Clipmarks | ouyangwulong's 'obama' clips

I support Obama on Issues, not because of the Cult of Personality

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:08:45 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: I don't worship Barak Obama. I don't think he's a savior, or even an angel. Although the novelty of him being a "black" president is entertaining, I don't really care about that either. (Honestly, it seems a little strange that we are so self-congratulatory over 'voting for a black man,' as if that should be really impressive somehow.)

Why do I support Barak Obama? Because of all the people running for President, I believe he has the best ideas on what direction our country needs to take. I would like to see much of his platform made into reality, and because of that, I will vote for him.

I don't want to waste all our time arguing of personal slights and vauge rumors. Let's get to the issues. Here is why I support Barak Obama:

Clip Source: www.barackobama.com

Renewing American Diplomacy

Talk to our Foes and Friends: Obama is willing to meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe. He will do the careful preparation necessary, but will signal that America is ready to come to the table, and that he is willing to lead. And if America is willing to come to the table, the world will be more willing to rally behind American leadership to deal with challenges like terrorism, and Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs.

Clip Source: www.barackobama.com

Restore Our Alliances

Organize to Help Our Partners and Allies in Need: An Obama administration will expand humanitarian activities that build friends and allies at the regional and local level (such as during the response to the tsunami in South and Southeast Asia), and win hearts and minds in the process.

Tags: obama, president, issues, serious, philosophy, experience, patriotism, iraq

Inexperienced Republican vs. Inexperienced Democrat

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:38:42 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: So I've been having a lot of heated discussions on exactly how important it is for a candidate to be experienced. My view is: not at all. Knowledge matters. Belief matters. Judgment matters. But experience in Washington is a minus for me.

Hopefully, now, this will put the experience debate to bed. Shame on Barbra Boxer for making the same argument against Palin that she dismisses against Obama!

Both tickets are a good mix of experience and freshness. If Democrats want to take on Palin, they should have enough wherewithal to criticize her political positions, just like Republicans should stop whining about manufactured personal issues with Obama and get to the meat of why they don't like him: the issues.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Several of Mr. McCain’s outside advisers reacted with bewilderment to the selection of Ms. Palin, and one said that it would undercut one of Mr. McCain’s central criticisms of Senator Obama — that he is too inexperienced to be commander in chief.

Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, dismissed Ms. Palin’s appeal to female voters.

“The vice president is a heartbeat away from becoming President, so to choose someone with not one hour’s worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice,” she said in a statement.

“Governor Palin is a very bright leader who will bring a fresh perspective to a ticket that already has the experience and judgment necessary to lead our country from day one,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Republican leader.

Tags: palin, obama, mccain, experience, democrat, republican, idiots, democracy, talking points

Three White People Who Won't Be Voting For Barak Obama

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:46:53 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: People still keep talking about how racism among "working class whites" (that's media code for "po' white trash") will not vote for Obama because he is black.

I'm getting seriously tired of this. Working class people in America aren't any more racist than the class of Americans who are too wealthy to work.

Sure, there are some people who are racist and won't vote for him, and that shocks people so it gets a lot of attention. But seriously, look at these three guys: do you think they vote AT ALL? (remember, something like 60% of America doesn't!)

Nobody is talking about all the working class whites who had trouble voting for John Kerry or Al Gore. If Obama loses, it will be because of the pathetic Democratic Party itself, not because he is black.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

From left, Shawn R. Adolf, Tharin R. Gartrell and Nathan D. Johnson were arrested Sunday on drug and weapons charges.

“We’re taking it very seriously,” said Troy Eid, the United States attorney for Colorado, at a news conference on Tuesday. But he said the racist rants that the men made after their arrests on Sunday — all three for possession of methamphetamine, and two of them on weapons charges — had not risen to the level of a “credible threat” that would have allowed federal charges of threatening Mr. Obama to be filed.

Tags: obama, methamphetemines, drugs, conspiracy, assassination, white working class voters

Hillary's Own Sexism

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:44:09 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Although there is a lot of talk about sexism, and how it is to blame for Hillary's defeat, I think people are barking up the wrong tree.

Obama never campaigned against Hillary on the basis that as a woman she would be "unelectable" because conservative "swing voters" would never elect a woman. On the other hand, she did make that case against Obama on account of his race.

In fact, nobody ever questioned Hillary's ability to lead the country, as a woman or otherwise. The should have: her foreign policy is scary and ignorant.

