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Obama, McCain declared winners in primaries (2nd Roundup)
Feb 20, 2008, 8:17 GMT
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John McCain's victory speech; 19-Feb-08:
Thank you, my friends, for your support and dedication to our campaign. And thank you, Wisconsin, for bringing us to the point when even a superstitious naval aviator can claim with confidence and humility that I will be our party's nominee for President. I promise you, I will wage a campaign with determination, passion and the right ideas for strengthening our country that prove worthy of the honor and responsibility you have given me.
I, again, want to commend Governor Huckabee, who has shown impressive grit and passion himself, and whom, though he remains my opponent, I have come to admire very much. And, of course, I want to thank my wife, Cindy, and my daughter, Meghan, who are here tonight, and the rest of my family for their indispensable love and encouragement.
My friends, we have traveled a great distance together already in this campaign, and overcome more than a few obstacles. But as I said last week, now comes the hard part and, for America, the bigger decision. Will we make the right changes to restore the people's trust in their government and meet the great challenges of our time with wisdom, and with faith in the values and ability of Americans for whom no challenge is greater than their resolve, courage and patriotism? Or will we heed appeals for change that ignore the lessons of history, and lack confidence in the intelligence and ideals of free people?
I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts in government more than people. Our purpose is to keep this blessed country free, safe, prosperous and proud. And the changes we offer to the institutions and policies of government will reflect and rely upon the strength, industry, aspirations and decency of the people we serve.
We live in a world of change, some of which holds great promise for us and all mankind and some of which poses great peril. Today, political change in Pakistan is occurring that might affect our relationship with a nuclear armed nation that is indispensable to our success in combating al Qaeda in Afghanistan and elsewhere. An old enemy of American interests and ideals is leaving the world stage, and we can glimpse the hope that freedom might someday come to the people of Cuba. A self-important bully in Venezuela threatens to cut off oil shipments to our country at a time of sky-rocketing gas prices. Each event poses a challenge and an opportunity. Will the next President have the experience, the judgment experience informs, and the strength of purpose to respond to each of these developments in ways that strengthen our security and advance the global progress of our ideals? Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested invading our ally, Pakistan, and sitting down without pre-conditions or clear purpose with enemies who support terrorists and are intent on destabilizing the world by acquiring nuclear weapons?
The most important obligation of the next President is to protect Americans from the threat posed by violent extremists who despise us, our values and modernity itself. They are moral monsters, but they are also a disciplined, dedicated movement driven by an apocalyptic zeal, which celebrates murder, has access to science, technology and mass communications, and is determined to acquire and use against us weapons of mass destruction. The institutions and doctrines we relied on in the Cold War are no longer adequate to protect us in a struggle where suicide bombers might obtain the world's most terrifying weapons.
If we are to succeed, we must rethink and rebuild the structure and mission of our military; the capabilities of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies; the purposes of our alliances; the reach and scope of our diplomacy; the capacity of all branches of government to defend us. We need to marshal all elements of American power: our military, economy, investment, trade and technology and our moral credibility to win the war against Islamic extremists and help the majority of Muslims, who believe in progress and peace, win the struggle for the soul of Islam.
The challenges and opportunities of the global economy require us to change some old habits of our government as well. But we will fight for the right changes; changes that understand our strengths and rely on the common sense and values of the American people. We will campaign:
to balance the federal budget not with smoke and mirrors, but by encouraging economic growth and preventing government from spending your money on things it shouldn't; to hold it accountable for the money it does spend on services that only government can provide in ways that don't fail and embarrass you;
to save Social Security and Medicare on our watch without the tricks, lies and posturing that have failed us for too long while the problem became harder to solve;
to make our tax code simpler, fairer, flatter, more pro-growth and pro-jobs;
to reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil with an energy policy that encourages American industry and technology to make our country safer, cleaner and more prosperous by leading the world in the use, development and discovery of alternative sources of energy;
to open new markets to American goods and services, create more and better jobs for the American worker and overhaul unemployment insurance and our redundant and outmoded programs for assisting workers who have lost a job that's not coming back to find a job that won't go away;
to help Americans without health insurance acquire it without bankrupting the country, and ruining the quality of American health care that is the envy of the world;
to make our public schools more accountable to parents and better able to meet the critical responsibility they have to prepare our children for the challenges they'll face in the world they'll lead.
I'm not the youngest candidate. But I am the most experienced. I know what our military can do, what it can do better, and what it should not do. I know how Congress works, and how to make it work for the country and not just the re-election of its members. I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it. I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. And I know who I am and what I want to do.
I don't seek the office out of a sense of entitlement. I owe America more than she has ever owed me. I have been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. I have never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I haven't been proud of the privilege. Don't tell me what we can't do. Don't tell me we can't make our country stronger and the world safer. We can. We must. And when I'm President we will.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Anyone still complaining about the lack of substance in Senator Obama's speeches should now stop. With this speech, they have some substantive things to look at, ponder and criticize.
Barack Obama's victory speech, 19-Feb-08:
Barack Obama’s Feb. 19 Speech
The following is a transcript of Senator Barack Obama’s speech to supporters after the Feb. 19 primary in Wisconsin, as provided by CQ Transcriptions via The Associated Press.
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA: Houston, I think we've achieved liftoff here.
(APPLAUSE)
Let me just, first of all, say thank you to some special people who helped put this together. First of all, the pre-program entertainment Infinite Groove, thank you so much.
I want to thank the wonderful young lady who said the Pledge of Allegiance, Melissa Atkins (ph). That's not easy to do when you're 6 years old in front of 20,000 people. So thank you, Melissa.
There are many great elected officials state and local here, but I've got to give a special shout-out to three of my fellow members of Congress who are just great supporters, Congressman Al Green...
(APPLAUSE)
... Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Congressman Chet Edwards, thank you so much.
(APPLAUSE)
I want to thank all the wonderful faith leaders who are here who gave me a little circle of prayer before coming out here today.
I want to thank some wonderful union supporters. SEIU in the house.
(APPLAUSE)
The United Food and Commercial Workers and the Transport Workers, thank you so much for your wonderful support.
Now, there's a little bit of business that we've got to do before we get into the main event. Early voting has started here in Texas.
(APPLAUSE)
Early voting has started here in Texas. And so everybody has received one of these cards, and everybody knows that you can start voting today. And if you didn't vote today, you can start tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that.
But we have early voting in Texas. I don't want you to wait until March 4th. I want you to go ahead and start voting tomorrow here in Texas.
(APPLAUSE)
You've got February 19th until 29th to vote, and you can also vote on election day, March 4th.
Now, I know this was explained to you. This is a little confusing. You're going to have to do two things for me now.
Not only do you have to vote -- and we would prefer you to vote early -- but on election day, March 4th, you're going to have to attend the caucus at 7 p.m. to get us a few more delegates.
(APPLAUSE) Can everybody do that, Houston? Everybody going to do that?
(APPLAUSE)
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
MR. OBAMA: Yes, we can.
And on the back -- on the back here are all the sites for all the early voting locations, so you don't have an excuse for not going. And we want you to grab your cousin, and your uncle, and your niece, and your nephew. Don't go alone. Take some friends and family to the polls.
Now, we just heard that we won tonight in Wisconsin.
(APPLAUSE)
And I am grateful to the people of Wisconsin for their friendship, and their support, and their extraordinary civic pride.
You know, in Wisconsin when you go to vote it's five degrees outside. But that has not deterred people from Milwaukee to Green Bay to Eau Claire, all across that state, from casting their ballot and exercising their civic duty.
(APPLAUSE)
We also have a caucus in Hawaii tonight. It's too early to know how that will turn out. It's too early to know, but we do know this. We do know this, Houston: The change we seek is still months and miles away, and we need the good people of Texas to help us get there.
(APPLAUSE)
We will need you to fight for every delegate it takes to win this nomination. And if we win the nomination, if we are blessed and honored to win the nomination, then we're going to need your help to win the election in November.
(APPLAUSE)
And if we win that election in November, then we are going to need your help and your time, your energy, your enthusiasm, your mobilization, your organization, and your voices to help us change America over the next four years.
(APPLAUSE)
Because understand this, Houston: As wonderful as this gathering is, as exciting as these enormous crowds and this enormous energy may be, what we're trying to do here is not easy, and it will not happen overnight.
It is going to take more than big rallies. It's going to require more than rousing speeches. It will also require more than policy papers and positions and Web sites. It is going to require something more, because the problem that we face in America today is not the lack of good ideas. It's that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die...
(APPLAUSE)
... because lobbyists crush them with their money and their influence, because politicians spend too much time trying to score political points and not enough time trying to bridge their differences so we can get something done.
(APPLAUSE)
The problem is that we haven't had leaders who can inspire the American people to rally behind a common purpose and a higher purpose. And this is what we need to change today. This is what's hard, and we know this.
We know how difficult it will be, but I also know why we're here tonight. We're here because we still believe that change is possible.
(APPLAUSE)
We're here because we know that we've never needed it more than we do right now.
(APPLAUSE)
We're here because there are workers in Youngstown, Ohio, who've watched job after job after job disappear because of bad trade deals like NAFTA, who've worked in factories -- who've worked in factories for 20 years, and then one day they come in and literally see the equipment unbolted from the floor and sent to China.
They need us to end those tax breaks that go to companies that ship jobs overseas...
