U.S. Politics

[Bryancd]

A very exciting time for America, an amazing achievement for Obama. I say well done.

[Geekyfanboy]

This is a proud day in US history.. it has elected not only a great man but it's first black president.. this is truly an historical moment and I'm so proud to be part of it.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Landslide....as I was afraid of.  Well, I guess we can find out what change will happen.  Good or bad. 

And yes, I'm not happy with the results, but neither am I bitter.  (What's the point of being bitter anyway?)  It will be a most interesting 4 years to come. 

King

[Dan M]

A great man?  I see how people sense potential for greatness, but he's a one-term Senator.  How is he great?  What has he done to heap such praise on him?

His greatest accomplishment is getting elected president, and George W. Bush did that twice, so obviously that's not enough. :)

[X]

A great man?  I see how people sense potential for greatness, but he's a one-term Senator.  How is he great?  What has he done to heap such praise on him?

His greatest accomplishment is getting elected president, and George W. Bush did that twice, so obviously that's not enough. :)

What does he need to do to be a great man? There are many great men to me that didn't "do" anything.

MLK was a great man, but he personally didn't do anything but motivate people to change.

[Dan M]

Are you comparing Obama to MLK? 

MLK had an impact on society.  Obama  has the potential to have a great impact on society.   They're not equivalent.

Kenny said he was a great man.  I want to know by what criteria he thinks he's a great man.  What has he done, other than serving a few years in the Senate and being elected president, that warrants such a label?

[Geekyfanboy]

Are you comparing Obama to MLK? 

MLK had an impact on society.  Obama  has the potential to have a great impact on society.   They're not equivalent.

Kenny said he was a great man.  I want to know by what criteria he thinks he's a great man.  What has he done, other than serving a few years in the Senate and being elected president, that warrants such a label?

Why do I have to justify why I think he is great... to me he is a great man. You don't have to agree with me and I certainly don't have to give you criteria on why I believe it...

[Ktrek]

Landslide....as I was afraid of.  Well, I guess we can find out what change will happen.  Good or bad. 

I wouldn't call, what as of this posting is less than a 4% popular vote lead a "landslide". It shows that this country is very very divided and Obama will not be able to unite us in my opinion. In fact I predict the very opposite will occur during the next four years. Socialism is a wrong direction for this country and I cannot agree with the taking of one man's hard earned wealth by the government and distributing as they see fit. The wealthy should be free to decide how and where their money goes. If it was not for the wealthy people of this country then many citizens of it would not be employed. Also, the idea of putting the coal industry into bankruptcy by government imposed fines is very scary. What's next? government imposed fines on gasoline consumption? Obama is opposed to capitalism and our whole way of life may be in danger.

I congratulate him on running a great campaign but I feel he is nowhere near qualified to run this country and he is in for a rude awakening in foreign policy too. I just hope that he's up to the challenge because if he's not we are all in for a rough ride!

Kevin

[Geekyfanboy]

Landslide....as I was afraid of.  Well, I guess we can find out what change will happen.  Good or bad. 



I wouldn't call, what as of this posting is less than a 4% popular vote lead a "landslide". It shows that this country is very very divided and Obama will not be able to unite us in my opinion. In fact I predict the very opposite will occur during the next four years. Socialism is a wrong direction for this country and I cannot agree with the taking of one man's hard earned wealth by the government and distributing as they see fit. The wealthy should be free to decide how and where their money goes. If it was not for the wealthy people of this country then many citizens of it would not be employed. Also, the idea of putting the coal industry into bankruptcy by government imposed fines is very scary. What's next? government imposed fines on gasoline consumption? Obama is opposed to capitalism and our whole way of life may be in danger.

I congratulate him on running a great campaign but I feel he is nowhere near qualified to run this country and he is in for a rude awakening in foreign policy too. I just hope that he's up to the challenge because if he's not we are all in for a rough ride!

Kevin

Yeah because the pass eight years have been a joy ride....

[Ktrek]

Yeah because the pass eight years have been a joy ride....

I am no fan of Mr. Bush's presidency Kenny but I would have sooner voted him in for a 3rd term than move this country toward socialism. Capitalism has it's problems but it's still the best system in the entire world and you wouldn't even enjoy all your toys and possessions you are so proud of without it. I was an early backer of Obama many many months back (and if you don't believe me just ask and I will point you to posts I made that prove such) but as more came to light about his character and beliefs the less I could support him. I'm scared for him and even more scared for this country.

Kevin

[Geekyfanboy]

Well I don't agree with you but that is what is great about our country.. we all have the right to express our beliefs.

[Feathers]

Well this is the most heated topic I've ever seen on these boards!

I'm not joining in, I'm not American, but I just want to wish you all well for the next 4 years.

(I trust you all voted for your candidate of choice - turnouts in general elections over here are getting so low that every victory is a effectively a minority these days.)

[X]

Are you comparing Obama to MLK? 

MLK had an impact on society.  Obama  has the potential to have a great impact on society.   They're not equivalent.

Kenny said he was a great man.  I want to know by what criteria he thinks he's a great man.  What has he done, other than serving a few years in the Senate and being elected president, that warrants such a label?

Was I comparing him to MLK? Sure why not? Both gave speeches that motivated people into action. Both have/had ideas of creating something better together.

MLK didn't get elected a senator. MLK didn't get elected president.

In fact. The only thing that MLK did was motivate people into wanting to make a change and let's be honest. It was less than half the country that he motivated.

There are a lot of great men out there that if you look at what they did, it really doesn't amount to much other than inspire people to want to change. Plato, Socrates, MLK, Gandhi, Mother Theresa and the list goes on.

I am not saying that Obama is any of these people or even in their league of greatness, but at the same time all any of these people did was be an agent of change and they earned their right to be called great. Not for what the did, but for what they inspired others to do.

[Bryancd]

Although I agree the idea of "a great man" for me conotates someone who has accomplished remarakable achievemments in their life, something Obama has yet to do beyond last night victory, I will say he is very charismatic, personable, intelligent, and as such has the "stuff" of potential greatness. I think a lot of voters feel like Kenny does, his personality and ability to communicate is very seductive and powerful. I'm sure many of his supporters aren't very familiar with his positions but are very charmed by the package. And that's ok, it's very much like John Kennedy's mystique. Although I don't agree with his economic plan at all, often it's less about policy and more about perception. If American's feel positive about him, that can have very real world influences.

[billybob476]

Well all I can add to this discussion is that I'm happy for all my American friends. Up to this point Obama has proven himself in theory. Now comes the hard part, proving himself through his actions and decisions.

Just keep in mind that pretty much every president is a great man before the start of their term, the difficult thing is remaining a great man by the end.