But the most sexist person in the race was Hillary herself. Her campaign, with the pant-suits and tough guy attitude (especially on Iran) seemed to reflect her own belief that if a woman was going to win, she had to convince people that she was "one of the guys."

I think almost anyone who would vote for Obama would also vote for a woman - if it was the right woman. What I'm not willing to do is vote for any woman simply for the sake of making history.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Racism is deeper, but sexism may be wider in America today.

In polls, more Americans say they would be willing to vote for a black candidate for president than for a female candidate, and sexist put-downs are heard more publicly than racial ones.

We aren't always aware of our own biases.

Some of Clinton's supporters are sure that she was defeated by misogyny, while those who voted against her invariably are dismissive:The reason I didn't vote for her isn't that she's a woman. It's that she's a dynastic opportunist who voted for the Iraq war and...

Tags: hilary, misogony, pant suits, obama, sexism, america, election

The Jew Problem

Fri, 23 May 2008 06:16:15 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Let's see how many people click on that title!

I hope I have your attention now, because this is important!

Some politically active Jews, although certainly passionate, often have trouble telling friend from foe. The belief among Jews that the Christian Fundamentalist Evangelical community is a friend is a big mistake.

Some worry that Obama is part of the nation of Islam, or Palestinian, or that he won't help Israel. But they think the GOP will.

But what is the Christian Right's agenda in helping Israel? Clearly, right-wing evangelical fundamentalists like Hagee have no tenderness or fondness for Jews.

They believe Israel is simply a part of God's ultimate plan leading to the apocalypse. Although they support the Jews returning to Israel, they also believe it is Biblical prophecy that there will be continuous warfare, so they don't support peace, but an Israel besieged. Many believe this is the prelude to the final destruction of the Jews by a wrathful God.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

But the resistance toward Obama appears to be rooted in something more than factual misperception; even those with an accurate understanding of Obama share the hesitations. In dozens of interviews, South Florida Jews questioned his commitment to Israel — even some who knew he earns high marks from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which lobbies the United States government on behalf of Israel.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Senator John McCain on Thursday rejected the endorsement of the Rev. John Hagee, a televangelist, after a watchdog group released a recording of a sermon in which Hagee said Hitler and the Holocaust had been part of God's plan to chase the Jews from Europe and drive them to Palestine.

The latest Hagee remarks to surface may strike at the heart of McCain's efforts to reach a critical group of voters, Jews, some of whom have viewed Obama with suspicion.

Tags: jews, israel, christianity, fundamentalism, hagee, obama, racism

McCain: A Critical Weakness on Foreign Policy

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:18:54 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: McCain's critical weakness on foreign policy is that he knows next to nothing about it.

Although I have a lot of respect of McCain, I think he falls into the typical trap of myopic patriotism. Many people love their own country so much that they are blind to the reality of the world outside their borders.

The outside world is a place where America is a pretty good nation, but has certainly seen better days. The outside world is a place where our enemies occasionally have legitimate points, and certainly have lives and families much like our own.

In the reality beyond our borders, the US isn't guaranteed to win every fight, especially when we go in on shaky ground.

In the reality beyond our borders everyone has to talk, whether they like it or not, because in the end, nations, like people, are created equal.

McCain knows everything about the US Military, but knows nothing about our enemies. With a perspective like that, how can we expect to win?

Clip Source: www.iht.com

The question of how to engage controversial foreign foes has emerged as perhaps the central dispute between McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, and Obama, his likely Democratic opponent..

McCain accused Obama on Tuesday of shifting his position on normalization of relations with Cuba, saying he voiced support for it previously but was now offering caveats. In doing so, McCain homed in anew on Obama's stated willingness to conduct a dialogue with controversial foreign leaders.

"Now Senator Obama has shifted positions and says he only favors easing the embargo, not lifting," McCain said. "He also wants to sit down unconditionally for a presidential meeting with Raúl Castro. These steps would send the worst possible signal to Cuba's dictators — there is no need to undertake fundamental reforms, they can simply wait for a unilateral change in U.S. policy."

Tags: mccain, war, diplomacy, iran, cuba, dialog, appeasement

The Way the Race Card Plays...

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:29:42 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: For all the (disturbing) talk about how being black is bad for the Democratic party, nobody seems to be noticing that it also has its good sides.

I mean, people worry about Obama's abilty to capture the working class white vote, but why doesn't anyone worry about Hillary's (rapidly diminishing) ability to capture the black vote?

