One Last Hoorah

[alexarae]

I know that the Presidential topics should be dying down soon and from what I've read lately, I hope they do.
I know that Obama won and some of you are proud. For those of you who voted based on issues, I commend your opinions no matter how different they may be from mine. However, I'm sick of this being a "victory" and "the end to racism".
How can you honestly say that?

I know that I'm only 23 years old and many of you have lived double my years and seen more in your lifetimes than I can imagine.
But in my lifetime, I have never seen racism so alive. I have never seen people so divided. I have never seen such biased and segregated individuals. I have never seen a nation so separated. It wasn't even about the Presidential race and the issues in the end, it was about "the first black president". Since when did racism only work one way? You have only proved that racism is still alive and that uneducated-arrogant people are breeding hate.

And I know that some of you think it's funny and it's cute that Obama won and that you've changed a nation...and maybe you have but we'll see if it's for the better.
Call me dry but I don't see the humor in it.
I won't be laughing when I have to "let people" go or cut their hours.
I won't be laughing when I cut an educational program that sends 43 children to private school free of charge.
I won't be laughing when I "close up shop" at $250,000 so I don't get taxed to death.
I won't be laughing when small businesses begin to fold.
I won't be laughing when I lose my insurance.
I won't be laughing when a man who worked for my father 24 years ago loses the insurance that is keeping his wife alive.
I'm sorry, it's just not funny.

I haven't been on lately because I've been in New Orleans. Delock said something in a post a few weeks ago about the devastation in the area. I have a crew of 13 architects/builders and we're trying to make a small dent in this gigantic mess.
People are still living in poverty...women and their children. It's disheartening that these people have been overlooked.
My architects are quitting...why?? OHHHHHH...because we're having a cap put on what we can make. Money is easier elsewhere.  
Excuse me for being a pessimist and for not finding the humor in it and thinking it's all a big joke.

You can call this man whatever you want, but he's not my President.

[Kiovo]

Re: One Last Hoorah

I agree with you Alexa, but unfortunately the majority spoke and chose Obama.  But I will not stoop down to the level of all the people who disrespected Bush for the past 8 years. Obama got elected fair and square, and now he will be the President of the United States of America.  I'm still a proud American, and if this is what the majority of the country wants, so be it.  

I know you are in a different situation because you are a small business owner but until anything is passed I think we should just wait and see, politicians tend to make a lot of promises they don't keep!

As far as racism goes, I think this election made it more apparently how alive and well racism is in this country.  To me, racism can be direct towards any race, INCLUDING whites.  I hate that "reverse" racism is so rampant and open and accepted.  (well maybe not accepted, but everyone turns a blind eye to it)

anyways, its good to see you back  

[marauder_77868]

Re: One Last Hoorah

Obama was elected fairly. We just have to somehow turn the tide of what has become the media arm of the DNC. There are a lot of gullible people out there who rely on the major news networks and trust them implicitly. The media has been hammering Obama=Good, McCain=Bad for the last year. It's no wonder that som many people were swayed. If you add in that we've been told how racist we still are constantly it's also no wonder that some people voted for Obama out of guilt. Neither candidate was a good candidate. Many people voted for Obama not as a vote for him and his policies, but as a rejection of Bush and his policies. For those who believe this was a landslide and a rejection of conservative values and that Obama and the Democrats have some sort of mandate please consider the following. Obama got exactly 1.9% more of the vote than Bush got in 2004. For those of you who think people came out in droves to vote for Obama please note that voter turnout was up by about 1.2% from 2004.

[supadave]

Re: One Last Hoorah

Obama got exactly 1.9% more of the vote than Bush got in 2004. For those of you who think people came out in droves to vote for Obama please note that voter turnout was up by about 1.2% from 2004.

This is the point that I was trying to make in another thread. Some people seem to think that the "Black Vote" made the diffrence in this election. It was the "Electorial Vote" that won the election for Obama. So since Blacks don't hold alot of electorial votes.... there's only one other answer.

[jklntx]

Re: One Last Hoorah

The repubs are out of touch with the majority. Rove's focus on the evangelical small town mindsets served Bush and overtook the majority for two elections, but the majority responded significantly to take the country back. If anyone needs to change its the repubs. May I suggest cleaning out the neocon mentality that has been the Repubs major focus since Bush became president. The repubs obviously focused on Hillary. Obama took advantage and moved right on by.

