Obama! We've Got Your Back!
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Do We Really Want An Average Joe For A Leader?
Could you be President? Do we want someone just like us?
Of course not! We want someone who carries himself with confidence, no room for a weakling in the White House as we well know...and is different than us. If "different" means elitist, then give me an elitist. If an elitist can get the job done, then power to him/her.
We keep hearing we should "get to know him better..." Well, how well have I known any President? I'm not asking them to dinner. They're not marrying into my family. I want them in Washington!! Running our country, not eating out of my plate! By the time the campaign is over, I've had my fill of them, anyway.
Don't you love it when the media tells us what we need? I'm not swallowing it.
I think Congress is full of elitists, they've all acted like they were better than the average American, they certainly have been out of touch, and I hear Cheny's "So?" over and over in my head as he indignantly answered a question about Iraq...and they're not getting anything done that's been helpful. In that sense, an elitist is not new nor the answer.
I don't place Obama anywhere near that category, I think it's smear tactics from the getgo.
The media is just running the story in the ground, as is their habit. The Republicans are driving and riding the wave of smear. They are experts at plotting our demise, if the last 8 years is an indication.
Do they really think we can be scared this year and keep them in office???
I'm scared alright. I'm so scared I want them OUT of office. I can't afford another Republican President and neither can most of America. America can't afford another war, another scandal, another Enron, another Halliburton non-bid contract, another decision by Bush/Cheney.
Just as I would avoid a hunting trip with Cheney I would avoid another Republican anything. Our reputation across the waters stinks and so does this administration. How could anyone vote Republican after this past 8 years? If someone is thinking the Repulicans hold the Christian values exclusively and are sitting on the Right Hand of God, they better put on their glasses and take a close second look.
I've heard some people, well-meaning but misguided and misinformed, actually imply that the Republican candidate and party was the choice of God.
They probably sleep with the Fox News channel on all night, too. If they were the example of Christianity, I'd be seriously changing my religion. Now, I don't idealize the Democrats either, but their candidate is the only real chance we have this year. (And, if God Votes, he seems to be keeping His choice to Himself.)
We all know an independent isn't going to get elected, sorry Lou Dobbs, (another wacko - have you noticed he can't even enunciate lately? Wonder what he's on!) and a vote for those candidates will only weaken Obama's chances and put (insane) McCain in.
I don't have all the answers and I'm not sure where the answers are. I know more about where they aren't. They aren't in apathy, they aren't in unfocused arguing, they aren't in labeling differences as elitists. Whatever that means, I've lost the connotation. The answers aren't in losing hope.
Do you like your life? I can't picture living anywhere else. I mean really, we all complain. We all want things to be better. Are you prepared to give up this lifestyle? Our freedom?
The freedom of living here, with all the choices you enjoy daily... as bad as it may be, do you like it? I do. I've seen other countries from a distance. Many of you have traveled abroad. Life on an island sounds great until you're there for more than a week.
I think we all want something else once in awhile, instead of what we have. Years ago, I had a garden near a green pasture that was full of fat cows. The fence seemed strong and with all the tall grass, the cows seemed content. We planted our beans, corn, tomatoes and okra...all the good things we craved.
It grew and grew. The cows watched and watched. One day we got up and saw that the cows were no longer watching. They were eating very well, standing on all four legs in the middle of our corn. Pushing through the fence, they had left all the wonderful green grass, and were busily eating up all our corn, just because they desired it and it was easy.
They weren't extra hungry, they had all the food rhey needed right by their hoofs. But, no. They were looking "over there." Fine. But their "over there" turned out to be my "here."
Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. When you get there, it's not much different than what you had. Rules are everywhere. I've had friends in Canada tell me of many more problems than we have here.
Maybe France and England is perfect...I don't know. I'd love to visit. They have their election and government issues too, it wouldn't be a realistic choice for me.
I'm sure there are many beautiful places, but here is where we're at.
I don't want to be on the edge of the world. I want this life, this country, this time. It will only get better if we work on it -- like a prisoner of war if you must think of it that way. We should never give in.
McCain did, many people idealize him. I'm not judging him as a prisoner of war. As I have said, someone pull my toe and I'm putty. I don't want him as President and his confinement does not qualify him for the task.
As a nation, we should never give in. Collectively we are strong. We are tomorrow. We are the best of what we've got. We have power. Let's use it.
I am Marisue, an average American on the ground, and I write.
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Amen mariesue. Ironically, Obama is the LEAST elite candidate we've had in years. He's not rich. He and his wife own a modest home in Chicago and the grandparents who raised him were working class immigrants. I think all the charges of 'elitism' are just fancy, disguised language for 'uppity'. Seriously. In thinly disguised language, the McCain people are putting out racist propaganda and hate. It's that simple.
As for Canada, I don't want to give up on the U.S. but I'm very close. It isn't just a matter of not liking who is President. At some point, if we have yet another Republican administration, I really believe that it will not be safe for me to stay here. We have lost a lot of freedom under this administration, and if we declare war on Iran it will get beyond ugly here. The time could well come when our borders will be closed, not to keep others out, but to keep us in.