After all, by campaigning on the idea that a black man can't represent America, isn't she destroying her ability to get the black vote? (Not to mention white votes, like mine, that are really frightened by that kind of rhetoric?)

What I love about an Obama McCain election is that it scrambles the map. Some blue states would definitely prefer McCain, while some red states are certainly leaning towards Obama.

At last, we have a chance to break down America's polarization.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Yet one sure lesson of the surprising Congressional result from northern Mississippi is that the use of Mr. Obama as an electoral tactic — Republicans resorted to it heavily in the contest — is at best a double-edged sword. At worst it is a guillotine for Republican candidates in areas with substantial black populations, like the Mississippi district won by Mr. Childers, where 26 percent are African-American. Indeed, Tuesday’s Mississippi vote emerged as a case study in the effects and consequences of focusing on Mr. Obama.

“We realized the Republican machine was on the attack,” said Mr. Buck, the state representative who helped Mr. Childers. “They wanted to say he was tied to Barack Obama. The question we asked was, What’s wrong with that? We wanted to prove to them that there’s nothing wrong in Mississippi with a person being tied to Barack Obama.”

Tags: obama, clinton, red states, south, president, election, racism, the man, keeping us down, blue states

The New Face of Racism: Hilary Clinton

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:31:56 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Hillary Clinton may well be the youngest living Dixiecrat. Basically, her campaign strategy has come down to this:

1. There are lots of Americans who would vote against a person based on the color of his skin. (I bet you can't guess which color they "aren't quite ready for"!)

2. These people are so important to the Democratic Party that we should on no account offend their delicate sensibilities by fielding an, ehm, colored candidate.

3. By virtue of her being white, she has the key character trait that appeals to the DNC base, which is the ability to pander to the much vaunted "Racist Redneck" demographic.

Are her values in line with the Democratic Party? They certainly don't represent me! In fact, I would prefer it if racists didn't vote for the candidate I support. After all, nobody is looking for the David Duke endorsement!

Clip Source: www.atimes.com

Clinton's victory in West Virginia simply gives her more venom to poison the well against Obama. West Virginia is one of the whitest, oldest, poorest, least educated states in the Union, and Clinton will keep playing those demographics against the Illinois senator

While Clinton has, at least temporarily, toned down her rhetoric, she paints herself as the candidate of "hard working Americans, white working class Americans". In a race against a black candidate, that's hardly conciliatory. As half of a $110 million income in recent years, facing a guy who grew up on his (white) mother's food stamps, that's downright disingenuous.

A ride on the subway reveals the rainbow that is New York, so Clinton's label as the candidate of hard-working white people isn't likely to play well in the Big Apple. That ride on the subway is a reminder that many of America's working class voters aren't white.

Tags: clinton, obama, election, democrat, racism, republican, gop, dnc, dixiecrat

Democracy Saves America's Reputation

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:21:40 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: The great thing about America is not that we are a perfect country, but that we are always a redeemable one.

We have a certain mercurial charm (not to mention idiosyncratic way of doing things) that somehow manages to bring us back from the brink.

The world will never truly hate us, because we can and do change. And somehow, America has a knack for putting its best foot forward at just the right crucial moment.

Roger Cohen, also, is a shining example of editorial journalism in an age of glib semi-literate rants. He takes in the whole world, and manages to make sense of it, noticing all the right details.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Roger Cohen: Europe blue, Asia red

By Roger Cohen

Published: April 9, 2008

Europe's America is blue-state America. The rest is a discomfiting blur of churches, cowboys and electric chairs.

But in Asia, there's a different view.

At a deeper level, they've felt comfortable enough with a United States playing power politics, while that strut-your-stuff style has appalled consensus-driven Europeans.

I don't mean the Iraq invasion pleased Asians. It didn't. But China and India rising see the world more in terms of classic balance-of-power equations, driven by the might and self-interest of nations, than through the post-sovereign European prism of international institution-building and soft power.

Democracy at work is riveting. In Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain, America has produced three remarkable candidates. It's not surprising that a recent BBC World Service global survey showed positive views of the United States increasing for the first time in years.

Tags: america, democracy, asia, europe, international, relations, roger cohen

Apocalypse Iraq (Now, and probably for another 20 to 30 years.)

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:48:34 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Here are some quotes from the congressional hearings, by Senators Clinton, Obama, McCain and Willard to Generals Petraeus and Kurtz.

Obama, in my opinion, made the most salient point: we will not be able to get everything we want from Iraq. We need to be honest about that.

