's left of my brain.

[Roman]

DAMN!!! Now it depends on what USC does tonight. If they lose, or win and it's close, Georgia may regain the No.1 spot.

The two-party system is failing us, because, IMO, it is about how the people we send to our offices are spending their time lining their pockets instead of helping the american people. Only a small percentage, maybe 10% are actually there to do what they campaigned on.

The mistakes to me are fallig for whatever line is told to you and not doing your homework on each candidate. That is what is happening now becasue the stakes are as high as they are (which is not to say they havenever been high. Now I'm rambling. ) But, like GWB. It reminds me of the Movie "The Distinguised Gentleman" where Eddie Murphy's character won a seat in Congress because he had the same name as a long-time Congressman who had passed away. many were not doing their homework, and then we get stuck with not the best person for the job based on the issues, but someone who won some popularity contest.

Let's remember......Carrie was the Prom Queen in that movie too, and look how that turned out.

[Wales2004]

That's why I take issue with certain politicians.

BTW USC isn't playing today.

[Roman]

I saw a segment on Real Time with the correspondent doing a story on how no one at the RNC were saying anything about GWB or DC. It was like the two of them had been disowned by the party. It was the Real Time episode that came on last night.

I also saw Jeff Tubbin say, in his last comment while being interviewed by Bill Maher (A truly left-wing liberal who is so damn arrogant sometimes I have to shake my head, even though IA with him more times than not) say that John McCain has cancelled a interview because Campbell Brown was hard on one of his campaign people about SP's qualifications. Tubbin then said....

"Now, John McCain is supposed to negotiate nuclear treaties with Vladimir Putin.....but cancels his interview with Campbell Brown because she was too mean?"

[Roman]

Oooooo. That may cost them in the rankings. Georgia may regain the top spot with them idle and Georgia winning so big.

[Roman]

Ok. Alot of the Top 25 teams barely won their games today.

I can't wait to see the rankings Monday.

[Wales2004]

They probably should not have been ranked #1 in the first place.

[wiccachick_1]

That is absolutely true and that is because the PARTY has control and not the candidate. The system is set up for corruption and candidates that do something other than what the voters expected when they voted. The Zell Miller example earlier is a great example. If he doesn't go down the party line on every issue, he's basically ex-communicated by the party. He'll lose the $$ to campaign from the DNC (who together with the RNC basically controls the viability of any candidate because of the money). In Zell's case he didn't care because he was brought out of retirement to fill a vacancy that he had no intention of campaigning to keep. He was done and he had the ability to speak his mind (right or wrong it's how he felt). Now who loses here? The candidate because he compromises himself to get elected and the voter who gets something other than what they thought they were getting if he votes his real position after getting elected AND the voter again who might agree with a candidate's real opinion and collective views but will never know it because the party won't allow it.

Who does USC play tonight? I'll be watching the Florida - Miami game myself. Love those rivalries.

[wiccachick_1]

It's no different than the entire democratic party refusing to give interviews with Fox News or participate in any debates sponsored by Fox. Obama actually just gave his first interview with Bill O'Reilly breaking the lock out. During the DNC the party officials were telling candidates and representative NOT to do interviews with anyone from newstalk radio. Can't talk to anybody who might disagree. Both parties do it.

Why the heck NOT???????

[Jess]

That is what is what Bush said would happen, that somehow by giving rich folks big tax breaks, they would turn around and invest in business. It did not happen. That is very evident by the fact the unemployment rate is very high and the deficit is soaring.

As far as the global problem, I think a lot of economist, would tell you that the United States mortgage crisis is big contributor to the global problem. Also, economist do not agree with the Bush tax cuts. They argue that instead of him squandering the surplus with tax cuts eight years ago, he should have used it to pay down the national debt. Of course, that isn't an issue now because the surplus has turned into a huge deficit.

I think everyone should pay their fair share too. That is why we have a progressive tax system. People who make more money should have to pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes.

As far as small business, there is a difference between business taxes and individual taxes. A person who makes $250,000 a year being asked to pay more in taxes is not the same thing as saying a small business should have to pay more in taxes. It is two different tax structures --business and personal. When your small business boss hires you or gives you a pay raise, it is a business investment and deductible. For business, the greatest tax benefit is investment.

By the way, McCain is not telling the truth about Obama's tax plan -- I'm really tired of lying to the American public. And McCain is pulling the biggest tax whammy of them all with his plan to tax everyone's health care benefits they receive from their companies. That will to the tax burden of most Americans.

I agree totally that we spend too much money overseas. It is beyond me why our country continues to go into debt and send money to Iraq. If we want to start saving some money, getting our ass out of Iraq is good place to start.

[Roman]

USC is idle. That is why I think Georgia will regain the top spot. Mizzou is just killing SEMO, 42-0 at halftime.

[Jess]

I'm going to disagree with you again. The DNC and RNC provide only token amounts of money to political candidates. Cutting them off financially is not that big deal. Now if they somehow coerce the big donors from giving, then it has an effect. Political campaigns have not been controlled by the parties since the primary system began in 1972.

Are the gators supposed to win big tonight?

[wiccachick_1]

A lot of economists believe that China becoming a larger energy consumer outside their own territory is a large part of the global effect. A lot also believe the stagnation of the united European economy has a lot to do with it. There are a lot of contributors. As for the American mortgage crisis, I don't know who thought that the subprime lending program was a good idea. It never was and giant balloon payments coming due or increases in mortgages of more than $300 a month at the end of "interest free" periods was a catastrophe waiting to happen. If some overseas companies invested in subprime lending and lost money, they are smart enough to know it was a gamble.

Does anyone have the exact particulars on the origins of subprime lending? Was it legislation that led to it or was it a loophole in existing lending practices?