(APPLAUSE)
... and give them to companies that invest in jobs right here in the United States of America, that pay well, provide a pension, provide health care. That's the change they need.
(APPLAUSE)
We're here because of the mother in San Antonio that I met just today, just this afternoon. She's got 2-year-old twins who are legally blind. She somehow entered into a predatory loan and saw her mortgage payments double in two weeks and has paid thousands in fees to try to stave off foreclosure.
She told me she was on the verge of packing and didn't know where her family would go next. She needed us to crack down on predatory lenders and give relief to struggling homeowners who were tricked out of their dream. She needs change today.
(APPLAUSE)
We're here because of the mother that I met in Green Bay, Wisconsin, who gave me this bracelet that I'm wearing. Inscribed on it is the name of her son, Ryan. He was 20 when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. And next to his name, it says, 'All gave some, but he gave all.'
(APPLAUSE)
We are here because it is time to ask ourselves as a nation if we are serving Ryan and his compatriots and all our young, brave men and women as well as they are serving us. They need us to end this war, and bring them home, and give them the care and the benefits that they deserve. They need change, Houston.
(APPLAUSE)
A year ago, a year ago I stood on the steps of the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois, and I announced this improbable journey to change America. And there were those who said at the time, 'Why are you running so soon? Why are you running this time? You're a relatively young man; you can afford to wait.'
And I had to explain to them I'm not running because of some long-held ambition. I know that some people have been looking through my kindergarten papers, but that's not why I decided to run.
(APPLAUSE)
I'm not running because I think it's somehow owed to me. I'm running because of what Dr. King called the fierce urgency of now, the fierce urgency of now.
(APPLAUSE)
Because there's such a thing, Houston, as being too late, and that hour is almost upon us. We are at a defining moment in our history. Our nation is at war. Our planet is in peril. The dream that so many generations fought for feels like it's slowly slipping away.
You see it in your own lives and in your own neighborhoods. The stories I told you are not unique. Everywhere I go, I hear the same stories. People are working harder for less; they've never paid more for college, never paid more for gas at the pump.
(APPLAUSE)
Our health care system leaves 47 million people without health insurance. And those who have it are seeing their co-payments and deductibles and premiums going up year after year after year after year.
Despite the slogans, our children, millions of them, are being left behind, unable to compete in an international economy. In such circumstances, Houston, we cannot afford to wait. We cannot wait to fix our schools. We cannot wait to fix our health care system. We cannot wait to put an end to global warming. We cannot wait to bring good jobs with good benefits back to the United States. We cannot wait to end this war in Iraq. We cannot wait.
(APPLAUSE)
We cannot wait. And one year ago, one year ago when I made the decision to run, it was based on the belief that the size of our challenges had outstripped the capacity of a broken and divided politics to solve.
And I was certain that the American people were hungry for something new, that they were tired of a politics that tears each other down. They wanted a politics that would lift the country up, that they had grown weary of a politics that was based on spin and P.R. They wanted a politics that was based on honesty and truthfulness and straight talk to the American people.
I was convinced, most of all, that change in America does not happen from the top down. It happens from the bottom up.
(APPLAUSE)
Some of you know I used to work as a community organizer with churches on the south side of Chicago after the steel plants had laid thousands of people off. And we brought together black and white and Hispanic to try to create job training programs for the unemployed and bring economic development to neighborhoods that had fallen on hard times.
And it was the best education I ever had, because it taught me that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they're given an opportunity.
(APPLAUSE)
It reminded me that Americans are decent and generous, willing to work hard and sacrifice on behalf of future generations.
And if we could just get beyond the divisions that have become so commonplace in our politics, if we could bridge the divides so that black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, young, old, rich and poor, Republican, Democrat, if we could join together to challenge the special interests in Washington, but also to challenge ourselves, also to challenge ourselves to be better, to be better neighbors, to be better citizens, to be better parents, then I believe there was no challenge we could not solve, no destiny we could not fulfill.
That was the bet that I made one year ago. And I'm here to report, Houston, that after a year of traveling all across the country, after countless miles and thousands of speeches, and talks, and shaking hands, and chicken dinners...
(LAUGHTER) ... I am here to report that my bet has paid off and my faith in the American people has been vindicated, because all across the country, people are standing up and saying, 'It is time to turn the page. It is time to write a new chapter in American history. We want to move forward into a better tomorrow.'
The American people...
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
MR. OBAMA: Yes, we can.
The American people have spoken out, and they are saying we need to move in a new direction. And I would not be running, as aware as I am of my imperfections, as clear as I am that I am not a perfect vessel, I would not be running if I did not believe that I could lead this country in that new direction, that we have a unique moment that we have to seize.
But I have to tell you, Houston, I can't do it by myself. No president can. Remember: Change doesn't happen from the top. It happens because of you. And so the question I have for you tonight, Houston, is, are you really ready for change?
(APPLAUSE)
Are you really ready for change? Because if you are ready for change, then we can go ahead and tell the lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda are over.
(APPLAUSE)
They have not funded my campaign. They will not run my White House. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I'm president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
If you are ready for change, Houston, then we can stop talking about the outrage of 47 million people without health insurance and start doing something about it. I put forward a plan that says everybody will be able to get health insurance that is at least as good as the plan I've got as a member of Congress.
And if you already have health insurance, we will lower your premiums by $2,500 per family, per year. And if you can't afford it, we will subsidize your care, and we will emphasize prevention so we have a health care system instead of a disease-care system.
And we won't do this 20 years from now or 10 years from now. We will do it by the end of my first term as president of the United States of America.
If you are ready for change, if you're really ready, then we can start restoring some balance to our economy. I believe in the free market. I know Texans believe in entrepreneurship. We are an independent and a self-reliant people. We don't believe in government doing what we can do for ourselves.
But when we've got CEOs making more in 10 minutes than ordinary workers are making in a year...
(APPLAUSE)
MR. OBAMA: ... and it's the CEOs who are getting a tax break and workers are left with nothing, then something is wrong, and something has to change.
So I want to -- I want to take away those tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas. We're going to give them to companies that invest right here in America.
And we're going to rollback those Bush tax cuts that went to all the wealthy people, and we're going to give tax cuts to ordinary families, people who are making less than $75,000. We will offset your payroll tax.
Senior citizens who make less than $50,000, we want to say to them: You don't have to pay an income tax. You're already having a hard time making ends meet.
We want to promote trade and we embrace globalization, but we also want our trade deals to have labor standards and environmental standards and safety standards so our workers aren't undermined and our children aren't playing with toys based in lead paint. That's the change we want.
And I will raise the minimum wage not every 10 years, but to keep pace with inflation, because if you work in America you should not be poor. And that's a goal that we should set for ourselves when I am president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
If you're ready for change, we can assure that every child in America has the best education this country has to offer...
(APPLAUSE)
... from the day that child is born to the day that child graduates from college. The problem is not the lack of plans, the lack of good ideas.
The problem is a lack of political will, a lack of urgency. We think that those children in inner-city Houston, those are those children. Those are somebody else's problem. We think that the child in south Texas, that's somebody else's problem. That's not our problem; that's not our child.
We think that that child in rural east Texas, where there's a low property tax base and they can't afford to buy new textbooks or put into computers, that's somebody else's problem. Houston, I am here to tell you that every child is our problem, every child is our responsibility...
(APPLAUSE)
... every child needs to be nurtured and embraced. And so we are going to invest in early childhood education to close the achievement gap.
And I won't just talk about how great teachers are; I will reward them for their greatness...
(APPLAUSE)
... by giving them higher salaries and giving them more support.
And I want the highest standards in our schools. We have to have high standards, standards of excellence in order to compete in this global economy. But I don't want our standards measured just by a single high-stakes standardized test, because I don't want our teachers teaching to the tests.
(APPLAUSE)
I want our students learning art, and music, and science, and literature, and social studies.
(APPLAUSE)
And I don't know about you, but I think it's about time we made college affordable for every young person in America.
(APPLAUSE)
So we're going to provide a $4,000 tuition credit, every student, every year, but, students, you're going to have to give back something in return. You're going to have to participate in community service. You're going to have to work in a homeless shelter, or a veteran's home, or an underserved school, or join the Peace Corps.
We'll invest in you; you invest in America. Together, we will march this country forward.
(APPLAUSE)
If you are ready for change, we can start having an energy policy that makes sense. We send a billion dollars to foreign nations every single day, and we're melting the polar icecaps in the bargain. That has to change.
And so we're going to cap the emission of greenhouse gases. We are going to generate billions of dollars from polluters to invest in solar, in wind, and biodiesel.
(APPLAUSE) We are going to raise fuel efficiency standards on cars because that is the only way that we can actually bring down gas prices over the long term, and I know you need that.
And, by the way, when I talked about increasing fuel efficiency standards, I didn't do it in front of some environmental group. I did it in Detroit in front of the automakers. And I told them they had to change their ways.
And when I said that, I've got to admit that the room was really quiet. Nobody clapped.
But that's OK, because part of what you need from the next president is somebody who will not just tell you what they think you want to hear, but will tell you what you need to hear, will tell you the truth.
If you're ready for change, we can stop using immigration as a political football and actually start solving the problem. We are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, and those two things we can join together.
We can get serious about our borders and crack down on employers who are taking advantage of undocumented workers and undermining U.S. labor.
