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Read his tax plan, specifically the bottom of page 3.

Your business might not be making investments, but are you seeking investors? One of the components of his tax plan is to eliminate the capital gains taxes for investments made in small business. That means if you need a round of private financing, your investors will not pay any tax when they sell your stock down the road.

Course, the PDF I linked to doesn't spell out a lot of detail. I'd assume as long as somebody bought the stock when you were classified as "small business", when you IPO and the investor sells their shares on the publican market they wouldn't pay capital gains tax--otherwise what is the point?

Another thing is depending on how you are structured (corporation/LLC), one of the benefits of the plan is when you sell your business in the future, the profit from selling your equity would be tax exempt as well.

The solution is education and exposure to the outside world.

The problem is, are you willing to pay for this? Somebody has to shell out for such investments. The only way is tax. Who do you tax? The guys you are trying to help, or the guys on the top who owe their success to the investment we made? McCain/Bush/Regan say the guys who are currently using the investment should pay for it. Obama says the people who are successful got there because of the investment and thus owe society for using it. In other words, pay as you go, or pay once you've finished?

You'd be exempt from paying tax on capital gains from small business investments. Such an exemption would encourage investors to buy equity to help finance start ups rather then buying equity in big corporations. In a way, it would dampen the need for small businesses to get loans for capital improvements.

Obama's philosophy is things work better from the bottom up rather then trickling down from the top. Make life easy for those with the least and they'll have a better time making a go of things and moving up the ladder.

Regan, and by extension Bush and the republican party, is about the idea that if you make things easy at the top, there will be more incentive for people to move up. The idea is that you provide a nice carrot at the top of the ladder, and everybody will want to climb up.

When this election is over, I believe history will show this election is the rejection of Regan theory of trickle down economics. We've tried it, and it just doesn't seem to work.

Will bottom-up economics work better? Will our nation have more success by making it easier for people on the bottom rungs in hopes they move up? Only time will tell...

Links to those dropping numbers please. I've heard 250k was right around the cutoff since the numbers first came out. What are they now? Oh here, let me get that for you:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/taxes/Factsheet_Tax_Plan_FINAL.pdf

"Middle class families will see their taxes cut - and no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase."

Now if you want to claim he can't stick to those numbers it is one thing, but try to drop in some links next time instead of emotional summaries.

Horse****. They've both addressed the national debt. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/fiscal/ObamaPolicy_Fiscal.pdf http://www.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/reform.htm

For example, our deficits have been widely reported at 400-500bn throughout this decade when in fact they've been 700bn+.

Am I reading the data from the Congressional Budget Office wrong? Look at 2007, for example: the chart lists an "On-Budget" deficit of $342.2 billion, a Social Security surplus of $186.5 billion, a Postal Service deficit of $5.1 billion, and a "Total" deficit of 160.7. No year (up to 2007) had a "On-Budget" deficit of greater than $600 billion. You can get basically the same picture from the Treasury Department (you can avoid .doc files by getting the PDF linked at the bottom; see page 19 of the PDF, which has page number 12 in the document).

On the other hand, page 28 of the Treasury Department PDF (the document has page number 21) shows total debt outstanding figures increasing by amounts that tend to be more than the "On-budget" deficit (500-600 billion, but still not 700bn+). I haven't been able to find an explanation for the difference, but the answer doesn't appear to be Social Security.

Additionally, the difference between borrowing from the SS trust fund and the public is that the government has a strong obligation to pay back money borrowed from the public. They have no such obligation to pay themselves back.

Senior citizens tend to have high voter turnout. There is a strong obligation to pay back Social Security.

In fact, there has been a lot of talk about cutting Social Security payments because we're in a "crisis" (whatever). That's just laying the groundwork.

The last attempt to privatize Social Security failed. Obama is likely to win the election. He appears to be against cutting benefits and instead favors imposing new Social Security taxes on those making over $250 thousand per year.

Under the plan, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down

What part of nothing changes don't you understand?

For those without insurance, having insurance, even with government wage slaves, is much better than none at all, IMHO. Of course maybe there are people who want to get sick and die from common ailments while waiting in the hospital emergency room since they haven't seen a doctor in 10 years.

