posted
The guy has been telling clean jokes all of his life, and he is very good at it. I can't imagine I'd agree with any of his policy decisions or political priorities, but in a world where I don't agree with too many people's policy decisions or political priorities, at least he goes down easy.
Posts: 5600 | Registered: Jul 2001
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For those of us that are foreign and thus cannot keep track of all the various democrat and republican candidates (which is a group that definitely includes me), here is a chart that might be interesting. chart
Arguably, there are probably errors in the chart and I have no idea if it is biased. Secondly, I imagine some candidate positions are more vague (something which some candidates probably try to encourage). I would find comments on it interesting.
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
It will be interesting to see how he tries to distinguish himself, apart from his uncontestable Christian credentials. In interviews, he mentions concern for the poor and concern that the Republican party is too tied to corporate intertests - but when you look at that chart, the only thing that jumps out distinguishing in that arena is his support of a minimum wage hike.
Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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My problem is that Huckabee is the only candidate who's a really strong supporter of the FairTax. Which puts him way up there in my book. The problem is, though, that he's a minister, and his views reflect that. Having him in office would probably erode the line between government and religion more than Bush already has.
He seems really likeable, though. I mean, if his positions weren't so kookily to the religious right, he seems like exactly the kind of person I'd like to see in office.
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posted
Great chart Mucus. Really makes me want to vote for Gulliani.
Lisa: Huckabee's militancy in is faith is a poison pill to me too. I can't support him. We'll see what happens when both parties have chosen their candidates and we have to decide which wrist to slit.
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posted
Is that chart too vague to be meaningful, or do 4 of the Republican candidates actually support Torture?
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quote:Originally posted by The Pixiest: Lisa: Huckabee's militancy in is faith is a poison pill to me too. I can't support him. We'll see what happens when both parties have chosen their candidates and we have to decide which wrist to slit.
I'm not sure how I feel about Edwards overall yet, but one of the things that has really impressed me is that he's said several times that while he has a strong personal faith, he doesn't see it as the President's job to impose his beliefs on the nation.
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quote:Originally posted by MightyCow: Is that chart too vague to be meaningful, or do 4 of the Republican candidates actually support Torture?
Well, I know on Romney at least that he said he doesn't support torture, just 'enhanced interrogation techniques.' Or... what we do at Gitmo, which in my opinion, is torture.
But on the chart. Why is there no candidate I can fully support? *sigh*
Posts: 1831 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Well, as a fella who actually voted for this guy once, he's okay. I voted for him for Governor back when I lived in Arkansas, and it was more because he was the better of the options as the Democrat was kind of a crooked fella. I normally vote Democrat, but this was one of the exceptions. He did fine too in the early going, like getting rid of the need to have your car inspected, which was just stupid. But after I moved to Tennessee he fell out of favor for me as his leanings became more pushing beyond what I think government should do (mainly the one you've already mentioned his religion). He's not perfect, as I remember his son was a bad seed, but that can be said of many a minister's sons! Anyway, I would never vote for him for President, but I don't have a total dislike for him like I do some.
Posts: 176 | Registered: Sep 2006
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Strip: You don't have to get your car inspected anymore?
Ya know, I used to point out the difference in priorities between Arkansas and California with that. Arkansas inspects your car to make sure it's safe and you're not going to kill yourself or someone else. California inspects your car to make sure it doesn't have too much exhaust.
Does it still only cost twenty bucks to register your car?
Posts: 7085 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Not sure Pixie, I haven't lived in Arkansas since 1999 and I that question never comes up with my relatives when I'm over there. When I lasted lived there I think it was $25
But here in Shelby County Tennessee its even a bit weirder. If you live in Memphis city limits you DO have to get your car inspected. (Its crazy too, they have all of 2 places you can get it done, so the lines there are miles long sometimes.) But if you live in the county you DON'T. (We have 2 different governments here, so I guess thats why.) Anyway, you do have to register your car, but its basically getting a tag and paying the taxes. It runs around $75, then ~$100 every year to renew.
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According to the chart I think I support Kucinich and Gravel, but I don't know anything about them. Off to google!
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WOW, why don't you accuse him of hurting the terrorists feelings by cleaning up the mess they spent years preparing for?
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quote: He was in charge of the cleanup after 9/11 that may eventually kill more people than the event itself due to health complications from the toxic particles in the air.
:boggled:
How is Giuliani responsible for this?
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There is some evidence he (and several in the Bush administration) knew of reports of possible severe future health problems from conditions at the site, and did not communicate the information to those actually working at the site.
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It's a little hard to take Christine Toodd Whittman at her word on that one. The political appointees at the EPA and people at the White House quashed reports of the actual potentially serious pollution/health danger at the Two Towers site done by the response team and, seven days afterward, she falsely claimed that the air was safe to breathe.
That's not to say that she might not have recommended to Rudy Guilliani that the workers wear respirators, but it sounds more like her shifting blame from herself and the Bush administration for their inexcusable actions in supressing validly gathered information that the air at the Two Towers site was potentially very dangerous.