(APPLAUSE)
But we can also provide a pathway for those who are living here. They can pay a fine and learn English and go to the back of the line, but we've got to give them an opportunity, too. We're a nation of immigrants.
(APPLAUSE)
If you're ready for change, we can start reinvesting in America, in the cities. We are spending $9 billion a month in Iraq, $9 billion. We can invest that money in rebuilding roads and bridges and hospitals right here in Houston, building schools, laying broadband lines, putting people back to work, employing young men and young women in our inner cities, in our rural communities. That is possible if you're ready for change.
We can create the kind of foreign policy that will make us safe and will lead to renewed respect of America around the world.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, as your commander-in-chief, my job will be to keep you safe.
(APPLAUSE)
My job will be to keep you safe. And I will not hesitate to strike against any who would do us harm. I will do whatever is required. But part of keeping you safe is maintaining the finest military in the world, and that means providing our troops with the proper equipment and the proper training and the proper rotations.
And it means caring for our troops when they come home, not forgetting about our troops. No more homeless veterans; no more begging for disability payments; no more waiting in line for the V.A. We have a solemn obligation to honor those who have served on our behalf.
But part of keeping you safe is also deploying our military wisely. And the war in Iraq was unwise.
(APPLAUSE)
It distracted us from the fight that needed to be fought in Afghanistan against Al Qaida. They're the ones who killed 3,000 Americans. It fanned the flames of anti-American sentiment. It has cost us dearly in blood and in treasure.
I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home.
(APPLAUSE)
But I don't want to just end the war; I want to end the mindset that got us into war.
(APPLAUSE)
I want to end a politics based on fear that uses 9/11 as a way to scare up votes instead of a way to bring the country together against a common enemy. I want to rediscover the power of our diplomacy.
I said early in this campaign I would meet not just with our friends, but also with our enemies. And there were those in Washington who said, 'You can't do that.' And I said, 'Yes, I can'...
(APPLAUSE)
... because I remember what John F. Kennedy said. He said we should never negotiate out of fear, but we should never fear to negotiate. Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries, and tell them where America stands, and try to resolve differences without resort to war.
And when we do that, I believe the world is waiting. I want to go before the world community and say, 'America's back, and we are ready to lead.'
(APPLAUSE)
But we will lead not just with militarily. Yes, we will hunt down terrorists; yes, we will lock down loose nuclear weapons that could do us harm. But we are also going to lead on climate change. We're also going to lead on helping poor countries deal with the devastation of HIV-AIDS. We're also going to lead in bringing an end to the genocide in Darfur.
(APPLAUSE)
We are going to lead by example, by maintaining the highest standards of civil liberties and human rights, which is why I will close Guantanamo and restore habeas corpus and say no to torture.
(APPLAUSE)
Because if you are ready for change, then you can elect a president who has taught the Constitution, and believes in the Constitution, and will obey the Constitution of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
All these things are possible, if you are ready for change. But I have to say that there are a lot of people these days who are telling you not to believe. They're trying to persuade you that, 'Well, Obama may have good ideas, but he hasn't been in Washington long enough. We need to season and stew him a little bit more and boil all the hope out of him.'
But I think you understand and the American people understand that the last thing we need is to have the same old folks doing the same old things, making the same mistakes over and over and over again.
(APPLAUSE)
We need something different. And we need new leadership to move into a new century.
There are those who would say that you have to be wary about inspiration because you might be disappointed, who say that Obama may make a good speech, but what is really going to make a difference is how you work our government.
But I have to say that it is my central premise that the only way we will bring about real change in America is if we can bring new people into the process, if we can attract young people, if we can attract independents, if we can stop fighting with Republicans and try to bring some over to our side.
I want to form a working majority for change. That's how we win elections; that's how we will govern. I want to reach out to everybody.
I know that there are some who say, 'Well, what about John McCain?' And I revere and honor John McCain's service to this country.
(APPLAUSE)
He is a genuine American hero. But when he embraces George Bush's failed economic policies, when he says that he is willing to send our troops into another 100 years of war in Iraq, then he represents the policies of yesterday. And we want to be the party of tomorrow. And I'm looking forward to having that debate with John McCain.
But, you know, there's something deeper in this argument we've been hearing about inspiration. It really has to do with the meaning of hope. Some of you know I talk about hope a lot. And it's not surprising, because, if you think about it, the odds of me standing here are very slim.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, I was born to a teenage mother. My father left when I was 2. So I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents. And they didn't have money, and they didn't have fame. What they could give me was love, they gave me an education, and they gave me hope.
(APPLAUSE)
And so I talk about hope. I put 'hope' on my signs. I gave a speech in Boston at the convention about hope. I wrote a book called 'The Audacity of Hope.'
But now some are suggesting that I must be naive, that if you talk about hope it means that you're fuzzy-headed, you're not realistic, you're peddling in false hopes, you need a reality check.
The implication is, is that if you talk about hope that you must be passive and you're just waiting for good things to happen, and you don't realize how mean and tough the world can be.
But understand that's not what hope is. Hope is not blind optimism. Hope is not ignoring or being ignorant of the challenges that stand between you and your dreams.
I know how difficult it will be to provide health insurance to every American. If it was easy, it would have already been done.
I know how hard it will be to change our energy policy, because the status quo serves many powerful people.
I know how hard it will be to alleviate poverty that has built up over centuries, how hard it will be to fix schools, because changing our schools will require not just money, but a change in attitudes.
We're going to have to parent better, and turn off the television set, and put the video games away, and instill a sense of excellence in our children, and that's going to take some time.
I know how easy it is for politicians to turn us on each other, to use immigrants or gay people or folks who aren't like us as scapegoats for what they do. But I also know this. I know this because I have fought on the streets as an organizer, I have fought in the courts as a civil rights attorney, I have fought in the legislature, and I've won some battles, but I've also lost some, because good intentions aren't always enough. They have to be fortified by political will and political power.
But I also know this, Houston: that nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened except somebody somewhere was willing to hope.
(APPLAUSE)
That is how this country was founded, a group of patriots declaring independence against the mighty British empire. Nobody gave them a chance, but they had hope.
That's how slaves and abolitionists resisted an evil system and how a new president chartered a course to ensure that we would not remain half-slave and half-free.
That is how the greatest generation, my grandfather fighting in Patton's army, my grandmother staying at home with a baby, working on a bomber assembly line, how that greatest generation defeated Hitler and fascism and lifted itself up out of a great depression.
That's how pioneers settled the west. That's how immigrants traveled at great risk from distant shores. That is how women won the right to vote. That's how workers won the right to organize.
That's how young people in the '60s traveled south, and some marched, and some sat-in, and some were beaten, and some went to jail, and some died for freedom's cause. That's what hope is.
(APPLAUSE)
That's what hope is. That's what hope is, imagining, and then fighting for, and then working for, struggling for what did not seem possible before.
You know, there is a moment in the life of every generation when that spirit has to come through, if we are to make our mark on history, when we decide to cast aside the fear and the doubt, when we're not willing to settle for what the cynics tell us we have to accept, but instead we are willing to reach for what we know in our gut is possible, when we decide that the next generation deserves the same chance that somebody gave us, when we determine that we're going to keep the dream alive for those who still hunger for opportunity and still thirst for justice.
It will not be easy. But at some point in our lives, we all have to decide, as hard as it's going to be, we are going to join together, lock arms, and go about the difficult but noble task of remaking this nation, block by block, county by county, state by state.
Houston, this is our moment. This is our time.
(APPLAUSE)
And if you are willing to vote for me, if you are willing to stand with me, if you're willing to caucus for me, then I truly believe that we will not just win Texas. We will win this nomination. We will win the general election. And you and I together will change this country and change the world.
Thank you, Houston. I love you.
He's said this all along. What is so new about anything in this speech? He quotes Kennedy.
Anyone ever looked at JFK?
Strong interventionist
Believed in lower taxes
believed in domestic spying.
This is the appeal of speeches like this: They feed the folks who simply wish to hear such things.
This is his appeal: Isolationist, appeaser, anti trade, tax and spend.
TO SPA4: Are you an American? Your fangs are showing, why everything from your mouth is sooooo negative?
SP4 is right, there isn't that much new in Senator Obama's speech. There is very little that is new in Senator McCain's speech. The reason for that is that we are still confronted with the same problems that we have been confronted with since WWII.
The charge of isolationism against Senator Obama is patently false. I am an 'isolationist' and am damned proud of it. The position Senator Obama stakes out in this speech has next to nothing in common with mine. He merely insists on withdrawing from Iraq sometime in 2009. This, by the way, is somewhat different from his previous position on Iraq. He here tacitly admits that the increase in troop strength has proven effective. He also states that he will negotiate with other countries and leaders, even those countries who are our enemies. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on how he handles matters at that time. The Bush Administration has been far more 'isolationist' in this respect than any previous US Administration.
Senator Obama does propose to intervene in several countries in this speech and I invite everyone's attention to this fact. I think he is wrong to propose such a thing, but then Senator McCain seems far more inclined to 'intervene' in a rather stronger way than Senator Obama has proposed.
The upshot, boys and girls, is that speech IS substantive. He answered his critics, especially The Clinton Clan and Rush Limbaugh, and did a fine job of it. Whether you agree with what he proposes or not, he did put forward some idea of what he intends to do.
