Comments | ed_rex: (More) Riders On the Storm

ed_rex

(More) Riders On the Storm

Aug 29, 2008 22:57

I'm a smart boy and love to be right. In '79, I argued with my dad about the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. "It'll be their Vietnam," I said and my dad, a smart man but one sometimes given to romanticism, said no, the Russians want to free Afgan women, they want to spread literacy - they're going to win this thing ( Read more... )

predictions, politics

Comments 38

sooguy August 30 2008, 12:47:34 UTC

Interesting comments.

How many beer was this fuelled by? Not saying you don't have something there, just wondering how to calibrate your comments.

No Beers ed_rex August 30 2008, 21:31:14 UTC

The typing was beer-fuelled, but the thinking wasn't - and, thank god, when I re-read it this morning I didn't feel the need to hang my head in shame.

As I've said in other comments, I've just watched the acceptance speech and now really hope I was wrong. There were moments when, alone in my office and staring at the computer screen, I found myself clapping.

Now, if only Jack Layton can channel some of that ...

sck5000 August 30 2008, 13:24:53 UTC

Since I know how much you enjoy being wrong, I'll put my prediction in early: Obama will win by 3%.

Don't Know Much 'Bout Geography ... ed_rex August 30 2008, 21:32:36 UTC

... but this is politics. You're on for a pitcher.

Re: Don't Know Much 'Bout Geography ... paul_carlson August 30 2008, 21:48:33 UTC

Hi Geoff,

Glad to see your calm and considerate comments. (Darn near had to turn the volume way down on local talk radio -- all along the ideological spectrum-- yesterday.)

Told my father a couple of months ago that Palin might be the VP pick. He's an ardent Democrat, and said that would be "a nice gesture."

I'd like to think you're not correct about 'closet racism' in the USA, but thinking of certain relatives of mine -- not my Dad -- you gotta wonder . . .

Been discussing this issue at length with a young Black writer friend, who is, wouldn't you know, all for Obama. Thing is, I'd be adamantly against Obama's election no matter what his color, and for any of a dozen potent reasons.

His often-shifting position, which half the time is for pulling the plug on NASA, is a relevant one. (I'd thought "but what about our problems here at home?" was answered years ago, but apparently not in Obama's mind.)

As for the obligatory CYA element, there are Black politicians I'd be happy to vote for, for example JC Watts.

Re: Don't Know Much 'Bout Geography ... ed_rex August 30 2008, 22:03:02 UTC

Hi Paul,

I certainly didn't mean to imply that everyone who supports McCain is a racist, closeted or otherwise, but only that an unfortunate percentage of the population is. (Mind you, I wonder how many closet sexists will look at the genuinely inexperienced Palin and decide that she is way too few heartbeats away from the Oval Office.

Good grief. You guys are going to have either a white woman as Veep or a black man as president.

There's no denying the world is changing, is there?

As for Obama, I confess I don't know all that much about the specifics of his policies. I'm not happy to learn that he's even contemplating going after NASA, despite that organization's many flaws. If it were in my hands, you guys would really be going back to the moon and on to Mars.

As for the obligatory CYA element...

"CYA element"? Wat dat?

Thread 7

All I can guarantee is that Pennsylvania will vote Obama jade_noir August 31 2008, 13:43:13 UTC

My America point of view is still locked into a civil war. And this is my admittedly biased and prejudice mind-set: It's a shame we must yield to the easily swayed religious, mildly uneducated people who know little to nothing about the world outside of their own. and since most of these people reside in the South, I can say that I have a civil war mentality. (although it would be a terrible occurrence if we were to divide since our government is so polarized, we would have not internal conflicts but foreign conflicts and that is worse ( ... )

Re: All I can guarantee is that Pennsylvania will vote Obama paul_carlson August 31 2008, 17:31:44 UTC

Hi Jade.

*** easily swayed religious, mildly uneducated people who know little to nothing about the world outside of their own. and since most of these people reside in the South ***

Umm, have you ever actually been to the South? Lived there for any length of time? This is not 1955, nor is all the South an Ozarks 'holler.' Overt racism is now stronger in many northeastern cities.

Interesting view on what is "Black" or not. Apologies, but I'm not certain I understand you fully.
There are immigrants from southern India who have more melanin than Obama, yet folks won't call them Black. Then look at Obama's buddy Rev. Pfleger. He looks like a middle-aged white guy, but to hear him preach you'd never know it.
Never boring, that's for sure.

Re: All I can guarantee is that Pennsylvania will vote Obama jade_noir August 31 2008, 19:53:04 UTC

ahh first off, forgive me for my quick comment. I was a bit rushed and so I wanted to give a little burst of one-sided thinking. Hold on... I still am. I'll get back to you in an hour or so.

Re: All I can guarantee is that Pennsylvania will vote Obama jade_noir September 1 2008, 01:56:23 UTC

I’d like to apologize for referring to the whole South in such a way but I wasn’t saying anything about racism in the South. I was really referring to this culture of people who live in their own world and vote based on their religious beliefs which in this country happen to be Christian extremists. (for example people who watch + believe every single message that Fox news puts out) I know that it is not true that the South is all like that but the point is that liberals in the North point to the South and the rural country in general as areas that vote without thinking about the reality of the future of the world. (example of an issue that my media continues to point to: the environment ( ... )

Thread 10