For the past three years, Bush has shown no strategy aside from throwing more American blood and treasure into the vacum of chaos he created. He is biding his time, simply prolonging the disaster so he won't have to suffer the indignity of retreat. He's saving that for his hapless successor.

The disgusting truth is that, while we can't get everything we want from Iraq, it don't have to lose so much.

Allow me to outline the compromises I think we need to make:

Clip Source: www.iht.com

At hearings, a chance to explain Iraq views and audition as commander in chief

Obama, who spoke the longest and latest of the three, said that the presence of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and increased Iranian influence in the country were a direct result of the decision to invade, but politely excused Petraeus and Crocker from blame. "You are cleaning up the mess afterward," he said.

"What conditions would have to exist for you to recommend to the president that the current strategy is not working?" Clinton asked Petraeus, with only a slight edge of exasperation in her voice. The conditions, she added, "are unclear, they lack specificity."

"What's the lesson that we're to draw from that, that 1,000 Iraqi Army and police deserted or underperformed?" McCain asked.

Clip Source: www.iccc.cc.ia.us

WILLARD

" They told me that you had gone totally insane and that your

methods were unsound."

KURTZ

" Are my methods unsound?"

WILLARD

" I don't see any method at all, sir."

Tags: petraeus, mccain, clinton, obama, iraq, kurtz, willard, vietnam

Losing Hearts and Minds; Empowering Extremism

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:36:01 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Before anyone asks why we aren't winning the War on Terror yet, consider these sad headlines.

All around the world, reasonable people are being dragged into the slipstream of extremism. The cause is blatant moral bankruptcy.

Greed, corruption and exploitation, fortified behind the twin bastions of ignorance and righteousness, are discrediting the institutions that are instrumental in overcoming extremism, intolerance, and global violence.

Particularly America remains the store house of the world's hopes and dreams. We are not merely a nation but an ideal, and we must live up to our promise.

Obama and McCain are both men of admirable morals and transparent character. Meanwhile, as Hillary obfuscates over her finances, we must realize she lacks the moral authority needed to restore America's international credibility.

Being Righteous is not nearly as important as being Right.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Islamists gain ground in Somalia

The trouble started when government soldiers went to the market and, at gunpoint, began helping themselves to sacks of grain.

Islamist insurgents poured into the streets to defend the merchants. The government troops got hammered, taking heavy casualties

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Israel's Supreme Court upheld a plea bargain on Tuesday under which former president Moshe Katsav will avoid rape charges or jail time

Clip Source: www.iht.com

A top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was caught at a border crossing with 3,000 contraband cell phones in his car, bringing embarrassment for an administration already struggling with sagging popularity

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Bush aide quits because of alleged improprieties involving grant money

Sixto is the second White House aide to resign under a cloud in less than a month.

Tags: hilary, obama, mccain, bush, katsov, diplomacy, islam, extremism, corruption, war on terror

In Defense of Caucusing

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:17:50 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: I am disappointed that nobody is making the obvious counterpoint to all of Hillary's sour grapes over the caucuses.

As I see it, caucuses represent one of the best functions of democracy. Why? Because it entails community dialog. I think more voting should be done like this.

If I vote privately, I don't have to think about what I'm doing, or its repercussions on the community, and I don't need to justify my decision. As a result, voting by ballot often becomes a selfish, isolated and disconnected experience.

In a caucus you discuss your position with your friends and neighbors and, drawing on that communal wisdom, reach a consensus.

Imagine if all voting were conducted this way? We would be a much more conscientious nation as a whole.

However, this is specifically ill-suited to Hillary's "I'm right, to hell with you" vision of leadership. Perhaps she is losing caucuses because it is hard to justify voting for her.

Anyway, Democracy always works better with free pizza!

Clip Source: thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

While she has appeared strong in public, and vowing to push on through to the next set of primaries in Pennsylvania in elsewhere, she seemed to repeat a lament she had made through earlier losses in saying that she favored primaries over caucuses. (We know, her rival Senator Obama does better at caucuses.)

“When the dust clears on this campaign, we have to ask some hard questions about what is the best way to maximize the turnout of people who want to participate in picking the next president,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And I started saying months ago that it bothers me that if you have a limited window of time, if they’re out of town, if they’re in the military,
they’re disenfranchised.

“We have to ask some hard questions. But for now we’re going to play by the rules that we have and play to the best of our ability.”

If Texas doesn’t go her way, you can expect to hear more of that complaint.

