The Respectfully Republican Conversation

Paulette

You are trying to have a reasonable discussion with someone that is emotionally challenged.  He has no conviction on politics.  He is a misogynist that is here only to harass women he mistakenly believes is weaken by breast cancer.  He lacks the ability to challenge intellectually so he tries to provoke.  Please ignore.  He will come back under a different name but the traits are always transparent

Blaest...YOU just said, "the truth is that no one has the experience to be president until they are president" And then you back pedal and say "can anyone argue that Palen (HER NAME IS PALIN) was prepared to be VP let alone President?"...So which is it, or does it just apply to Obama? Back pedaling won't get you anywhere!

The point is that somebody with intelligence and knowledge and intellectual curiosity could grow into the Job.  I don't know if Palin is intelligent or not, but she lacks knowledge and intellectual curiosity.  That shows a mental laziness disqualifying her for an important position anywhere in the country, except maybe the mayor of a small town or a state with a very small population.

I agree with both positive and questioning parts of many posts. The others will brook nothing but complete abdication of our party and all its tenets; regardless of our acceptance of a hard-fought election won, and sworn loyalty to the Office of the President.

Bashing and name-calling? Get to work on the issues, sign up to volunteer, enjoy the world's euphoria, and remember that this is a democracy with free, not hateful, speech.

The title of this thread should entitle party members to thoughtful discourse, eh?

LuAnn...yes, Obama is the elected president and if for no other reason he does deserve that respect. Now why don't you go over to the other thread and lecture your fellow dems about our current administration because that group is the most disrespectful bunch I have ever come across in my life when it comes to name calling and referencing. And I disagree with your assessment of Governor Palin in comparing her to a person who frauds welfare. 

Reading back on Blaests posts it is obvious this person is an alias because the posts start when the board was changing names, then nothing, then politics. However, I will step out even farther and say it is more than likely someone on this board who uses an alias to do their dirty work. 

PS LuAnn:  Always always still love ya girlie!

Did anybody read this about Joe Biden:

If the prospect of Joe Biden sitting a heartbeat away from the presidency doesn't give you palpitations, you are not paying attention.

Hysterical Sarah Palin-bashers on the unhinged left and elitist right have dominated campaign press coverage and pop culture. They've ridiculed her family, her appearance and her speech patterns. They've derided her character, her parenting skills, her readiness and her intellect.

Meanwhile, the increasingly erratic, super-gaffetastic Joe Biden gets a pass. What does the guy have to do to earn the relentless scrutiny and merciless mockery he deserves? Answer: wear high heels, shoot caribou and change the "D" next to his name to an "R."

Team Obama is hammering John McCain as "erratic" in the closing days of the election campaign. There are now 615,000 Google hits and counting using the search terms "erratic McCain." Last week, The New York Times devoted an entire article to the Obama-Biden line of attack, titled "In Friendly Region, Biden Cites McCain as Erratic."

Who's erratic? Throughout the primary and general election cycles, Biden has lurched from attacking Obama as not ready for prime time ("The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training." -- September 2007) to ready to lead ("Barack Obama is ready. This is his time." -- August 2008) and back again.

This week, Biden warned America that an Obama victory would invite a dangerous global showdown between tyrants and the naif Obama. "Mark my words," Biden said Sunday at a Democratic fundraiser. "It will not be six months [after the inauguration] before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy." In a follow-up appearance, he told supporters to brace for the worst and "gird your loins."

Out of Biden's mouth, this is called candor. Out of anyone else's mouth, it would be "fear-mongering," "negative campaigning" and a "distraction."

Tooting his own horn while vandalizing his running mate's, Biden bragged: "I've forgotten more about foreign policy than most of my colleagues know." Yeah. Colleagues like that guy who had a mere 143 days of Senate experience before launching his presidential bid and choosing you to shore up his meager credibility, Joe.

In fact, Biden has spent the entire campaign questioning his running mate's judgment. Last month, he mused out loud: "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. … She is easily qualified to be vice president of the United States of America, and quite frankly it might have been a better pick than me." Biden assailed the campaign's position on clean coal, openly criticized the campaign's idiotic ad attacking McCain for not using e-mail and warned the pro-gun control Obama that "if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he's got a problem."

Dan Quayle will have "POTATOE" etched on his gravestone. But how many times have late-night comedians and cable shows replayed the video of senior statesman and six-term Sen. Biden's own spelling mishap last week while attacking McCain's economic plan?

"Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the No. 1 job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S." 

