Do democrats realize that republicans aren't happy with the last eight years also? As a conservative I have some of the same ill feeling about the way Bush ran things as liberals do. I am not happy with the people he surrounded himself with. All things being equal, Bush is a cool dude. He is pretty funny, he can laugh at himself, he thoughtful and come across a genuine guy. What he failed to do is surround himself with smart people that could complement that persona. He has been a delegator from the beginning. He trusted people who he thought truly understood the decisions at hand and based his policy on those opinions . But because of that trust and the likes of Cheney and Rumsfeld, Bush came off as separated from the people and stubborn. I too am not happy with this war, but not for the fact that there is a war, for the fact that it took 4 years to figure out how to organize it and win it. I am not happy with the way national spending has skyrocketed under an administration that was supposed to be fiscally conservative. I think what democrats fail to see is that we are not happy either but because we are not happy doesn't mean that we abandon our ideals and our hope for a truly conservative government. What that means is we want the government out of our lives as much as possible, we want less spending and more efficiency, with that we want less taxing and more ability to pull ourselves up by the boot straps, we want family and certain values to be held in esteem, we want a government that does what it is supposed to do, be a guidance for the safety and prosperity of the people of this country. I am not of the belief that McCain and Palin are all of the things I have stated above but I believe that they are enough of those things for me to hope for a better future. They are more organized and adept at shaking things up than anybody in recent history and it is pretty clear that McCain is no Bush.
More organized? I want to believe it, really, but thus far I've seen a campaign that has tripped all over itself at every step.
Yes, McCain's political views and ethics might be more palatable than than Bush's, and maybe more than Obama's as well for you. But ultimately he's going to have to serve the same interests as the current president and that's going to severely limit the amount of change he can actually implement. I think it's too easy to chalk up the failures of the past 8 years to incompetent leadership at the very top. In my view, the problems run deeper than that. Switching to a Democratic administration won't solve all those problems, but it's a necessary step in the right direction.
That's a fair assessment and probably one of the more level headed responses I have read on this board. I think what comes to pass is that Republicans and Democrats on the "surface" have diametrically opposed opinions on the way things should look in this country. The reality is that there is a middle ground that neither can take up its flag for because at the end of the day, the sad truth is that it is all pandering for a certain vote. I think this is the cynic in me. To me there is something refreshing about McCains and Palin, not to say that they haven't had to pander but their histories point to results and against the flow ideas that to me are refreshing.
Good thoughts. I agree with a lot of what you say. I have always considered myself to be of the Milton Friedman libertarian-republican school of thought so I am not a fan of the social conservatives or of Bush, but democrats often scare me more. At this time though I am still undecided, but leaning toward McCain.
well put. i think everyone on either side of the political spectrum is ready for change, regardless of how you define it. i just feel that the republicans are still running on dubya's platform, and using the same tactics and pandering to the same crowd that they were 4 and 8 years ago, and i just can't support that. and i'm definitely not sold on palin.
I totally disagree with this. While the image McCain/Palin portrays is one of the maverick, neither has the record to back it up. McCain has veered far from the days of the Straight Talk Express in an attempt to embrace the base of the GOP party. Palin is a political novice, and a research of her record shows an ambitious ladder-climber who has carefully crafted moments in her career to appear different when in fact she has been a disaster as both a mayor and a governor.
Kinda hard to do that when the Repub's are the ones holding to views that put laws on us governing the use of our own bodies. Just sayin'.
How do you explain an 82% approval rating as Alaska Governor? She beats Congress and the President combined!
Unless you can GUARANTEE that McCain is different and his voting record states otherwise, the Republicans screwed themselves. DD
You are probably right. We'll see tho...I never thought McCain would be the Republican Nominee. Stranger things have happened this year.
Republicans want a change from the way their party has governed the country for 8 years so the answer is more Republicans? Are you freakin kiddin me? I'm sick and tired of Republicans trying to walk back the last 8 years. Bush was your man, he was the big time conservative, the guy you wanted to have a beer with, and he's been completely incompetent. Change doesn't come from more of the same tactics from the same party that brought us the last 8 years. Get over it.
I noted in another thread that a lot of McCain's speech would've been a great for a Democrat. I can understand that a lot of Republicans are frustrated and they should be the problem though is that the Republican party is still the party of the current Admin. and as much as McCain is a maverick he has had to kiss up to many of the powers that be in the Republican party that have damaged the party. I agree McCain is no Bush but I'm not sure how much he will be able to break away from the interest groups that drive the Bush Admin.. I have a hard time believing many of the powers that be in the Republican party and in Congress are going to allow McCain to have a true break or live up the non-partisanship that McCain spoke about in his speech.
Alaska is blessed with a huge petroleum based income and a small population. The state gives every citizen over a $1000 a year. Cesar Chavez polls well too as long as he is handing out money instead of taking it. I like John McCain, I like cantankerous old farts, I am one. But once he signed on as the Republican Party nominee he lost any claim of maverick. Has he made any sweeping changes in party leadership? Is his campaign strategy any different than than if any one else were running? Is he denouncing anything from the Bush administration, is he calling for head to roll? Otherwise you have the same party structure, the same culture and the same old cronicracy.
Dude he just become the Republican nominee how long? How can he change the culture yet? BTW...Palin was his first step in changing the culture in DC. Look at Obama...His first step in changing the culture in Washington was to hire a Washington Insider! So you tell me how he's changing the culture? Somebody in this board said VP is a President's first big decision. So we have Obama that picks a DC insider(Biden) that was wrong for voting against the 1991 Gulf War but voted for the current Iraq War...So under your argument, Obama isn't making any kind of change. He's the one that's just more of the same.
There's a difference between wanting to change your party's structure and reliance on corrupt practices and wanting to change the direction of the country. McCain advocates the former, which is great, but Obama advocates the latter, which is tops.