Tags: election, hillary, obama, caucus, isolation, democracy, society

Ralph Nader: Clueless Egomanica

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:28:57 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Ralph Nader represents everything that is indulgent, self-congratulatory, and ultimately ineffective about our nation's activist community.

He is busy implicitly comparing himself to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while he is woefully short on valuable political analysis.

Obama hits the nail on the head here: Nader doesn't actually understand politics. Anyone who thought Gore and Bush were the same ought to be feeling pretty sheepish after over 6 years of uninterrupted warfare on multiple fronts, economic crisis, financial collapse, and rapacious Nero-esque indulgence from the Bush administration.

Nader couldn't have been more wrong. There is nobody quite like George W. Bush! (Thank goodness!)

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Nader to Run, Citing Events of 2004 Race

When Ralph Nader ran as a third-party candidate in 2000 and drew 96,837 votes in Florida, he was widely derided by Democrats, who saw him as a spoiler who siphoned crucial votes from Al Gore and tipped the election to George W. Bush. When he ran again in 2004, Democrats in many states tried to keep him off their ballots.

Mr. Nader compared the marginalization of independent candidates to the discrimination against blacks in the South maintained by the Jim Crow laws.

“One is based on race,” he said, “and the other is based on status. They are basically discriminating against us because they think we’re going take votes away from them.” He added, “Look at it from the voter point of view: They’re denying us a free choice of candidates.”

Mr. Obama also criticized Mr. Nader for equating Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush: “Eight years later, people realize that Ralph did not know what he was talking about.”

Tags: nader, election, gore, bush, obama, clinton, green, egomaniac, clueless

Seattle's Byzantine Primary System

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:17:41 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: There are good reasons why our primary is seldom, and probably shouldn't be relevant.

First, is because Washington State is largely full of people who are willfully out of touch with national trends. We're independent, and most often not interested in following the rest of the nation. Something that is taken for granted as conventional wisdom in Seattle's overwhelmingly liberal voting public would be highly controversial elsewhere. That's why we elect the nation's most radical congressman by margins of up to 80%. In Republican areas Washingtonians are no different - we all love crazy people who make no attempt to moderate their ideals. (Me included, I must confess.)

The second reason we shouldn't matter is that our primary system is so complex, redundant and useless it could only have been developed by Microsoft's web developers. (More on this in comments...)

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

SEATTLE — Loggers, bloggers, farmers and philanthropists. Political relevance does not come around often for the distinctive mix of constituencies that keeps things lively here in the other Washington. So this Saturday, when presidential caucuses will be held statewide, people plan to make the most of it.

Jay Ubelhart, a ferry boat deck hand and a member of the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, said he was interested in Mr. Obama but liked Mrs. Clinton’s health care plans more. He said he also worried that Mr. Obama’s race would prevent voters elsewhere from supporting him in a general election.

Tags: seattle, election, primary, microsoft, crazy

Putting Huckabee in Perspective: Understanding Caucuses

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:53:16 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Although various people have come up with various interpretations of the Huckabee (almost all of which reinforce the positions they held to begin with...) they have all overlooked one critical element: This was a caucus primary!

What does this mean?

It means that, a certain number of people who woke up that morning had decided already that they were going to support a republican but they didn't know who. They then went to the caucuses, and talked with their neighbors for an afternoon, and slowly, the candidates with less support were eliminated in favor of those with more. Like an endless series of run-off elections, with your friends and neighbors acting as cheer leaders, it finally comes down to one.

This means that Huckabee had the most zealous and energetic adherents among the voters so conservative that they defacto caucus for the GOP. While most moderates are swinging behind Obama, it seems like Huckabee is simply cashing in on the influence of the fringe in primaries.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

"To the extent that Governor Huckabee succeeds in advancing this new agenda that combines cultural conservatism with an economic and foreign affairs populism," Green said, "it could undermine the existing Christian conservative political leaders and their organizations."

After Iowa, many evangelical political leaders hailed Huckabee's victory as a resurgence. "Not bad for a supposed bunch of demoralized, depressed, disillusioned and disengaged Reaganites," James Dobson of the conservative Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family said in a prepared statement.

"What happened in Iowa was a strong reaction from social conservatives to the idea that the Republican establishment was pushing Rudy Giuliani, who is anathema" because of his support for abortion rights, Perkins said. "What we saw in Iowa was a shootout between the core evangelical base and the GOP establishment

Tags: huckabee, gop, republicans, evangelicals, election, iowa, caucus, primary