Go go ObamaFollow

Obama came to my highschool and spoke, it was awesome. Poor Naperville Central got the Religous Zealot republican dude. He got like 2% of the votes right?

No, Jophiel, I am not saying that we need to keep pork in the budget. What I am saying is that it is easy to point out someone else's excesses and somehow fail to notice your own. And in Obama's case this was a glaring ommision in his editorial piece. How much better it would have been, don't you agree, if he would have immediately given an example of a pork barrel project in Illinois that needed to be be cut and thereby amply demonstrate his willingness to be bi-partisan and fiscally responsible. But he didn't, did he? He just spoke platitudes about being budget minded and helpful, but in essence was just being what he is: a Democrat.

And why should we expect any different? He is one, after all. He's just another member of Congress working his crowd. And Jophiel ate it up, just like he wanted.

Totem

I think for an editorial piece, you're looking for generlaziations, not explicit examples for every individual state. He used the alaskas bridge to nowhere because the entire country knows about it. If he used a pork project from Ill most people would scratch their heads and go "huh"?

If he were to write a larger piece, citing examples I am sure he would get down to the nitty gritty of where each state could cut spending, his own at the top of the list. But to declare that he has no ground to stand on for not using an example that would not stir the majority of the Americans to think is ludicrous. No one would care about some project we know nothing of in Ill, but we do understand the inanity of the Alaskan bridge

What I find amusing is that he explicitly stated that it was unfair to merely single out things like the Bridge to Nowhere.

Seriously though, Totem is crying about a column written by a Democrat? Really? He says it's not good enough? And he's saying anyone who listens to it is a tool? Gosh and Golly!

Why, that's as unexpected as a "moo" from a cow.

As Totes stated everyone is going to have to take a hit. However the fact that Obama didnt mention his own doesnt make his point any less valid.

Its been mentioned that the whole deficit spending with most of the borrowing coming from China isn't a good idea. Which is probably why the IMF stated that the borrowing of credit by the US at such an insane rate poses a threat the stability of the world economy. You cannot leave Iraq, no matter clearly it becomes that going there was a mistake so you are just gonna have to bite the bullet and live within your means.

Edited, Tue Nov 15 13:12:02 2005 by bodhisattva

Hey, I don't particularly care about Obama one way or another, but if his editorial was truly an effort to reach across the aisle and try to get things done, then mow the grass on your own lawn before complaining about the weeds growing in your neighbor's. Was it a well written piece? I suppose so if your standard for Op-Ed pieces isn't anything new or revolutionary. Obama just spouted the party line.

On the surface of it, him telling us that everybody pitching in and helping is a great and wonderful idea. Yeah, sure it is. But only when you get down to brass tacks that his idea for fiscal responsibility doesn't seem to include Illinois.

Look, it's like anyone who apologises by using the phrase, "I'm sorry if I have offended anyone..." Much like TO and the Eagles, his apology didn't acknowledge that he did anything wrong. In the same way to encourage fiscal responsibility and then cite another state's pork project without pointing out one of your own is as empty as that unapologetic apology. I am not asking that Obama list a line-by-line budget in his editrial piece, but would it have taken up any more than two lines to mention one of his own that he'd be willing to scratch out? It'd certainly give his opinion more weight, don't you agree?

As I see it, ultimately he was preaching to the converted like Joph. Obama confirmed and reaffirmed all the touchstones that his party espouses and the people who are inclined to agree nod their head and think that what he said was somehow profound.

Do I believe tax breaks are needed? Not necessarily, but at least I can admit to being open to specific tax breaks being recalled and other alternative suggestions. Obama-- and by extension, Joph --clings to the same old-same old: tax the "rich" and remove all pork. From everybody's state but mine.

Totem

wait Bhodi. You also have to add in Totem will not be happy unless whoever writes it, esp if it is a democrat, cites every specific example from his own state, no matter that it is just an editorial.

It might bear pointing out that Alaska tends to be in the ten worst states for pork spending, while Illinois tends to be in the ten best.

1997 Figures

Well, the party of the author. Note how many times he says "Democrats!".

In the spirit of bipartisianship, I'll be curious to see how many tax cut rollbacks the GOP endorses to finance Bush's "spend and bill me later" policies.

So that's a $4.14 beam compared to Alaska's $114.43 speck.

As I said, I wouldn't want Totem working as a carpenter on my house...

He didn't specifically mention any state aside from the Alaskan bridge which he used as an example that we can't stop on a single well publicised project.

If he had a list of ten state projects, none in Illinois, that needed cutting, your whine might have some traction. As it is, it just sounds like you whining.

I just emailed his office asking them to list a pork project in Ill that he would be willing to cut.

More to come.

So which editorials have they written?

The Tribune did run a column by Frist the other week. I don't think it received a single letter of support and a good handful pointing out Frist's factual errors and logical fallacies

Edited, Tue Nov 15 14:09:00 2005 by Jophiel