The other day as I was perusing the Facebook status updates of my friends when I came across a political statement that I found rather ironic. This friend who shall remain nameless posted something to the effect that she would like all the angry Republicans to stick to their promise and move to another country in case of an Obama victory.
Ironically, the most famous example of such a threat was made by Alec Baldwin and his ex-wife Kim Bassinger during the 2000 campaign when the couple vowed to move to Canada if George W. Bush was elected president (a promise that unfortunately they did not keep and instead Alec took out a lot of anger on his 12 year old daughter who is a little pig http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J0-ZatDHug) However, for a conservative or a McCain supporter to make the same promise is entirely illogical. I will admit that I don't know whether the comment in question was addressed to anyone in specific, but I will explain why it makes no sense.
The liberal view of the US is that we are a fixer upper mansion and the rest of the world is made up of either shacks or small but cozy high tech new constructions. In case that the much needed home improvement is not made, liberals would eagerly move into the cool new constructions (i.e., France or Canada). As a result liberals have no issues making such dramatic statements as the one made by Baldwin in 2000.
Conservatives believe through thick and thin that the United States is the greatest country in the world. It may not be perfect, and from time to time they deal with a landscaper that they don't like (Obama), but at the end of the day they would rather live in the United States than anywhere else. Conservatives cannot identify any other country in the world that values the free market economics, social, and foreign policies more than the United States, and hence no alternative can possibly exist.
If indeed this comment was addressed to a specific McCain supporter, I would be curious to know what country did he foresee himself moving to in case of an Obama victory. Yes, Canada has a "Conservative" Prime Minister in Ben Harper now, but Canadian Conservatives are near equivalent of American Liberals (Canadian Liberals = Communists). Same logic can be applied to the European Conservative governments in Germany, Italy, and France. So unless this individuals just likes the sound of the label "Conservatives" and doesn't care about substance, none of these countries are a viable alternative.
On a lighter note: Hilarious video of the consequence of the Obama victory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3_95F5e-Ac
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
On the bright side
So Obama won, and our country is heading towards a minimum of 4 and a likelihood of 8 years of deeply damaging foreign, economic, and social policy. However there are a few bright spots that accompany the Obama presidency.
1. The embargo on Cuba hopefully will end. This 50 year old economic embargo of a poor country just off the coast of Florida is insane. US does and has done business with regimes much less palatable than Fidel's (or should I say Raul's) Cuba. Does anyone really believe that Cuba is a more hostile nation than China, Vietnam, or Saudi Arabia? We actually entered military conflict against two of those nations on a much larger scale than anything we have experienced with Cuba (Korean War+Vietnam war > Bay of Pigs) and yet we do business with them. The hijackers from Saudi Arabia amongst other terrorist have killed more Americans than Fidel ever has. What threat does Cuba really pose to the United States anymore? Opening up Cuba to American commerce will be the most effective tool to bring liberty and freedom to this island. America needs to realize that its "culture of cool" and "marketing" are the greatest weapons to conquering hostile totalitarian regimes. Open trade with Cuba will benefit both the United States and Cuba, a minor economic stimulus that is all too important in this struggling economy.
2. Chicago will get the 2016 Olympics. The world is in love with Barack Obama, and with the upcoming Olympic bid for 2016 Summer Olympics this is something the Chicago Olympic Organizing Committee will seek to capitalize upon. Barack Obama has already played a key role in Chicago being chosen as the US Finalist, when he fully endorsed the Olympics through a video sent to the USOC lobbying for the Chicago bid. If Barack Obama so much as mentions Chicago and the Olympics in the same sentence again, undoubtedly the IOC will award Chicago the games.
3. Affirmative action is no longer justifiable. If a minority can obtain the most sought job in the world, surely there is no longer a need for a step up for anyone. Acceptance to school, employment search, and other processes that currently condone discrimination based on race, sex, or creed should come to an end. Realistically, I'm not too optimistic that this will happen, but Nebraska just voted down affirmative action, and I think we will begin to move on the right track.
1. The embargo on Cuba hopefully will end. This 50 year old economic embargo of a poor country just off the coast of Florida is insane. US does and has done business with regimes much less palatable than Fidel's (or should I say Raul's) Cuba. Does anyone really believe that Cuba is a more hostile nation than China, Vietnam, or Saudi Arabia? We actually entered military conflict against two of those nations on a much larger scale than anything we have experienced with Cuba (Korean War+Vietnam war > Bay of Pigs) and yet we do business with them. The hijackers from Saudi Arabia amongst other terrorist have killed more Americans than Fidel ever has. What threat does Cuba really pose to the United States anymore? Opening up Cuba to American commerce will be the most effective tool to bring liberty and freedom to this island. America needs to realize that its "culture of cool" and "marketing" are the greatest weapons to conquering hostile totalitarian regimes. Open trade with Cuba will benefit both the United States and Cuba, a minor economic stimulus that is all too important in this struggling economy.