I think many people are underestimating the danger of keeping these guys in power. Look around at other countries and how they became facist and you will see the pattern. I'm frightened for all of us.
I think you are right, it is coming down to us or them. 'Them' refers to the corporate interests that are currently running the world and the politicians in both parties who are in their pockets. They don't care what happens to us. They care about money.
One of the scariest aspects of this election is one no one is talking about yet--the prospect of violence no matter who wins. If McCain steals the election in an underhanded way, I don't think people will lay down and take it like they did when Bush did it. It's so much uglier now and people are broke, scared, and feel like they don't have much to lose. When you back people into a corner where they feel they have nothing to lose and then just keep making things worse, that's when violence erupts.
We haven't seen it in awhile, but I predict before November comes we will see bloodshed over all of this. I just have a very, very ominous feeling about it. I think you and I are basically on the same page. It's a very dark time we are facing. It really is.
After reading your last three hubs about Obama, I am pretty certain I am not going to change your vote in November. All I ask is for you to read without prejudice and ponder the following points:
Elitist our not, Obama is not the right man for the White House. There is a wisdom borne of humility and faith in something larger than ourselves. I see little evidence to support Obama’s claim to be Christian, but that is between him and our heavenly Father. I can site evidence of a distinct lack of humility, however. You cannot smear something that isn’t there and make it stick. The media tirelessly attempted to do so with Reagan, and it blew up in their faces. When Jesse Jackson said Obama was talking down to Niggers, he was right. This is probably the only time I have ever agreed with JJ.
Like Bush or not, Congress is controlled by Democrats and they are doing nothing. Pelosi won't even allow a vote on any new energy policies.
We should absolutely "overvalue" this great nation of ours. If it weren't for us, the freedoms most Europeans enjoy today wouldn't exist. I don't think it is our job to police the entire world, but if I am walking down the street and I see a person under assault, you better believe I am going to get all 6'2' 280lbs of me in there to help. I won’t claim we went into Iraq solely to free downtrodden Iraqi’s from the evil clutches of Saddam and his Boys, because I know there is a financial motivation involved as well. Yes, black gold. But had Bill Clinton been able to stay off the Viagra long enough to allow some blood to flow to the head atop his shoulders, we would have started drilling domestically back then and we would not be so dependent on mid-east oil now. Ah yes, hindsight…
The 'many people' you sight in your response to pgrundy's comment talking about us giving up our cars are the very people you wish to have in the White House.
As far as Obama is concerned, I feel a little sorry for him. I think he is being played like a fiddle by someone in the shadows and he has not been able to act on his own since this incredibly long campaign began. This, too, is a glimpse into his character. He is not his own man.
I do question some of his affiliations and past decisions, but hey- we have all made poor choices at one time or another. That doesn't mean we are bad people, nor does it mean Obama is a bad person. I just don't think he is the right man for president.
Unfortunately, John McCain is not my first choice either. But in looking at the security of this great nation, I feel much more confident in McCain's ability to keep terrorists at bay than I do with Obama.
Don't even get me started on issues economic. I have yet to see a plan from the Obama camp on how they intend to pay for all the grand ideas he espouses. At least with McCain I feel certain his past record on fiscal issues will steer Washington in the right direction.
You are obviously a woman of conviction and I respect you for having thought this through. Unfortunately, many Republicans have not performed their civic duties with guidance from the Creator they so often site. They do Christians, and Christianity, a huge disservice with their blatant hypocrisy.
As for John McCain’s stupid decisions in his personal life, I concur. But the general consensus of “character doesn’t matter” started while Clinton was in office- so shouldn’t it apply in McCain’s case?
I don’t agree with how McCain’s camp has handled his campaign at all. They are flailing and it is painfully obvious. As a conservative, I am forced to hold my nose and vote for McCain simply because his political ideas are closer to mine than Obama’s. It’s a shame a true conservative like Tom Colburn isn’t running for president.
Oh Marisue- Are you going to start the name calling now, too? I'm not too fond of rats, germs or sperm myself. Do we mock him because of these quircks and discount his ideas? This doesn't sound very gentle or cheerful.
I could not agree more that we need decisive leadership rooted in humility, truth and (dare I say) strong Christian values.
I have read about your phobias. :) And I truly believe you when you say you will inform yourself about Colburn. I am quite certain you are an honest person from the little bit of back and forth we have shared. I admire that about you.
Wait a minute, your not straight?! Not that there's anything wrong with that! LOL <JK>
I am a registered Republican, (big surprise, eh?) but I vote for the candidate that best represents my views whether he/she is an elephant or an ass(donkey)... :)
I think you are seriously misguided. You should look into Mr Obama s past. He is a student of Saul Alinsky, Frantz Fanon,and a few other well known Communists. Its all in his books. Lets look at Some of Saul Alinsky works..
"Rules for Radicals" begins with an unusual tribute: "From all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins – or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom – Lucifer."
The devil challenged authority and got his own kingdom, and that goes to the heart of what left is really about. That of course is to get power any way you can, including lying, cheating and stealing. The ultimate rule is that the ends justify the means.