Next time provide an easy way to look it up.

Oh, but then everyone might see that you are wrong.

Oops. Where's McCain's tax calculator to show how much we'd save with him?

This one's still up

http://www.barackobama.com/

ROTFLOL!!!1!!! Obama and Osama sound similiar so Obama must be a terrorist!! LOLLOL!!!! I've never heard that before!!!

It is obvious that you did not read that discussion. It was quickly pointed out that the report was completely bogus. Read his plan yourself. It is very good and quite comprehensive. Some highlights:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

* Protect the Openness of the Internet: A key reason the Internet has been such a success is because it is the most open network in history. It needs to stay that way. Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.

* Encourage Diversity in Media Ownership: Barack Obama believes that the nation's rules ensuring diversity of media ownership are critical to the public interest. Unfortunately, over the past several years, the Federal Communications Commission has promoted the concept of consolidation over diversity. As president, Obama will encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation's spectrum.

* Reform the Patent System: A system that produces timely, high-quality patents is essential for global competitiveness in the 21st century. By improving predictability and clarity in our patent system, we will help foster an environment that encourages innovation. Giving the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) the resources to improve patent quality and opening up the patent process to citizen review will reduce the uncertainty and wasteful litigation that is currently a significant drag on innovation. As president, Barack Obama will ensure that our patent laws protect legitimate rights while not stifling innovation and collaboration.

* Safeguard our Right to Privacy: The open information platforms of the 21st century can also tempt institutions to violate the privacy of citizens. As president, Barack Obama will strengthen privacy protections for the digital age and will harness the power of technology to hold government and business accountable for violations of personal privacy.

* Invest in the Sciences: Barack Obama and Joe Biden support doubling federal funding for basic research over ten years, changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology. This will foster home-grown innovation, help ensure the competitiveness of US technology-based businesses, and ensure that 21st century jobs can and will grow in America.

* Restore Scientific Integrity to the White House: Good policy in Washington depends on sound advice from the nation's scientists and engineers and decision-making based on the needs of all Americans. Obama and Biden will restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best-available, scientifically-valid evidence and not on the ideological predispositions of agency officials or political appointees.

• Windfall profits tax. It's been tried before (in the 70's), and it failed miserably. I've heard the gas lines were pretty bad. It amounts to an attempt at price fixing, and thus tries to thwart the laws of supply and demand.
• Massive new spending on all types and sorts of initiatives, particularly "clean energy". While I'm all in favor of clean energy, the free market is already taking care of it.
• Hiking corporate income tax. There's nothing like a tax increase to boost the economy at a time when businesses are having trouble getting money in the first place! Sure, you'll get political points...at least from those people the businesses can still afford to employ.
• Punishing the oil companies. Obama and the other Democrats want to go back and change the contracts the government signed with the oil companies years ago, because they don't think the government gets a big enough cut for giving its permission to drill. Never mind the fact that it tosses contract law into the street. Never mind that it'll raise gas prices.
• Overall spending going through the roof. If you believe conservative talk show hosts, we're talking about $1 trillion of new spending. The real figure will certainly be a low lower, but it's still a huge amount of money. At the same time, Obama claims that his tax plan will reduce revenue to somewhere "below the levels that prevailed under Ronald Reagan". People like to complain about Bush driving up the deficit, but something about the increased spending and decreased taxes seems...disastrous? to me.

On the other hand, I like what McCain offers:

• Cutting corporate income tax, so companies can expand, hire more people, etc.
• Ban internet taxes.
• Privatizing social security. He's backed away from it, because it sounds bad, but it's a good idea, and he still supports it.
• Permanent R&D tax credit.

Besides the economic issues, we really do need a leader who is strong on foreign policy in an increasingly unstable and hostile world, and McCain is the man there. Obama is all about appeasement, and we've all seen how well that works over the past century. Take a couple world wars and a cold war for example. That, to me, is a huge issue. Network Neutrality, as much as I want it, is a tiny speck in comparison.

Vint Cerf hasn't read Obama's technology page.

Have you?

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

Obama's page still mentions support for network neutrality (even if it isn't quite as cut and dried as we might like):

Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.

