OT: U.S. primaries & interesting times.

I think the point right now with both Obama and Hillary's recent wins is the same as the point of (way back in the Dark Ages when some of you were children) Geri Ferraro in the VP slot -- it's not so much about whether they win in the end but simply of showing The Powers That Be that people will not stay away from a black or a woman in droves.

There were people who predicted that with Ferraro on the ticket, hordes of people would vote Republican just because they didn't trust a woman in power. That didn't happen. I was deeply involved in a friend's dad's Congressional campaign that year, so I got all the statistics broken out for that district. In our district (can't speak for any other), the Democratic Presidential ticket got nearly the same percent of the vote as the Democratic Congressional candidate. So, yeah, maybe a few men wouldn't vote for a woman as VP, but it wasn't "hordes" as some people claimed it would be.

And even if neither of them goes all the way this year, they've at least made the point that "a" woman or "a" person of color would not be automatically rejected by voters, and open the door to more non-WASP-male candidates next time. I can think of better candidates in both categories, but this opens the door without the better candidates getting tagged with the loser label.

Hey, Jim, does this mean I can start laughing now? I was right, they were wrong.

Karen

Oh, no, I didn't mean that either Carter or Obama are insincere. What I mean is that they're both independent and they're both outsiders, which is a deadly combination for a president. The best combination is a consensus seeker and an insider. Lyndon Johnson, for example, was a very effective president. Too bad the Vietnam War overshadows the other things he got done.

Elizabeth

That is why I think that of the batch running now, McCain would fit both criteria.

Gill

Some one asked him - Bill, did you bring the donuts...

DH and I wondered how long he stayed when he found out the HS was closed and no chance to ogle the girls going to gym class...

He tried to make the White House dry. I agree with the cars as realistic goal, but you can't legislate morality.

Agreed, though I happen to like Ron Paul as well.

I don't have a problem with his race -- it's his upbringing, the fact that he doesn't salute the flag, etc. that I have a problem with! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

I wrote:

Then Dr. Brat wrote:

I know -- I was thinking about him not putting his hand over his heart during the National Anthem but wrote "saluting the flag". Then I got to thinking about *what* was going on when that photo was taken so I went to snopes.com to double check. The who "hand over heart" thing just reinforces -- at least to MOI -- the fact that the man is not ready to be a "prime time player". The info quoted by Snopes said that sometimes Barack puts his hand over his heart and sometimes he doesn't. If you're running as a Presidential hopeful, then you best be on the safe side and do it ALL the time. It's not actually his upbringing I was referring to -- although what I was thinking about when I wrote that *does* have it's basis in his upbringing. It's the whole "Black" or African-American thing. The man belongs to a sort of "in your face" African-American Christian church that is all about doing things that follow a BLACK tradition. I've got no problem with that but if the man belongs to a BLACK church then the man ***IS*** Black, wants to be seen as Black and does not want to be Anglo regardless of which ethnic group his mother belongs to. My problem is that he *is* of mixed race and I wonder just why he doesn't seem to want to have much to do with his Anglo ethnic heritage? ***IN MY OPINION** it looks to MOI that he is playing the "race card" to get votes and THAT I find offensive. I suppose this is a result of his upbringing so I guess what I wrote wasn't all that far off from what I was thinking about. *IF* the man was to be elected President, he would be President of the whole country not just the African-American portion. To me, it just makes more sense to embrace and openly discuss both sides of his heritage, be VERY verbal about being of Anglo & Black parentage and then let the voters know that he is aware of the problems that afflict BOTH races. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Well, you're not originally from the Bubba Belt. I'm talking people raised on segregation.

I think that's the main problem with our system. The candidates might have great ideas and be leaders and all the other good stuff, but I think their "advisers" get in the way of their potential. After all, how many past presidents have actually made decisions on their own?

Joan

Carter. It was one of his failings. He didn't know how to delegate, so things got slowed down while he read everything and made decisions. Can't do that when running a country this size.

Elizabeth

Since you're not from the South, either, I'd say that your prejudices are showing.

Elizabeth

And any of the others who won would be president of the whole country, not just the white portion, but we don't expect them to address that, do we?

Ummmm, when Obama talks about problems that afflict African-Americans in this country, he's not taling about his own heritage. His father was not African-American, but African and returned to Africa after Obama was born (to Kenya). Obama talks about the plight of African-Americans in this country, because as a social activist, that's what he knows, it's where his experience lies, in the ghettos of Chicago. But that's not his heritage and he's made that quite clear in his autobiography.

Elizabeth

The lesser of his ills as president. Lousy choice of cabinet, no understanding of foreign policy......

I'm gonna disagree and say that it was one of his greater failings as president: not knowing when to let your expert staff do its job.

Elizabeth

BREAKING NEWS: Richardson says he's dropping out of the race.

Senility is setting in - or maybe a Miracle-Eye moment. I read this topic as US PRIMATES - which actually might make sense, on second thought.

Pat in Illinois