No, Joe. "D'-O-H" is a three-letter word.

Nightly news shows still haven't tired of replaying Palin's infamous interview with Katie Couric. But how many times have they replayed Biden's botched interview with Couric last month -- in which he cluelessly claimed: "When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"

Er, here's what really happened: Roosevelt wasn't president when the market crashed in 1929. As for appearing on TV, it was still in its infant stages and wasn't available to the general public until at least 10 years later.

During the lone VP debate earlier this month, the increasingly erratic, super-gaffetastic Biden demonstrated more historical ignorance that Palin would never be allowed to get away with: "Vice President Cheney's been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history," he said. "He has the idea he doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the executive -- he works in the executive branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that."

Article 1 of the Constitution defines the role of the legislative branch, not the executive branch. You would think someone who has served 36 years in government -- the same someone who is quick to remind others of his high IQ and longtime Senate Judiciary Committee chairmanship -- would know better.

Biden's erratic and gaffetastic behavior is the least of America's worries. He's worse than a blunderbuss. He's an incurable narcissist with chronic diarrhea of the mouth. He's a phony and a pretender who fashions himself a foreign policy expert, constitutional scholar and worldly wise man. He's a man who can't control his impulses.

And he could be a heartbeat away.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled Palin-says-"You Betcha" skit.

Chemosabi

You have not been mean or hateful, (except for taking a well needed bite out of my back side).  But you began the process with an open mind.  When the threads were first began, you were willing to be on either side.  You formed opinions and chose.  That is the balanced way to do things. 

Gee...I thought everything was so GREAT in Europe...hmmmmmmmmmm! So if that's the case why is France now addressing their racism and why did the Italian Prime Minister make that stupid tanned comment?

French say 'Yes, we can!' too, to ending racism

By ANGELA CHARLTON, Associated Press Writer Angela Charlton, Associated Press Writer - 52 mins ago  AP - 

PARIS - Inspired by Barack Obama, the French first lady and other leading figures say it's high time for France to stamp out racism and shake up a white political and social elite that smacks of colonial times.

A manifesto published Sunday - subtitled "Oui, nous pouvons!", the French translation of Obama's campaign slogan "Yes, we can!" - urges affirmative action-like policies and other steps to turn French ideals of equality into reality for millions of blacks, Arabs and other alienated minorities.

"Our prejudices are insidious," Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a singer and wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy, said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, which published the manifesto. She said she hoped the "Obama effect" would reshape French society.

Nations across Europe rejoiced over Obama's victory, seeing it as a triumph for American democracy and a world weary of President George W. Bush. But Obama's election also illustrated an uncomfortable truth: how far European countries with big minority populations have to go getting nonwhites into positions of power.

Grass-roots groups in France and Britain are trying to turn Obama's election into electoral gains for minorities at home. Sunday's manifesto suggests France's elites are taking notice, too.

"The election of Barack Obama highlights via a cruel contrast the shortcomings of the French Republic, and the distance that separates us from a country whose citizens knew how to go beyond the racial question and elect a man who happens to be black as president," the appeal said.

"What a lesson!" it went on. "We French ... should listen to it well."

The manifesto was written by Yazid Sabeg, a French self-made millionaire whose parents were Algerian immigrants, and signed by politicians from the left and right and other public figures.

Obama is extremely popular in France, yet blacks and other minorities are nearly invisible in national or local politics here. The lower house of parliament has 555 members from the French mainland; just one is black.

"We shouldn't be surprised that Obama's popularity is so high here: It testifies to the aspirations of all the children of France who are experiencing by proxy a recognition that France does not give them," the manifesto reads. "It also betrays the bad faith of those who welcome the victory of modernity outside our borders, in order to tolerate the status quo here."

The manifesto calls for affirmative action policies like those the United States used years ago to encourage greater minority representation in the workplace and in universities.

Sarkozy has suggested affirmative action for France, but later backed away from the idea since it goes against France's ideals of egalitarianism, which dictate that the country not classify its citizens according to race. This idea that everyone is just "French" means there are no census or other national figures calculating how big the country's minority groups are.

The manifesto urges term limits to make way for more minority candidates, and presses the government to improve schools in working-class neighborhoods.

That appears to be a reference to housing projects heavily populated by nonwhite immigrants and their families, areas that erupted in riots in 2005 by disenfranchised youth, many of them Arab and black children of immigrants.

Critics say the tough-talking Sarkozy fanned discrimination ahead of the riots. Manifesto author Sabeg slammed efforts under Sarkozy to help minority neighborhoods as "an empty shell."