This whole article is really just a distraction to push people to vote Obama, simply because he isn't on record as being against neutrality.

He is on the record as being pro net-neutrality. So I'm finding your point confusing. You are conflating the issues of net neutrality and telecom immunity, both important but not directly related. Given that, to my knowledge, there have not been any votes on Net Neutrality in congress, what more could Obama do to show his support of Net Neutrality.

who supports an Uncle Sam Hospital monopoly

That is far from the truth. It was also his biggest difference I saw between him and Hillary(she wanted what you are implying). From http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes - government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and thatâ(TM)s why theyâ(TM)ve proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference.

The Obama-Biden plan provides affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/technology/Fact_Sheet_Innovation_and_Technology.pdf

Check it out. Page 2.

First portion:

Protect the Openness of the Internet: A key reason the Internet has been such a success is because it is the
most open network in history. It needs to stay that way. Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of
network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet

This is what it says in his tech policy: "Barack Obama supports the basic principle that network providers should not be allowed to charge fees to privilege the content or applications of some web sites and Internet applications over others." Go read it yourself: http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/technology/Fact_Sheet_Innovation_and_Technology.pdf

Actually, they are targeted. Just not very well.

For the entire run up in the election starting with the primaries, Obama put a splash page on their site's main page and if you didn't look at the enter site in print about the size of the copyright notice in the lower corner, you couldn't get in without giving your email address. Unfortunately for you, someone probably entered your email address instead of their own and your getting targeted information from an ass-clown who was specifically harvesting email addresses and begging for donations. Apparently, this was done for marketing and donations.

Note to mods, the assclown doesn't have to be Obama, just some Ass clown working for him in some respect. And yes, I don't believe that you should have to give personal information or pledge support in order to view information about a candidate from his own site. The bypass this page link should have been more obvious, bigger, and somewhere that could be seen without scrolling.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/

Those aren't the hard questions. Those (aside from the pot) are the questions that are so basic they have whole pages on their website outlining their position. If you pay any attention to politics at all, you would have already known the answers.

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Obama will castrate our military and destroy our nuclear deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxL8NcNACBY

He will tax corporations and high income earners that employ the population of the US, which will force them to cut jobs and send the unemployment rate skyrocketing.
http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

He sees dead people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=galtZF0nKYc

He wants to take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, leaving us at the mercy of criminals.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm

He'll cut and run from Iraq, knocking the legs out from under the Iraqi government as they are finally finding their footing.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He believes homosexuals are entitled to more rights than straight people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html

He believes in mob rule concerning criminal punishment.
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 58

He refuses to call terrorists "terrorists" even when presented with evidence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15251928

He will prevent us from keeping sensitive materials confidential, which will place national security at risk.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/14356/

He would talk with terrorist countries without demanding that they cease their efforts to murder innocent people and abide by the rule of law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Oj7Jn9rv4

He believes we should reward people who ignore the existence of a country's sovereignty and illegally enter the country instead of forcing them to abide by the law.
http://obama.senate.gov/news/060923-sen_obama_at_to/index.php

He believes the government should regulate the internet.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/index.php

He believes in making those who have money pay for the healthcare of those who do not have money.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

He believes we should take corn, a staple food for the US, and use it for ethanol production, which will cause shortages in food supply and produce car exhaust that is more dangerous to humans than gasoline burning cars.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/05/new_us_congress_looks_to_boost_alternate_fuels/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

He believes that parents should have no choice but to send their children to government run schools to be indoctrinated by sub-standard teachers.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041027.obama-ct.html

In short, he's an anti-American, anti-military Marxist who will destroy the US before he can be voted out of office. I don't like McCain and I have problems with many of his positions, but he will, at the very least, keep the US from crashing and burning within the next 4 years (provided the Dems don't win Congress).

And no, he's not a Muslim (as far as we know). He's not black (he's bi-racial). He's not a Christian (against everything Ch

Barack Obama, for four years in the 1990s, you were on the executive board of an education foundation named the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, founded by ex-Weather Underground Organization leader William Ayers. In a spring debate, you claimed he was "not somebody who I exchange ideas with on a regular basis", and just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood". Given that you launched your presidential campaign from Mr. Ayers home, how do you explain this discrepancy?