2. Chicago will get the 2016 Olympics. The world is in love with Barack Obama, and with the upcoming Olympic bid for 2016 Summer Olympics this is something the Chicago Olympic Organizing Committee will seek to capitalize upon. Barack Obama has already played a key role in Chicago being chosen as the US Finalist, when he fully endorsed the Olympics through a video sent to the USOC lobbying for the Chicago bid. If Barack Obama so much as mentions Chicago and the Olympics in the same sentence again, undoubtedly the IOC will award Chicago the games.
3. Affirmative action is no longer justifiable. If a minority can obtain the most sought job in the world, surely there is no longer a need for a step up for anyone. Acceptance to school, employment search, and other processes that currently condone discrimination based on race, sex, or creed should come to an end. Realistically, I'm not too optimistic that this will happen, but Nebraska just voted down affirmative action, and I think we will begin to move on the right track.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Obama Supporter's profile
You might be an Obama supporter if...
1. You are a Liberal Arts major (very likely to be a psychology or sociology student)
2. You took a an astronomy class in high school, and think that alone qualifies you to be an astronaut.
3. You have little to no understanding of Economics and don't really feel like that's worth your time, socialism really simplifies economic theory.
4. You don't let facts get in the way of your views.
5. You feel a strong need for social acceptance dating back to kindergarden when you were ostricised for being the fat kid that was always "it" in the game of tag.
6. You have a compulsive need for "change" although you aren't really sure what change is.
7. The mere mention of the name George W Bush causes hysterical deafness and violent seizures that render you temporarily deaf and permanently brain damaged.
8. You enjoy large crowds chanting a leader's name in unison. (Heil optional)
9. Your other home is in Pyonyang, Teheran, or the Gaza Strip.
10. Kumbaya is on your Ipod, and unicorns are in your stable.
1. You are a Liberal Arts major (very likely to be a psychology or sociology student)
2. You took a an astronomy class in high school, and think that alone qualifies you to be an astronaut.
3. You have little to no understanding of Economics and don't really feel like that's worth your time, socialism really simplifies economic theory.
4. You don't let facts get in the way of your views.
5. You feel a strong need for social acceptance dating back to kindergarden when you were ostricised for being the fat kid that was always "it" in the game of tag.
6. You have a compulsive need for "change" although you aren't really sure what change is.
7. The mere mention of the name George W Bush causes hysterical deafness and violent seizures that render you temporarily deaf and permanently brain damaged.
8. You enjoy large crowds chanting a leader's name in unison. (Heil optional)
9. Your other home is in Pyonyang, Teheran, or the Gaza Strip.
10. Kumbaya is on your Ipod, and unicorns are in your stable.
It's the Economy Stupid
It looks like Barack will be the 44th president of the United States. Coupled with Democratic wins in the Congress this presents a very scary scenario. We are in the midst of an economic recession, and I have a hard time believing that a Democratic controlled Washington can in any way alleviate the economic situation. So far the Democrats have talked about raising corporate taxes and taxes for wealthy individuals, increasing the capital gains tax, coupled with a ridiculous amount of new programs. This spells nothing short of disaster. Raising taxes does nothing to improve the economy, especially during a recession, and will hamper investment during a period that needs an economic resurgence as well as increase our record budget deficit.
The policy of sound economics has been ignored by the Bush administration and will be further avoided by the Democrats for the next 8 years. Why do I say 8 years? That's right I believe Obama will be re-elected for a second term.
I'm confident that Barack Obama regardless of his actual abilities will go down as one of the greatest American presidents of all time. Do I agree with this? Absolutely Not. But I have a sense that Barack Obama's ability to BS will allow him to escape any responsibility for anything that goes wrong during his administration. As he has done throughout the campaign he will point back to George Bush as the source of all problems, and of course Obama will be the source of all solutions. With time the economy will recover and go through an upward cycle, just as it did under Clinton, and the uneducated ignorant masses will attribute this prosperity to Mr. Obama, ignoring the fact that the President can't really take much credit for the performance of the economy.
On a lighter note: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI
The policy of sound economics has been ignored by the Bush administration and will be further avoided by the Democrats for the next 8 years. Why do I say 8 years? That's right I believe Obama will be re-elected for a second term.
I'm confident that Barack Obama regardless of his actual abilities will go down as one of the greatest American presidents of all time. Do I agree with this? Absolutely Not. But I have a sense that Barack Obama's ability to BS will allow him to escape any responsibility for anything that goes wrong during his administration. As he has done throughout the campaign he will point back to George Bush as the source of all problems, and of course Obama will be the source of all solutions. With time the economy will recover and go through an upward cycle, just as it did under Clinton, and the uneducated ignorant masses will attribute this prosperity to Mr. Obama, ignoring the fact that the President can't really take much credit for the performance of the economy.
On a lighter note: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)