kallend 2,032 #26 November 5, 2007 QuoteI don't think scandals matter anymore. Seriously, when was the last time we had a great President? Jefferson.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #27 November 5, 2007 Quote Quote Ron Paul's been a Congressman in Texas for a long time. His voting record shows that he does practice what he preaches. While I'm all for the idea of reforming the system, his viewpoint is far too extreme to actually work. . I don't worry about that, because we're electing a president, not a dictator. I think you need to consider a libertarian president in terms of in what general direction you want the government to move. In areas where President Paul would be too extreme, he would be checked&balanced by Congress, which is dominated by Democrats & Republicans. The most extreme goals won't happen, but it would be good to generally take the government down a few pegs. I think America was founded to in part get away from the idea of the government as Our Great & Glorious Leader. America's greatness comes in part from that belief: most of what is great about America comes from its people, not the actions of the government. America fluorished and achieved great things because it squashed its government. But people forget that over time & continue to turn to the government to do anything. We don't have too many monarchies nowadays, but we still have excesses of socialism and imperialism and miltarism. The government occasionally needs a good bitch-slap to keep it in its place. (how's that for a quote?) Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #28 November 5, 2007 QuoteSeriously, when was the last time we had a great President? Truly great - perhaps President Lincoln. Only President to have a patent (not my sole criteria for Presidential greatness). He was a brilliant man. Second, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. President's Reagan's influence and moral leadership against oppressive Communistic states and the USSR cannot be overlooked. What may be sad is that neither Lincoln nor FDR might be electable today. Lincoln didn’t have a face nor a disposition for television, and FDR would likely be considered too physically sick (regardless of the using a wheel chair.) VR/Marg p.s. President George H.W. Bush will always stand out for me for his commitment to eliminating chemical weapons. During the construction of Johnston Atoll Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility, he said “If I’m elected president, if I’m remembered for anything, it would be this: a complete and total ban on chemical weapons. Their destruction forever.” (He signed the CWC in 1991; the US Senate didn’t ratify until April 1997, which was four days before the treaty entered into force.) Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #29 November 5, 2007 QuoteQuotewhen was the last time we had a great President? Eisenhower? maybe Kennedy (depending on if you're not partisan). Kennedy was a horrible president, he died sparing him the close scrutiny he deserved and was annointed a saint by many who did not know what he had been doing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rookie120 0 #30 November 5, 2007 QuoteKennedy handled the Cuban Missile Crisis extremely well. Unfortunately people remember the Bay of Pigs so that shadows what he did.If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #31 November 5, 2007 QuoteQuoteKennedy handled the Cuban Missile Crisis extremely well. Unfortunately people remember the Bay of Pigs so that shadows what he did. Actually, it foreshadows . . . Bay of Pigs came first, almost immediately in his first term. And it taught him an extremely important lesson about verifying what your advisors are telling you which is generally credited as the reason why he handled the missle crisis so well. Contrast and compare that to today . . .quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #32 November 5, 2007 QuoteQuoteQuoteKennedy handled the Cuban Missile Crisis extremely well. Unfortunately people remember the Bay of Pigs so that shadows what he did. Actually, it foreshadows . . . Bay of Pigs came first, almost immediately in his first term. And it taught him an extremely important lesson about verifying what your advisors are telling you which is generally credited as the reason why he handled the missle crisis so well. Contrast and compare that to today . . . The more I learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the scarier it is for what almost happened, but the more impressive it is for how the JFK administration handled it. But again, I get the impression Robert Kennedy was the guiding influence behind John Kennedy."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #33 November 5, 2007 Quote How about election reform? Wouldn't it would be great if no one could register or campaign before March or April of the election year? A few months for primaries, have the conventions and 3-4 months for the parties' candidates to campaign, and then we're done for three and a half years. Yeah... I know... a pipe dream.This crap of starting your run almost 2 years before the election is obscene. It's not candidacy. It's a fucking war of attrition. So your solution would be to go beyond McCain-Feingold and complete piss on the 1st Amendment? You're talking about prior restraint - and how do you distinguish between regular politicking and running for president? You can't. The older method (as it existed in the 80s) was a sound one for the times. You start with a small rural state like Iowa where it is possible for the candidates to talk to a significant portion of the population on an individual basis. It doesn't have to be Iowa, but it