The World That Awaits

NEWSWEEK

« Return to Article

Discuss

Member Comments

  • Posted By: marley07 @ 10/26/2008 2:10:00 PM

    When did "rich" become a characteristic? Basically what Obama, Frank, Pelosi, and the rest of these dems are saying is we will punish achievement. So if you are trying to achieve something and become succesful, you will be punished for it. That is not America. In their world, you might as well not work and wait for someone else to do it so you can get your handout.

    • Posted By: neos @ 10/26/2008 2:22:35 PM

      What planet have you been living on? The progressive tax is not a startling new feature of American life. Those who have tried to undermine it have only served to widen the gap between rich and poor. Senator Obama wants to restore the middle class in this country after the beating it has taken from 8 long years of neocon misrule. A strong and thriving middle class is the hallmark of any democracy. If you would open your mind a crack you would understand that he wants to give people the possibility of working not the promise of free handouts.

      • Posted By: marley07 @ 10/26/2008 3:25:49 PM

        So you honestly think that government policy is the reason there is a gap between rich and poor? I know many people as examples including myself that started from nothing and worked our way to achieve something. It had nothing to do with government or tax policies from Bush or whatever argument you people make. It is called drive. Getting off your lazy ass, quit bitching and do something. Yeah, you actually might have to overcome adversity to do so. You think Warren Buffett gets richer becuase of government or because he can take more risk and get more leverage to make money? There is a reason rich get richer and it is not because of government policy.

        • Posted By: neos @ 10/26/2008 6:35:47 PM

          I guess it has eluded you that under Repub rule the gap increases between the rich and poor. And you have never, ever accepted anything from the government? Hah! Your obvious disdain for the less fortunate makes you sound more like Marley's partner than Marley..

    • Posted By: YashBudini @ 10/26/2008 3:29:49 PM

      Obama wants to return taxes to a previous level still below Reagan's. If that makes him a socialist then you're calling Reagan a true card carrying Communist. And of course as a true conservative you don't a rats butt how high the deficit goes for your kids, as long as you keep your money. Yes you share so much with humanity it just goes right off the scale.

  • Posted By: ariziowa @ 10/26/2008 5:52:42 PM

    My goodness. Ms. or Mr. maven. That was certainly uncalled for. Do you know any special needs adults?
    Oh, I forgot, you are a little brat.

  • Posted By: LVUONG @ 10/26/2008 5:51:55 PM

    Definitely, it is America's destiny, has Obama been tested to handle the international crises in the next 6 months? Even Biden does not have the right executive experience to do so. Is it America's destiny, Joe Biden and Michelle Obama as our presidents in the near future?? Remember Barack Obama is a smoker, and chances are he will get lung-cancer or throat-cancer.

  • Posted By: maven @ 10/26/2008 5:41:23 PM

    Not surprising that the rally for special needs kids in Indy was overwhelmingly pro-McCain. Anyone voting Republican this year is clearly a special needs adult

  • Posted By: morganrbarney @ 10/26/2008 5:27:00 PM

    A great start for the new president.

  • Posted By: Nowforthetruth @ 10/25/2008 5:02:52 PM

    Cuba, Vietnam. Laos, Cambodia, Iran, Nicaragua, Somalia, Iraq. Let our friends, allies and the innocents die, by the millions if necessary. Just so long as they are not Americans. We are the Democratic Party, and for 50 years, from the Bay of Pigs to the Basra Highway and beyond, we have never met a fight we could not pressure our government to run away from, or friends and allies we could not abandon. It's the story of our generation. Only the French are more defeatist than we, but together America, we can change that and become number one. And its change we can believe in. Come on America, and vote Democrat. Together, we can re-live that pride we haven't felt since the 1970's. If we just blindly pull together, we really can make this like it is Jimmy Carter's lost second term. Yes we can!

    • Posted By: Vypurr @ 10/25/2008 7:07:35 PM

      Obama's follower's will argue that he will be tough! He has a spine of steel! Yes, we can now go to war if President Obama says so! Lol... What will he do with Iran? History tells us he will do nothing.... just as he voted regarding Iraq. What will he do when Vladimir Puten places nukes in Venezuela? Opps... now he's dealing with the big boys! All these guys love pacifists like Carter, Clinton and yes, Obama.

      • Posted By: neos @ 10/25/2008 8:54:51 PM

        Forgot to take your anti-hate meds again, didn'tya?

