Obama President of the United States ?? LOL!

[roosterjuicer]

Thats just my .02c - what do you guys (the American members) think will happen in terms of racial boundaries with Obama in the captains chair?

Personally I dont think it would matter to much. I mean people would preach about it all day and night but at the end of the day I dont think much would change in the real world. Just like if Hill-dog was president it wouldn't make a huge difference as far as women "boundaries" goes.

It also brings up the question...would obama be in the position he is today if he was white? are his politics and views so amazingly special that they alone would propel him into the presidency if he wasn't black? (the answer is probably no)

[Dino Scuderia]

Rooster, I agree with your post #106 and 121. Spot on.

[LeonOfTheDead]

It also brings up the question...would obama be in the position he is today if he was white? are his politics and views so amazingly special that they alone would propel him into the presidency if he wasn't black? (the answer is probably no)

the question could be applied to whatever politician you want, except in the case of Obama and Hill-dog the answers are quite simple...

[Kitdy]

If Obama becomes the president, we'll see how he is viewed after his terms are over. As much as there are severe divides in the American political culture right now, I'd like to hope that a Republican would be able to admit that Obama had done a good job if he does one. People of course are results oriented, and if the economy is good under the president, they often will say it was a good presidency, even if the president had little to do with the actual economy at the time. I know Fleet often tells me how bad the economy was under Carter, Fleet, do you then give credit to Clinton for how good the economy was under him? Are you capable of admitting that a Democrat has done a good job? It is hard for me to sometimes admit that people of different political stripes have done a good job but there are circumstances when it is next to undeniable that a plan you thought was stupid and liberal/conservative worked well.

All I'm saying is that if Obama becomes president and does a great job, people of all political stripes should acknowledge it. Same with McCain.

As for McCain, a major concern I have is this so called "maverick" who is supposedly a mild-Republican who bridges the gap between (American) liberal and conservative has made a major departure from his 2000 campaign and what I see as his true political beliefs to pander to appeal to the Republican base.

Finally, were you to ask a group of left wingers if Obama was a left winger, you'd probably get differing answers, but the most popular I'd bet would be no.

The American people need to understand that their political climate is different from the rest of the world and is skewed to the right - when they call someone a liberal, they are typically still right wing or possibly centre-right, Fox has called moveon.org a far left group and that is a vastly incorrect statement (not singling out Fox). A conservative in the US is often someone on the mid-right to the left edge of far-right - so the more radical of the two major parties(I use radical in this sense as being close to the extremities of the political spectrum, but I believe the word in actual political theory has another connotation) in American politics is not the Democrats and Obama, but the Republican party - someone like Bush would be a very good example of someone nearing right-wing radicalism / the far-right.

I don't really think Obama is an actual left winger in the way the Canadian NDP is - and the NDP is only very mildly left typically. For all intents and purposes he is a centrist / centre-rightist (centre-right probably most accurately) and one of the very few actual left wingers in mainstream American politics would be Dennis Kucinich.

[The_Canuck]

I don't really think Obama is an actual left winger in the way the Canadian NDP is - and the NDP is only very mildly left typically. For all intents and purposes he is a centrist / centre-rightist (centre-right probably most accurately) and one of the very few actual left wingers in mainstream American politics would be Dennis Kucinich.

The NDP is as far left as you can get without voting for the freaking communist party...

Is the U.S spectrum skewed to the right, or ours to the left?

[Matra et Alpine]

would obama be in the position he is today if he was white? are his politics and views so amazingly special that they alone would propel him into the presidency if he wasn't black? (the answer is probably no)

Entirely depends then on how much money he has to spend to ensure his presidency

Why is his colour any more an issue than how much money "supporters" give to bypass democracy ??

[Kitdy]

The NDP is as far left as you can get without voting for the freaking communist party...

Is the U.S spectrum skewed to the right, or ours to the left?

No the NDP is not that far left at all - they are basically centre-left. A socialist party would be further left and communist would represent the far left.

And the US spectrum is skewed right.

Ask a politics professor.

[Fleet 500]

If Obama becomes the president, we'll see how he is viewed after his terms are over. As much as there are severe divides in the American political culture right now, I'd like to hope that a Republican would be able to admit that Obama had done a good job if he does one. People of course are results oriented, and if the economy is good under the president, they often will say it was a good presidency, even if the president had little to do with the actual economy at the time. I know Fleet often tells me how bad the economy was under Carter, Fleet, do you then give credit to Clinton for how good the economy was under him? Are you capable of admitting that a Democrat has done a good job? It is hard for me to sometimes admit that people of different political stripes have done a good job but there are circumstances when it is next to undeniable that a plan you thought was stupid and liberal/conservative worked well.

Kitdy, Clinton was in the right place at the right time... the Internet/dot.com boom and the recovery from a brief recession in 1991. However, don't forget that the economy had slowed down and entered a recession in late 2000 and into 2001. In other words, Bush inherited a recession. Also don't forget that Clinton passed a huge tax hike which hurt many small businessess in the '90s.

