IN THESE TIMES of economic trial, it is somewhat strange that the sense of trepidation in the United States seems far outweighed by a sense of hope and a national determination to put things right.
It is too soon after the election for the word “hope” not to carry political baggage. Barack Obama ran on a platform of hope and a promise of empowerment, and both the platform and the promise were the targets of constant attack during the campaign.
But today, just two weeks after the election, hope is what many people — regardless of political affiliation — feel, accompanied by a determination to use their power as citizens of a democracy to move past this temporary pain and heal the nation, economically and politically.
That public sense of possibility and power is reflected in the polls. Obama begins his transition to power with the highest approval rating of any president-elect in recent decades. According to the polls, 75 percent of the people think Obama is doing a good job. That is an amazing figure for a controversial politician who won the election 14 days ago with 53 percent of the popular vote.
The shift of support to the president-elect indicates a public realization that, after two years of campaigns, the time has come to put politics aside and concentrate on the common interests of all Americans — economic security, a safe environment, a national energy policy, affordable health care and a secure peace.
Given the severity of the problems that face the United States and the world, this national sense of hope is sure to be tried in coming months and the determination to put things right will be tested again and again.
But without that hope and determination and an accompanying belief in the possibility of striking out along a new road, the future would look grim indeed.
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
I must be dreaming. I find it incomprehensible that anyone could actually pen the above comments and even more unbelievalve that they could possibly be published in a public venue.
"According to the polls, 75 percent of the people think Obama is doing a good job." Good grief! What "job" is the man doing? He has resigned as a United States Senator and doesn't become President of the United States until January! To what is the poll referring: his search for a dog for his children? His TV interviews?
Who conducted this poll? The Daily Kos? Rosie O'Donnell? The View? Or Patrick Kelley and The Emporia Gazette staff?
Let's at the very least attempt some similance of being unbiased and realistic. How about we wait until the man gets into office and demonstrates his abilities and achieves some accomplishments before we attempt to rate his abilities and accomplishments.
Give him a year to implement his socialist ideals, increase personal taxes, increase government spending and bureaucracy, tax businesses out of existence, give amnesty and social security benefits to illegal immigrants, reduce the size of our military forces, surrender to terrorists, dilute first and second amendment rights, introduce costly and ineffective social medicine, and create a welfare state like the world has never seen, and then take a legitimate national poll.
There is a huge difference between optimism and delusion. I commend your attempt to be optimistic, Mr. Kelley, but your extreme enthusiasm and liberal bias bought you a ticket on the train to delusion.
The man isn't "doing a good job". He has no job; until January.
November 17, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
HAHAHA you commend someone for trying to be optimistic when in the prior paragraph you are being pessimistic and delusional. Just like Mr. Kelly you do not know if anything you are saying will come to pass, you are just being pessimistic while he is being an optimist. Your extreme pessimism and conservative bias has bought YOU a ticket on the train to delusion all the same. Like you said quote:
"How about we wait until the man gets into office and demonstrates his abilities and achieves some accomplishments before we attempt to rate his abilities and accomplishments."
Hippocratic notions, try to practice what you preach. Has has no job nor has done nothing until January right?
November 17, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I think you two would enjoy listening to one of the segments on this past week's Prairie Home Companion. Here's the link. Click on Segment One then wait for about 8 minutes for "Lives of the Cowboys" script.
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/pr...
November 17, 2008 at 5:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Here are some polls I think Mr. Kelley was referring to:
http://www.pollster.com/blogs/us_obam...
http://www.pollster.com/blogs/us_obam...
It is my belief that Mr. Kelley is trying to convey is that the general populace is confident and behind Obama whereas our current incumbent's rating are lower than Nixon's. Government like business works much better when morale is high, I would have had 0 argument with BJ had kept the discussion on Mr. Kelley and not interjected the campaign rhetoric because by his own admission Obama has done nothing yet.
Sorry create, I tried to listen to that, it's just not my taste=(
November 17, 2008 at 5:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
It took me all of 5 mins to locate something that similar to what he said, from the first link:
"67% believe Obama will have a successful first term. "
The article was about optimism and that fact corroborates with that
November 17, 2008 at 8:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
Goodoleboy: What are "Hippocratic notions"? Are those impulsive actions of a physician? The behaviors of a hippopotamus? Sewing items owned by Hippocrates? Or is it possible you were actually trying to say "hypocritical notions".