Now it's John McCain's turn. What, pray tell, are John McCain's ideas on dealing with our energy needs and conservation efforts. Will he adopt a plan similar to Mitt Romney's? Or will he follow the advice of his Democrat buddies in the House and Senate? Both of these men lay claim to 'greenish' tendencies, but Senator Obama made it clear that he understands that energy is a National Security issue.
Whither John McCain? Will he enlighten us on his real intentions, or does he even know where he is headed?
...that still does not make me wrong, does it?You see, Obama is a religious Icon, not an actual candidate. He's the Christ figure, the virgin and the golden calf all in one.
His followers are looking for a Savior not a leader. There is a difference, if you know the difference.
...they say I'M the drug user....
Can't you tinfoil-hat-in-moms-basement types practice a little brevity?
Like Obama, you talk, but say nothing...
Again, none of that makes me wrong.
somebody just pulled the gloves off. SP4, you got an enemy out there.
At any rate, if these are our two candidates, we've got nobody to vote for. Pretty sad; all the people we had to choose from and we went all the way to the bottom of the barrel.
Seeing as how SPfool is too stoned to read his own posts, I present a short version.
Ladies and gentlemen, SP4 is a drug addict. Not only that, but he is a drug grower. The following posts are from a drug growers site called Grasscity.com
Google Grasscity.com forums. Click on 'search' on the right side of the bar. Type in SP4 in the 'Search by User Name.' Enter the provided image verification. Scroll down a bit and press the 'search now' button. DO NOT push 'enter,' you'll just go in a loop.
SP4 has 13 posts on this site looking for information on how to better his yield.
Having lived in the heart of a major growing district, I have picked up information that he could use, like how to grow and not get any seeds and as a result get a higher quality product (37% THC content). However, as I do not smoke or grow or have anything to do with that sh*t, I'm not going to tell him and he can continue to rot his brain with that crap that he grows or buys. It is obvious from his juvenile rants and positions on this site that his brain is seriously screwed. He must have smoked too much of that Paraquat-soaked Mexican brickweed.
IF the druggie ever graduates from Vet school, don't take your pet to him. He'll be stoned and will kill it due to incompetance. Then he'll eat your critter because he has the munchies. SP4 has seriously skewed his neurochemistry.
Short enough for you to read, SPFOOL?
AUDIENCE: (Glassy eyed and drooling) 'Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!'
Guess they are too young to remember Pol Pot.
And no, there is no substance here In Obamas speech, just easy pot shots at lobbyists, (How courageous, what is he going to denounce next? Crack whores? Good of him to take on the large pro-lobbyist movement in the USA.) misconceptions about NAFTA (If this guy doesn't understand trade deals how can he be considered eligible for the presidency?) and deliberate mis characterizations about McCains 100 years comment. (In other words more lies from a political hack.)
Look at his short record in the senate rather then his pretty yet vague words... Senator Obama is the most liberal person in the Senate in 2007, according to National Journal -- Left of Teddy Kennedy. The most extreme in the party. Is this an extreme liberal country? Is 'extreme anything' a reasoned and mature way of looking at the world?
Obama is downright dangerous to the United States.
You know, if you're abusing substances, this might account for the rambling diatribe above.
I suggest rehab. It will change your life. After all, in the words of Dean Wormer: 'Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son!'
'...they say I'M the drug user....
Can't you tinfoil-hat-in-moms-basement types practice a little brevity?
Like Obama, you talk, but say nothing...
Again, none of that makes me wrong.'
THEY? The paranoid stoner sees conspiracies.
Wrong? Nope, he's just smashed out of his gourd and not making any sense at all.
'Seeing as how SPfool is too stoned to read his own posts, I present a short version. Ladies and gentlemen, SP4 is a drug addict. '
LOL! The M&C stalker strikes again! Wrong on the last one crazy on this one... Why don't you challenge what he is saying rather then trying to smear him?
Because you are too stupid to do so?
'Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son!'
Reply: fat, stoned and stupid is no way to go through life, moron. Go to detox, a-hole.
Obama is actually pretty cozy with the Coal compaines. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect THEY have a lobbiest or two, right? I'd imagine they had made a visit or two to Obama in the past...
How's THAT workin out, Barak?
sloppy attempt, spdruggie, using an alias to try and weasel out of the hole you dug yourself into. You're shot. You have no credibility whatsoever. Crawl back into your stash and blow the rest of your brains out.
'I'd imagine they had made a visit or two to Obama in the past...'
Another drug-dream, addict?
'sloppy attempt, spdruggie, using an alias to try and weasel out of the hole you dug yourself into.'
That is your playbook not mine you paranoid loser. Again, why don't you try to break his argument rather then calling SP4 (of all people) a pot head.
SP4, you dirty hippy you. Riding around in your VW microbus, stinking of Patchouli, listening to Dead bootlegs....
And posting consistently arch conservative ramblings on M&C... It makes perfect sense! LOL!
You are a great clown Miss Stalker-troll!
...how'd you know about the dead bootlegs...?
hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
They always sucked! All their music sounds the same.
..it's amazing the number of dems who just don't want Hillary!
Jesus! Who knew?
...dems still hate Hillary. Welcome to the club!
blathers on and on. Smoke another one and pass out, you idiot.
Ironic... a leftist that has a problem with smoking pot.
RE:'AUDIENCE: (Glassy eyed and drooling) 'Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!'
Which matters more, a football game or an election?
RE:'Guess they are too young to remember Pol Pot.'
Damned few people remember anything about Pol Pot because our beloved 'news' media said as little as possible about him and what he was doing.
RE:'And no, there is no substance here In Obamas speech...'
Well, let's see. There is an enormous amount of substance in this speech, but it is not delivered in a dry manner. His substantive statements are dolled up rumbling oratory that simply flows into the room, and his entire performance is packaged in wonderfully crafted ruffles and flourishes. Neither the Clintons nor Senator McCain can deliver their messages this way, so they are both at a disadvantage. To compound their problems, they mistake Senator Obama's eloquence for a lack of substance and make repeated efforts to belittle his skilled oratory. This is a horrible mistake for them. His magnificent oratory is what people like the most about Senator Obama. Making fun of his eloquence backfires immediately. If you don't believe me, take a look at the Clintons' declining position in the polls.
Quoting Senator Obabama's speech:
'Look at his short record in the senate rather then his pretty yet vague words... Senator Obama is the most liberal person in the Senate in 2007, according to National Journal -- Left of Teddy Kennedy. The most extreme in the party. Is this an extreme liberal country? Is 'extreme anything' a reasoned and mature way of looking at the world?'
Quoting a famous Republican; 'Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.'
RE:'Obama is downright dangerous to the United States.'
And there is no chance that the generally bellicose Senator McCain could ever be? Or that the inconstant or totally self-involved Clintons are not? Give it rest.
The real danger here, all ready demonstrated by the Clintons' electoral failure, is that Senator McCain will misread and therefore employ the wrong tactics against Senator Obama. As I am writing this, the McCain campaign is repeating the Billary's mistakes. What could possibly be sillier and what could more clearly demonstrate the incompetence of a candidate and his supporting staff? If they cannot see the real threat here, then they do not deserve jobs in the Whitehouse.
I'm looking forward to their debates. Let the chips fall where they will.
LOL!Feb 20th, 2008 - 19:54:02
Ironic... a leftist that has a problem with smoking pot.
SPdug addict running under yet another nom-de-web. I'm nay leftist, laddie. I'm anti-dope. And you are a fricking dope.
A.K.A. old c--k breath..
I'll tell you when it's me.
It still amazes me how many dems hate Hillary! Jesus! Who knew?
'SP4: Listen up, Bitch...Feb 20th, 2008 - 21:23:18
I'll tell you when it's me.'
Nice language, druggie. Do you eat with that mouth? Oops, I forgot, you don't know which orifice is used for eating. Smoke another one, just like the other one. You've got two brain cells that aren't addled, yet.
'Which matters more, a football game or an election? '
It depends on the game and the election. I am not too big on either contest being decided by the cheerleaders.
'Damned few people remember anything about Pol Pot because our beloved 'news' media said as little as possible about him and what he was doing.'
Indeed, it's too bad the media isn't doing their job again and creating this little darling out of verbose oratories and hot air.
'There is an enormous amount of substance in this speech,'
Such as? Seriously. Lots of vague promises and lofty words do not add up to substance. We are coming up on a 10 TRILLION dollar national debt yet we have ambiguous allusions to unworkable concepts that are going to bankrupt us in a very big way.
'His [edited for accuracy] statements are dolled up rumbling oratory that simply flows into the room, and his entire performance is packaged in wonderfully crafted ruffles and flourishes'
So were Hitlers.
'To compound their problems, they mistake Senator Obama's eloquence for a lack of substance and make repeated efforts to belittle his skilled oratory'
I haven't heard anyone belittle his skills as an orator, I think they are outstanding. There is a huge gulf between being a gifted orator who can pass himself as a warm and cuddly ink-blot test and a recognition that what he is spouting are vague platitudes that are carefully crafted not to inform but to 'inspire'. So what does that leave you? Inspired idiots joining a cult of personality whose only real policy is 'hope and change, change and hope.'
I fear that nothing else is going to matter to these inspired zombies and little else has been offered. (Other then surrendering in Iraq now that there is irrefutable proof that we can salvage the mission and a health care plan that simply will not work.) (Oh, almost forgot, lobbyists = bad.)