should be some smaller state, so why not them? Then you follow it up with New Hampshire. Those two campaigns flesh out the half assed candidacies. Then you have a couple other smaller bouts, then Super Tuesday in the South, then eventually ended up in California, though most years it would be decided before then. But I'd agree that with the pace of information now, we no longer need to space it out from January till June. Nonethless, we also don't want the current situation where every state keeps trying to leapfrog the others. This year the primary process will be done in a few weeks, and that does not lead to reflected choices. That will benefit the favorites and the well capitalized more than ever. And what we'll have is two candidates in February, a long lull till the conventions, and then the usual dragging election (if you live in a battleground state - I don't). How to improve? Well, I think the two parties have to be more responsible and control the states. 1st week in March - Iowa 2nd week - debates 3rd week in March - New Hampshire 4th week - debates 1st week in April -> 2nd week in May - each week, put 1/6th of the states (in population) up, randomly selected the year prior. Take some measures to keep the biggest states separated. Alternatively, adopt a rotating schedule as many have proposed. Mid July - challenger party has its convention 1st week of august - incumbent party has its convention. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #34 November 5, 2007 I learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the scarier it is for what almost happened, but the more impressive it is for how the JFK administration handled it. But again, I get the impression Robert Kennedy was the guiding influence behind John Kennedy. Quote Yep removing the missiles from Turkey as a concession to Kruschev was an amazing feat. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #35 November 5, 2007 QuoteIn the past it seems there have been more sitting or former governors in the race than this year. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter and Nixon were in State house somewhere prior to the White house. I wonder why none this year. Gov. Richardson, D-NM. He's one of the better "qualified" on the left, but he's being ignored by the media.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #36 November 5, 2007 QuoteQuoteI think we tend to put Presidents from other generations up on pedestals(sp?). With the scrutiny modern presidents are put under, it's hard to compare. LBJ, Nixon, Reagan and Clinton all have some great aspects to their legacies. NOT LBJ! That asshole dug us into Viet Nam, then when he realized there was no way to win, the SOB refused to accept reality and pull out. I've heard the audio tapes of him responding to McNamara, after the latter flatly told him there was no way to win: "I will NOT go down in history as the first president to lose a war." In other words, his personal pride was more important than the lives of American soldiers. I'd like to shit on his grave. I had always considered him the worst president in my lifetime, but over the last six years I've been reconsidering. On Nixon, we agree. He had the guts to face reality and clean up the mess created by LBJ, and he also normalized relations with China, after decades of the US pretending Taiwan was China. He also had the last truly balanced budget, although in fairness it was a side-effect of the Viet Nam war ending while the tax increases that paid for it were still in effect. President Nixon opened diplomatic relations with China, it was President Carter that dropped formal ties with Taiwan to normalize with China. Not the best idea in the end in my book.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #37 November 5, 2007 Ya, I remember being impressed with him earlier, but I had forgotten all about him, no coverage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rushmc 23 #38 November 6, 2007 QuoteQuoteIn the past it seems there have been more sitting or former governors in the race than this year. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter and Nixon were in State house somewhere prior to the White house. I wonder why none this year. Gov. Richardson, D-NM. He's one of the better "qualified" on the left, but he's being ignored by the media. Waht do you think of Duncan Hunter?"America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #39 November 6, 2007 Quote Quote Quote In the past it seems there have been more sitting or former governors in the race than this year. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter and Nixon were in State house somewhere prior to the White house. I wonder why none this year. Gov. Richardson, D-NM. He's one of the better "qualified" on the left, but he's being ignored by the media. Waht do you think of Duncan Hunter? I like him, but I think he would be better as SecDef in Fred Thompson's administration. So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rushmc 23 #40 November 6, 2007 Quote Quote Quote Quote In the past it seems there have been more sitting or former governors in the race than this year. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter and Nixon were in State house somewhere prior to the White house. I wonder why none this year. Gov. Richardson, D-NM. He's one of the better "qualified" on the left, but he's being ignored by the media. Waht do you think of Duncan Hunter? I like him, but I think he would be better as SecDef in Fred Thompson's administration. I am not sure about Thompson yet but I am listening"America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,032 #41 November 6, 2007 Quote Quote Quote Quote Quote In the past it seems there have been more sitting or former governors in the race than this year. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter and Nixon were in State house somewhere prior to the White house. I wonder why none this year. Gov. Richardson, D-NM. He's one of the better "qualified" on the left, but he's being ignored by the media. Waht do you think of Duncan Hunter? I like him, but I think he would be better as SecDef in Fred Thompson's administration. I am not sure about Thompson yet but I am listening He has poor judgment in picking convicted felons as campaign aides.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,032 #42 November 6, 2007 QuoteI think we tend to put Presidents from other generations up on pedestals(sp?). With the scrutiny modern presidents are put under, it's hard to compare. LBJ, Nixon, Reagan and Clinton all have some great aspects to their legacies. Do you also praise Mussolini for making the trains run on time?... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheAnvil 0 #43 November 6, 2007 This is true and somewhat depressing. On the left, Bill Richardson seems the best of the bunch by far. On the right...probably Mike Huckabee or Duncan Hunter. Some of them have done good things at the city and state level - Romney's health insurance plan in MA is a decent thing at the state level, for example. I'm just no impressed with any of them right now as far as the presidential campaign goes. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akarunway 1 #44 November 6, 2007 Quote Quote Quote Quote Kennedy handled the Cuban Missile Crisis extremely well. Unfortunately people remember the Bay of Pigs so that shadows what he did. Actually, it foreshadows . . . Bay of Pigs came first, almost immediately in his first term. And it taught him an extremely important lesson about verifying what your advisors are telling you which is generally credited as the reason why he handled the missle crisis so well. Contrast and compare that to today . . . The more I learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the scarier it is for what almost happened, but the more impressive it is for how the JFK administration handled it. But again, I get the impression Robert Kennedy was the guiding influence behind John Kennedy. Me thinks it was daddy Joe.I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #45 November 6, 2007 Quote The more I learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the scarier it is for what almost happened, but the more impressive it is for how the JFK administration handled it. But again, I get the impression Robert Kennedy was the guiding influence behind John Kennedy. Me thinks it was daddy Joe.Pushing his kids into politics, pulling strings to get them elected, and financing it: Yes. But as for the decision-making once they made it into office, I believe Robert was the smartest of the bunch and even John realized that."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Muenkel 0 #46 November 6, 2007 Quote I honestly don't have a pick. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yeah, I'm pretty much with you on this one. I'm not exactly excited about any of them. Out of the entire field, I do have a lesser of all evils pick and it's going to come as a surprise to some that he's a Republican, but like I said, he's my lesser of all evils pick and even then it's only because of his vast experience level; not anything he's said or done recently. Exactly what I am talking about. I'm also dealing with picking the lesser of 2 evils. This is probably the most powerful person in the world and the applicants seem to be mediocre at best. _________________________________________ Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #47 November 6, 2007 Quote. . .I like Ron Paul because of his views and FT because he knows when to keep his religious opinions to him self. He also understands that his personal religious beliefs have no place in government and seems like a good man…………… I like Ron Paul too, but I'm a little concerned about his pro-life position, especially this (from his website): "In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, HR 1094." Now I tend to doubt that he would get such legislation passed, but the fact that he wants to makes me unlikely to vote for him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joedirt 0 #48 November 6, 2007 Yeah, it's not like the good old days when you were voting for either JP Morgan or JD Rockefeller every time. Or maybe we still are, where are the good conspiracy theory experts? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Royd 0 #49 November 6, 2007 Quote The more I learn about JFK, the more it seems that he was going to Robert Kennedy for all the big decisions. It's a shame Robert died, because I think he might have been a great president. On the upside, Teddy has kept the legacy alive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rushmc 23 #50 November 6, 2007 Quote Quote Quote Quote Quote Quote In the past it seems there have been more sitting or former governors in the race than this year. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter and Nixon were in State house somewhere prior to the White house. I wonder why none this year. Gov. Richardson, D-NM. He's one of the better "qualified" on the left, but he's being ignored by the media. Waht do you think of Duncan Hunter? I like him, but I think he would be better as SecDef in Fred Thompson's administration. I am not sure about Thompson yet but I am listening He has poor judgment in picking convicted felons as campaign aides. I suppose you hold that against him"America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