Reading your posts is an adventure.
November 18, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Bj- I am sorry, but I can agree with your statement on only one thing. You are right when you say Obama has not done the job as president, yet, but he deserves a chance to do the job before critisizing the man.
I believe that there are some things in his past that are questionalble, but lets wait and see if those things are really in the past, afterall everyone has things in their past that they are trying to put behind them.
After all Bush was given a chance, not for just one term but for two terms, and look at the mess the country is in now.
I believe that anyone elected president, etc. should at least be given a chance to do whats best for all Americans.
November 18, 2008 at 11:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
Bj - I agree with you. When I read this I laughed out loud because how can anyone be rated on something they haven't done yet! Amazing. I found Mr. Kelley's use of the term "power" strange and bothersome at the same time:
"That public sense of possibility and power is reflected in the polls. Obama begins his transition to power"
Seems like when many people get power, they start abusing it and/or it feeds into corruption, which I think we've all seen.
I would hope that regardless of who people voted for that they would now at least hope that the person elected will make the best decisions for our country. Regardless of our political tendencies, we are the United States of America, and I think that is most important for us to remember and stand together for.
November 18, 2008 at 11:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
notasheeple (anonymous) says...
http://www.whowouldtheworldelect.com/
November 18, 2008 at 2:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
USNretired (anonymous) says...
Nekulterny Comrade Kelly can't help himself. His goodoleboy network are all imbibers of the coolada.
November 18, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
LOL BJ are you that desperate in rebuttal that you need to harp on my lack of using a word processor in an informal blog? Desperate is indeed desperate......
November 18, 2008 at 5:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LifeGoesOn (anonymous) says...
Bjnemp, i must agree with goodolboy's first post
"you commend someone for trying to be optimistic when in the prior paragraph you are being pessimistic and delusional. Just like Mr. Kelly you do not know if anything you are saying will come to pass"
get real!!
emporialifer , to answer your question
" how can anyone be rated on something they haven't done yet!"
The man has done plenty, he has given THOUSANDS UPON THUSANDS hope that things will change for the better and America will dig itself out of the hole it is in now. he may not be in office yet but the man has given hope to many, maybe not YOU but you are but ONE out of hundreds of thousands of voters.
And he has given more hope to many Americans that things will be better than ANY of you who speak against him. He made it to be president, YOU made it to be NOTHING but a poster on a blog!
Give me a break! The man is more than you will ever be!
November 18, 2008 at 7:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
That's PRESIDENT B. Hussein Obama Mr bigot.
I "hope" that ignorant people like yourself are a dying breed. But it's patriotic to back a president except for the one not to your liking right? Love it or leave it right?
November 18, 2008 at 9:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LifeGoesOn (anonymous) says...
Observation, it really does not matter if you like Mr.Obama or not, he is STILL 10 times the man you will ever be, that is probably what bugs you the most.
November 19, 2008 at 12:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Uhhh my god, the man will be President, and you clearly are not intelligent enough to understand sarcasm,
You are a bigot, and a moron, and reaching very far. I'm amazed you can actually navigate this website with that intellect. Were you not the one telling me a few months ago this would not happen? Excuse me while I go dig up that post.
November 19, 2008 at 3:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Observation wrote, and I quote
"As a administrator (running a government) she has more experience than all three of the others on the Major Party tickets, J. Biden, B. Hussain Obama and John McCain. She is going to be the next Vice Prtesident of the United States so get on board or choose to be miserable for the next 4+ years. Your possible dream ticket of B. Hussain Obama/H. Clinton is not going to happen this time around."
"goodolboy,
McCain will continue to blast Obama for his lack of experience to become the President of the USA. This is not the job for on the job training. The flip side, ignorant Democrats blasting Sarah for her lack of experience is naive, because the Vice Presidents job is an excellent job for on the job training to become President of the USA.
Mc Cain will now be able to shake loose the Democrats argument that it will be business as usual for the next for years with McCain at the helm, just like the last eight years under Bush. McCain and Palin are both Mavericks who will not be in bed with Washington. Both have proven that. The flip side is that B, Hussain Obama has proven his in-bed with Washington with his selection of J Biden as a running mate."