' His magnificent oratory is what people like the most about Senator Obama. '
Sure, oratory over resume, glitz over reality...
'Making fun of his eloquence backfires immediately.'
How about making fun of the drooling dupes who hop on this bandwagon, can I do that?
''Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.''
You will note that it didn't get Barry elected. Regardless, Obamas extremism is not in the defense of 'liberty' it is in the defense of a particular ideology that as YOU in particular here might have noted doesn't have anything to do with 'liberty'. The most intolerant people I have EVER come across regard themselves as 'liberals'. Take a look at what has been posted even on this thread. These people demonstrate that it is not about 'liberty' it is about control and they do it constantly.
'And there is no chance that the generally bellicose Senator McCain could ever be? '
'Generally bellicose Johnny' will be offset by a congress that will gridlock him however they can.
'Or that the inconstant or totally self-involved Clintons are not? '
The Clintons and Obama would have no checks and balances to slow them down for at least 2 years. Say whatever you wish about the Clintons, they didn't spend the way Obama is poised to.
'The real danger here, all ready demonstrated by the Clintons' electoral failure, is that Senator McCain will misread and therefore employ the wrong tactics against Senator Obama.'
Perhaps. I quite frankly haven't figured out to persuade people who have decided that they are going to believe something regardless of whatever pesky facts are presented to them. The 'real danger here' is that you can't argue with crazy people. Be they religious nuts, suicide bombers or those who have been 'saved' by the cult of change-hope-change.
Congratulations stalker, you did the impossible: You made SP4 cool!
He isn't cool. He's growing drugs. He is in possession of drugs. These are federal offences. He is not cool, he's a criminal. Hang him. He should be dismantling his grow-show before the DEA come knocking(any second now).
And you are an idiotic turd from a long line of runny sh*ts.
Re:'It depends on the game and the election. I am not too big on either contest being decided by the cheerleaders.'
My point is that the behavior you are seeing is little different from that exhibited by fans at a football game and elections are ALWAYS decided by us fans.
RE:'Such as? Seriously. Lots of vague promises and lofty words do not add up to substance. We are coming up on a 10 TRILLION dollar national debt yet we have ambiguous allusions to unworkable concepts that are going to bankrupt us in a very big way.'
And your point is? The speech is substantive precisely because it reveals these things that you do not like. I am going to cut the thing up major point by major point because there is a lot of it that I do not agree with, but I am here to tell you that attacking Obama's voters or attacking his oratorical skills is a hideously dangerous mistake. Doing that will literally hand the White House to him. It is necessary to criticize his arguments, not him or his fans. I slash on his speech in a series of separate posts.
RE:'So were Hitlers.'
Absolutely true! It is a talent of a great many successful politicians, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for instance. Roosevelt was a long way from being an opposite of Hitler. He and Hitler shared a great many characteristics in common.
RE:'I haven't heard anyone belittle his skills as an orator, I think they are outstanding. There is a huge gulf between being a gifted orator who can pass himself as a warm and cuddly ink-blot test and a recognition that what he is spouting are vague platitudes that are carefully crafted not to inform but to 'inspire'. So what does that leave you? Inspired idiots joining a cult of personality whose only real policy is 'hope and change, change and hope.'
You just now in the paragraph above, belittled his oratorical skill by declaring devoid of content and you belittled his voters. His speeches were NOT empty and his voters are not necessarily idiots. They are as sincere in their beliefs in his ideology as he is. Sure, it's 'Big Rock CAndy Mountain' all over again, but people still read horoscopes, too.
RE:'(Other then surrendering in Iraq now that there is irrefutable proof that we can salvage the mission and a health care plan that simply will not work.) (Oh, almost forgot, lobbyists = bad.)
This list of things you are complaining about are what gives his speech substance. He is giving his position on these issues. He is, in other words handing out ammunition to be used against him. This happens to EVERYONE and ANYONE who makes a substantive argument. There is no need to belittle the man or his voters. There IS great need to refute his arguments and demonstrate the folly of his positions.
RE:'Sure, oratory over resume, glitz over reality...'
He really does mean to do what he says. That is the reality he is conveying to everyone. This man is as sincere as they come. People respond to that kind of sincerity, even when they do not entirely agree with the person's stated goals. He employs the politics of envy better than anyone I have ever seen. I do not like this, but it most certainly IS substantive. The leftists have been beating conservatives to death with this kind of politics for decades. It can be and should be refuted, but name calling will not do the job!
RE:'How about making fun of the drooling dupes who hop on this bandwagon, can I do that?'
Sure, but it will not help your cause one iota. All that ever does is anger your opponents and stiffen his neck. Such tactics are only useful in certain very special circumstances when you know you can cause your opponent to lose his/her temper and make a silly mistake. Doing this now is like walking into a beer joint and shouting, 'Line up or bunch up! I'm a gonna whip every ass in here.' Believe me, they WILL bunch up.
RE:'You will note that it didn't get Barry elected. Regardless, Obamas extremism is not in the defense of 'liberty' it is in the defense of a particular ideology that as YOU in particular here might have noted doesn't have anything to do with 'liberty'.'
Absolutely true, but will John McCain actually step up to the bat and DEFEND LIBERTY at home? I remain unconvinced. I have no clear understanding of his intentions, and have serious doubts about his abilities.
RE:'The most intolerant people I have EVER come across regard themselves as 'liberals'. Take a look at what has been posted even on this thread. These people demonstrate that it is not about 'liberty' it is about control and they do it constantly.'
This mirrors my own experience. I have also noticed that they are the very worst sort of greedy-guts you will ever find. I suspect that they are leftists because they think that everyone is as venal and domineering as they are.
RE:'The Clintons and Obama would have no checks and balances to slow them down for at least 2 years. Say whatever you wish about the Clintons, they didn't spend the way Obama is poised to.'
They would certainly TAX as though they were going to spend that way though, wouldn't they? John McCain is unlikely to have any such checks and balances on domestic matters. Liberty really is in a dangerous situation here.
RE:'Perhaps. I quite frankly haven't figured out to persuade people who have decided that they are going to believe something regardless of whatever pesky facts are presented to them. The 'real danger here' is that you can't argue with crazy people. Be they religious nuts, suicide bombers or those who have been 'saved' by the cult of change-hope-change.'
Then we have nothing to lose by doing the job properly, do we?
anything important? I fell asleep about 1/4 of the way through his monologue.
Quoting the first sentence of Senator Obama's speech.
'Houston, I think we've achieved liftoff here.'
This was a stroke of genius. He started his speech with a sentence that hearkened back to, 'Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has Landed.' Younger people may not remember or even know the thrill that shot up everyone's spine when that crackling voice came in from the moon. Even today it makes chills run up and down my spine.
He used this imagery throughout the entire speech to make it emotive. From this point on, he referred to the audience as 'Houston' and it worked like a champ. It reminded everyone old enough of the times of JFK and the days of the US meeting every challenge thrown at its feet. Ronald Reagen was good at making a crowd feel good about itself as well. Obama has noticed that and he is doing the exact same thing, only I think he may well be doing a better job of inspiring people on an emotional level than Reagan did. I think he secretly admires Reagen for his polish and his leadership skills. He seems to have studied Reagen very closely--along with a large number of other successful leaders as well.
The other thing this accomplishes is that it provides Obama with an extraordinarily effective shield. Anyone foolish enough to mar this sheen is going to be vilified by the majority almost immediately. Anyone wanting to refute Obama's arguments, or wanting to attack his positions, must take care not to mar the wonderfully polished surface of that shield.
It would be a very dangerous thing to underestimate this man or to doubt his leadership skills. He's got 'em in spades and he is intelligent enough to use them well.
his tune, again. Only a short time ago he was slagging Obama with the rest of the neocon dog pack. This guy changes his position more often than a hooker changes 'partners'.
Quoting Senator Obama again:
Here he uses all the tricks known to cookware and encyclopedia salesman. He could probably make as good a living selling pots as he could practicing law. The amazing thing he did here is that he started closing the deal before he started his pitch.
=========================================================
'Now, there's a little bit of business that we've got to do before we get into the main event. Early voting has started here in Texas.
(APPLAUSE)
Early voting has started here in Texas. And so everybody has received one of these cards, and everybody knows that you can start voting today. And if you didn't vote today, you can start tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that.
But we have early voting in Texas. I don't want you to wait until March 4th. I want you to go ahead and start voting tomorrow here in Texas.
(APPLAUSE)
You've got February 19th until 29th to vote, and you can also vote on election day, March 4th.
Now, I know this was explained to you. This is a little confusing. You're going to have to do two things for me now.
Not only do you have to vote -- and we would prefer you to vote early -- but on election day, March 4th, you're going to have to attend the caucus at 7 p.m. to get us a few more delegates.
(APPLAUSE) Can everybody do that, Houston? Everybody going to do that?
(APPLAUSE)
==========================================================
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
===========================================================
This is shameless plagiarism. He stole it from Cesar Chavez who wanted the borders closed and illegal immigrants from Mexico and points south deported. However, it is genius from a sales standpoint. Why? Because every good salesmen will tell you that you want your prospect nodding his or her head early on in the presentation. Here, Senator Obama has them CHANTING the word yes.
============================================================
MR. OBAMA: Yes, we can.
