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Originally posted by Mad Geo:

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Originally posted by Mary the M:

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Originally posted by Mad Geo:
so did Reagan and he was the best president in the last 40 years.

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One word - Reaganomics.

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Two words: Soviet Union.

Another two words: Berlin Wall.

More seriously, Look at this. Reagonomics looks like a recovery plan from all four presidents before him!

He doesn't look as good as Clinton does, but then Clinton was benefitting from the Cold War being removed under Reagan's watch....I believe they called it "The Peace Dividend" at the time....

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Originally posted by Lietuvos Sv. Kazimieras:
Reagan would have made a nice ceremonial president in a parliamentary system.

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Originally posted by SeraphimSarov:
it has to be the silliest myth in history that Reagan somehow "won" the Cold War.

The Pope and Gorbachev and the internal contradictions of the Soviet Union (pace Marx) played overwhelmingly the greatest role in ending the Soviet system.

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And like many myths, there's enough truth in it to be relevant in some cases. Reagan wasn't the only role, granted. But he was a major one. Gorbachev et al were responding to many things that Reagan did (and did not do). Including huge amounts of money on military spending that they couldn't begin to keep up with.

Also, it has to be one of the silliest revisionist tendencies in history to think that he and his actions didn't matter.

Anyway, we digress. I knew I'd cause a stir with that.

[ 22. January 2008, 01:51: Message edited by: Mad Geo ]

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Diax's Rake - "Never believe a thing simply because you want it to be true"

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Originally posted by Golden Key:

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Originally posted by New Yorker:
Maybe we'll have a hung convention and convince Cheney to run. That would be fun!

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That would make baby Jesus cry.

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Originally posted by RuthW:
he feels the white guy has to be pretty special to deserve his vote, and Edwards is just not that special.

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It's funny he'd say that.

In the interest of abusing all candidates equally: do you reckon Edwards knows who, with no negotiation or inspection, paid the full asking price of 1.6 million for his 'slummy' neighbor's property with a tax value of $570,623 and a gross cash flow of $4200 monthly? Whoever it was had about a million bucks to burn.

And there seems to be some element of deception in this very curious real estate transaction (it's unclear if it's the buyer or seller) but one thing's nearly certain: that 'rabid, rabid Republican' found hisself someone ignorant enough to pay him a HELLUVA lot more than the property is worth...

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Griffin, who ultimately bought the property, told Johnson he was paying for the land with family money, but records show that Griffin signed two separate deeds of trust, or mortgages, totaling $1.1 million to Richard I. Levin of Chapel Hill, a retired UNC business professor. Public records indicate that Griffin has none of his own funds involved in the purchase.

On Friday, Levin acknowledged making loans of more than $1 million to Griffin for the purchase of the Johnson property. He said he has no idea what Griffin plans to do with the property, and has no information that he is buying the land for someone else.

He said his loan was secured by the value of the land, but would not say whether he’d had the land appraised. “I am a lender, that is what I do to make money," he said.

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Originally posted by Living in Gin:
I don't know if this has been discussed already, but how do people feel about Mike Bloomberg making a run as an independent?

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Originally posted by RuthW:
However, if I were going just on what they say, their positions, I'd go for Edwards. And if his campaign survives South Carolina, I may vote for him simply because he seems like he's most likely to do something for poor people.

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Originally posted by Golden Key:

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Originally posted by Lietuvos Sv. Kazimieras:
Reagan would have made a nice ceremonial president in a parliamentary system.

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Earlier in the thread, someone remarked that "most countries" have 2 leaders--one ceremonial, one working.

Is that true? I've never heard that before. That seems to be a common way for parliamentary systems, but do they all work that way? Do most countries have parliaments? I thought that types of government varied greatly around the world.

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Originally posted by agrgurich:
I"ll make my prediction now.

The ticket of McCain/Thompson will beat Clinton/Obama. It will be a close election though.

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Originally posted by Living in Gin:
He's also managed to mostly stay above the whole partisan fray... I guess one of the advantages of being a self-made billionaire is that he can't be bought off very easily.

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I can't help but think he couldn't be any worse than the inbred pandering politicos leading both parties... ANYTHING to break the stranglehold they have on our system...

so here you go: http://draftmichaelbloomberg.com/

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Between all the allegations for Hillary serving on the Wal-Mart board, and Sen. Obama working for a slumlord, I was proud to represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party last night.

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Originally posted by Comper's Child:

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Originally posted by agrgurich:
I"ll make my prediction now.

The ticket of McCain/Thompson will beat Clinton/Obama. It will be a close election though.

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Thompson just pulled out...

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The Reverend Al Sharpton, who has not endorsed a candidate for president, is heaping praise on Mayor Bloomberg and, in turn, criticizing the legacy of Mayor Giuliani.

Mr. Bloomberg changed the "tone of ugliness" in the city, Rev. Sharpton said, so that even when there is disagreement, those on conflicting sides still speak to each other.

