The Final Repudiation

It is disheartening to realize a lot of Americans have very bad reading comprehension skills. The author's message was clear and forthright: The Founding Fathers thought demagoguery (i.e. rhetoric) was the enemy of the moderate and they thought it best that the selection process of US President's go through indirect routes like the Electoral College and Political Parties.

Reading things into it like the importance of executive experience or the merits/demerits of social networking are noise that obscure the thoughtful consideration that the Founding Father's put into this issue.

Thoughtful people woud dwell on the message of the article rather than letting their partisanship blinders lead them into shooting the messenger. The pros and cons of the manner US Presidents are chosen did occupy the Founding Fathers, and it is only hubris to assume that they had anything personally against BHO.

Mr. Will, a very good historical perspective summary - like Cliff Notes. Lots of data missing. What about the electoral college itself? You know, the 3/5's counting slaves so southern white representatives could be whole. What about political bosses? You know, Tammeny Hall and the whole Watergate thing. What you are not overtly expressing - through your historical perspective - is WHAT is so different NOW. How about social networking? The fact theat I am giving you - an ordinary citizen - immediate feedback - has yet to be qualified in its impact. And I am an ordinary citizen, too. We now share the first amendment. In real time.

BTW, the thin-resumed Obama just kicked a$$ at the WH today. He was pushing to support Bush to go out with a bang and do a good thing for we the people before he left office. Bush is deciding whether to do it or not. Otherwise, we the people got 70 days more of hell and who knows how much more.

This article is an attempt to perpetuate the myth that only George W Bush type "executive experience" matters. Look where that has brought us! George Will may apply the same charge to President Lincoln for his lack of experience and seductive oratory or even to Reagan. I believe the country sent a very different message - that experienced hands have wrought ruin upon this great land of ours, and it is time to place our trust in smart, energetic, younger people

I respect George Will, but he clearly did not put too much thought into this. Why are the founding fathers a good authority on this issue? If you want to talk about their intent, then lets remember that they only wanted white men with property to vote for the president. This article is a very cheap appeal to authority.

I respect George Will, but he clearly did not put too much thought into this. Why are the founding fathers a good authority on this issue? If you want to talk about their intent, then lets remember that they only wanted white men with property to vote for the president. This article is a very cheap appeal to authority.

To HighlanderJuan:

Spoken like a true Banana Republican

I liked George Will till I read this article. I am a Liberal but I respected your writings because you were honest. This article tells me you have completely lost sight of reality and are an intellectual just for the sake of being an intellectual. Remember that there should a real purpose to all this intellectuality. The system has also given us Presidents
like Richard Nixon and George Bush. So do not deride bad Presidential candidates or Presidents, which Obama isn't even as yet, just because they were outside the system. They were bad Presidents not because they were outside the system but because they were just plain bad. It is amazingly short-sighted of you to write this article. I really cannot believe my eyes.

I liked George Will till I read this article. I am a Liberal but I respected your writings because you were honest. This article tells me you have completely lost sight of reality and are an intellectual just for the sake of being an intellectual. Remember that there should a real purpose to all this intellectuality. The system has also given us President's like Richard Nixon and George Bush. So do not deride bad Presidential candidates , which Obama isn't even as yet, just because they were outside the system. They were bad Presidents not because they were outside the system but because they were just plain bad. It is amazingly short-sighted of you to write this article. I really cannot believe my eyes.

Mr. Will,

You conveniently forget that one of our greatest president's, if not the greatest, Abraham Lincoln had about as much experience as Obama. Also, do you really think that George W. Bush's two term governorship of Texas was more formative of a president than Obama's 8 years in the Illinois State legislature and two years as a US Senator......do you think that George W. Bush even understood anything about government before he ran for governor? I doubt it. I think Obama had much better preparation to be presdient than many others whom you think more "experienced" only because they came from well-known families or had other government jobs for an extended period of time. But what was really their preparation for the job? You make a fundamental assumption that just because Obama is neither from a well'known family, nor from the establishment, nor from either the East Coast or the West Coast, and is from, of all places, Chicago, that he is more lacking in experience about hoe this nation works, and what this nation's problems are? I believe his experience as community organizer is worth the 8 years of George W. Bush being governor and perhaps even more. Why don't you really think about that reality?

Regards,

Flagwiggler

I think George Will's head is too caught up in the clouds to notice, but his arguments are really off-base and inflammatory. His argument is that Obama won because of his ability to engage in the "popular arts" of campaigning, and he tries to recruit our founding fathers to push forward an argument that we've all been had by his soothing words. Yet another eloquent way to profess a conservative's bitterness at having lost the election and the political center of our nation's political discourse.

While I am a centralist Democrat, I normally like George Will. While this article is very educational about the evolution of the presidential selection process, it seems like George wanted to run down Obama. I hope George gives Obama a chance to succeed, before he renders his verdict.

Obama backs up his oratory skills with a high level of intelligence. If you study his past, you will always find the same system for making decisions: study, obtain opinions especially opposing opinions, consider options, make a decision. Also in the past, Obama has always included those from the opposite camp in his support team. Comparing Obama to Jimmy Carter is just another way to run him down.

George Will....you are full of stuff; in your opinion we only elected Barack Obama because he has a gift of the gab. Of course if he was Republican like Ronald Reagan it would have been ok. Get over yourself.

George Will....you are full of stuff. I guess we only elected Barack Obama because he had a gift of the gab. Of course if he was Rebublican you would have been ok with it.

To George Will: What a crock of nonesense.

Comment To: HighlanderJuan - why don't you try reading the Declaration of Independence. The right to self determination (i.e. the right to participate in the democratic process) is inalianable. That means you cannot separate an individual from that right...by any means. I'm sure some repressive regime in south east asia would love to have you come give them advice.

To me, America is in dire need of two things which have been non-existent for the past 8 years. A president with an even temperament and a president who governs through deliberative and thoughtful decision making. With that in mind, I firmly believe we made the correct choice.

Why are you so willing to search for something negative about the marvelous rise of President Elect Barak Obama?

Are you sure you mean "Obama???s achievement represents the final repudiation of the Founders??? intentions regarding the selection, and hence the role, of presidents"?

Are you forgetting that Obama was educated politically in Chicago, that he graduated magna *** laude from Harvard Law School, with many more qualifications than simply being a gifted speaker and has assembled the best and brightest minds to guide him and our country out of the unbelievable disasters created by the current administration?

You sound like a silly, old conservative still griping about the opposition???s success.