Vice Presidential Picks and the Art of War

[cbelt3]

"Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him". Sun Tzu, approx. 520 BC.

Geez, you guys are really distracted. ONE McCain postings since the announcement. ONE.

Guess it's working. Keep focusing on the irrelevant and allow the RNC to coalesce it's power base and take the election.

[Black Landlord]

Before "the announcement" there was a 3-4 day period with no new threads at all.
McCain is thoroughly uninteresting to most.
Do you have a link to some sort of feed where we can watch this "coalescing"?
It sounds like it could be remotely more interesting than the McCain campaign.

[PeterB]

Watching the DNC was like watching a great game of Masters-level chess-- you never knew exactly which move would be next, and one got the impression that history was being made.

Watching the RNC is like watching ants devour your picnic food. You're left bored stiff, uninspired, and hungry for something real and substantive.

[ajakeski]

Watching either convention is like watching porn. A lot of faking and screwing.

[rgG]

I can't watch either convention. Wayyyyy to much Kool-Aid being downed by both groups.

[loveshine]

>I can't watch either convention. Wayyyyy to much Kool-Aid being downed by both groups.

Please read Obama's speech and tell us if you feel the same way.

I felt the same way till I saw his speech and was blown away.

[rgG]

[quote loveshine]>I can't watch either convention. Wayyyyy to much Kool-Aid being downed by both groups.

Please read Obama's speech and tell us if you feel the same way.

I felt the same way till I saw his speech and was blown away.
I saw it posted here. Obama is a good speaker, but words are cheap. I want to see some concrete plans with facts and figures stating what exactly he plans to do to fix some of the problems we have. That I will read with relish.

As for the speeches and rhetoric, I have seen and heard enough of those. Let's not forget that some of the most horrendous leaders of all time have been good at making speeches and telling people what they wanted to hear.

[cbelt3]

rG- well spoken. Eloquence is often mistaken for competency. Or even sanity, in the case of some well known historical figures.

[SteveO]

[quote rgG] I want to see some concrete plans with facts and figures stating what exactly he plans to do to fix some of the problems we have. That I will read with relish.
And you want this, what, hand-delivered to you? This is like hearing, "Americans don't know Barack Obama." People don't know b/c they depend on the mass media to feed it to them instead of using their own good heads to get the info they need. And do you think the mass media is interested in our well-being? Hell no, they just want to sell papers and time.

But here you go, so grab your relish. Each link has a topic and you can drill deeper to specifics on each page:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

[rgG]

SteveO,
Thanks for the link. Where, exactly he is going to get the money to do all those things without crippling the economy? Tell me exactly how he intends to bring the troops home without destabilizing the area.

The Democrats need to prove that their numbers add up. Promising things like: "Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles," and "Create Millions of New Green Jobs" and "Weatherize One Million Homes Annually" can't be done for free. They also promise: "Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015," and "Provide $50 billion to Jumpstart the Economy and Prevent 1 Million Americans from Losing Their Jobs," and this is before we even mention how he would fix health care and pay for that.

I am afraid of a tax and spend administration. I want to see fiscal responsibility from the next administration. I am afraid the Democrats are promising far more than they can deliver and just saying what people want to hear.

Here is a quote from your link:
Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Experts estimate that the Obama proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.

Do you really believe that? Kool-aid, that is the Kool-aid talking. The man has no record of accomplishing any of these goals. He may be capable but he is untested. If he had say 12 years in the Senate and could point to legislation he had gotten passed and bridges he had built, then maybe I would be convinced. Right now, all I know is that he is a consummate politician and he has been very successful getting himself nominated.

I admire his intellect and his drive, but I am suspicious of his swift rise. I would prefer that he be more seasoned. I think McCain is past his prime and I think Obama is running before his prime. So now I have a very difficult choice to make.