The Barack

[vroomsplat]

Okay gang. I'm hoping that this will be the last US presidential election in which I'll be allowed to have any public opinion. So I guess I'll make my opinions public while I can.

Given my demographic, you could probably guess that I want to see Obama become the Prez. My primary concerns are international relations and the image of the presidency

Comments

[archivecats]

"My primary concerns are international relations and the image of the presidency and of American government in general both here and abroad

[vroomsplat]

Hi Cath, thanks for your insights! I think you're right that I emphasized the international issues too much - if I'd spent more time on this and been less tired when I wrote it, I probably would have added another paragraph about that phrase "the image of the presidency and of American government... here..." which was how I obliquely referred to the domestic agenda. ("Domestic Agenda" being the name of my favorite "Domestic Semester" tribute band.) As you said, the president has a huge political and social influence, in large part due to the symbolism of the brand image associated with the candidate. Obama still wins, in my opinion; both candidates seem to represent a greater level of environmental responsibility in the minds of most voters, whereas Obama seems more realistic to me about the need to drop the Bush tax breaks for the rich (they receive the most government services, and they happen to have the resources to support the government in return, at a time when it's really hurting for cash) and about various social politics (I

re: political and social influence

[archivecats]

(and specifically re: gay marriage and abortion) - we forgot to mention an absolutely crucial area in which the president has influence.

Three words: Supreme. Court. Nominees.

Re: political and social influence

[vroomsplat]

dude, and i had just watched an obama speech on tv where he talked about that. well, if anyone is reading this far into the comments, keep that in mind as well.

[vroomsplat]

Well, I totally agree with you that "more PR lackeys" would have very little positive effect on anything connected to Iran. However, that's not exactly what I meant by "working with." I believe that the right combination of carrots and sticks could still convince Tehran to give up its nuclear program. Keeping in mind that not everyone in Iran, or even in the current regime, is a nuclear hardliner, and that neither sticks nor carrots of any degree of meaningfulness have really yet been attempted, it seems to me that a well-thought-out diplomatic program with clear goals, and the commitment to follow through with some potential sacrifices at home to achieve them, has a good chance of achieving at least some of our major objectives

[phluxisgod]

On the topic of global perception - and I know this isn't the most important thing about a presidential candidate - but I can't get a particular image out of my head.

Consider this hypothetical. It’s November 2008. A young Pakistani Muslim is watching television and sees that this man-Barack Hussein Obama-is the new face of America. In one simple image, America’s soft power has been ratcheted up not a notch, but a logarithm. A brown-skinned man whose father was an African, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, who attended a majority-Muslim school as a boy, is now the alleged enemy. If you wanted the crudest but most effective weapon against the demonization of America that fuels Islamist ideology, Obama’s face gets close. It proves them wrong about what America is in ways no words can. (source)

phluxisgod's Comment

[rbm249]

Bingo! The last is a wonderful, terrific, insightful comment--I don't care where it came from. Sadly, Obama doesn't have a prayer, what with racism being alive and well in the U.S. So-o-o, we're going to get endless war with dippy McCain at the wheel. Next, Iran, of course, as another commenter seems to happily anticipate and I guess thinks is ever so fine.
I wonder, in light of all the earnest opinions, and learned commentary, and blathering bullshit, how many actually understand that war means killing and maiming fellow human beings, including little children who never hurt anybody.

On the Other Hand...

[brandonbriscoe]

First, let me respectfully (but playfully) object to your basis for voting. Concern for our international "image" strikes me as an incredibly minor issue on which to base a vote for president. For one thing, it's almost impossible to measure at any given moment or to predict four-to-eight years down the line. All it takes is a 9-11 or a Hurricane Katrina to change how people view a leader. Take this proverbial young, Saudi Arabian, devout Muslim, for example, who is first happily taken aback by our new dark-skinned president with Islamic roots. He might quickly feel angry and betrayed when he discovers Obama's liberal domestic agenda regarding things like gay marriage. I think "image" is a red herring, and even so, believing the rest of the world is going to embrace Obama is like Cheney believing the Iraqis would embrace us as liberators with rose petals and parades. The world sees "America" and sees it separate from its president

Re: On the Other Hand...

[vroomsplat]

Thanks for replying

Re: On the Other Hand...

[vroomsplat]

Next, on experience