And on the back -- on the back here are all the sites for all the early voting locations, so you don't have an excuse for not going. And we want you to grab your cousin, and your uncle, and your niece, and your nephew. Don't go alone. Take some friends and family to the polls.
Now, we just heard that we won tonight in Wisconsin.
(APPLAUSE)
And I am grateful to the people of Wisconsin for their friendship, and their support, and their extraordinary civic pride.
You know, in Wisconsin when you go to vote it's five degrees outside. But that has not deterred people from Milwaukee to Green Bay to Eau Claire, all across that state, from casting their ballot and exercising their civic duty.
(APPLAUSE)
We also have a caucus in Hawaii tonight. It's too early to know how that will turn out. It's too early to know, but we do know this. We do know this, Houston: The change we seek is still months and miles away, and we need the good people of Texas to help us get there.
(APPLAUSE)
We will need you to fight for every delegate it takes to win this nomination. And if we win the nomination, if we are blessed and honored to win the nomination, then we're going to need your help to win the election in November.
(APPLAUSE)
And if we win that election in November, then we are going to need your help and your time, your energy, your enthusiasm, your mobilization, your organization, and your voices to help us change America over the next four years.
(APPLAUSE)
Because understand this, Houston: As wonderful as this gathering is, as exciting as these enormous crowds and this enormous energy may be, what we're trying to do here is not easy, and it will not happen overnight.
It is going to take more than big rallies. It's going to require more than rousing speeches. It will also require more than policy papers and positions and Web sites. It is going to require something more, because the problem that we face in America today is not the lack of good ideas. It's that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die... '
==================================================
He finishes the sales close with a funny and very acerbic line, even though it ignores the reasoning used to construct our polity, and then moves on to the all important Rah-Rah-Sis-Boom-Bah that will cause his prospects to leave the convention hall excited about him and what he has to sell.
This is genius at work here. John McCain will have to learn to subtly emulate Senator Obama if he wants to win this race.
Quoting Senator Obama:
=======================================================
Here is another old sales trick, make the prospect feel an urgent need for what you are selling.
=======================================================
'I'm not running because I think it's somehow owed to me. I'm running because of what Dr. King called the fierce urgency of now, the fierce urgency of now.
(APPLAUSE)
Because there's such a thing, Houston, as being too late, and that hour is almost upon us. We are at a defining moment in our history. Our nation is at war. Our planet is in peril. The dream that so many generations fought for feels like it's slowly slipping away.
======================================================
Our planet is in peril? In the minds of many this is true. I happen to believe, after long and careful consideration that it IS true, but not because we are dumping too much CO2 into the atmosphere. But what I believe here is not what matters. What matters is that it gives what he is saying an aura of urgency, and importance. WE MUST ACT NOW.
======================================================
You see it in your own lives and in your own neighborhoods. The stories I told you are not unique. Everywhere I go, I hear the same stories. People are working harder for less; they've never paid more for college, never paid more for gas at the pump.
====================================================
This is true as well, mostly because of what most economists regard to be 'mild' inflation. Also, NASA has been something of a flub, hasn't it? There are also our screw ups in Vietnam, Somalia and Iraq to moan about. We were expecting to be cruising down the highway in cars that could handle 120 mph of hours on end and maybe even have really cheap and safe general aviation. Remember all those shiny doohickies we were promised back in the sixties and seventies? How many of them have you seen? What did we really get? Computers and inflation. Both have had profound impacts on our society. The impact of inflation has been wholly negative and the impact of computers has been mixed. Nothing around us seems all that inspiring anymore, does it? Now, along comes Obama! Awright!
He is one of the best salesmen I have ever seen.
smoking pot with SPdruggie? He just prattles on and on and on. Boring. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Quoting Senator Obama:
'Our health care system leaves 47 million people without health insurance.And those who have it are seeing their co-payments and deductibles and premiums going up year after year after year after year.'
========================================================
This is a true statement. He is using it to reinforce the sense of urgency he wants to induce in the minds of his prospects. Here he is using substance to his advantage.
========================================================
'Despite the slogans, our children, millions of them, are being left behind, unable to compete in an international economy. In such circumstances, Houston, we cannot afford to wait. We cannot wait to fix our schools. We cannot wait to fix our health care system. We cannot wait to put an end to global warming. We cannot wait to bring good jobs with good benefits back to the United States. We cannot wait to end this war in Iraq. We cannot wait.'
=======================================================
All true statements. All of it matter of substance. All of it used to incite urgency in his prospective voters. Senator Obama is GOOD at this. Notice, that all of these issues ARE urgent and that arguments over their solutions can rage on for weeks on end.
Quoting Senator Oabam:
'We cannot wait. And one year ago, one year ago when I made the decision to run, it was based on the belief that the size of our challenges had outstripped the capacity of a broken and divided politics to solve.
And I was certain that the American people were hungry for something new, that they were tired of a politics that tears each other down. They wanted a politics that would lift the country up, that they had grown weary of a politics that was based on spin and P.R. They wanted a politics that was based on honesty and truthfulness and straight talk to the American people.
I was convinced, most of all, that change in America does not happen from the top down. It happens from the bottom up.'
How many of us have made this same complaint about what goes on in Washington DC? Nearly all of us. How many of us want the status quo? Almost none of us.
Here is simply getting his prospects to agree with him by saying things that they all believe and have moaned and groaned about. A good salesman is always careful to keep his prospects thinking, 'Yes.'
hey guy, i mentioned once before how i can at least occasionally appreciate what you post, and i will mention it again. i think that you have offered an accurate, if lengthy appraisal of the political rhetoric of the leading candidates. I can relate to you because i sense that you are a realist, and not kindred spirit to the ilks of idiot spfool and 'give me a break', who rants incoherently comparing Obama to Cambodian Pol Pot. 'gmab' is correct with his comparison in only one aspect: both Obama and Pol Pot are true 'made in America' products. By the way I recently completed a five nation SE Asia tour that included observing Kymer Rouge bullet holes in the sacred temple ruins of Ankor Wat, and seeing countless persons with missing limbs because of American made land mines, etc. Noharness, don't let your crazed detractors diminish your capacity for accurate critiques, and thanks for being one of the few coherent thinkers who post on this site.
'elections are ALWAYS decided by us fans. '
Fine, how well is that working? What you are saying is the most glitzy presentation wins. Gee, would we have had a Lincoln that way? He was ugly and had a screechy voice. How about a FDR? He was in a wheel chair for heavens sake. Nine times out of 10 we could weather it, Noharness. I fear though that we are facing a specific set of challenges (The war against islamist terrorists, the ponderous national debt, our economic well being tied closely to our energy dependence, uncountable teachers unions, on and on...) that Obama is uniquely unsuited to handle. Indeed, thus far he hasn't demonstrated that he can handle much of anything.
'And your point is?'
(Ice cream headache again.)
'The speech is substantive precisely because it reveals these things that you do not like.'
Well, no. Substantive would be illuminating how he is going to pay for these fuzzy dreams of perfection and how he is going to silence the lobbyists without stifling freedom of speech and how we are going to guarantee that Iraq won't turn in to a bloody proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia that will cause a world wide depression and enable the terrorists that attacked us to claim, with some justification that they defeated both superpowers.
'You just now in the paragraph above, belittled his oratorical skill by declaring devoid of content and you belittled his voters'
Wrong on the first part, in fact I think he is an excellent orator precisely BECAUSE he can package ambiguous, glitzy slogans in a way that has people mesmerized. In other words, I think he is an excellent orator because he is an excellent salesman. Note, noharness, this is not an 'attack' this is my assessment. Whether it is exactly correct or not is irrelevant to coming up with a strategy to address it.
' Sure, it's 'Big Rock CAndy Mountain' all over again'
Heh, does that mean you think folks are in for a disappointment?
'This list of things you are complaining about are what gives his speech substance.'
Substance: 'practical importance'...'meaning'... What comes to mind when I read it is the idea of 'literary verisimilitude', or even 'truthyness'. The reason that I have called it 'substanceless' is that the way it is being packaged he is selling the ideal and not the idea. (Think 'Camelot' versus 'the bay of pigs'.) To be excruciatingly precise I understand and accept your point, where I believe I part company with you is the objective is not to put forth a compelling argument but to sell the 'dream', the 'mythic narrative'. I think that his followers are not so much attracted to the policies but to the 'mythic narrative' that he sells. That is the super-objective of his speeches and that might be the best way of breaking his candidacy. (Make a mental note of that.)
Yes, there are vagaries of policy wrapped in the 'All that you need to do in order to have 'hope' is to vote for this guy' message... (Hope for what? Change to what?) Well sorry, that sounds a lot like 'all you need to do in order to get free of all the evil is to become familiar with the writings of L Ron Hubbard...' Again, I get your point and you are correct: 'substanceless' is imprecise.
'He is, in other words handing out ammunition to be used against him.'
Yes. You are correct. He is also keeping his cards close to his vest.
'There is no need to belittle the man or his voters.'
Did you happen to just arrive here? :-D Some of his voters are sincerely nuts. Helping them to look foolish is a guilty pleasure. Taking the messiah down a peg might prove to be beneficial as well. Further, there are GENUINE items of concern about his past history that should be brought out in to the open.
'There IS great need to refute his arguments and demonstrate the folly of his positions.'