From: http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/20...
Your bigotry has apparently clouded that crystal ball of yours LOL!
November 19, 2008 at 3:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Observation wrote:
goodoleboy
"Optimistic!!! Oh I see. Well if you want to see some optimistic poll numbers on the approval ratings of presidents, take a look at how optimistic we were on 9/11/2001.
http://www.hist.umn.edu/~ruggles/Approva...
Maybe Pats article should have said that Obama has a high approval rating, but that it does not hold a candle to the 90+% approval rating of George W. Bush right after 9/11/2001. Doesn’t that sound a lot more optimistic?"
And where is it now and where has it been for the last 3 years? The only thing you have proven here is that, wait for it, here it comes, Bush is the biggest failure ever in the public's eye, worst free fall of any president ever period. I understand though its rough being one of the few that stills buys into him, its OK, we understand a few children get left behind.
November 19, 2008 at 3:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Amen goodoleboy. 62 days.
November 19, 2008 at 7:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
Life,
If you have so much hope, why are you spewing so much hatred in my direction over the fact that I questioned what he has done to be rated on? My goodness.
When it comes to your personal attack on me saying that Obama is more than I will ever be, well I guess that depends on your definition sir. I don't think anyone can look at one specific job and say - that person is better than anyone else because he/she was able to attain that job. How stupid is that? Using your logic, you are saying George W Bush is better than all of us too, but do you respect him? C'mon, insults like yours have no merit.
November 19, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
create, I gotta hand it to you, you were right on the rioting thing - just not the people you thought. It's pretty sad what I see every day on the news what the gay rights activists are doing - storming churches, screaming hate into the camera, knocking down an old lady's cross and then getting in a circle to stomp on it..... yep, lots of tolerance there. I guess they don't believe in democracy.
LifeGoesOn, I wasn't aware that you personally knew Obama, let alone emporialifer, which is what it would require for your assumption to have any merit whatsoever. Wow, we have a mini-celebrity in our midst.
I'll wait until Obama takes office to give my opinion of his presidency. Until then, he has done nothing. Regardless of what he campaigned on, we all know how much campaign promises are worth. He's been elected and he's my president now so we shall see. I DON'T believe that in 62 days we are going to witness the "Dawning Of The Age Of Aquarius" or anything like that - LOL
November 19, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lycomu (anonymous) says...
Obama is the President-elect. You can complain, argue, slander, or yell....this fact wont change. His success or failure is completely in the hands of Congress and the American People. Any programs, laws, or edicts must be approved by the congress and then accepted and implemented by the american public. The discourse here is troubling. All Obama has done is to be elected president. Perhaps all of us would benefit from patience. We can work together to make America better, or we can attack and complain and have more of the same.
November 19, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Open eyes
I gotta agree with you on how the protests are being handled. It is a complete joke to me how the gay constituent assails the church for not respecting their beliefs then goes about doing the very same thing in their protests. I have 0 sympathy for them for their actions, and consequently the way they are conducting themselves now will only hinder their cause.
November 19, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LifeGoesOn (anonymous) says...
emporialifer AND open Eyes, I wasnt talking to either of you! duh!
Also Open eyes, I dont have to know Obama or (Observation) (the person I was talking too) to know that Obama is 10 times the man as "observation" is, Obama has at least seemed to have made his adult life trying to do service to this country, make something of himself and become PRESIDENT, what the hell have YOU done? worked the same job for years, raised a family, bought a home, paid a few bills and pissed and moaned on a local web page!
November 19, 2008 at 4:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LifeGoesOn (anonymous) says...
I guess maybe emporialifer and observation are the same people, maybe thats why he thought I was talking to him.
November 19, 2008 at 4:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
Life,
Go up and reread your post on 11/18 at 7:58 - it states:
emporialifer , to answer your question
" how can anyone be rated on something they haven't done yet!"
The man has done plenty, he has given THOUSANDS UPON THUSANDS hope that things will change for the better and America will dig itself out of the hole it is in now. he may not be in office yet but the man has given hope to many, maybe not YOU but you are but ONE out of hundreds of thousands of voters.
