WHO should be elected in 2012?

[GrayMouser]

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

(And yep, it deserves all caps)

[GrayMouser]

Saw this in a Salon book review of Steven Johnson's "The Invention of Air", a biography of Joseph Priestley, who had been chased out of England for his Unitarian views and then hounded in America during the period of hysteria which led to the Alien and Sedition Acts.

He received a letter from his admirer and fellow Enlightenment thinker, Thomas Jefferson, written on Jefferson's first day in office in January i801:

Our countrymen have recovered from the alarm into which art and industry had thrown them; science and honesty are replaced on their high ground, and you, my dear Sir, as their great apostle, are on its pinnacle ... The order and good sense displayed in this recovery from delusion, and in the momentous crisis which lately arose, really bespeak a strength of character in our nation which augurs well for the duration of our Republic, and I am much better satisfied now of its stability than I was before it was tried.

[Coffeehouse]

Originally Posted by GrayMouser

Saw this in a Salon book review of Steven Johnson's "The Invention of Air", a biography of Joseph Priestley, who had been chased out of England for his Unitarian views and then hounded in America during the period of hysteria which led to the Alien and Sedition Acts.

He received a letter from his admirer and fellow Enlightenment thinker, Thomas Jefferson, written on Jefferson's first day in office in January i801:
Our countrymen have recovered from the alarm into which art and industry had thrown them; science and honesty are replaced on their high ground, and you, my dear Sir, as their great apostle, are on its pinnacle ... The order and good sense displayed in this recovery from delusion, and in the momentous crisis which lately arose, really bespeak a strength of character in our nation which augurs well for the duration of our Republic, and I am much better satisfied now of its stability than I was before it was tried.

I think Thomas Jefferson was proven right in seeing that 'science and honesty are replaced on their high ground' in the US, for the 'duration of our Republic'. These are values of the Enlightenment which Obama unflinchingly has evoked in almost every speech he has given throughout the campaign and in yesterday's inauguration. Perhaps speaking of restoring this Enlightenment inheritance in the US is the wrong word, but at least now the US will have a President that does not want to compromise on such values, which are principles, not fine words that can be used at whatever suitable occasions seen fit to be rosepainted.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by brownjenkins

Because the much-touted "religous base" is a much less than half the republican party and about 15% of the American electorate as a whole.

Huckabee was very strong on the moral right side of things, but he was practically democratic when it came to economic policy. Very much for using government to help out those in need.

Most republicans lean towards social conservatism but, when push comes to shove, the "holding onto their money" factor is a lot more important. Give them the choice between lower taxes or family values and they will choose lower taxes every time.

The religious block of the republican party is large, but it is not a majority any more than the radical left is a majority in the democratic party.

Which makes him a good candidate for me. I lean to the pink-o side, myself.

For the Republican candidates of this primary, however, you just couldn't beat Ron Paul.

[GrayMouser]

With all the talk of "going Galt" passing around the right-wing these days, I thought this was good:--

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.

http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03...ra-2009-7.html

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

That's pretty funny.

I have to say, both of those books influenced me enormously. Of course, so did a few others. Louisa May Alcotts descriptions of charity and peace work in the 1860's touched me profoundly.
People are discussing Atlas Shrugged? I find that hard to believe, actually. Most people won't read that many words, all in a row.

[Valandil]

Maybe Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have made it cool. Anyway - I doubt it's anything like a major following. Or a really great amount of people reading it. It IS very counter to the direction we seem to be headed (That is to say, in it's ideals - or the ideas it is promoting. We might well be headed in the direction it depicts).

[Insidious Rex]

Hm.. I think you could actually make the opposite argument. That the laissez-faire capitalism the book idealized actually led to the current crumbling of our economic structure due to lax (no) regulation. Its silly to see these kinds of issues in terms of being simply black and white as she did and as many Rush Limbaugh republicans still cling to as well as communist apologists.