        • Posted By: YashBudini @ 10/26/2008 5:15:54 PM

          Can you imagine if W was in charge during the Cuban Missle Crisis? We'd be enjoying nuclear winter right now, if we were still alive.

        • Posted By: Nowforthetruth @ 10/25/2008 10:15:56 PM

          Putin in Georgia. Lets see now, that was when Obama, with his wealth of international experience, recommended that we refer the matter to the UN Security Counsel. . . . until someone educated him of the fact that Russia has a permanent veto in the Security Counsel. Oh yah, he is sooooo much better prepared that Palin. At least as VP, she gets a chance to learn without destroying us.

          • Posted By: YashBudini @ 10/26/2008 12:49:44 AM

            By all means "Kill them all, let God sort them out." Yeah we need your kind with their finger on the button.

            • Posted By: Vypurr @ 10/26/2008 8:36:54 AM

              You simply don't get it. Russia is one of the big boys who will steam roll a young, inexperienced and untested pacifist like Obama. He's simply no match for Putin.

              • Posted By: TheVigil @ 10/26/2008 1:49:23 PM

                Obama is not a pacifist. You don't understand his platform if you're saying that.

                Neither of you also seem to know that Dmitri Medvedev is now the President of Russia. It's really impossible to know to what degree he's a front for the former KGB interests who wield a tremendous amount of shadow power, but he's known to be slightly more moderate than Putin was as President.

                I personally think McCain's temper makes him the less suitable of the two candidates to handle a crisis with Russia. Putin - to the extent that he will still wield power over the situation, which is considerable - is an EXTREMELY patient and manipulative man who worked for decades as a faceless operative of the KGB, biding his time until he could seize power. I think that the first time McCain loses his temper, his Russian counterpart will exploit that (Putin definitely would; it is Medvedev who holds the office). By contrast, Obama is a very shrewd political maneuverer who I believe has a steadier temper than McCain and would be less likely to lose his composure.

                There was an article earlier this year in Newsweek about the respective gambling habits of McCain and Obama. McCain plays craps; Obama plays poker. Having some experience with both I know that there *is* some truth to what the article said about personality types and game choices - craps players tend to ride streaks of high energy and relish the power of being the one to control the dice, while poker players have to hold back, bide their time, and do a tremendous amount of face-reading across the table without flinching and giving away their hands. I really think the second type of strategy is the best to deal with the very, very hazardous national security situations we have and the cunning nature of the people who will probably be sitting across the table.

                • Posted By: YashBudini @ 10/26/2008 4:11:58 PM

                  Im waiting for when the right wing extremists tells us Obama and Bin Laden are one and the same. Both tall and skinny, you never seen them on TV at the same time. I mean really, is there any doubt?

  • Posted By: Nowforthetruth @ 10/26/2008 3:59:52 PM

    What do you really know about Obama's economic philosophy? Since he has never run a town, state or business, he has no record to look at. Oh, he has made lots of promises, but given that he broke his promise to be limited to public campaign funds, you cant put much faith in that, and there will be no means to keep those promises anyway.

    But you do know that Obama, along with his democratic buddies in Congress, personally and professionally advocated for a residential housing policy favoring forced sub-prime lending, which subsequently resulted in massive defaults and foreclosures, leading to your loss of significant equity value in your home, to the point that it destabilized your banks, which panicked the stock market, which wiped out your savings.

    Look and listen to Obama for yourself. Obama in this video, addressing his community activist work and his work representing ACORN in litigation against the banks and relating to the Community Reinvestment Act, and addressing the failure of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as those actions relate to the destruction of our economy by causing the current real estate and subsequent financial crisis, states that, and I quote:

    "Subprime lending started out as a good idea, helping Americans buy homes who previously could not afford to. Financial institutions created new financial instruments that could securitize these loans, slice them into finer and finer risk categories, and spread them out among investors and around the country, as well as around the world. In theory, this should have allowed mortgage lending to be less risky, and more diversified."

    Acknowledging the catastrophe, but as apologist for the Democrats, Obama then offers this justification.

    "The original idea was a good one, which was, lets see if we can distribute risk more broadly, and make it easier to provide loans to people who otherwise might not be able to get one."