And he has given more hope to many Americans that things will be better than ANY of you who speak against him. He made it to be president, YOU made it to be NOTHING but a poster on a blog!
Give me a break! The man is more than you will ever be!
Am I to assume that when you state my name and then go off that it is NOT directed towards me? When you state a person's name then start saying YOU, that individual is going to think you are talking to them. Do you see that now?
November 19, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
I've seen quite a few poeple were powerful and popular in the public eye, but in reality, as human beings, they were less than desirable.
And I've known many people who led simple lives, as you say "worked at the same job for years, raised a family, etc..." who's character, honesty and decency far surpassed that of any politician I've ever seen. As human beings they were worth 50 politicians.
Hey, sports figures "give hope" and bring happiness to millions. Does that mean they are all better human beings than the simple family down the street who raise their children to be honest, caring people, help their neighbors in need, and always try to do the right thing?
I'm not saying Obama or anyone here is one or the other. I am saying that you know neither. Which makes your opinion about who has done more with their life moot.
All depends on what you matters to you. Personally, I tried eating hope for supper tonight, but for some odd reason, I'm still strangely hungry.....
November 19, 2008 at 6:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
open - you said it perfectly - that was exactly what I was trying to originally say. Thank you for putting it so eloquently.
November 20, 2008 at 7:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-bo...
November 20, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
So our leader is supposed to talk like a hick? Sorry after the Bush Administration I am glad to see we have an eloquent speaker that we can be proud of. Has our education system gotten to the point now that proper grammar is actually frowned upon? Simply amazing.
November 20, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Great article from the Huff Post! As an English teacher, I can certainly appreciate the sentiment. How wonderful to be getting back to properly spoken English. That Sarah Palin sentence needs a translator doesn't it?
November 20, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
Yes, it will be a nice change to hear President Obama speak.
November 20, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Quoted from Palin
"The president-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.
"Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said."
Just when I thought she could not get anymore dense! So in order to talk to "ordinary Americans" a president needs to "dumb" himself down. Wow...............
November 20, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Oh brother. Next election I'm voting for who uses the best-smelling cologne. In all 57 or 58 states.
Here's some off-the-prompter eloquence by Obama in an interview on CNN awhile back:
Blitzer asked, “Your chief political strategist, David Axelrod, causing some commotion out there today with his comments about Hillary Clinton, and blaming her—at least some are interpreting it this way—blaming her in part for a series of events that resulted in Benazir Bhutto's assassination today. Let me read to you what he said.”
Obama replied—"No, I, I, I, I, I have to, I heard, I heard, I don’t need it, I don't need to hear what you read because I was, I overheard it when he said it, and this is one of those situations where Washington is putting a spin on it. It makes no sense whatsoever.”
Of course, we know the media will replay this over and over and over and over, while glossing over and ignoring any Palin mistakes.
Oops. I got it backwards. I meant the reverse. LOL.
I get a kick out of the Zogby poll showing alot of Obama voters that thought the Republicans were the majority and controlled congress, didn't know who Pelosi or Reid were, but knew every single slip by Palin.
Line up at the trough, everyone. The media serves and we eat. Don't question if its a nutritionally balanced meal, just shutup and eat. Ask too many questions and they might just slap the Fairness Eating Doctrine on you. LOL
November 20, 2008 at 7:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Only the ignorant eat at the trough......
Palin just keeps on making mistakes, do you really want to tally it all up, I guarantee its not in her favor. And while we are talking about troughs how about that big one the majority of our country sucked down called the war in Iraq, the slop does get served on both sides, not equally, but on both sides.
November 21, 2008 at 2:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Do you really want to go back thru Obama's history and tally things up, also? I would say, regardless of the media's single-minded pursuit of her destruction, an 80% favorable rating as governor in your state is pretty darn favorable.... and even a higher favorable rating in her own party than Obama has in his...
I will say that even before he takes the oath, there's one campaign promise that he's broken. He's promised "new politics" and "new kinds of politicians in Washington". Out with the entrenched "old guard".
From the way the cabinet and staff are shaping up, like we're getting Clinton's 3rd term instead.