Bruni-Sarkozy said she couldn't sign the appeal because of her status as first lady but that she fully supported it. She is quoted in the Journal du Dimanche as calling Obama's election "an immense joy."

The Italian-born first lady exhibited optimism in her adopted land, saying Sarkozy's ethnically mixed background is a sign that France is open to change.

"My husband is not Obama. But the French voted for the son of a Hungarian immigrant, whose father has an accent, whose mother is of Jewish origin. (Sarkozy) has always considered himself as a bit of a Frenchman from elsewhere," Bruni-Sarkozy is quoted as saying.

She also took a dig at the prime minister of her native Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, for saying last week that Obama is "tanned." The often impolitic and suntanned Berlusconi defended it as a compliment, but Bruni-Sarkozy saw the situation differently.

"I'm very glad to have become French," she said.

And lets not forget she is also a RACIST.  What did she say about Obama "He's not like us".  Thank god for that.  For the first time our country actually has hope.

I don't believe in spreading the wealth but I sure would like to see a fair tax system.  Right now the rich get all kinds of tax cuts when we lower class people have to pay our taxes with little to no breaks.  To me that is pretty unfair.  Bush continually gave the wealthy tax cuts and never gave any to the lower class and that sucks.  For rears I have paid my taxes, health care, mortgage and struggled to get by.  As this economy started on a downward spiral a few years back I lost my job and my house.  I was able to get a new job but the mortgage company refused to work with me and I lost my home of 10 years.  Sucked pretty bad and made me feel like a failure and crap!  Where was the gov't then to help people out.  They didn't care that we were losing our homes and struggling, they only cared about themselves and their own wealth.  It wasn't until Wall Street crashed did they think of helping people.  Now they are going to help people renegotiate mortgages to try to keep people in their homes.  It's too late for me now I am in a rental with ruined credit.  Gotta love the gov't thats been in place the last 4 years.  I think I'll try something different!

Use tax works in other countries (in Canada for example, there is provinical tax - in all Provinces except one - and Federal tax collected on spending - although not all spending), and certainly helps with a country's national deficit. 

The National Security Force is supposed to be 3000 volunteers? What does that do for unemployment rates?

President Bush cut the top tax rate from about 41% to 36%?? Add 10% state tax, plus sales taxes ranging from 0%,i.e. Delaware, to 6% , i.e. Maryland, to 7.25 %, i.e.California (duh).Add property taxes, done on a sliding scale. How much more should the "rich" pay? Of course, the super rich (1%) manage to skate around this.....or so I hear. Mr. Bush also cut the luxury tax, which apparently was added on top of all the other taxes. People do get some credit for charitable contributions, which are made at all income levels, but people with more to give often do give quite generously.

If people don't buy anything, then there's no point in making anything. I probably need to do more research in "isms"!!

Actually, it would be more fair if the taxes went away on income altogether!!!  Then just tax what is purchased ... put a VAT on it all ... Value Added Tax ... then everyone pays the same and illegal immigrants will be paying, tax evaders will be paying ... only savers and non spenders will avoid taxes.  I vote for a huge VAT ... 23% is fine but do away with income tax and let the casinos in, let California be like Nevada!  And get rid of free medical for illegals.

On top of everything else, she is a religious fanatic who would attempt to shove her beliefs on the rest of us if she could

On what do you base this assumption? You know, I get pretty tired <----------------------------over there, reading comments about how all republicans are racists; I've seen completely innocent comments twisted and picked apart and labeled racist. Why is it not ok to be racist (which I agree wholeheartedly it is NOT--I have african american family members, btw), but it's ok to say such horrible and ridiculous things about someone based on their faith?....oh, yeah...as long as it's not muslim. Then it's NOT ok.

Anyone who believes that a christian who attends church and believes what the Bible says is a fanatic must be very insecure if they honestly worry about someone shoving their beliefs down another's throat. Obama was "christian" when it suited him...until his pastor's comments were deemed outrageous by the media and much of the public. Obama has interjected God into a number of his speeches. Why is it ok for him and not a republican to have a belief in God? 

P-E Obama:364 electoral; Sen McCain:162 = landslide, huge mandate

Popular vote: 65,431,955  vs. 57,434,084 = NOT a landslide = victory

52.6% vs. 46.1% =NOT a landslide = victory

I am not sure of the fairness of the electoral college. Why not just designate those big swing states as the only campaign and voting sites? Save everybody a lot of time and trouble!