Most do not give him credit, but I know Chicago politics. They are crafty and get things done. Yes, they are accused of graft, but I find Texas politicians use graft too, but not in a big city way.

Obama is a pragmatist. IF you listened to him (as a Chicago politician), he cloaked a lot of what he said with articulate presentation. Many of his detractors heard what they thought they heard. Never what he really said.

What we will find the next 4 years is a return to intelligent thinking and sound judgements. Not a self centered neocon mentality.

Finally, I feel bad for McCain. This election was not the John McCain of 2000. We missed our chance with him in 2000. But the pervasive neocon mentality of Rove had manipulated enough small minds to overcome his value. The repubs knew the campaign was in dire straights when Clinton was beaten. They were not prepared for Obama. They still thought the neocon mentality dominated the American electorate mindset.

But when the repubs realized their position, they selected McCain as a sacrificial lamb. Unfortunately, due to his age, he is not the future of the Repub party like possibly a Romney, Ridge or Crist. (Palin? another neocon? ROFLMAO). I hope he returns to the Senate with the vigor and insight he had in 2000. The country still needs him.

[Delock]

Re: One Last Hoorah

Obama got exactly 1.9% more of the vote than Bush got in 2004. For those of you who think people came out in droves to vote for Obama please note that voter turnout was up by about 1.2% from 2004.

Many predicted the total would reach 133.3 million, a 62.5% turnout rate or higher. Many states still have piles of absentee votes that need to be counted. In California, for example, ballots post-marked on Election Day are valid.

In 2004 about 122.3 million voters cast ballots, a 60.3% turnout rate,


Obama 65,340,608

McCain 57,358,053

[jeebus]

Re: One Last Hoorah

It makes you wonder that if the numbers are almost the same in spite of an increased population, and that even with all the new young and first time minority voters, how many conservatives just stayed home this year.

[Delock]

Re: One Last Hoorah

Make you wonder what the total count will be after all the ballots are counted. I have not ran into one person (Dem and Rep) that didnt vote.

[jeebus]

Re: One Last Hoorah

Same here, which makes me wonder why the numbers are so close to 2004. Perhaps many conservatives didn't vote in places they knew Obama would win.

I don't think that was the case with Obama voters. They knew that they would ALL have to come out and vote even if it was in a conservative area, just as a show of general support.

[Delock]

Re: One Last Hoorah

I think that in 2004 people felt that the War on Terrorism was the number one key.

Look at the final numbers for 2004

Bush 62,040606 51% 286 electoral votes

Kerry 59,028,109 48% 252 electoral votes

2000 results

Bush 50,456,169 48% 271 271 Electoral votes

Gore 50,996,116 48% 266 electoral votes


2008 results....

Obama 364 electoral votes
McCain 163 electoral votes

All ballots have not been counted but you see the electoral votes was not almost 3 to 1.

[jeebus]

Re: One Last Hoorah

No, I'm not talking about the number of people who voted for either candidate - I'm talking about the total number of voters.

Total Votes Counted:

2004 - 121,069,054

2008 - 122,668,466

Thats a difference of 1,590,000 people. Lets say that Obama gets another 400,000 votes counted for two million vote difference. Thats my entire point. Only two million more people voted this election? The same election where record young first time voters, as well as record first time minority voters went to the polls - only accounted for a two million difference?

This is why I think millions of conservatives stayed home. I think the primary reason was McCain, but a secondary reason was the "thrown away vote" effect, where they didn't bother voting in places like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Atlanta.

[Delock]

Re: One Last Hoorah

We will see when the final numbers come out.

[jeebus]

Re: One Last Hoorah

We're seeing it now. Are there 10 to 12 million more votes hidden in a bag somewhere?

[marauder_77868]

Re: One Last Hoorah

Thats a difference of 159,000 people.

Check your numbers again. It's actually 1,599,412. Which is still very small compared to the droves we were promised.

[jeebus]

Re: One Last Hoorah

Oh, you're right. I'm a zombie this morning.