    Yah, great idea. Economically unsound, but embraced by Obama. Listen for yourself. You cannot dispute the mans on words recorded live:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr1M1T2Y314&feature=related

    Below is a link to C-SPAN video clips of the Congressional hearings at roughly the time McCains attempt at S.190. to fix Fannie and Freddie. See for yourself who said what.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs


  • Posted By: Nowforthetruth @ 10/26/2008 3:59:41 PM



    Obama's ill-conceived programs will require him to tax, and his health care plan alone is a substantial hidden tax on all business, large an small. In reality, it does not really matter who he taxes, those taxes are going to be passed through the economy. He has to tax, because it is they only way he can pay for his massive social engineering experiments. Any first year economics student knows that taxation is a tool used to contract an economy experiencing inflation, because it reduces demand by reducing the amount of money individuals and businesses have to spend. It is contractionary, which is exactly what you do not want to do when the problem is that the economy is contracting already into recession. Like Hoover and FDR, Obama's plans will only make it worse for longer.

    See e.g. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/03/opinion/main4499465.shtml
    And
    http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/FDR-s-Policies-Prolonged-Depression-5409.aspx

    How many full-time employees with benefits does a person with a $50,000 income personally employ? For most, none. How many does a person with $250,000 employ? One less under Obama???s tax plan, two less if you include Obama???s health plan.

  • Posted By: vstillwell @ 10/26/2008 10:51:22 AM

    I want to know who was so stupid, so uninformed, so brazzen to vote for George W. Bush not once but twice. Wow. I never thought that dumbass would actually win the first time.

    • Posted By: YashBudini @ 10/26/2008 3:31:41 PM

      W ran a campaign of fear and the soccer moms were more paranoid than Cheney. The rest is history.

  • Posted By: Independant Voter @ 10/26/2008 2:32:08 PM

    This is the most important election in years - with the economy in a freefall we need smart, confident leadership. This is an easy choice - Barack Obama has shown good judgement in running a great campaign and selecting a well-qualified VP, and having a cosistent economic message. McCain however - has been a huge disappointment - starting with the bizarre selection of Sarah Palin.

    We need Obama's style of leadership now. Thanks.

    • Posted By: RockRibbedConservative @ 10/26/2008 3:29:50 PM

      And exactly what is Barry's style of leadership?
      132 times voting present?
      This tells me that Barry had 132 to make a decision and chose not to.

  • Posted By: Nowforthetruth @ 10/26/2008 3:24:04 PM

    "Barack Obama's campaign killed all interviews with a Florida TV station after Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, faced tough and critical questions from a reporter at the Orlando station, the Orlando Sentinel reported. In a communication which serves to put all other media on notice that an Obama administration will exercise media blackmail in response to tough questioning, the Obama camp killed a WFTV interview with Biden's wife Jill, according to an Orlando Sentinel blog.

    "This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign, according to the Sentinel.

    http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2008/10/obama-campaign.html

    See the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQXcImQfubM

  • Posted By: tiredoflies @ 10/26/2008 2:43:35 PM


    McCain says he has been tested in crisis?

    Some news for McCain surrogates:

    - Sitting on an aircraft carrier doing what one is ordered to do, is NOT being crisis
    tested.

    - - Sitting in a POW camp for five plus years, is NOT being crisis
    tested. Tough treatment? Yes

    - sitting in the US Senate for 26 years, is NOT being crisis tested.

    - Reacting to the recent economic bailout crisis, IS being crisis tested
    and ON THIS TEST, HE FAILED MISERABLY.

  • Posted By: Nins @ 10/26/2008 1:27:41 PM

    Yes, Americans should invest in IRONY. That stock is though the roof since hockey mom Sarah Palin started strutting her stuff in $5,000 ruby colored shoes.

    And the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest paper, has just endorsed Barack Obama for President.

    The IRONY stocks go up, up, up!

  • Posted By: kold @ 10/26/2008 12:46:31 PM

    ... second to last comment, of course

  • Posted By: kold @ 10/26/2008 12:40:37 PM

    vigil, that was a comment to your last to second comment, yours truly

  • Posted By: kold @ 10/26/2008 12:38:22 PM

    vigil, good idea, except that the article says the same, albeit more vigilantly

  • Posted By: Nins @ 10/26/2008 2:20:23 AM

    There hasn't been a Democrat majority in Washington since 1965, and before that, 1933. It looks like we are about to see another such event take place. By November 5, 2008 both houses of Congress and the Presidency will be in Democratic hands.