Barack Obama, records show that you have received the second largest amount of monetary donations from the now bankrup Fannie Mae mortgage lender. In 2005, you were praised by Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd because of your work in congress on Fannie's behalf. Was the praise because of your vote against the Housing Reform Act of 2005 that would have prevented the 2008 collapse of the lending institutions?

Barack Obama, you have often touted your experience as a community organizer in the streets of Chicago as evidence of your qualifications to lead. You have worked extensively with one such group, ACORN, which recently endorsed you for president, where you acknowledged your work with ACORN in Project Vote in 2004. Given that ACORN members are frequently convicted of committing voter fraud, can you please explain your relation to this organization?

I personally would appreciate a link to a separate section that provides all of the details...

Bottom of the page:

For More Information about Barack and Joe's Plan
Read Obama's Technology and Innovation Plan
Read Obama's Science Agenda

It's cuts like these that give rise to the complaints that Obama doesn't really say anything.

No, it's the constant stream of bad summaries, misinformation, and outright lies that help manipulate and maintain people's prejudices.

I personally would appreciate a link to a separate section that provides all of the details...

Bottom of the page:

For More Information about Barack and Joe's Plan
Read Obama's Technology and Innovation Plan
Read Obama's Science Agenda

It's cuts like these that give rise to the complaints that Obama doesn't really say anything.

No, it's the constant stream of bad summaries, misinformation, and outright lies that help manipulate and maintain people's prejudices.

From the campaign:

We've been updating the entire website to ensure consistency across the pages. The full tech plan is still available on the page, so there is absolutely no substantive change to our policy -- folks who want more information can click to get our full plan. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/technology/Fact_Sheet_Innovation_and_Technology.pdf

Looks like a wordsmithing to make it shorter and punchier. Bottom of the page still has a link to what appears to be the full original text, perhaps with even more details, http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/technology/Fact_Sheet_Innovation_and_Technology.pdf I haven't checked it word for word, but it looks like no cause for alarm.

You are an idiot if you aren't going to vote... and by the way he revised his website and didn't shift his views. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/technology/Fact_Sheet_Innovation_and_Technology.pdf Thats a link that is at the bottom of the page.

He gives a link that shows his exact same page as before in pdf format. This is a shortened view that includes Biden's views. Obama's views are the same as they were before. Here is the link at the bottom of the page http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/technology/Fact_Sheet_Innovation_and_Technology.pdf

Well, you can vote for the guy who has promised change all along, and speaks in very clear terms about exactly what that change entails.

Or you can vote for the guy whose platform is, "I'm a maverick - see, I picked a running mate that nobody would EVERY have expected," and whose campaign has devolved to just making up stuff, and claiming his opponent said it .

What if I don't like the change?

Then don't vote for him.

Bigger government, more regulation, and higher taxes doesn't sound like change. Sounds like more of the same!

You're going to pay higher taxes under Obama's plan only if you make more than $250,000. McCain gives tax cuts across the board, though people making $500,000 and up are getting a substantially larger tax cut (even in terms of percent of income) than lower and middle class people (eg, if you make $2 million+, you can expect to see at least $290,000 in tax cuts).

McCain is also planning to lower the corporate tax ceiling to 25% from 35%; while Obama at least won't lower it.

I believe in a 3rd party system, but Obama is the best candidate to come out of either party for at least several decades. I voted 3rd party last election, but this election there is far too much at stake, and one candidate (who may not be perfect) is so many orders of magnitude better than the other - plus I'm in a swing state - that I cannot allow my vote to go for another candidate. I believe strongly that this guy needs to get into office.

I'll continue to support the 3rd party at the local and national level - the grassroots level, but this time around there's more important issues than that.

Well, you can vote for the guy who has promised change all along, and speaks in very clear terms about exactly what that change entails.

Or you can vote for the guy whose platform is, "I'm a maverick - see, I picked a running mate that nobody would EVERY have expected," and whose campaign has devolved to just making up stuff, and claiming his opponent said it .

What if I don't like the change?

Then don't vote for him.