You're absolutely right, the slop does get served on both sides. The majority of our country sucked down something called the reworking of the Community ReInvestment Act, forcing bad loans to be made. We also sucked down the deal Clinton struck with North Korea to basically look the other way while they built their nukes.
Yep, we line up at the trough on both sides - it does get served both ways.
November 21, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Last count her approval rating was at 68% and falling due to people in Alaska seeing a very different Sarah Palin running for VP, now is that her selling out or John McCain's fault I do not know, but I do know that ratings have fallen quite a bit during her run, something that is not the norm.
source:http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/542179.html
Glad we can at least agree on the fact that most people are in fact sheep, reading and THINKING are truly a lost art.
November 21, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
True. 68% is still the envy of everyone in Congress.
I agree on the lost art. Sad, isn't it?
November 21, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
My point was that it was at 82%, already a 14% point swing in her constituents, will be interesting to see if it continues to spiral or rebounds. A great deal of Alaskans felt deceived in that the Sarah Palin on the campaign trail was not the same person they elected and that her ideology was much different from the persona that got her elected there. But then again these are the same people that almost reelected Ted Stevens even after learning he was a criminal, What the hell is in the water up there?
November 21, 2008 at 2:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
I understand your point, I was just also pointing out the perspective that basically, at 80%, she had nowhere to go BUT down. Perspective - drop from 80 to 68, and you're the master deceptionist, raise from 11 to, say, 15, like some in Congress, and you've finally got the people on your side. All in which side of the fence you look at it from - LOL
But - we see lots of ideology changes in politicians. Obama has already apparently abandoned his "new" politics in Washinton in favor of Clinton's third term. Not the same ideology alot of people that voted for him expected....
And I agree about Stevens, but I wonder about the water in many, many states - Minnesota & Al Franken, MA & Barney Frank (well - pretty much everyone in MA) and cities, like San Francisco. Definitely something in the water.
November 21, 2008 at 4:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
She lost approximately %18 in a month, and it could be more with the next poll we get, In July of 2007 her approval rating was in the 90's. I think if it continues to drop that there is definitely something wrong, traditionally candidates running for higher office garner support from their home base, with her it is going the opposite way, what is that to say about her character? Mind you we are talking about an individual here, not congress. The bottom line here is that she preaches about reform and integrity like she is above it when in fact she is no better than any other politician out there. You might not like the president elect but currently people are rallying behind him and his approval ratings thus far on his campaign and how people think he will do in power have only gone upward.
November 22, 2008 at 11:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Could you point out to me please, what reform she has done in Alaska, such as taking on corruption, and what reform Obama has done along the same lines, i.e., taking on his own party? And give some specifics? Since you said she's no better than any other politician, I'm assume you're saying that she hasn't done any of that, and Obama has? Please, do tell.
I'm not saying ANY politician is perfect. Far from it. All I am saying, is Palin has fought Alaska corruption. Obama has done nothing to fight Illinois corruption. Nothing.
I also give much more credence and weight to opinions by people of how someone IS doing, than how they THINK someone MIGHT do.
Hey, I might win the lottery tomorrow. Right now, I'm giving myself a 150% approval rating for that. - LOL
November 22, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Huh? Did you hear her and McCain on the campaign trail? We are mavericks, reformers, blah blah blah. You and I both no there is no such thing as good politician. For me it has always been a case of the lesser evil. But I saw speech after speech where she decreed her and McCain were above all that when in fact she is just another politician like the rest of them. With that in mind lets look at her approval rating:
July 2007- 90ish percent- astonishing
September 2008- 82 percent
October 2008- 68 percent
So in 15 months her approval rating drops 22 points and roughly 25% and that is not cause for concern because it can "only go down"? LOL! The people of Alaska were put off because she turned into a different person than the one they elected, and I will wager her rating will continue to fall until they feel like they are her priority and not all the media and circus that has swarmed around her since they lost the election. Then again they may not take to her again at since many feel duped, and with another prominent Republican icon in Stevens going down, who knows?
And whether you believe in it or not speculation is part of life and you should give credence to it as many do, stock market, consumer confidence, etc. We'll see how Obama does, but we can measure how effectively he ran his campaign and people use that as precursor of things to come. The one indisputable fact I find to be a great thing about Obama is that this election resulted in a great deal of people getting excited about being involved in government, and that is never a bad thing.