[GrayMouser]

During my (very brief) anarcho-capitalist phase, when I moved so far Left I ended up on the Right, I read most of her stuff, but I must admit I blanched at "Atlas".

There's a discussion among some right-wing bloggers and their commenters- Instapundit, Michelle Malkin, Rod Dreher- about "going Galt"; going off the grid, withdrawing their contributions a la John Galt, due to Obama's crushing of America under the Iron Heel of Socialism (aka raising tax rates on rich folk back to what they were under Ronnie Reagan).

Of course, the movers and shakers who withdrew their services in the novel were able to do so because Galt had invented a free-energy machine, which is about the reality level of your average Randian.

[The Gaffer]

Great quote, GM.

All good news then, if the right is indeed disappearing up its own arse.

And I think Joe Punter is well aware of the truth in what IRex says. Blimey, we're in trouble if he doesn't.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by GrayMouser

There's a discussion among some right-wing bloggers and their commenters- Instapundit, Michelle Malkin, Rod Dreher- about "going Galt"; going off the grid, withdrawing their contributions a la John Galt, due to Obama's crushing of America under the Iron Heel of Socialism (aka raising tax rates on rich folk back to what they were under Ronnie Reagan).

Really? They might leave? Awesome...is there like a fund set up for their moving expenses? Every time I scraped up some change to donate to Obama's campaign, that was kind of my fantasy picture, that the idiots would be so PO'd at our electing him that they'd pick up their nastiness and move.

I think we could arrange to give them a Dakota, even, but it MUST be fenced and guarded. I look forward to seeing what kind of society will be created by people who don't work.

What a great day. *tear*

[Insidious Rex]

I believe they already have their state. Its called Wyoming.

[GrayMouser]

2008:

Originally Posted by GrayMouser

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

(And yep, it deserves all caps)

2012:

Obama

[The Gaffer]

Nice to wake up to that news. We all dodged a bullet there. The problems we face are too serious to waste another four years lining the pockets of the few.

The Republicans have been told that they have been dragged too far to the right by the Tea Party loons and their ilk. Here's hoping that they realise this and work with the President to tackle the fiscal deficit.

[Insidious Rex]

This thread makes for some great reading 4 years later. Atlas Shrugged indeed... Paul Ryans personal manifesto...

Gaffer, yes let us all hope Obama's reelection (and the Republicans overall poor showing on all levels) leads to a sea change in the republican strategy of alienating women and hispanics and college kids and the middle class and letting the smallest loudest most radical wackos within the tea party fringe team up with Rush Limbaugh and Fox News to influence how you govern. Lets hope the 4 year nightmare of the bedrock of the republican party intimidated into allowing the rouge belligerent tea party representatives torpedo ANY government progress at ALL costs ends now. Obamas reelection completely undermines the supposed mandate assumed by republicans to derail government by means of things like Grover Nordquist's No Tax Pledge insanity and Mitch McConnell's "one term president" obstructionism at all costs. No, republicans, thats NOT how you run a government and its NOT how the majority of the American public wants you to behave. They want you to work together, find compromise and actually legislate. Not sabotage ANY attempt at reaching across the isle to make things happen (even when it was a republican idea in the first place!).

If I were a republican I would be hoping someone high up in the GOP machine would have jumped across the room late last night, picked up a phone and made a call to Jeb Bush and said 'You were right. So what do we do now'? But Im not willing to bet against the prospects that repubs will react to this by inexplicably seeking to go only further down the extreme right wing path. If they do, it will be at their doom. As long as your platform involves terrifying the largest single growing racial group (hispanics), refusing to cooperate with democrats and writing off the american middle and lower class, your future as a viable party is dark indeed.

[Earniel]

Not that Obama totally wowed me the last four years, but this's hopefully another four years women's rights won't be utterly trampled upon. So yeay.

[The Gaffer]

Well, all this rightwing bible-bashing stuff, it's like heroin. They are addicted to it. They can't live without it. They can't imagine life without it.

It's all Reagan's fault of course. But that's another story...