All I'm saying is that if Obama becomes president and does a great job, people of all political stripes should acknowledge it. Same with McCain.

As for McCain, a major concern I have is this so called "maverick" who is supposedly a mild-Republican who bridges the gap between (American) liberal and conservative has made a major departure from his 2000 campaign and what I see as his true political beliefs to pander to appeal to the Republican base.

Finally, were you to ask a group of left wingers if Obama was a left winger, you'd probably get differing answers, but the most popular I'd bet would be no.

The American people need to understand that their political climate is different from the rest of the world and is skewed to the right - when they call someone a liberal, they are typically still right wing or possibly centre-right, Fox has called moveon.org a far left group and that is a vastly incorrect statement (not singling out Fox). A conservative in the US is often someone on the mid-right to the left edge of far-right - so the more radical of the two major parties(I use radical in this sense as being close to the extremities of the political spectrum, but I believe the word in actual political theory has another connotation) in American politics is not the Democrats and Obama, but the Republican party - someone like Bush would be a very good example of someone nearing right-wing radicalism / the far-right.

I don't really think Obama is an actual left winger in the way the Canadian NDP is - and the NDP is only very mildly left typically. For all intents and purposes he is a centrist / centre-rightist (centre-right probably most accurately) and one of the very few actual left wingers in mainstream American politics would be Dennis Kucinich.

Moveon.org is definitely a left-wing group and Obama is certainly a liberal Democrat. Going by his voting record, he was the most liberal Senator in Congress in 2007... even more liberal than Ted Kennedy.

[The_Canuck]

No the NDP is not that far left at all - they are basically centre-left. A socialist party would be further left and communist would represent the far left.

And the US spectrum is skewed right.

Ask a politics professor.

Some would say the NDP practically is a socialist party, at least from a U.S point of view.

There political system is skewed right when compared to ours, who's to say it is in general?

[Kitdy]

Some would say the NDP practically is a socialist party, at least from a U.S point of view.

There political system is skewed right when compared to ours, who's to say it is in general?

The US point of view is not the generally accepted international/absolute point of view. The point of view of political theorists and professors.

Who's to say it is in general? The assorted experts in the international community of political scientists.

Even American political scientists will acknowledge that the US system is different form the rest of the world and skewed right I would wager.

If you are really persistent on this, talk to your school's politics teacher or email a professor or read a book about it - I'm not giving you as far as I'm concerned a biased point of view, at least, I'm trying to be objective - I'm just trying to illustrate what are generally regarded as facts and are accepted by mainstream political theorists and professors.

[The_Canuck]

If you are really persistent on this, talk to your school's politics teacher or email a professor or read a book about it - I'm not giving you as far as I'm concerned a biased point of view, at least, I'm trying to be objective - I'm just trying to illustrate what are generally regarded as facts and are accepted by mainstream political theorists and professors.

Im just saying it depends where you look from, there is no absolute in politics, unlike mathematics and science. And next year with any luck i'll be heading to university for poli sci, so ill get back to you. lol

[Kitdy]

Im just saying it depends where you look from, there is no absolute in politics, unlike mathematics and science. And next year with any luck i'll be heading to university for poli sci, so ill get back to you. lol

That's an acceptable answer, but in general, political scientists have determined a centre so to speak to which all politicians can be compared - as has been mentioned on this form before, some prefer to use a 2 axis grid.

Anyways, nowadays there basically is such a thing as an absolute in political science as political scientists have created it and although evaluating politicians exactly and determining how right or left they are is never going to be entirely correct, it is largely correct and can be used to pigenhole just about every sorta political position you can imagine.

Out of curiosity, what university are you planning on attending? PM me if you don't wanna advertise it. I'm considering going back to uni for political science as well or will maybe minor in it or some such thing.

[The_Canuck]

Out of curiosity, what university are you planning on attending? PM me if you don't wanna advertise it. I'm considering going back to uni for political science as well or will maybe minor in it or some such thing.

Not sure yet, but it'll most likely be in Ottawa, so the possibilities would be Carlton or University of Ottawa.

[QuattroMan]

Personally I dont think it would matter to much. I mean people would preach about it all day and night but at the end of the day I dont think much would change in the real world. Just like if Hill-dog was president it wouldn't make a huge difference as far as women "boundaries" goes.

It also brings up the question...would obama be in the position he is today if he was white? are his politics and views so amazingly special that they alone would propel him into the presidency if he wasn't black? (the answer is probably no)

my be We should call on Senator Obama to cease this divisive talk, especially during this time of war, terror, and danger. We are the United States of America, we don't need X cocaine-dealer for President.WILL, at list he is anise about inhale-ding it.LOL!

[henk4]

my be We should call on Senator Obama to cease this divisive talk, especially during this time of war, terror, and danger. We are the United States of America, we don't need X cocaine-dealer for President.WILL, at list he is anise about inhale-ding it.LOL!

I am sure he will be better than the X alcohol addict that has been ruining sort of everything that creates respect for the USA.