Rudy Guilliani did spend an significant amount of time at the Two Towers site unprotected, which suggests to me that he wasn't really apprised of the true potential danger.
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Nato: thanks for the propaganda preview. I guess we all know what we're going to see if Rudy gets the nomination now.
I'm interested in voting for him because he's for the war and for same sex unions. He's also willing to use force on Iran if need be.
I'd like information on his opinion onshrinking the size of government and cutting taxes. That's my other big issue. But the fact he's against socialized medicine is a huge plus.
Posts: 7085 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Something you might like less, Pixiest, is that he's a strong proponent of McCain-Feingold. He's also attempted to use the courts a few times to prevent speech he doesn't like, such as an ad by New York Magazine that said they were "probably the only good thing in New York that Rudy hasn't taken credit for."
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Fugu: Yeah, that's really disappointing to hear. But that's the problem with politics. You always have to pick the person you disagree with the least.
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posted
What's worse George Washington OWNS slaves, and he is a rich white man who is not in touch with the little guys! Keep him out of office!
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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George Washington couldn't be elected now, could he? Can't compare the ethics of his era with the ethics of ours. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if ya voted for a dead Head, what with Reagan and all.
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aspectre: Your search for the perfect candidate who is dirtless will never bear fruit. George Washington is a good example because even in his own time there were those who thought ill of him. A traitorous, wine bibber, who did not attend church faithfully as well as a man who married a woman for her family fortune. A coward who refused to stand and fight, preferring to retreat and put others at risk rather then commit his armies where they might do good.
You don't know that were Washington born now he would not have become a great military leader who would eventually become president in this day and age.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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The irony in electing dead presidents is that most of the really good Republicans that present day GOP politicians like to tout would NEVER be elected as present day Republicans. Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican and then independent, but he would have been villified by present day Republicans. I think it's likely Lincoln wouldn't have been elected as a Republican either. And yet they call themselves the party of Lincoln. I especially remember them touting these facts at the 2004 RNC. I spent a lot of time over my vacation these last two weeks listening to old speeches and new speeches, and I finally got down to Barack Obama and Ahnold giving their keynote addresses at the DNC and RNCs in 2004.
Ahnold's struck me as the height of divisiveness. He bashed Democrats and falsely claimed the mantle of progressive Republicans from a time long gone, who no longer represent what the Republicans today do.
Obama was full of hope and energy, to the point where at the end of the speech when he mentioned John Kerry, I was depressed that it wasn't Obama running, and that we were stuck with the other guy. He tried to bring the parties together, and soothe old wounds, and even if it was just fluff, it was inspiring, and it wasn't at all offensive to Republicans.
I think it was those two speeches that sealed for me that I could never vote Republican, not until there are fundamental changes to their party. And I'm not saying that those two people are the penultimate icons of their party, but the fact that they were the ones chosen to speak for their party says a lot to me.
There are Republicans this year that are saying some good things, but I don't trust them. They have to earn that back before I even consider them, or at least produce a candidate that rises so far above them, that he or she can erase all those old feelings.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I liked Stephen Colbert's statement that if Huckabee is elected it would be impossible to mention any tragedies in the news that he was involved in without cracking up. He then attempted to mention that victims of some disaster were consoled by the remarks of President Huckabee and he just started snickering.
It's so true, Huckabee were he elected, would have the cutest name of any president in history. Possibly ANY leader.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Well that's a middle name, so it's not like he was KNOWN by that name. But good effort.
Actually, he was, though it was pronounced Quinzy. He was a terrible president.
A bit of trivia, what with the whole Keith Ellison nuttiness last year: JQ Adams swore his oath of office on a book of laws, rather than on a Bible.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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One thing I really like about Huckabee is the way he talks about his faith - he sounds like he's taken lessons from Stephen Carter, or at least has thought deeply about it himself. He doesn't see faith as prescriptive, but rather, an orientation - not a set of rules, but a way of thinking about the world and how we work in it. This is deeply true, I think, and Edwards's statement seems really shallow to me in comparison.
Take him easily over Guiliani and Thompson, and probably over Romney.
Posts: 794 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I like Romney. But I also like Giuliani because I think he may be the most electable of all the Republicans and is (to me) preferable over any of the Democrats. But I still prefer Romney because I can't see any of the Democrats possibly winning the general election.
Posts: 1286 | Registered: Dec 2005
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Considering the usual slams you hear against Bill Clinton from Republicans, I find it almost comically ironic that Giuliani is the most electable of your candidates.
Besides, Clinton and Giuliani are statistically tied right now for a general election, with Clinton slightly ahead without the +/-. I can see either Clinton or Obama winning the general for very different reasons, but it really depends on which Republican is running. They all have their big flaws.
I think Huckabee is the most folksy and friendly, probably the most likeable of all the Republican candidates. He's the one I want to smack the least when I hear them all talk.
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