I agree. However this goes back to the 'that you can't argue with crazy people' part of the presentation.
'He really does mean to do what he says.'
Indeed.
'This man is as sincere as they come.'
In terms of effect perhaps. He is pushing a narrative that is tailored to dovetail with the needs and prejudices of a segment of the population, one that relies on a sense of grievance and frustration and seeks to provide scapegoats and remedies which can not nor should not be the business of government. Pandering to a misplaced and universal sense of grievance that comes with the human condition is not viable public policy. It also appeals to the inherently narcissistic and immature. (surprise) It is also the inverse of 'ask not what your country can do for you'...
'Sure, but it will not help your cause one iota. All that ever does is anger your opponents and stiffen his neck.'
It also serves to demonstrate the intellectual bankruptcy and the incredible self serving rationalizations that these people employ in order to maintain their 'identity'. When you can systematically show the leaps in logic, the selfishness that they call altruism, the bigotry they love to regard as open mindedness, the sliding scale of indignation, the conformity that they regard as rebellion, the cowardice on many levels...
I have to believe that there are some people out there who see that drawn out and demonstrated and feel some measure of disgust.
'Such tactics are only useful in certain very special circumstances when you know you can cause your opponent to lose his/her temper and make a silly mistake.'
That is commonplace. The fact that you would allow for that
'Believe me, they WILL bunch up.'
Just like cattle. Breaking the argument is not the same as physical assault, obviously. Tactically, I an not so sure that bunching up a group of laughingstocks isn't a bad idea. Look what it did for Ron Paul.
'but will John McCain actually step up to the bat and DEFEND LIBERTY at home?'
It will be as it always has been in a republic, you are given a choice between 2 viable candidates. Who do you think will do a better job or at least not a whole lot of damage until the next election cycle?
' John McCain is unlikely to have any such checks and balances on domestic matters.'
He is a fiscal conservative who has consistently shrunk the size of government and reduces spending. Zero earmarks in his career. I would have run like hell from him had that not been the case. That 10 trillion dollar debt is a threat to the existence of the USA. He is the best hope for dealing with it at this point.
'Liberty really is in a dangerous situation here.'
It probably sounds like an hysterical overreaction to some but I agree with that statement.
'Then we have nothing to lose by doing the job properly, do we?'
We have a lot to lose by losing.
noharness is congratulating noharness. these two are one and the same.
'noharness is congratulating noharness. these two are one and the same.'
So would It be stiffening this idiots neck to call him an idiot?
nope, it wouldn't hurt a bit because you can't spell. You used the plural of idiot, not the possessive form. You're the idiot. Don't forget your tokes before watching the moon. Make sure it doesn't float away, OK?
I want to assure resident ahole that I and Noharness are not one in the same. Go bend over and get reamed by your ahole butt buddies if you need more persuading
'I want to assure resident ahole that I and Noharness are not one in the same. Go bend over and get reamed by your ahole butt buddies if you need more persuading'
That is no way to talk about your good buddy SPfool.
says htis about himself on a far, far rightwing neocon news site.
'55 years old. college educated. middle-class background. fully employed all of my adult life. live in a small town. have traditional conservative values. admired barry goldwater. have served on my local church committees, local school board, zoning appeals board. long-time registered voter. open-minded, independent thinker.'
Definitely not a thinker at all, let alone an independent one. Just another small minded backwoods, uneducated bumkin, no wonder he admires noharness. They are so close they could be bum-chums.
oh, my goodness. Truconserv truly doesn't match his assesment of himself if he uses language like that. How un-church like. Definitely not a mature 55. But as a true conservative republican, he is well aquainted with the rear quarters. Done any toe tapping in men's washroom lately, tru, baby?
Why does he have bluish-gray lips?
Re:'Noharness, don't let your crazed detractors diminish your capacity for accurate critiques, and thanks for being one of the few coherent thinkers who post on this site.'
You are quite welcome and I will do my best. Thank you very much.
RE:'So would It be stiffening this idiots neck to call him an idiot?'
Actually, you only stiffen another part of this person's anatomy by calling him or her names. It is never a good idea to indulge a sado-masochist in their vices. This person's real goal is to disrupt serious discourse and whoever or whatever it is, should be persistently ignored.
RE:'Fine, how well is that working? What you are saying is the most glitzy presentation wins. Gee, would we have had a Lincoln that way? He was ugly and had a screechy voice. How about a FDR? He was in a wheel chair for heavens sake. Nine times out of 10 we could weather it, Noharness. I fear though that we are facing a specific set of challenges (The war against islamist terrorists, the ponderous national debt, our economic well being tied closely to our energy dependence, uncountable teachers unions, on and on...) that Obama is uniquely unsuited to handle. Indeed, thus far he hasn't demonstrated that he can handle much of anything.'
Okay, so you can make a real case against him, right? It is necessary then to make really good case and not simply dismiss him out of hand. If waving your hand and dismissing silly ideas worked, the Soviet Union would have died aborning.
The majority of people are susceptible to good salesmanship, that is all there is to it. Hell, I've fallen for it more times than I want to count and I work hard at seeing what I'm looking at while ignoring the hype. Barack Obama could sell freshly fallen snow in Alaska to Alaskans. He's that good.
RE:'Well, no. Substantive would be illuminating how he is going to pay for these fuzzy dreams of perfection and how he is going to silence the lobbyists without stifling freedom of speech and how we are going to guarantee that Iraq won't turn in to a bloody proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia that will cause a world wide depression and enable the terrorists that attacked us to claim, with some justification that they defeated both superpowers.'
These are all valid criticisms of the SUBSTANCE in his speech. This is one of the things I have been trying to get you to see. The quality of the substance is miserable, true enough, but the substance is there. What must be overcome, and overcome very carefully, is that magnificent salesmanship of his. The guy does not just have talent, he has studied this stuff. He has mastered it. If Senator McCain wants to beat Senator Obama during the general election, it will be necessary for him and his staff to show that accepting the substances of Obama's speeches would be little more than substance abuse. Having said that, I don't think that a direct assault on him, or his speaking ability, or his character will serve that end.
What Senator McCain must do to win this is to first and foremost sell his own ideas. Every good salesman will tell you that bashing the other guy's product is a hazardous technique. Obama is a better salesman that McCain. John McCain will have to use his head for something other than a battering ram to defeat this kid.
Re:'Wrong on the first part, in fact I think he is an excellent orator precisely BECAUSE he can package ambiguous, glitzy slogans in a way that has people mesmerized. In other words, I think he is an excellent orator because he is an excellent salesman. Note, noharness, this is not an 'attack' this is my assessment. Whether it is exactly correct or not is irrelevant to coming up with a strategy to address it.'
Fair enough. I agree that he is peddling the same old Marxist oogunga that has been around for far too long and has cost who knows how many lives. It has failed everywhere tried and failed miserably. This is something that should be pointed out, but not necessarily by Senator McCain. He should let grumpy old farts like us do that job.
RE:'Heh, does that mean you think folks are in for a disappointment?'
Absolutely. John McCain should be playing that song once in a while before he makes a speech. When he speaks, then he should focus in on reality as sharply as he can and ignore Barack Obama as much as he possibly can. Were I John McCain, I would act as though the guy did not exist.
Barack Obama has been laying the groundwork for his Houston Speech for months. His timing for delivering the larger part of his message was absolutely perfect. Senator McCain must now start laying the groundwork for his own breakthrough oratory. He needs to focus on selling his own stuff for right now, not answering his critics or attacking Obama. That strategy will fail.
RE:'....The reason that I have called it 'substanceless' is that the way it is being packaged he is selling the ideal and not the idea...'
BINGO! But this ephemeral schtuff has a very real effect, doesn't it? What you have to chew on here is the difference between the dream and the reality and you have to do that in detail. You cannot simply dismiss it as being silly. That will not overcome Obama's masterful delivery.
Re:'(Think 'Camelot' versus 'the bay of pigs'.) To be excruciatingly precise I understand and accept your point, where I believe I part company with you is the objective is not to put forth a compelling argument but to sell the 'dream', the 'mythic narrative'. I think that his followers are not so much attracted to the policies but to the 'mythic narrative' that he sells. That is the super-objective of his speeches and that might be the best way of breaking his candidacy. (Make a mental note of that.)'
I will not venture an opinion on this. You may well be right. I do know that Senator McCain should be tightly focused on his own message right now, because no one really knows what that might be. He has yet to make a single coherent presentation of his intentions.
RE:'Yes, there are vagaries of policy wrapped in the 'All that you need to do in order to have 'hope' is to vote for this guy' message... (Hope for what? Change to what?) Well sorry, that sounds a lot like 'all you need to do in order to get free of all the evil is to become familiar with the writings of L Ron Hubbard...''
Or Joseph Stalin, or Pol Pot, or Hugo Chavez, or Kim Jong-il, the list is fairly long, but you have to remember that every American President needs this aura of leadership about them or they cannot maintain the support they need to get things done. Contrast Barry Goldwater with Ronald Reagan for an example.
RE:'Again, I get your point and you are correct: 'substanceless' is imprecise.'
Good, because whatever tactics you choose, you should bear this in mind while making the choice.
The truly amusing thing about all this is that The Clintons cannot defend themselves from Senator Obama's onslaught because they peddle a line of oogunga that is very little different from the Senator's, but neither of them are in his class as salesmen. They are doomed to lose this fight and I see that as a very good thing.