November 22, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Thanks for detailing the specific instances of fighting corruption.
You're right, there are no politicians who are saints, Palin included. I simply asked for some examples where she has fought against corruption, and took on her own party, and a few where Obama has done the same. Since you wouldn't, here's a few beginners:
In 2004, she resigned as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission over ethical grounds. Among her concerns was that the chairman of the Republican Party in Alaska took a seat on the commission while keeping his partisan post. The official ended up resigning from the body after Gov. Palin, among others, disclosed he was conducting Republican business in his state job. He agreed to pay a $12,000 state fine.
In 2006, when she was running to unseat then-Gov. Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary, Gov. Palin says she got a call from Ben Stevens, then president of the Republican-run Alaska Senate and son of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, the powerful Alaska Republican. "He told me, 'You're not just running against Murkowski. You're running against me, my dad, the whole state Republican party,'" Gov. Palin says.
The younger Mr. Stevens didn't return calls for comment. He opted not to seek re-election after his was one of six legislative offices raided by federal agents in 2006. Four other state legislators have been sent to prison or are awaiting prosecution in the case, which has focused on bribery and other influence by oilfield contractor VECO Corp., whose chairman and a top lieutenant have pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges.
Now, for Obama taking on corruption in the Dem party..... well..... about all I can find is that Tony Rezko, one of his major fund raisers when he ran for the Illinois Senate, is a now-convicted felon.....
But if you can find instances where he has taken on corruption, please feel free to post them.
I'm glad people are excited. I just hope it lasts. Hey, Bush's approval rating was once 90%. Astonishing.
We shall see. I hope and hope that his approval rating a year from now is still up there. Heck, I hope its up to 90%. I'll be one happy dude :). Because that would mean that America is doing pretty darn good. And when America does good, generally, that means we're doing good.....
November 22, 2008 at 3 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
I really don't care if she took on Osama Bin Laden, my point is that she is not this squeaky clean pit bull hockey whatever she makes out to be. She has her share of ethical conundrums just like the next one. It's looking more and more like she pulled the wool over the people of Alaska's eyes an many don't know what to make of her anymore. Like the saying goes "you show me an honest politician, I'll show you an honest thief" it applies to all of them.
November 22, 2008 at 4:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
I never said she was squeaky clean. I said she is no saint.
You simply inferred that she preaches about ethics but is no different than any. I simply pointed out that she HAS taken on some ethics within her own party. Something Obama has never done.
That's kindof a good example of why we have the "sheep at the trough" referred to. I'm sure Keith Olbermann is very careful to point out all of one side and none of the other. If all politicians are exactly the same then what is the point of going to vote at all? I can't help it if you don't like to hear that she has done some good things, and your response is I don't care if she took on Bin Laden. Just look at them both through the same filters. Obama has his share of ethical conundrums just like the next. A year from now, will we be saying "it looks more and more like he pulled the wool over the people of the United State's eyes and many don't know what to make of him?" Let's wait and see. I'll tell you this - if Obama has a 68% approval rating after 2 years as president, I'll be genuinely tickled pink.
November 22, 2008 at 5:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
It's not that I do not like to hear the good things she has done, don't get me wrong. I don't think of her as an evil person. Just a dangerously ignorant one that has no business going any further in politics in MY opinion. In my +/ -- column her negatives outweigh her positives AT THIS TIME, I am as open to change as anyone else regardless of what people think but there are fundamental things about her current incarnation that I cannot get past(long argument better left out for now). Just my opinion simple as that.
November 22, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Well, goodoleboy, even though I may not completely agree with you, I can and do respect your opinion as you stated in your last post. I pretty much feel the same way about Obama - but he is now MY president, and I truly do hope he does well. Four years from now, I would MUCH rather that he has done such a good job that I will be voting FOR him next time, instead of our country being in shambles and me voting against him again. He has done nothing yet - the slate is clean - I shall wait and see. I'm always hopeful when someone new is elected - as most Americans are. Time will tell.
November 22, 2008 at 6:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
Admitting a mistake is not a bad thing Life. In fact, doing so sometimes helps you regain a little respect in the eyes of those you belittled. JMO.
November 24, 2008 at 4:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )