Bin Laden is dead

[Walsingham]

I don't know what thescutle is over your end, but over here the papers are saying that even hardcore Republicans are, like, 'WTF?'

 

I think this may be the apotheosis of the celebrity politician culture. Candidates have to have zero weaknesses in their backstory. With the inevitable consequence that the only people who get to the front are the kind of madmen with no weaknesses in their backstory.

[Nepenthe]

And I still don't believe all that Bin Laden nonsense..

It gave Obama a lil boost when he needed it.

Did it?

yup.. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/polit...5poll.html?_r=1

 

Pretty short-lived though. He's down again now..

 

 

J.

I am aware of that part. I am unaware of why he needed a short-term boost at the time, which is an essential part of your theory.

[Calax]

Yeah, the boost could have been at a different time to be more advantageous, like announcing that they got him say... the night before the election.

[Gromnir]

I think the killing bin laden will come back up in the election when the republican candidates will say that Obama has done nothing in the war on terror etc.

 

Yeah, unfortunately his only real success has been internationally. The two wars, while still moving at a snails pace, haven't gotten worse. He has had much better interactions with foreign powers than the previous administration. The revolutions that have forced changes in the Middle East and Africa can also be spun as a positive for him.

 

But none of that really matters, because the economy is effed up, and he hasn't been seen as handling it well at all. He can't bridge the two parties, and his approval ratings are in the dumps. He's going to need a miracle, or a Republican party that gives their ticket to a moron. The latter is unfortunately very likely.

 

am thinking that obama's biggest problem is gonna be overcoming the perception that he is a pushover. is not limited to domestic or foreign policy. republicans don't respect him 'cause they thinks they can walk all over him and democrats hates the big talk from the white house followed by half-measures. the president gets far too much credit for success, and receives disproportionate blame for failure, but obama has exhausted his ability to blame all current problems on the previous administration. the average american don't believe that things are marked better today than they were 4 years ago, and most believe that obama is a weak president.

 

...

 

the only thing obama gots going for him is that the republican party candidates does not exactly inspire confidence neither. we liked mccain (not mccain & palin), but we were convinced that a conservative approach would not be able to fix debt and health care issues. btw, when we says "conservative" we don't mean it synonymous with republican. is gonna take some extreme measures to fix problems, and am doubtful mccain woulda' advocated extreme. is why we is so cynical 'bout the upcoming election. the democrats is stuck with obama, and the republicans is not gonna go with nobody extreme as they not need to do so to win.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Walsingham]

Just a thought though, Grom. But isn't the constitution designed around a weak EVERYTHING?

[Gromnir]

Just a thought though, Grom. But isn't the constitution designed around a weak EVERYTHING?

 

yes and no. Congress is actual having the potential to be very powerful. however, Congress is a collection o' disparate personalities who typical is most interested in being reelected. the things most Americans blame on the President is, as often as not, actual the result o' Congressional law making. also, in spite o' the fact that a large % o' Congressman is lawyers, federal laws are very often intentional ambiguous (leave to judges or bureaucrats to fix problems) or insane complex and convoluted. these clowns should know better. also, if one were to look at the Constitution with a more jaundiced eye and question the powers afforded by the commerce clause, 14th amendment due process, etc., then perhaps Congress would be having even less power. even so, Congress could be powerful. even so, is not weakness so much as inefficient. the power is available, but procedural and practical considerations tends to make the process inefficient.

 

the Prez is very important in setting domestic agendas, but is Congress that is creating law. nevertheless, 'cause the Prez is so recognized by all Americans, we typical blame the Prez for most big problems.

 

some has actual suggested that the US should adopt a parliamentary form o' govt with a prime minister... would be more efficient. after all, the world moves much faster today than it did in 1787. furthermore, the fed govt has far more responsibility today than it did when the Constitution were first penned. there is some very compelling arguments that the US system is too inefficient to tackle 21st century problems.

 

the Chinese gots a Constitution too. on paper it would appear to actual be more protective o' individual freedoms than the US Constitution. is our personal opinion that our Constitution ain't designed to foster weakness, but it is structured so that tyranny becomes extreme unlikely. dunno. faced with economic issues it is easy to see the need for more efficient govt, but am thinking that at such times it is easy to forget some o' the lessons o' history. more than one great nation has voluntarily given up freedoms in the name o' necessity.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Walsingham]

You make an interesting point thre. in so far as blaming the President goes. Perhaps an emergent property of the two term limit is that the public have the mistaken impression that there is a change of regime every 8 years whereas with terms in Congress being so long and the administration officials staying in place...

[Junai]

Yeah, the boost could have been at a different time to be more advantageous, like announcing that they got him say... the night before the election.

That would've been.. very auspicious.

.. and a bit too obvious?

 

Obama's popularity has been sliding all along. Was about time they got some chocoLaden.

I believe Obama's trying to bring closure to 9/11 so he can start withdrawing from Afghanistan.

 

Anyway, real-politiks isn't my strong side. I just deal in insanity and conspiracy-nutterism.

 

Have a nice weekend y'all.

 

 

J.

[Walsingham]

Anyway, real-politiks isn't my strong side. I just deal in insanity and conspiracy-nutterism.

 

Have a nice weekend y'all.

 

 

J.

 

And with that, Junai porpoised, glittering, into the sunlight of sanity.

 

Have a good weekend, you mad bastard.