I would very much prefer to see the White House in Republican hands, but whither John McCain? Is he a Gooper or is he a RINO? Will he insist on getting something in return from our celebrated leftists when he 'reaches across the aisle' or will he give away the store? If the latter is true, I had rather see a Democrat take the White House and gamble on the American people electing a Gooper majority in the Legislature.
RE:'Did you happen to just arrive here? :-D Some of his voters are sincerely nuts.'
Yes, I have noticed and I often think that the Clintonistas are actually worse off Obama-ramas.
RE:'Helping them to look foolish is a guilty pleasure. Taking the messiah down a peg might prove to be beneficial as well. Further, there are GENUINE items of concern about his past history that should be brought out in to the open.'
Far be it from me to admonish others for enjoying their minor vices. I have few of my own.
RE:'I agree. However this goes back to the 'that you can't argue with crazy people' part of the presentation.'
Don't waste time bashing the other guy's brand.
In terms of effect perhaps. He is pushing a narrative that is tailored to dovetail with the needs and prejudices of a segment of the population, one that relies on a sense of grievance and frustration and seeks to provide scapegoats and remedies which can not nor should not be the business of government. Pandering to a misplaced and universal sense of grievance that comes with the human condition is not viable public policy. It also appeals to the inherently narcissistic and immature. (surprise) It is also the inverse of 'ask not what your country can do for you'...
Re'It also serves to demonstrate the intellectual bankruptcy and the incredible self serving rationalizations that these people employ in order to maintain their 'identity'. When you can systematically show the leaps in logic, the selfishness that they call altruism, the bigotry they love to regard as open mindedness, the sliding scale of indignation, the conformity that they regard as rebellion, the cowardice on many levels...
I have to believe that there are some people out there who see that drawn out and demonstrated and feel some measure of disgust.'
Don't be overwhelmed by the disgust. Maintain control and attack the faulty ideas, not the people espousing them.
Re'It will be as it always has been in a republic, you are given a choice between 2 viable candidates. Who do you think will do a better job or at least not a whole lot of damage until the next election cycle?'
That is the very question I am still trying to answer.
RE:'It probably sounds like an hysterical overreaction to some but I agree with that statement.'
Then neither of us should be surprised, should we? The price of Liberty is constant vigilance. I forgot who said that, but he or she was right.
RE:'We have a lot to lose by losing.'
Oh, you better betcha!
keep in mind that sp4 is retarded like his buddy bush is.
2 peas in a pod
...that does not make either of us wrong.
Yep, dumb ol Bush...he just keeps wining, year after year...
What is he dumb at? Politics? I don't think so....
Did you read the article in Rolliing Stone how the dems have sold their party out?
By all means, get back to us on that.
Good stuff Noharness, Ill revisit it this evening.
“Okay, so you can make a real case against him, right? “
Of course.
“It is necessary then to make really good case and not simply dismiss him out of hand.”
It is going to be necessary to make a real good case against him (his ideas) and For McCain. That goes without saying.
“The majority of people are susceptible to good salesmanship,”
McCain is never going to be able to out salesmanship this guy. That is just the fact and it would be stupid to take him head on and try to out “sell” him. That is a hard realization that doesn't have anything to do with the respective quality of each mans position or his character.
“He's that good.”
Unfortunately.
“The quality of the substance is miserable, true enough, but the substance is there.”
Again, I get your point. Yes, regarding his more recent speeches there is enough to be put to use against him. Here to fore we have been inundated with the (substanceless) “beyond partisanship” hype from his campaign but as you point out he has very partisan positions. Showing the gulf between the 'super-message' and the facts will be a part of showing that the messiah isn’t genuine.
What I have been trying to articulate here is it isn’t going to be enough to sell Mac and his “ideas” and make Baracks look like the standard, generic FAR left agenda that they are. Obama taps in to something that is greater then the sum of his disastrous positions. He fulfills a need that is not necessarily interconnected with the policies he is advocating. I 'Lonesome No More!' out of Vonnegut's 'Slapstick' springs to mind
“What Senator McCain must do to win this is to first and foremost sell his own ideas.”
You are correct in that he needs to get his ideas out better and hone his message. But lets face it; if the McCain campaign simply tries to “out salesman” him they are going to get their asses kicked.
“Every good salesman will tell you that bashing the other guy's product is a hazardous technique.”
And if the other guys product is genuinely hazardous?
“Obama is a better salesman that McCain.”
Indeed, but the product stinks. What you have said is that Mac needs to sell his ideas better. Agreed. I think he needs to focus. I also think that it is vital to show the gulf between the glitz and the nuts and bolts of what Obama is selling. “Hazardous” or not it is going to have to be done eventually.
“It has failed everywhere tried and failed miserably.”
Why the hell can’t people get their heads around that? What is so romantic about frustration?
“This is something that should be pointed out, but not necessarily by Senator McCain.”
Yes. (Timing is the thing here.) I see what you are saying but also this is something that he is actually quite good at that. (He enjoys it I suspect)
In a visceral way, Obamas “authenticity” is going to need to be challenged, as is the authenticity of the “mythic narrative” that his campaign is peddling. It is one thing to be able to kick the legs out of this thing with but another to go for the head at the same time. I suspect that simply selling a better idea will not be enough to make things decisive when you are competing with people who are being driven by an appeal to their emotional needs instead of an examination of competing proposals.
“Senator McCain must now start laying the groundwork for his own breakthrough oratory.”
His set of problems are different at the moment from Obamas. His breakthrough oratory will come during the convention. And he will need several more throughout the campaign.
“He needs to focus on selling his own stuff for right now,”
Yes.
“not answering his critics”
Some things you have to answer or they take on a life of their own. One of McCain’s dilemmas is that the press absolutely adores Obama. Funny, Hillary can’t seem to get arrested these days.
“or attacking Obama.”
There will come a time for that. Too much now and people will get sick of it.
“You cannot simply dismiss it as being silly.”
I do not. Not at all. Alarming is the word.
“He has yet to make a single coherent presentation of his intentions.”
He needs to focus. He needs to have it all ready before the primaries end. Remember though, the set of challenges now are going to be somewhat different after the conventions.
“American President needs this aura of leadership about them or they cannot maintain the support they need to get things done.”
How could any of us have been allowed to forget that these past few years? Part of the aura of leadership is legitimacy. No?
“Is he a Gooper or is he a RINO? “
Well… You are talking to someone who is horrified at the deficits, the growth of government, the mismanagement of the wars, the backsliding in standards for citizenship and education, he pathetic joke that is our southern border, etc… All with the blessings of the goopers. Honestly, If I could find a democrat like Harry Truman instead of Harry Reid left you might call me a “Rino. “
“If the latter is true, I had rather see a Democrat take the White House and gamble on the American people electing a Gooper majority in the Legislature.”
A Gop legislature is not going to happen In a system that is so dedicated to keeping in the incumbents. Mark my words, the damage that Obama could do at this juncture is horrific.
“Don't waste time bashing the other guy's brand.”
It is going to need to be addressed. There is an element of 'the next big thing' in peoples decision making going on here. Pointing out when people are making decisions that are this important to be a part of a fad isn't necessarily underestimating the power of the fad. It might just be giving them a shortcut to get buyers remorse:
bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1074977
Let's just hope the buyer's remorse does not set in until AFTER the Democratic primary's are over. As risky as all this is, we have a chance here to be shut of two birds with one stone. This assumes that Senator McCain can defeat Senator Obama in the general election, which I can see that you realize is a tall order.
The thing that worries more about John McCain than his lack of salesmanship, is that he may not have ideas that far from Senator Obama's on a number of key issues. In the end, it will be the contrast between ideas, how one set of ideas kills the American spirit and how the other set sustains it, that will make the difference.
'Let's just hope the buyer's remorse does not set in until AFTER the Democratic primary's are over.'
Either way, long drawn out primary, super-deligate mischief or a GENUINE examination of this guy in the general election he cannot maintain this hysteria forever.
'As risky as all this is, we have a chance here to be shut of two birds with one stone.'
I would rather keep Hillary around as a cautionary tale. A known dragon is better then an unknown.
'which I can see that you realize is a tall order.'
It is a very tall order. We have a good man with a sterling character who is not an inherently strong candidate. That is being pitted against a human Rorschach test where everyone is being encouraged to see what they want to see. Yes, you are very correct that his ideas need to be vigorously challenged and hopefully that will be what does it. But this guy appeals to something other then ideas. He also, (note not exclusively by any means) appeals to something a whole lot different from 'substance' which I am not sure will be shaken by just running policy statements and counterarguments and appealing to the super-ego and not the id. We shall see.
'his lack of salesmanship'
It is a shame when you think about it. It goes back to the fact that we could not have had a Lincoln or even a Washington in this day and age. The way we are headed I fear that we will be looking at a president Paris Hilton in a couple of election cycles.
'is that he may not have ideas that far from Senator Obama's on a number of key issues.'
In terms of something like immigration reform, a key issue, it will be a matter of degrees. If you watched the debate last night you will notice that Obama basically said it would be a free for all as usual. I do not think McCains policy is strong enough but it is something as opposed to nothing. On energy, I haven't read either plan yet.
'In the end, it will be the contrast between ideas'
I hope so.
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