Bigger government, more regulation, and higher taxes doesn't sound like change. Sounds like more of the same!

You're going to pay higher taxes under Obama's plan only if you make more than $250,000. McCain gives tax cuts across the board, though people making $500,000 and up are getting a substantially larger tax cut (even in terms of percent of income) than lower and middle class people (eg, if you make $2 million+, you can expect to see at least $290,000 in tax cuts).

McCain is also planning to lower the corporate tax ceiling to 25% from 35%; while Obama at least won't lower it.

I believe in a 3rd party system, but Obama is the best candidate to come out of either party for at least several decades. I voted 3rd party last election, but this election there is far too much at stake, and one candidate (who may not be perfect) is so many orders of magnitude better than the other - plus I'm in a swing state - that I cannot allow my vote to go for another candidate. I believe strongly that this guy needs to get into office.

I'll continue to support the 3rd party at the local and national level - the grassroots level, but this time around there's more important issues than that.

Obama taught constitutional law for 12 years, and is a staunch supporter of civil liberties. Beyond that, he just seems like a pretty reasonable, thoughtful person.

I've heard a lot of outcry, particularly on slashdot, that he voted for telecom immunity. But as the grandparent noted, that bill was a FISA ammendment, and Obama has since voted twice, on 2/12 and 7/09, to revoke telecom immunity. I don't completely agree with his stance on this, but he did say that he supported the ammendment because it put the power back in the hands of legislation, as opposed to the president's.

Also, as others are noting, Obama's plans tend towards ensuring accountability in the government through the use of technologies which make their actions visible. Specifically, he wants to create publicly accessable databases and websites to display this information. I don't have the same kind of confidence in McCain's ability or desire to do something concrete about this.

Personally, I just think Obama is smart enough to pick the battles that he can win. From what I've read, seen and heard, it's pretty clear to me what his goals are, and I have to say this is the first time I've ever found myself trusting, liking, or agreeing with a politician to any significant degree. I think Obama will do a fine job as president.

Okay, I'll bite. Here's what I think is a fair definition of socialism:

Socialism: Any of various political philosophies that support social and economic equality, collective decision-making and public control of productive capital and natural resources.

There are a number of examples of socialism in Obama's Blueprint For Change (PDF). Many of them are forced social equality through new and/or expanded government programs that will require additional funding (read: more taxation), but a number also expand government control over how private businesses are ran.

If you want specifics, some of my favorite examples are: Universal Healthcare (Section 1:6 and 1:7), More government child care (Section 1:15 among others), Free community college for everyone (Section 1:20), and goverment deciding the direction of technology and creating jobs to pursue that technology (Section 1:24). There are other examples.

And why not have this type of change, you ask?

Because by stealing money from those who work hard to earn it, the government is infringing on their freedom and liberties. They are no longer a soverign individual entitled to the fruits of their labor and instead are owned by government. Further, creating government programs in the name of good will only increases dependency on the system rather than building and fostering growth and personal responsibility.

But as someone else has pointed out, this isn't that much different from the current administration's course of action. Democrats and (today's) Republicans are both pushing headlong in the same direction of larger federal government and socialism. I think the Democrats however, and in particular Obama, are in a slightly bigger hurry to get there.

That's why I'll be voting 3rd party again. Some would say it may not make a difference, but at least I won't be responsible for voting away the fundamentals of what (used to) make this country great.

Nothing is ever really explained or examined in depth.

I dunno, there's a fair amount of explanation and depth going on here. But you're generally right, no one goes into too much depth, especially on TV. Probably because it will fly over the heads of most of the viewers.

Maybe if Palin didn't think this was a partisan witchhunt and that she was going to get a fair shake, she'd be more forthcoming. But the fact is it's Obama-supporting Democrats going after her for political reasons.

And oh, BTW, not everyone agrees that you have a right to see your Governor's or your President's work e-mail. There is the concept of executive privilege, that if people can't give an executive candid advice without seeing it posted in Wikileaks, they won't give it. So, you want Barack Obama or John McCain not to be able to get candid advice from their advisors after the election? You really think your political heroes - FDR, Lincoln, Ron Paul, whoever you worship - didn't say things privately that would make them look bad?

