On May 2, 11:59=A0am, "Richard R. Hershberger" <rrhe...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On May 2, 11:26=A0am, Boron Elgar <boron_el...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Fri, 2 May 2008 07:43:38 -0700 (PDT), "Richard R. Hershberger"
>
> > <rrhe...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > >On May 2, 6:17=A0am, Boron Elgar <boron_el...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > >> On Fri, 02 May 2008 05:47:51 GMT, bill van <bill...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > >> wrote:
>
> > >> >So he's charismatic. So have others been in the past. I'm sure all
o=
f
> > >> >the contenders this year have fans and followers who have made
> > >> >over-the-top statements about them. Googling on "praise for
hillary"=
> > >> >gets 15,300 hits and the first couple of dozen appear to be 100
per =
cent
> > >> >on topic.
>
> > >> >The last time we had a charismatic phenom in Canadian politics it
wa=
s
> > >> >Pierre Trudeau. We swept him into office and loved and hated him
for=
> > >> >nearly 20 years before he walked into the snowstorm (not the
sunset;=
> > >> >this is Canada). I have no regrets at all about helping elect him,
> > >> >though he certainly had his cons along with his pros.
>
> > >> It isn't just praise, Bill. =A0Every pol gets public praise from
> > >> sup****ters =A0along the way, or they'd be dead in the water.
>
> > >> The charisma is certainly part of it, in fact it has propelled the
> > >> adulation, but if you do not see the reaction as out of the
ordinary,=
> > >> then you aren't reading up on it or watching any TV.
>
> > >What sold me on Obama is that he is acting out of the ordinary.
=A0The
> > >current example is McCain proposes a gas tax holiday. =A0Economists
of
> > >all persuasions point out in small words why this is at best
pointless
> > >and at worst a very bad idea. =A0Clinton jumps on board with McCain
ont=
o
> > >the pander wagon. =A0Obama refuses to join them, and instead gives an
> > >explanation suitable for adults why not. =A0Sure, all he is doing is
> > >speaking like an adult speaking to another adult, but among top-level
> > >politicians this is virtually unheard of. =A0Such behavior should be
> > >encouraged, even if upon close inspection Obama turns out to be a
mere
> > >mortal like the rest of us.
>
> > >Richard R. Hershberger
>
> > Since none of the three candidates could do much to put a fed gas tax
> > reduction into play by summer, it seems like a game. Besides it isn't
> > the sort of difference in thinking I'd make a decision upon.
>
> > The three differ on a lot of things. Following your reasoning, the
> > Obama & Clinton heath care plans are similar (are they pandering) and
> > McCain refuses to go along with them. Does that make McC's plan
> > better?-
>
> Actually, that's pretty much entirely unlike my reasoning. =A0My
> reasoning is not that if two of them agree on something and the third
> disagrees, the two must be pandering and the third the honest one. =A0My
> reasoning is that as intelligent adults we can look at a proposal and
> judge it on its merits, and we can look at the various candidate's
> statements about this proposal, and reach rational conclusions from
> these.
>
> Yes, of course the tax holiday is a game. =A0It is blatantly so.
=A0McCain=
> and Clinton are in fact in a position to try to push emergency
> legislation through Congress, if this were a real proposal. =A0They
> aren't even pretending to do this. =A0It is pure pandering in the hope
> of gaining short term political game. =A0To put it bluntly, they think
> that they can persuade a few stupid people to vote for them by openly
> lying. =A0Obama refuses to do this. =A0This is an objective difference
> between Obama and the others.
>
> Clearly you are less impressed by this than I am, and that is fine.
> But it is a difference, and I hope that you would agree that it is a
> difference that reflects well on Obama. =A0This need not mean that it
> overcomes your other reservations about him, but you are so set in
> your position that you will not acknowledge anything that mght put
> Obama in a good light, this effectively means you have nothing to
> say. =A0Well, you and Binny could chat each other up, I suppose.-
Edit: the penultimate sentence should have read "...but if you are so
set..."
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