sravaka
Posts: 314
Joined: 6/20/2008 Status: offline
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quote:
quote: ORIGINAL: Owner59 quote: ORIGINAL: Arpig quote: we actually had the guts to elect a person of color . What guts??? When are you guys going to stop with the racist crap. It takes no guts to vote for a black, a gay, a woman, or whatever else. 7 years after 9/11 we elect a guy who`s middle name is Hussien. I think that`s gutsy.And tells me this democract thing works. If that needs any explaining,you may not understand. WOW! We did it! We managed to overcome the tyranny and prejudice of a...middle name...and cast our votes for a guy based on his political positions and character. I really want to meet some of those voters. "Man, I really could benefit from his tax plan and health care system and he seems to be intelligent and articulate with a clear history of being American with no connections to the Middle East....but man that scary scary middle name...I'm not sure I can get past that." I think part of the accomplishment is in fact that people cast votes based on broad/serious issues, rather than on who they thought they'd rather have a beer with. And being confronted by an exotic middle name may well go into making the beer decision. I remember after the elections in 2004 talking to an otherwise reasonable seeming person whose explanation of his vote was "I just couldn't stand the idea of looking at John Kerry on tv for 4 years." I can't entirely fault the sentiment... but, yikes. What a way to vote. I voted for Obama, and the kinds of CHANGE! I'm looking forward to include having a guy in charge who analyzes situations and makes decisions with his brain rather than his gut or his perceptions of good and evil or what he thinks god whispers in ear. Who realizes that the world is a big complicated place and there are shades of gray everywhere. Who will fill posts in his administration based on qualifications and competence rather than pure politics/cronyism. Whose policies are driven by concern for improving the lot of the middle class and the poor rather than preserving the power of the very wealthy. Even if he can't ultimately deliver on various specific promises made in the course of the campaign I trust that there will be a salubrious shift in tone/approach. Or maybe I'd just rather have a beer with him. Or an arugula latte or whatever.
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Miseries hold me fixed, and I would gladly cut these roots to become a floating plant. I would yield myself up utterly, if the inviting stream could be relied upon. --Ono no Komachi
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