    For those readers who can think for themselves, think back to 1965. Kennedy and the Civil Rights movement. A pivotal time in our history, one we can all be proud of. And 1933, when FDR gave us the New Deal and turned around the Great Depression. If you think about the past century, the only two times that we have had a liberal Democrat majority, America got STRONGER and BETTER.

    Obama '08

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 10/26/2008 11:55:21 AM

      While it would be nice to believe that kind of idealism, Nins, I have to say from my study of history that Johnson's Congress and administration were not the kind anyone might want to emulate. Honestly, I think this administration has a shot at doing a whole lot better, since Johnson escalated the hell out of Vietnam.

      I totally agree with dismantling Homeland Security though. It is a massive boondoggle and probably would have been way better implemented as a sub-branch of the Department of Defense anyway. What does "defense" mean if it doesn't mean protecting your country? (Sadly, I think a great number of people believe in it more as its older name, the Department of War.)

    • Posted By: C. MacLean @ 10/26/2008 8:24:43 AM

      On a point of history, JFK was deceased in 1965 - the Civil Rights legislation was passed under Johnson. But the general point is well-taken - under Democrats, America got stronger and better.

      To add to the authors' excellent summary, I would add the following: dismantle Homeland Security - it is redundant.

      End the "war on drugs" - it has failed. Decriminalize drugs, tax them heavily - we can certainly use the money - and redirect the efforts to prevention and treatment. Also re-direct the law enforcement personnel to departments such as CIA, FBI, FEMA, and DoD, where they can be better utilized.

      To Barack Obama, I would say: get the moderate republicans into your cabinet. Colin Powell should be Secretary of State, and there are several republican governors and senators who should also be tapped. Find a place in your administration for John McCain - for all that you have philosophical differences, he has much to offer, and healing divisiveness is a powerful thing.

      And be careful about pulling the best and the brightest democratic senators from the senate. We will already lose.you and Senator Biden. Hilary would certainly make a wonderful secratary of HHS, but I believe she has a bigger role to play as a senate leader. Some of our country's most powerful and influencial people have been senators: Clay, Calhoun, Thomas Hart Benton, Ted Kennedy, Jesse Helms. Hilary could be one, too.

      Instead of thinking of this as America's most sobering moment, think of it as our greatest opportunity. In disagreement with the authors, I believe we can lead by example, from a position of strength. That happens only when we have the courage to confront our weaknesses.

      I believe America has that courage.

  • Posted By: dennycode @ 10/26/2008 1:35:07 AM

    http://dennycode.blogspot.com/ Denny Code give 100% support to Barack Obama as nominated US president United Stated to next future. I trust him because he has good vision to built perfect world at future.Denny Code wrote @ 09.38 am10/24/2008 Jakarta Indonesia Asia Pacific Region
    Read : http://dennycode.blogspot.com/ http://dennycode.blogspot.com/ http://dennycode.blogspot.com/

  • Posted By: dennycode @ 10/26/2008 1:34:46 AM

    http://dennycode.blogspot.com/ Denny Code give 100% support to Barack Obama as nominated US president United Stated to next future. I trust him because he has good vision to built perfect world at future.Denny Code wrote @ 09.38 am10/24/2008 Jakarta Indonesia Asia Pacific Region
    Read : http://dennycode.blogspot.com/ http://dennycode.blogspot.com/ http://dennycode.blogspot.com/

  • Posted By: marley07 @ 10/25/2008 10:53:36 PM

    Whoever wins will eventually be looked upon as a savior and most likely get re-elected for a second term. The damage has been done and the correction has been set in place and is in motion. In all cycles and corrections the next president usually gets the credit. Clinton is a great example of this. He had a free ride as he came into office as the economy was booming. He said it himself on Letterman. So don't sit here and think that whoever is in office will actually fix the economy. There are way to many moving parts in our economy to be set by one person. However, if you have to choose bewteen these 2 on all issues put together, there is no question we should pick McCain. Obama is scary. He will choke business and the consumer. He will stand down on foreign policy when so many want to hurt us on our home land. He will socialize healthcare which simply does not work. Most importantly, we just can't trust him. We know nothing about him. He has no record of any kind. This election is to important for America. For those of you who believe Bush is at fault for our current state of the economy, do some homework and fact finding and youwill find that this problem had been brewing since Clinton's last term. American people are more to blame than Bush. American people living wellover their head and congress, like Frank and Schummer pushing for easy lending started the cascade.

Reply

Report Abuse

Enter comments if any for reporting abuse