next american president

[A Horse called Juan Face]

Who else was going to blow it?

[Govangirl]

Great to see Obama use Springsteen's 'The Rising' tonight for his Victory Show. He's certainly a symbol for The American dream and the black struggle. I thought he expressed great humility too. How will he fare against McCain? I reckon it's not the result McCain wanted himself!

[ionnsaigh]

Can't for the life of me see why you would associate Obama - with the black struggle - other than the colour of his skin - not enough in my opinion - tokenism.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Obama got to where he is on his own merit and will be elected on his own merit. The man says exactly what is on my mind. What he has done is a milestone in American history, whether he gets elected or not.

America has come a long way in 50 years, but maybe if it was Obama running in 1984 instead of Jesse Jackson, we may have had our first black president years ago.

More than any other election I hope my candidate wins. America has a choice, to vote Obama or spend another four years with Bush in the guise of McCain.


GO OBAMA!

[EMDEE]

More than any other election I hope my candidate wins. America has a choice, to vote Obama or spend another four years with Bush in the guise of McCain.
GO OBAMA!

Apart from McCain carrying on the Bush policies, there is no getting away from the fact that he is 73 years of age.

[Tosh]

Obama got to where he is on his own merit and will be elected on his own merit. The man says exactly what is on my mind. What he has done is a milestone in American history, whether he gets elected or not.

America has come a long way in 50 years, but maybe if it was Obama running in 1984 instead of Jesse Jackson, we may have had our first black president years ago.

GO OBAMA!

Obama is about as black as Michael Jackson though, saying that he's still the lesser of two evils.

[EMDEE]

Obama is black, and has very recent ancestral connections with Africa.

I don't believe America would elect a candidate who had a "black" agenda, nor would he have been selected. The whole point is that he should be a President for all America, not a "black" president, although the fact that he is black shows that attitudes have changed.

Would we in Britain vote for a black or Asian Prime Minister? There is already resentment south of the border to the fact that Gordon Brown is Scottish, although we all put up with Tony Blair for ten years, and he was Scottish, but he did his best to hide it.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

More than any other election I hope my candidate wins. America has a choice, to vote Obama or spend another four years with Bush in the guise of McCain.
GO OBAMA!

Apart from McCain carrying on the Bush policies, there is no getting away from the fact that he is 73 years of age.

Interestingly, I know very few people who bring up his age as a reason to vote for or against him. As a matter of fact, sometimes it could work more for the person, experience versus inexperience. He is just too connected with this administration. I don't think americans are as ageist as people seem to be in the UK.

[EMDEE]

When you consider that if McCain were to get two terms (purely hypothetical), he would be into his eighties, it puts it into perspective.

Was Reagan not beginning to lose it towards the end of his presidency? I think that he may have been beginning to suffer from Alzheimers.

Without even being ageist, it just seems a bit perverse to have the most important position in world politics occupied by someone who is undoubtedly past his prime.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Not that I want to defend McCain, but I have known a lot younger men who were a lot more feeble-minded.. no one is guaranteed tomorrow, even if they are the youngest president elected, which is why it is also important to seriously consider who they are selecting as vice president. To dismiss a sound-minded person solely on their age also dismisses who they are as an individual, their wisdom and experience and what they bring to the table.

I want the better, more capable person up there. It is a four-year position. If he were to be elected and is still capable after the four-years he will have to continue through a grueling re-election process. I'm not voting McCain, but if I thought he was the better candidate, you can bet his age wouldn't sway my decision .


(You are ageist.. )

[Govangirl]

I have to say I'm with Bobbie here - I think we need to get rid of ageism (and that's against old or young) like all the other 'isms', mainly because this election has spent too much energy and time on sexism and racism already. Look at the experience and wisdom an older person can bring to a new job. I reckon the problem is really with McCain himself because although I haven't seen much of him he does seem pretty cranky and 'old n' cranky' doesn't do it, does it? I recall Reagan coming in with a bucketful of optimism but this McCain guy seems soooooooo despondent sometimes.
Could it also have somehing to do with America's attitude too to what's old? I remember someone telling me they lived in an old house and when I got there it had been built in the 80s!!!! I think sometimes they're kinda obsessive about new things, or am I wrong here Bobbie?
The thing is, Obama has brought new voters of all ages, gender and race to politics and seems to have energised a previously demotivated, uninterested generation of young people. Honestly, could Oor Auld Broon do that? And he's years younger than McCain!!!!!!!

[bill]

Are you still happy with Obama Bobbie ?

What's your opinion of Joe Biden as his choice of running mate ?

Would you have liked to have seen Hillary as his Vice President ?


Ofcourse it's all a bit pie in the sky as McCain must be in with a great chance of making it to the White House.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

I do want Obama to win. He isn't perfect, but there are a lot of things that draw me to him. I think McCain will be a continuation of the Bush administration. Much of what the McCain camp want us to remember is that he was a POW.. and taking nothing away from that experience, that means he was unfortunate enough to get caught. That qualifies him to have a voice and a point of view from a unique perspective, but his later experience is what would qualify him to be president, not that experience. I personally knew another person who was a Vietnam POW for 7 years who was a very humble person and probably still lives with the demons of those days. It would be interesting to hear his take on all this, although I haven't seen him for many years.

As for Biden, I really don't know yet. He seems decent enough, but I don't know enough about him. He has had major focus on violence against women. Now that he has been selected I'll be interested in learning more.

And Hillary? If he chose her I have a feeling she would have overpowered him. I've never been too much of a Hillary fan, although I do have respect her and the way she handles herself. I'm thinking she has a couple other surprises up her sleeve in the next couple of months, and she'll probably run again in 2012. Tough lady.

[Malky]

Out of curiosity, why is there such a big thing about whether a prospective president has war experience or not? It's not something we look for in leaders in Europe.

Malky

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Out of curiosity, why is there such a big thing about whether a prospective president has war experience or not? It's not something we look for in leaders in Europe.

Malky

I'm not sure it is war experience necessarily, but military experience. And I don't think that is as much an issue now as it was back after World War II or when Americans were either drafted or considered draft dodgers.

One would hope that people with experience with the horrors of war would be that much more interested in avoiding it, but that isn't always the case, is it