Ohio will continue to flip-flop every election until someone gets those poor people some jobs. The situation is pretty dire in some parts of Ohio.
I think demographics are in the favor for the Democratic Party in Ohio. Ohio now has a legitimate third big city in Columbus, the population is drifting into the cities, even if Cleveland and Cincinnati experience population drops (Columbus just picks the population up). If you look at voting results in Ohio, there is a pretty stark split between rural and urban voters. As the urban and suburban voting population rises in population, I see Ohio growing more and more blue, with every passing election.
It's moves like this that make me really, really dislike Barack Obama. Instead of showing some leadership, be it in Afghanistan or the Gulf BP fiasco, he disgraces the Presidency by spending an hour of precious time better spent governing the nation on an afternoon talk show.
It's moves like this that make me really, really dislike Barack Obama. Instead of showing some leadership, be it in Afghanistan or the Gulf BP fiasco, he disgraces the Presidency by spending an hour of precious time better spent governing the nation on an afternoon talk show.
I don't think the American people know what the Presidency should be all about anymore.
I don't think the American people know what the Presidency should be all about anymore.
Bush didn't exactly raise the standard.
Interesting point. Becoming president hasn't been about competancy and leadership for a long time now, its more along the line of perceived inspiration.
I like to think of it as the Kennedy track. Obama obviously read a lot of Kennedy's books on leadership before he ran for the oval office, or his handlers did.
Nobody doubts that Obama is a powerful speaker. But his speeches during his campaign like most other candidates was high on words of inspiration but low on any kind of content. He spoke about change, but nothing behind the word change, he spoke of hope, but nothing behind the hope.
Once he won the Oval Office he's done precious little to justify the phrases of hope and change, I think he's show a lack of decisiveness, and even worse leadership.
As it stands now, from what I read and seen the Health Program that he put into place was a half measure, and not really popular at all. His handling of the BP crisis has been questionable, as has his handling of the Afghan war in which he reversed his initial position.
Obama is long on catchphrases and really short on any kind of execution.
Bush was a different tale, he was a far more simpler speaker, he executed, but his strategic vision was flawed and impulsive.
Obama wants to recapture his magical election run, but the population in the states to a large extent has become jaded, and I doubt that speeches on hope and change aren't going to find their target as easily if there isn't execution behind them.
I didn't like Kennedy all that much but beyond his brilliant delivery of speeches he executed.
Quote:
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.
Even though I believe that he mishandled the Cuban Missile Crisis, He did take decisive and significant actions.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Bush was the cause of some serious partisan division in the United States. Now, I don't think that's very bad. Partisanship within a democracy can mean some very good things such as logical and fierce debate are occurring for the sake of the common good. The problem that I have with Bush is moral in that I think his actions harmed the Republic more than it helped it; especially his decision to authorize the use of torture in intelligence gathering.
That said, Captain is totally right in his comparison to Obama. Bush was more of a substantive President. He acted courageously to execute his vision even when it was extremely unpopular.
Obama is a nowhere man. He's bogged himself down so deep in meaningless rhetoric that it's obvious he lacks what Bush had in courage and decisiveness.
I would have thought I was crazy for saying this a year ago, but I predict Obama as a one-term President.
I have yet to see a strong republican candidate or to hear the rumblings of a presidental run.
I don't know if he's too young (only 39), but Bobby Jindal will make a fantastic Republican candidate. Perhaps in 2012 he gets added as a VP nominee. Incredibly brilliant, Governor of Louisiana, Indian decent, well spoken, popular, etc...
The Republicans really need to find someone for 2012 that won't completely nuke Jindal's chances in the future and may even have an outside shot at winning the whole thing.
It's also too bad that George W. had such a bad run because I always thought Jeb Bush was supposed to be the son of George H.W. that became president. I think the American public is too Bush-tired to even consider Jeb - either as a candidate or as a VP. Perhaps in 2016?
I think for less than 2 years in, to have accomplished:
health care reform: I personally think that what was passed was mediocre and wish that it would have been more broad in its changes, but getting anything done on this issue in the US is near impossible
Stimulus funding: Again, this will come down to the role you see the Government playing in the economy, but it passing this showed a decision and execution
Wall Street reform: This one will be I think the best of the early accomplishments, but I do not like the exemption from FOIA that it appears to have given the SEC
Credit Card Reform Act: some needed rules for what is a very cut throat industry in the US in comparison to other countries
Student loan finance reform: again, another important one that I think will end up not only saving students money, but it should also be less expensive for the Federal Government than the current system
Is pretty impressive for an administration that according to many here is a failure because it is not in the gulf cleaning up private industry's mess - or at least having photo ops that make it look like it is.
Tough crowd I guess...
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The big thing is these Fall elections. If the Republicans take back either the Senate or House, it's the end of Obama.
Yeah, he becomes officially blocked and suddenly has to work from the point of being a consensious President instead of a dominant president.
One of the things that I think will really harm Obama is when the census workers finish their tasks and rejoin the jobless rate.
We've already seen the announcement by the U.S. banks that they're going to start working on their backlog of mortgage forclosures, so we could see a lot more people losing thier houses.
I don't blame Obama for the economic situation that the U.S. is in, the factors that caused it go back further then Bush. But I don't think he's handled the Economy very well, and he certainly got rick rolled on the stimulus money.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
It's moves like this that make me really, really dislike Barack Obama. Instead of showing some leadership, be it in Afghanistan or the Gulf BP fiasco, he disgraces the Presidency by spending an hour of precious time better spent governing the nation on an afternoon talk show.
Not that unprecedented:
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Yeah, he becomes officially blocked and suddenly has to work from the point of being a consensious President instead of a dominant president.
One of the things that I think will really harm Obama is when the census workers finish their tasks and rejoin the jobless rate.
We've already seen the announcement by the U.S. banks that they're going to start working on their backlog of mortgage forclosures, so we could see a lot more people losing thier houses.
I don't blame Obama for the economic situation that the U.S. is in, the factors that caused it go back further then Bush. But I don't think he's handled the Economy very well, and he certainly got rick rolled on the stimulus money.
First, I don't think Obama has been a dominant president at all, if anything, he has been far too hellbent on some bygone vision of bipartisanship.
But, second, I really think that losing the house doesn't hurt him too much. The Republicans have it easy playing the game of saying no to everything. It will be interesting to see what they do when they actually have to govern.