This fear that one's private thoughts and actions will be exposed to the public does not lead to better government. It leads to government officials (and future ones) playing it safe, not "thinking outside the box," not joining controversial groups like the ACLU or the Federalist Society, for fear their e-mails will be subpoenaed in some partisan show trial or Senate confirmation hearing.

I have a friend who I used to have fabulous political and legal talks with. But now he is a federal judge, and will no longer commit such thoughts to e-mail, for fear of having to answer to Joe Biden or Chuck Schumer in some future confirmation hearing. That's who we want running government: dumbed-down, play-it-safe, non-controversial thinkers out there, bland vanilla, risk-adverse, PC types. When we get Bush v. Kerry in an election, don't ask why better people don't run for office.

This is all a larger part of a problem Pat Buchanan has recently pinpointed: The criminalization of politics. Now anything a politico does is suddenly indictable. These activities used to be just rough politics as usual, but now they are criminal. Whether it's Watergate or Iran Contra or Lewinsky or firing US Attorneys or blowing intel on WMD (or did you forget the Cuban Missile Crisis?), all things presidents have always done. Now it's all impeachable or indictable or at least show trialable. And have we really gotten better government for it?

It's funny, Slashdotter's howl when, God forbid, an employer wants to read their work e-mail, test them for drugs, or judge them based on their Facebook page. But God forbid an executive wants some private, candid advice.

That The Anointed One and Captain America are both involved in this...

Both support the giant permanent bases being built in Iraq, which guarentee 50k+ troops even after any "pullout," plus the probably 100k+ contractors.

That's not Obama's stated position. From his web site:

"Under the Obama plan, a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel. He will not build permanent bases in Iraq, but will continue efforts to train and support the Iraqi security forces as long as Iraqi leaders move toward political reconciliation and away from sectarianism."

Both are agressive towards Iran, leaving nothing off the table (including a nuclear first strike). Iran has proven multiple times that they don't have a weapons program and they can legally enrich uranium for legal purposes.

It would be silly to begin negotiations with anything left off the table. Obama wants to talk to Iran without preconditions, and leaving options off the table before negotiations begin is, by definition, a precondition. For more, see Obama's Iran policy.

Putting a new face onto the same terrible foreign policy decisions doesn't change anything.

I agree. There are plenty of other things I dislike about Obama, and frankly some of McCain's plans would be a breath of fresh air after the horrible disaster that has been the Bush presidency. However, in a two-party system, you can either vote for the candidate who will do the least damage, or recuse yourself from the process of selecting the winner (either by not voting, or by voting for a candidate with no chance of winning). Presumably you've chosen the latter; I've chosen the former. If I didn't care which of the two major-party candidates wins, then I would be inclined to vote differently.

Both support the giant permanent bases being built in Iraq, which guarentee 50k+ troops even after any "pullout," plus the probably 100k+ contractors.

That's not Obama's stated position. From his web site:

"Under the Obama plan, a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel. He will not build permanent bases in Iraq, but will continue efforts to train and support the Iraqi security forces as long as Iraqi leaders move toward political reconciliation and away from sectarianism."

Both are agressive towards Iran, leaving nothing off the table (including a nuclear first strike). Iran has proven multiple times that they don't have a weapons program and they can legally enrich uranium for legal purposes.

It would be silly to begin negotiations with anything left off the table. Obama wants to talk to Iran without preconditions, and leaving options off the table before negotiations begin is, by definition, a precondition. For more, see Obama's Iran policy.

Putting a new face onto the same terrible foreign policy decisions doesn't change anything.

I agree. There are plenty of other things I dislike about Obama, and frankly some of McCain's plans would be a breath of fresh air after the horrible disaster that has been the Bush presidency. However, in a two-party system, you can either vote for the candidate who will do the least damage, or recuse yourself from the process of selecting the winner (either by not voting, or by voting for a candidate with no chance of winning). Presumably you've chosen the latter; I've chosen the former. If I didn't care which of the two major-party candidates wins, then I would be inclined to vote differently.

Maybe I read it wrong, but your post implies Obama has a cult of personality. If I didn't misread that, you're confusing charisma and perspicacity with what a true cult of personality is - where the government forces the media to unquestioningly and unhesitatingly extol virtues of a political leader - real and fake - in order to prevent citizens from ever hearing anything bad about their whitewashed leader.

Cult of personality notably has a negative connotation, and indeed it should, it's a form of repression. If you want to see what a true cult of personality is like, examine Eric Lafforgue's Flickr photo set from North Korea, where citizens are required by law to wear patriotic pins, and required by law to have photographs of their illustrious leaders in their home, tilted slightly downward so the eyes follow you everywhere. Where citizens are required by law to have a radio in their home which they cannot turn off that periodically spouts political propaganda. Where every hour, on the hour, from 6 am to midnight, loudspeakers blast out a patriotic song. Where reading material for children is war propaganda espouting the virtues of their leader and speaking in vague terms of the threat of the west.

Obama doesn't have a cult of personality. He has the clarity, insight, and speaking ability to make people feel good about the chance for change in the future, to feel good about themselves and who they are and can be. He inspires people. And even though you try to make that out to be a bad thing, it is in fact a very good thing.

And I may have missed what Obama was going to do make the USA a force for good in this world again. So please recite them or point me in the right place.

Perhaps you haven't looked. Here, Obama covers current foreign policy issues in detail, giving a good background on each, and detailing his plan for each: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/foreignpolicy/

That was the most concise explanation of Obama's nomination. We seem to be severely lacking education...

Not to worry. Obama's a big proponent of improving education. ;-)

A) If that is so, why didn't you go on Kos to point it out, specifically which ones? They are not like a typical right-wing site, they do not insta-ban people just for voicing dissent.

Except, of course, for when that dissent is advocating disclosure of conflict of interest.

http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/07/29/tikun-olam-banned-at-daily-kos/

And except, of course, for when that dissent is bringing up facts that are actually true about John Edwards.

http://stranahan.com/2008/08/03/ive-been-banned-at-dailykos-because-of-john-edwards/

And except, of course, for when that dissent is (#1) defending Ralph Nader; (#2) defending an SNL skit; (#3) correctly observing that Al Gore Sr. was a segregationist.

http://polizeros.com/2006/02/09/banned-from-kos-again/

And except, of course, for when that dissent is defending Barack Obama from the pro-Edwards site narrative!

http://students.barackobama.com/page/community/post/brionlutz/CZ7l

And except, of course, for when ... ah hell, go Google some more yourself if you're still thinking "IgnoramusMaximus" is anything but completely accurately named.

This is utterly unacceptable.

I agree and I've written to Obama/Biden headquarters (again) to let them know that we citizens are expecting them to give us back the Bill of Rights. Writing here http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/contact/ to express our concerns should be more effective than all of us bemoaning the situation on /.

If anyone knows of a site where the GOP candidates are also asking for comments (and having someone read them), please post it also.

Or how sad how many Americans have fallen in love with Obama even though he hasn't done anything but blow smoke up everyone's ass? Maybe he'll be a great president.. I don't know because so far all he's done is talk about change.. changing what though?

He's been clear on what he plans to change and how he plans to do it. Check out The Blue-print for Change (Warning: PDF)

We dont know what Obama stands for except that he for the most socialist policy that i have ever read...coming just shy to that of marxism.

Yeah, Obama was totally promoting all sorts of government and worker ownership of the means of production last night. Right after he did the crowd surfing.

Read a book before you rant. And perhaps a reference on Obama's economic policy, too.

*sigh*

The recent telecom immunity bill should be proof enough that a significant percentage of our congress is corrupt, because only corruption and bribery could have passed that bill

I think the pressure from the White House flag waving and "national security" talk had a lot to do with it too. The fears of certain high profile democrats who were afraid of being Max Cleland'ed/swift-boated had something to do with it too.

What the fuck? Didn't I already say I honestly don't know? Why the hell are you asking me again?

Because I wanted to know if you had put any intellectual thought into your opinions or you were just repeating cookie-cutter Liberal talking points. It seems that you are repeating talking points. I'm disappointed but not surprised -- as you said this is Slashdot.

(And before I get flamed I would have called out Conservative talking points just as quickly)