Alinsky asserted that he was more concerned with the acquisition of power than anything else: "My aim here is to suggest how to organize for power: how to get it and how to use it." This is not to be done with assistance to the poor, nor even by organizing the poor to demand assistance: "[E]ven if all the low-income parts of our population were organized ... it would not be powerful enough to get significant, basic, needed changes."
Alinsky advises his followers that the poor have no power and that the real target is the middle class: "Organization for action will now and in the decade ahead center upon America's white middle class. That is where the power is. ... Our rebels have contemptuously rejected the values and the way of life of the middle class. They have stigmatized it as materialistic, decadent, bourgeois, degenerate, imperialistic, war-mongering, brutalized and corrupt. They are right; but we must begin from where we are if we are to build power for change, and the power and the people are in the middle class majority."
But that didn't stop Alinsky and his followers from using the middle class for their own purposes. They counted on the guilt and shame of the white middle class to get what they wanted. In order to take over institutions and get power, the middle class had to be convinced that they were somehow lucky winners in "life's lottery."
Alinsky's radicals found a perfect vehicle for their destruction of the American system and more particularly for taking and maintaining power. That instrument was the Democratic Party.
You I believe, like the rest of us are the middle class that is the target
as stated above..
. Alinsky advises his followers that the poor have no power and that the real target is the middle class: "Organization for action will now and in the decade ahead center upon America's white middle class. That is where the power is. ... Our rebels have contemptuously rejected the values and the way of life of the middle class.
Sounds like Obamas speechees.. WE are the we that we have been waiting for...
I am a citizen of America and love my country..It is because of past valient blood spilled(WAR) that you and I have the right to speak our mind.You can condem the war in Iraq all you want ...we have won..If Obama was in 1 year ago he would of pulled out and all the blood and treasure we lost would have been in vain.
Please read more about the man..make sure your core values are where his are..
If you believe that the government sould run your life,give you a home and health care and tell you what kind of car to drive..He is for you...If you are like me and want the freedom to make your own way (want a smaller government less taxes)
He is not...
I am Tom Alongi an average American on the ground, and I write.
I am Glad to hear that you have your doubts. I don t think either candidate is correct,
Just that McCain is the less of two evils(One that would follow the Constitution) Obama fundamentally is a Socialist .He belives in redistribution of wealth. That is against the core primciples of Capitalism.(Saul Alinsky,Franz Fanon,James Cohen)All Obamas mentors.. Its in his writeings.
What I find truely amazing is that Most Americans don't know anything about Obama..Yet they hate Bush so much that they just surrender their vote To Obama.
Obama said he would meet John McCain anywhere to debate(Town Hall Meetings)
And now he backs out.. Could it be because he has no real substance?
Well I am rambling on.. But glad to hear you are open minded..Just tread carefully and vote your mind..Not your feelings..(just a suggestion)
Tom Alongi
This is great and thanks for your very sharp opinion.
Hey, Bush has lots of experience - yet we are in a depression. The things Bush has gotten away with boggles my mind - the only thing this country could do under his leadership was crash - and we did.
Obama has done so much that we don't even hear about but if you check his record it is astounding - he was actually at work all these years.
And who among the politicians has his oratory skills? - he does not have to read from a script. I think we are either not used to excellence or fear it. But yeah, I got his back here in Brooklyn. Never would I have defended a President - but him I have so much to debate/share/discuss. He makes it easy.
Thanks again for a well written opinion!
I could not be happier with our new Prez! :D
"They probably sleep with the Fox News channel on all night, too. If they were the example of Christianity, I'd be seriously changing my religion."
So well said. I know this hub is a bit dated, but I had to post my agreement. Barrak is probably the most exciting President of my life time. The republican party is not the party of Lincoln anymore. That all changed with the 1964 signing of the Civil Rights act. Overnight every biggited person became a Republican. The repuplican is the party of the Confederacy, and the civil war still rages on. The only thing that has changed is that some of us have stopped shooting. I fear for my country, but am encouraged by our new President.
Guess what I learned when I was reading a baby name book at work yesterday? Barack (or Barak) is actually a name of Hebrew origin mean "giver of light," and one of the kings in the Bible actually was named Barak. So for all those naysayers that said Barack was a Muslim because of his middle name, not that this should matter if he were, I find this very humorous. I know this is a little off topic, but I just thought you might find this interesting.
I think Obama is such a dignified and fresh alternative to what we have seen in the past. Also, politics aside, a man who is truly in love with his wife and not running around is a nice thing to see. Too bad there are not more men like Obama around.
Apparently Marisue doesn't pay taxes or doesn't make enough from adsense to pay much in taxes.
Every government worker is a tax monkey, federal, state and local they are all tax monkies. Government is obese and the fat monkies eventually collect hefty pensions, that we the taxpayers continue to pay for them.
Over 50% of the government workers are un-necessary tax burdens.
Why is it that only the private sector cuts their workforce in times of a bad economy, while the government sector hires in those same times??
she who lives by the chuckles on others shouldn't be offended when the light shines on her.















SweetiePie Level 6 Commenter 3 years ago
Good hub Marisue and I agree we have never really known about any president personally, so how can we expect to know Obama personally. Obama will make a good president and hopefully he is elected.