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I’m Disappointed
By JLP | November 5, 2008
I’m not going to talk a lot about the election but I will say this:
I think America made a mistake last night.
Topics: Miscellaneous | 89 Comments »
November 5th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I share your disappointment, but life goes on. As does the market, the economy, etc.
Though I’m nervous about April 15th over the next few years
November 5th, 2008 at 8:33 am
They sure did. They voted yes on CA Prop 8.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:37 am
i’m happy, because matt lauer and al roker told me i should be. i think there’s a large segment of the population out there that voted a certain way because the pretty people on tv told them to.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I am disappointed too and I agree that a lot of the people rocked the vote but for the wrong reasons.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Well if voters made a mistake, then the elections in 2010 s/b interesting as this would be a catalyst to regain some (Republican)seats. If they didn’t, then let’s look forward to some better times, or at least some problems addressed. One thing’s for sure, we’ll certainly have better Presidential speeches to listen to
One thing disburbed me last night when a little boy was interviewed about what Obama’s win meant to him. I’m paraphrasing here, but he said “now I can go to college, make a business, etc.” When the reporter asked why he couldn’t have done all that before he replied “because I didn’t have hope.” As a taxpayer, my first reaction was disgust, then I thought how many voters voted the way they did thinking everything good and desirable in life will now magically happen (without the hard work and scrimping, of course.) Then my second thought came from being a parent. Shame on his parents for not instilling the value/belief that with hard work anything can be achieved (which should have been evident with the celebration that was going on around him!)
I think folks need a dose of tough love, a lesson in personal accountability, and get over the idea that the Government (we the taxpayers) are going to take care of them with a sprinkling of pixie dust!
And ditto to Russ’ 4/15 comment…
November 5th, 2008 at 9:00 am
This is a little like promoting a mid-level manager to the position of CEO overnight (albeit a bright, charismatic mid-level manager!). Let’s hope he puts us on the right track in these coming years.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:12 am
I agree. America mad a big mistake. The good news is that the economy is going to continue to tank, and the democrats will be blamed, which will allow us to get a much better (fiscally conservitive) president the next time around.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:14 am
mises.org + campaignforliberty.com = change America NEEDS!
Obama = wrong kind of change
McCain = same shit different day
Wise up America. You think you did something great last night, but you will see that this is only an acceleration down the WRONG path.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I share your disappointment, though I am even more pessimistic that in 2, 4, 6, and 8 years when we are in an even worse position it will be due to Bush and the Republicans, not the Democrats having majority control.
Perhaps most of the media should be banned from the election process and instead both the republican party and the democratic party nominate a single (or two, so that one may follow the vp) correspondent that becomes exclusively attached to each of the campaigns. This would help with media bias towards either side.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:31 am
That’s what I thought for the past 8 years.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I agree, it is Jimmy Carter all over. Problem is I don’t see another Reagan out there.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:48 am
gpglinka,
We need to find one!
November 5th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Is this some kind of right-wing blog that I subscribed to?
Seriously, give Bam a shot before you start with the call of apocalypse.
I say sit back enjoy the next 4 years. They are happening whether you or I like it or not.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Both McCain and Obama were unappealing to me.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:07 am
At least President Obama is someone that will listen to those that disagree, rather than follow the previous leader’s example of unilateralism.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Paul,
No, this isn’t a right-wing blog. But, I am fairly conservative and I wanted to voice my disappointment with the results of last night’s vote—the results of which will impact our finances.
ScottFree,
Are you sure about that?
November 5th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I find it funny that people are complaining about the media’s influence in the election. The process has basically become a two year long popularity contest — what did you expect?
November 5th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Word. I am a Democrat but supported a different candidate in the primaries. I did not need for Obama actually to say my first and last name to realize that when his surrogates went out to call anybody who dared disagree bitter, old, uneducated, r*cist, deluded by religion, and on and on and on — they were talking about me. This guy is the Democratic Party’s version of George W., and I don’t see the next four years ending all that well.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:49 am
JLP:
You are more than correct.
The masses fell for the BS message of “change”. That unoriginal message has been used for centuries, yet voters acted like they had never heard it before.
In due time, this mistake will become extremely self evident. For what the media props up, they will bring down.
So many people honestly think he will change their lives. They are about to get a rude awakening.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:53 am
What SEB said.
I have felt this way for 8 long years.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Well at least the person was elected actually will listen to you. For the past 8 years we’ve had a president who didn’t care what people had to say. He did what he wanted.
What’s important now is to put your disappointment aside and give the next president a chance.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:56 am
In my opinion, the first mistake was made in 2000, and a bigger one was made in 2004. I wasn’t too disappointed when Bush won in 2000. Even though he wasn’t my choice for President, I thought he would be a capable leader. In 2004 though, I was amazed that he won. I liked McCain in 2000 and was disappointed when he didn’t win the GOP nomination. I would’ve voted for him instead of Gore. By 2008, though, he had become too much like George W., and that may have been his downfall.
I’ve never been one to vote along party lines. I read as much as I can about the candidates and their stands on the issues that are important to me, and I vote for the candidate whose views are most like mine. I’ve voted for Democrats and Republicans, in national, state, and local elections.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I guess yet another of the great things about this country is that we all have a chance to be disappointed by our election results, and we all have a chance to be elated by them. There will be another election before you know it.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I am thrilled with the results of the election! And so proud to be an American today.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:39 am
If you are disappointed in Obama, how do you feel about Bush?
November 5th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Hows that deregulation going?
November 5th, 2008 at 11:51 am
No they didn’t. They voted yes on CA Prop 8.
As for Obama, only time will tell. Personally I think Palin killed any chance McCain my have had.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I won’t comment on who I voted for, but now that its over I do hope that Obama can do great things for this country.
What does bother me is that there are people in this country that vote with minimal (or no) knowledge of a candidate. In my humble opinion, that is a tragic abuse of our great system.
Keep up the great blog. In fact, would love to see some posts on financial advice for an Obama presidency.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:51 am
ScottFree,
I’m disappointed in Bush because he allowed this to happen.
Deregulation: Perhaps we should regulate stupid people.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:55 am
JLP,
Move on with your life. Your life can only improve after the last 8 years of disaster. Unless you make over $250K, which I highly doubt you do, you’ll have more cash on hand through Obama’s plan. Are you one of those roe v. wade overturn nutjobs?
Last night restored my faith in a failing country.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I disagree. I think America proved its promise is still alive last night.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Dan,
I’m surprised from what I have read that McCain didn’t talk to JC Watts. Surely, he had to have known that race was going to play a big part in this election and that the black vote needed a choice.
I’m not upset that we have a black president. I’m upset that we have a liberal president with NO EXPERIENCE. Meanwhile, McCain basically gave his life for this country and this is the thanks that he gets.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Steve,
Let me grieve.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Matthew 23:23
I voted my values, and that vote was for Obama.
There are more important things in life than money.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Josh,
PLUGHLEEEEEZ!
Values? Let’s not go there!
November 5th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Josh,
You want scripture? How about this one:
Romans 1:25-27
25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Josh -
You quoted a verse from the Bible and voted for Obama. I think that is an Obamanation…Have you seen what he believes from the Bible…NOT MUCH!!!!
November 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I was more than disappointed. I’d have been merely disappointed with a Hillary Clinton win. I was sickened. And then I read this by Steven den Beste and it cheered me right up.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
JLP,
Some guy says he voted for Obama and then quotes the bible for the prospect that we should show mercy to the poor and weak and not concentrate on rituals (or “false pious acts”) and you quote something about men and women succumbing to shameful lusts and having unnatural relations? I know blogs have free-flowing posts, but I just cannot wrap my mind around what your point is? Voting for Obama = succumbing to shameful lusts? I’m sure that’s not it, so what’s your point?
And for full disclosure, I think McCain’s a hero, a great American and would have been a fine president. And I voted for Obama because I think he’s brilliant and a more nuanced policy wonk and I think that’s what we need. I don’t think he’s going to govern as far to the left as people think because he’s pragmatic, but time will tell. Also, I think McCain lost vital independents and middle of line cultural / political people for two reasons: (i) he couldn’t get the stink of GWB off of him (which is mostly unfair because he’s no GWB) and (ii) he didn’t run a great campaign. For his campaign, I see two huge mistakes: (i) picking Palin. I understand he picked her to energize the right / evangelical base of the party, but that pick didn’t give him enough of those votes to offset the losses in the middle that Palin cost him. Second, his campaign was too focused on attacking Obama. He’s got an incredible narrative and experience and that should’ve been the focus of his campaign, not attacking the other guy. When I heard Palin talk about Obama palling around with terrorists, I thought that was a bad tactical move.
That said, it’s four years and I’d urge people who voted for McCain to have an open mind.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Ahhh, gay bashing. A lot of love there. And I assume you take Leviticus literally as well? Ever eaten a cheeseburger? You strive to make money your king yet you still proclaim that you follow Jesus?
“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5)
or, if you are a fan of Paul:
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:10-13)
Seems that Paul just endorsed Barack Obama!
November 5th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Josh,
I quoted scripture, the same as you…
It’s not gay-bashing.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
The key…”hate what is evil.”
November 5th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
“there’s a large segment of the population out there that voted a certain way because the pretty people on tv told them to.”
How ridiculous. There is another large segment that voted another way because not-so-pretty people told them God wanted them to.
You don’t have to agree with the other side, but please don’t pretend that people voted this way did so without thought. Blame Bush (and the economy, which may not really be his fault) for making this country so ready for change.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I am curious as to why so many conservative financially minded people can have such strong views against Obama when the King of Capitalism himself, Mr. Warren Buffet, supports him. If someone that adept at financial management can see something good in him then it seems like this reaction is unwarranted. Furthermore, as far as tax is concerned, I actually BENEFIT from Obama given my annual take home. Finally, in terms of a small efficient government (not typical of Democrats) – Bush’s administration created one of the most bloated government budgets in recent history. What am I missing (and please no “experience” crap – a presidents experience is as much his cabinet as it is himself and history has yielded many fine presidents who didn’t have what armchair experts considered “experience”)
November 5th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
America made a mistake back when we let it become a choice between 1 Democrat and 1 Republican. This in turn gave rise to the delightful phrase, “Throwing your vote away,” and what’s more sad than that?
November 5th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I second that…is this a political blog i am subscribing to? I really don’t care to hear if you are disappointed or not. I read this blog to hear your financial ideas and news. Not if you are a republican or not. I wish some repub’s would care more about Americans instead of their wallets.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
JLP – Based on your choice of scripture it seems like gay bashing to me. Your choice of scripture had nothing to do with the point Josh was trying to make. @ Paul (13) – yes this is a very conservative blog you subscribed to . . . JLP offers some great financial advice and insight, but unfortunately sometimes the content of the blog is a little too conservative for my taste, too. As for the new president – let’s hope that the next four years bring better things than the last eight. And if they don’t, then I am sure people will vote differently (although that theory didn’t really apply to 2004). All the bashing of either political party/candidate will only serve to continue to divide this country when we really need to be united.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
What does the Bible have to do with Finances and Politics…I believe in separation of Church and State as so does the USA. So stop throwing biblical verses out there.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
JLP – you say the key is hate, I say the key is love. There’s our difference.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
A slave cannot serve two masters; do you serve god or do you serve (insert political party name here)?
I’ve never been able to wrap my mind around how “Christians” whose life should be dedicated to following the laws and teaching of Christ and God come to support political parties. I find it highly doubtful that if Jesus were walking around today in the United States, he’d be wearing a McCain/Palin pin or Obama/Biden pin on his sack cloth.
JLP you are disappointed because you put your faith in the Republican party and not God. You will continue to be disappointed if you keep putting your faith in the Republican party.
God is not a democracy; Republicans, by control of the congress, white house, or court cannot change or alter God’s law and the very act of trying to do so violates the Constitution of the United States.
You need to look in the mirror and ask yourself
if you serve God’s laws or the US Constitution’s law because they are not the same.
An inspiring slave cannot serve two masters, you must choose one and when you do you will finally make a choice between being a Republican or being a Christian.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Blah, blah. As a libertarian (note lowercase “L”), i say quit your bitching and get on with it. For the Republicans out there who clamor for Reagan, the downfall of the party started with him so please keep that in mind.
FYI – for those who forget the origins of the party let me remind you:
The Republican Party was created in 1854 as an anti-slavery party. Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the interstate highway system, worked to integrate black and white public schools nationwide, and expanded Social Security. Republicans pushed through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. President Richard Nixon sat down with Communist China and the Soviet Union “without preconditions” and negotiated new trade and arms agreements, expanded Social Security, tried to pass minimum wage and universal health care plans (unsuccessfully), created the EPA and OSHA, and created The Philadelphia Plan, which was the U.S. government’s first affirmative action program. President Gerald Ford pushed through the Equal Rights Amendment, proclaiming, “In this Land of the Free, it is right, and by nature it ought to be, that all men and all women are equal before the law.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
So JLP, you are saying that since McCain should be president because he’s a war veteran? Clinton had little experience and he was considered an above average president (even though the Lewinsky thing was blown out of proportion).
I’m not sure what everyone is talking about in the comment section – McCain would not be fiscally responsible (warhawk), and would cause more problems than he would fix (if any). Considering he’s completely changed what he’s stood for in the past 8 years, he can’t be trusted. I’m surprised that everyone thinks fewer taxes offsets the national problems McCain would create.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Josh – The problem is that God hates what is evil, and blesses those that follow his ways.
Morality proceeds economy, so we have to vote for morality. In the long run, the moral climate of a Christian nation will eventually determine its financial climate. America became the most prosperous nation because of it’s moral climate and obedience to God.
As explained in Deuteronomy 28
(1) “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands … You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country … You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. … You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ”
(15) “However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands … all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. … You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little.”
Obama supports things that God considers evil, like abortion and gay marriage.
You see, morality proceeds economy. We cannot vote for economy without regard for morality, because our economy will follow our morality.
God cannot be mocked in this. He cannot allow a nation that has a Christian heritage to continue to reject Gods commandments without an economy collapse. If He did, He would not be holding true to His word. God would be a liar.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I am not.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Bush destroyed the experience argument. We probably would have been much better off if McCain won .. in 2000.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Josh,
You misrepresented what I said. I said the key is to HATE WHAT IS EVIL. You said I said the key was hate, which is clearly a misrepresentation—a classic example of what the media does on a consistent basis.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Paraphrasing McCain, if you wanted McCain, you should have voted for him in 2000
November 5th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I’m not an American, but today I’d like to be one!!
November 5th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:5-8)
Let’s be friends
November 5th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
To JLP
What does being a war hero have to do with being a good President? If that is the case, why did John Kerry not beat Bush the draft dodger in 2004?
Because the Swiftboaters were able to twist things around and use John Kerry’s war service against him.
This will not be the end of the Republican party, but hopefully it will be the end of supply side economics, which Reagan started in 1980. Since then the middle case has almost disappeared, while the top 2% have gained untold amounts of wealth thru tax cuts and tax advantages not avalilable to middle class people. Hopefully, this will be the legacy of the Obama victory.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I’m not French, but under Obama I might as well be one.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
“I’m not upset that we have a black president. I’m upset that we have a liberal president with NO EXPERIENCE”
JLP,
So McCain pick an experienced VP??? don’t think so
November 5th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
The GOP and Bush had 8 years to do the right thing and managed to leave a mess for the incoming President.
President Obama will probably not be able to fix this mess left by the GOP, but its a good start for the nation.
You guys had your turn, you blew it. Now its time for a Change.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I visit this blog from time to time and find the info enjoyable to read. Based on this post I do have one question, were you disappointed in Bush? I’m not sure what I dislike the most, politics or the division (and sometimes hatred) it creates among us.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I know you’ve been flamed a lot, but honestly, I’m glad to see that you posted your opinion. This was a close election. Some people are happy and some aren’t, and you’re absolutely allowed to be disappointed in the results. It’s your blog, and you said nothing inflammatory. You stated your opinion. And you should be allowed to.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Josh Josh Josh…To abstain from all unclean animals (food), is Torah (the first five books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy). To ‘keep kosher’ the Jewish way, is both Torah and rabbinic. There is a big difference. God requires that we eat only clean meat (Torah: Lev. 11 and Deut. 14), and so do the Rabbis. But the Rabbis go further. Keeping kosher means that one doesn’t eat any dairy products with meat. The Rabbis say that one cannot have cheese with clean meat, or even use a plate for meat, that once had cheese on it.
The separation of dairy and meat, with the rabbinic injunction that it’s sin if one violates it, is based on the Scripture about not boiling a kid in its mother’s milk. The rabbinic view is that one should not eat meat and dairy together thereby avoiding the possibility of breaking the Commandment.1 Of course, God never says in this Commandment that one can’t eat meat and dairy together, but this is how the Rabbis have interpreted it.
This rabbinic rule came about through a perverse interpretation of Exodus 23:19 (the same verse being repeated in Ex. 34:26 and Deut. 14:21).
The Rabbis are just another example of man misinterpreting God’s law…and you are too!
November 5th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Legal Therapy said:
Some guy says he voted for Obama and then quotes the bible for the prospect that we should show mercy to the poor and weak and not concentrate on rituals (or “false pious acts”) and you quote something about men and women succumbing to shameful lusts and having unnatural relations? I know blogs have free-flowing posts, but I just cannot wrap my mind around what your point is? Voting for Obama = succumbing to shameful lusts? I’m sure that’s not it, so what’s your point?
Ok. So I’m not the only one sitting here that thought the same thing and would really, really appreciate some clarification on what the connection was supposed to be here.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
JLP,
I’m Paul – the #13 comment above. Thanks for replying to my comment. I can respect your position and I’m keeping you on my Google Reader. But I hope that you give Bam a chance to win you over. He’s walking into a bad situation, but I trust that he’s our best hope.
-Paul
November 5th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
CM,
I appreciate the insight. I know what I’m getting into now.
-Paul
November 5th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
This is why politics isnt for polite company! haha
#46 – I agree. America v. greed sometimes. I’m all about spreading the wealth via infrastructure development and healthcare. Beneficial federal activities cost money. The idea that taxes are un-American or unjust is inexcusable.
#51 – Why arent very many republicans versed on the history of the party? I’m a republican and its not very difficult to see the diversion from the traditional path starting with Reagan. Oh yes, I forgot, I’m educated therefor an elitist. What rubbish. “USA! USA! USA!”
#52 – Agreed. Wars and lower taxes generally don’t go together unless you plan on selling debt to finance it. I personally, as a good conservative, think that is a shit idea. Big spending government “GWB” republicanism needed to die and it did.
#55 – I think McCain would have been an EXCELLENT president for this country in 2000. In hindsight, we screwed the pooch on that election.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
#52 Esmo said “Lewinsky” and “blown”
ha, ha
November 6th, 2008 at 2:21 am
JLP:
Try staying on topic. America made a mistake tonight? You are so off. Take a look at the current economic climate. The markets are falling off a cliff. We are looking at 35 to 40 percent drops and you want someone in office that wants to continue the same policies?
Actually America voted right. Maybe you should reexamine your philosophy and consider who was the CEO of the country that brought us to the edge. Stick to what you barely know about which is finance.
Global leadership can’t be examined in one piece. I saw your sad attempt to chart the worst post election market days showing President-elect Obama at the top of the chart. Nice. Consistency isn’t your strength especially after you stated you’d lay off the politics.
Last time visiting here. Following your advice would have cost anyone money anyways. Now you want to rant about politics? Seems like you’re wrong on that too.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:47 am
I understand your disappointment because no one likes to lose. Your preferred candidate loss, you’re disappointed, human nature. *shrug* Give the man a chance to do his job. Hopefully your opinion will change in a few years.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Let’s hope I’m the last poster on this…
@72 (j@j.net) Since you probably won’t be back to read this just wanted to introduce you to the concept of “descending chronological order.” THAT is why Obama’s at the top of the graph. Duh!!
November 6th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Economy is in downcycle. Hard for party in power to retain power in that scenario. I don’t think it was people choosing Obama over McCain as it was as much people not happy about the economy and picking “the other guys.”
I’ve seen this cycle from Nixon/Ford to Carter, from Carter to Reagan, from Bush to Clinton, and Clinton to Bush.
It’ll flip back again in the years ahead. Guaraneed.
I’ve heard lots of talk about what is wrong with conservatives. Nothing, really. It’s just that they happened to be in charge when the bust hit. And it wasn’t in their power to control it. Booms and busts happen because of the Fed, not the President of the US.
The Fed created a stock bubble and real estate bubble. Both crashed during Bush’s terms.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I guess I’m one of the few people thinking that this won’t actually change much of anything in our daily lives unlike those who think he’s the 2nd coming of Christ or on the flip side Satan himself.
I wasn’t overly impressed with either candidate and although I have 2nd amendment and tax issues with Obama’s plan I think he was honestly the lesser of two evils policy wise but not personality wise. Some people have problems telling the two apart. I’ve had neighbors preaching how bad Obama is as if the man were satan himself which is just silly.
At the end of the day he’s not the king, he’s the president. If he starts to get out of line congress will smack him on his nose even with the democrats having more power now.
People are just fed up with the GOP and between Bush’s run and putting in Palin as a VP candidate I don’t blame them in the least. McCain had an uphill battle from day one. If Bush had screwed up a bit less and they hadn’t picked Palin they might have had a solid shot. This, however, is just backlash that they fully deserved.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
@Andrew, that wasn’t America who voted for Prop 8, that was Californians.
@JT, you make is sound like Presidents are the sole bastion of economic policy. They are not and people should realize this. i’m trying to think how many democratic congresses and that’s right there was 8 years of Clinton in there as well. The middle class has almost disappeared since 1980? what? how do you define middle class? did income of middle class decrease or something? how many millionaires popped up? we aren’t talking old money anymore, where do you think all these wealthy people came from? define wealth? are you talking cash in the bank or talking paper value?
November 6th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
The biggest mistake was electing and reelecting George W. Bush
November 7th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I’m with you, JLP. But there is a bright side to the half white/half black president elect.
No more excuses! Never again will we have to listen (with eyes rolled back in our heads) that the white man has “kept us down!” No more blaming the white man for baby daddies not paying child support, bad hair days, etc.
They’ve run out of excuses. Now they need to get off their backsides and actually make something of themselves because there are no cop-outs left.
As a cashier at Kroger told me yesterday, “We did it. We finally did it!” To which I responded, “Well, no not really. HE did it. You’ve clearly got some work to do on your own. But have a nice day.”
November 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Why is it that so many women were threatened by Sarah Palin’s mere presence?
Is it that she’s beautiful? Is it that she’s successfully climbed the ladder? Is it that she has five kids AND looks so good AND manages things?
Or is it that she gave the so-called Feminists a run for their money?
Having the right to kill babies and butcher our bodies doesn’t make us feminists. I think they got it backwards. Bearing children makes us women. Killing babies makes us shameful.
Your time’s up. Roe v. Wade is on its way out. Wanna kill babies? Go to the back alleys and take your chances. Most likely, you’ll end up in the same condition as your baby.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Only in America can a 90-year-old grandmother be patted down at O’Hare airport because of the threat of who she MIGHT be, but then an inexperienced token (did I say TOKEN?) comes along sporting a mixed race and LOADS of questionable friends who a.) bombed the Pentagon b.) hates Jesus c.) hates whites d.) hates America, and yet he BECOMES PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
His best pal blew up my husband’s office in Arlington, VA, a place where thousands of men and women work every day to serve this nation, yet HE gets the privelege of being able to give these very men and women orders?!
He could never work for the FBI or the CIA because of his background, but yet he gets hired to be OVER the FBI and CIA?!
Mark my word. This Muslim man will soon take us down a path where racism will seem like a mere walk in the park.
And where will all the Liberals be? Yelling things like, “Where’s the military to protect me?” “Where’s my God?”
November 7th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
A lot of Americans with longstanding grievances unloaded. I got tired of having my life screwed by Reaganism and I finally stopped voting Republican this year.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I am also disappointed, and I hope against all reason that I’ll be proven to be wrong.
@muckdog – you are absolutely right. Because of this economy it would’ve been next-to-impossible for a republican candidate to win.
“The Fed created a stock bubble and real estate bubble. Both crashed during Bush’s terms. ”
Yes, but the worst of it is that Bush put Cox to lead SEC and pushed for deregulation. As a result we got 5 investment firms leveraged 30 to 1 or 40 to 1. This was the reason for Lehman’s going out of business. Of course, democrats with their push to loan money to people who cannot afford it helped as well.
@gpglinka
“I agree, it is Jimmy Carter all over. Problem is I don’t see another Reagan out there.”
I am worried about it as well. I hope I am wrong. I am worried about more than just Obama. With democratic congress and democratic senate, many stupid proposals may pass. Like, for example, this union act that makes it easy to intimidate people into joining or some hair brained scheme that this “professor” Ghirarducci proposed to a couple of members of congress of destroying our 401K. There probably are a number of other proposals.
I do hope I am wrong. I hope Obama will be more to the center like Clinton than like Carter, but during Clinton’s time we had republican senate and congress. There is no such balance of power now.
@Steve: “Unless you make over $250K, which I highly doubt you do, you’ll have more cash on hand through Obama’s plan.”
This is not as simple as that. You may not be the one taxed, your employer may be. If your employer pays more in taxes, your employer’s earnings decrease. The employer may decide to cut costs. At best it means you will not get a salary increase. At worst it means you’ll lose your job.
It is a mistake to think of your salary as separate from your company’s profits. Sure, when the company is doing well, your salary may not increase by that much, and you may dislike the fact that your CEO makes so much. But make no mistake – if the company earnings fall, you’ll be affected a whole lot more than your CEO. You may end up losing a lot more than you’ll gain in personal tax breaks.
I make much less than 250K, although who knows where the line is for singles. But I work for a Fortune 500 IT company that has branches all over the world. A lot of my employer’s income comes from overseas. If this income is taxed, company’s earning suffer. In recent years, I noticed a curious thing: after about a couple of quarters of earnings not meeting Wall Street’s expectations, we are almost guaranteed to see layoffs. Bonuses and raises are affected too, but this is peanuts compared to losing one’s job.
Obama also wants to tax companies that outsource jobs. Since my employer is an international company that has branches in other countries and hires a lot of oversees workers, I’d imagine it’ll be affected. You may think I’d be happy with his promise of higher taxes for outsourcing, but this would bring company’s profits down and is likely to hurt my job security rather than help it. I saw a lot more people lose their jobs because of bad earnings than because of outsourcing.
Now, there may be good things too. Obama promises to invest in R&D. So maybe my employer will get enough of tax breaks for R&D to offset higher taxes on other things. What about other companies that aren’t involved in research? What about medium size businesses? You need to look at more than just your personal tax break.
Again, at the moment, I’d love someone to convince me that I am wrong. I would like some hope…
November 7th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Jill – That’s really racist. Wow. There are people of all races who use excuses to avoid improving their lives.
Whether you choose to see it or not, they face problems just based on the color of their skin. One man being elected president will not change the racist attitude. It clearly has not changed YOUR racism.
You use the same (lack of) logic in your Sarah Palin argument, so I suppose there’s no use.
@CSM – You and Jill should get together and have tea. Obama is not, and never has been, a supporter of terrorism. Please check a neutral source.
JLP, please accept that your issues are not others’ issues. Your social values are not universal. Your religious views are not shared by all, and many believe that religion and government. You can disagree with the outcome, you can be upset that your chosen candidate did not win.
Don’t insult voters by saying they did it because the TV told them to. I know of people who voted for McCain because they think Obama is Muslim. Reference your friend in the comments above.
Everyone voted for the candidate they thought was best. I’m sorry people dared to disagree with you.
November 9th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
The GOP is the biggest joke thanks to MCCAIN during the last two weeks of the game you choose to go on Letterman and SNL and mock your self more than your opposition. Come on say it with me MCCAIN WHAT WERE YOU THINKING ?? And your shocked and disappointed for what ?? I agree with a previous blogger who stated he lost the campaign early on with his superficial selection of PALIN..blowing his morality bs straight to hell. His choice was ludacris just like the whole whack job of a campaign it was obvious that if the messages where approved by MCCAIN so was this dismal attempt to win the seat.
I have come to the conclusion that they just said to hell with it let’s go for broke were not going to win but we can make sure we spew or hatred across the airwaves just for ole time sake.
Thank goodness it’s a new day in the split states of AMERICA. I don’t think Obama consulted any of you on how to run the best presidential campaign ever !!! That’s right 364 Electoral Votes … OHIO that’s right INDIANA , FLORIDA he literally blew the RED off the Map … And guess what he won’t need your advice on cleaning the aftermath of an 8 year long gutting of this country by GREEDY CRIMINALS.. We all know BUSH should be impeached for a long list of actual crimes but mainly for his stupidity. This is a FACT chek your stock , try to sell your house for it’s appraised value. Oh yeah and where is LIBBY ..Right and Right again. And I guess if your still in denial and can’t see the red in your networth we all can agree that the race is over.
GO GET THIS BOOK HATRED WILL KILL for DUMMIES.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Everyone said that Mccain was like Bush and too old to be president. The only thing that Mccain had in common with Bush was that he was white and republican. Mccain seemed older in the media because of his war injuries. You know…the ones he got fighting for this country. Mentally, he was more than sharp. If you put Mccains resume up against Obama’s, Mccain was much more qualified to be president. Everyone who voted for Obama because they wanted to see a black man become president is discriminating against Mccain. Obama won by affirmative action. I am a registered Democrat and I voted for Mccain because Obama’s policies would hurt my lower middle class family. Every time I asked an Obama supporter what he stood 9 out of 10 of them couldn’t tell me. Obama has been put up on a predestal because he is black. Everyone knows he was elected because he was black. He is already making dumb decision that people don’t like. What do you think people are going to do? They are going to blame his decisions on the fact that he is a Black man. Obama managed to show many people in this country “color” including those who were taught to love all people like my children. The world doesn’t see Obama as a man or a leader, they see him as a “black man.” This election should have been about two men running for office and who was most qualified for the job. The media, oprah, brad pitt, ellen and everyone else who used their influence and the race card to back Obama shouldn’t have. Mccain got 48 percent of the votes versue Obama’s 52. Mccain had a biased media against him, racist against him, and noboby famous enough to back him to draw a vote. 48 to 52 is not much. Mccain got all those votes without the brainwashing of the media and the celebrities who had their own agendas.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Anyone know where we can get a demographic list of who voted for who in the election. The only thing I could find is a site that said latinos, blacks and whites who made over 100,000 a year voted for him. However, they won’t give numbers.
November 10th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Ok CNN website says 96 percent of black voters voted for Obama, 67 percent of Latinos, 63 percent of Asians, voted for Obama. You can’t tell me this election wasn’t about race.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Wilma get use to it why aren’t you talking about the uniformly pale crowds that gathered to see Palin & MCCAIN. You and yours have a history of excluding others to the point where you have excluded yourself … A good example would be what this election……and as long as you continue to exclude guess what you will be excluded. Instead of tracking the non white vote why don’t you go back to your base and find ways that the party can be more diverse… yeah right just what I thought you rather blame.. Grow up .