"It is important that even when we disagree that we not have a climate of disagreeability," Rev. Sharpton said yesterday at an annual rally held in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. at the headquarters of Rev. Sharpton's National Action Network in Harlem.

"Michael Bloomberg has torn down the curtain of polarized dialogue in the city and he has done it in an effective way," he said.

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Originally posted by Mere Nick:
One of the things Bloomberg would have going for him is that most folks don't know who he is.

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The press would dig it out though

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"For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like"

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Originally posted by 206:

Wowser. Maybe Mike could win this thing.

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Originally posted by ken:
I wonder how many white Republican voters would look on an endorsement by Al Sharpton as a good reason for voting for a candidate?

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Probably about the same number as those who consider Sharpton qualified to objectively critique 'polarized dialogue'.

But I think the point is Sharpton's endorsement could influence quite a few voters who would otherwise be hardline democrats; IMO he's considered something of a 'conscience', or at least an elder statesman type, for many in the dem party.

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Originally posted by beza:
And in 1994 “White folks was in caves while we was building empires ... We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it.”

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Originally posted by ken:

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Originally posted by 206:

Wowser. Maybe Mike could win this thing.

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I wonder how many white Republican voters would look on an endorsement by Al Sharpton as a good reason for voting for a candidate?

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Originally posted by beza:
Besides, I think it was the phrase "them homos" that people took exception to.

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Well, of course -- "those homos" would be more grammatically correct.



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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf

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Originally posted by beza:
Yeah he's still with us, not been beamed up to the Mothership yet.

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Originally posted by Mad Geo:
I was thinking the other day that if the economy keeps going to shit (and I think it will, somewhat) Bloomberg could run on a "I am THE businessman here and I can fix it better than these establishment morons" platform.

I think it might work.

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Originally posted by RuthW:

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Originally posted by ken:

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Originally posted by 206:

Wowser. Maybe Mike could win this thing.

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I wonder how many white Republican voters would look on an endorsement by Al Sharpton as a good reason for voting for a candidate?

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As Sharpton is a self-promoting charlatan, this white Democrat sees his endorsement as a reason to vote against a candidate.

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Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:

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Originally posted by beza:
Besides, I think it was the phrase "them homos" that people took exception to.

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Well, of course -- "those homos" would be more grammatically correct.

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Originally posted by RuthW:
So -- Obama takes South Carolina by a mile, and the Clintons try to act as if it's no big deal. Really, I like Hillary Clinton less and less every day, and I had no fondness for her to start with. This last week has been disgraceful.

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Originally posted by RuthW:
My favorite line from this week came from Romney: "the idea of Bill Clinton back in the White House with nothing to do is something I just can't imagine."

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Ain't that the truth. I predict Hillary will appoint him 'Ambassador To The World' and keep him busy jetting around gladhanding.


Now I'm wondering about Edwards: does he want to be 'King/Queenmaker'? Would it make sense for anyone to choose him as veep?

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Birth State Loss: What's Next?

The string of losses begs a reality check for his campaign. How long will it last? Beyond tonight, Edwards' campaign sources assure ABC News.

In an interview with ABC News' David Muir before the vote in South Carolina, Edwards was asked if there was a point at which he would debate the rationale for continuing the campaign.

"No, because the rationale for this campaign has nothing to do with me. It's for the people I speak for," Edwards said.

Political observers have already been debating Edwards' strategy. Some have speculated he may want to stay in the race even if he has little chance at the nomination. Others believe he could play the role of kingmaker -- or queenmaker -- closer to the convention by endorsing one candidate or another.

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Originally Posted by wombat:
The role Reagan played in successfully ending the Cold War was not his military buildup or his aggressive rhethoric of his first term.

It was his willingness to work with Gorbachev and to visibly be the man's friend which was crucial to ending the Cold War. This gave Gorbachev a stronger position at home, enabling him to carry out his policies of perestroika and glasnost which ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and its empire. (Ironic, really, since Gorb. had hoped to strengthen the Soviet Union by relaxing controls.)

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Posted                   

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Originally posted by Matins:
Who looks at Obama and then Clinton and thinks Hillary really excites me? I could understand women. But...who else?

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Originally posted by Matins:
Its really hard for me to see why Democrats are supporting Hillary Clinton. They have a very strong chance of regaining the White House. However, the Dems. seem determined to help the Republicans rally the demoralized base by nominating a candidate the base hates.

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The coveted endorsement is a huge blow to Clinton, who is both a senatorial colleague and a friend of the Kennedy family. In a campaign where Clinton has trumpeted her experience over Obama's call for hope and change, the endorsement by one of the most experienced and respected Democrats in the Senate is a particularly dramatic coup for Obama.

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For all his rhetoric, if Obama manages to capture the nomination it will signify huge change in the democratic machine and more power to him. Now if someone could shake up the repubs... and who better than Bloomberg.

What a great race this is turning out to be.