Chamblee54

So Barack H. Obama is going to run for President. The long suffering former first lady threw in the towel, and now it is BHO against that other guy.
Lord, this is going to be a long election. The right wing has shown their love of slander and dirty politics for the sheer fun of it. While I think it is cool that a dark skinned man is running, unless common sense is shown by some this could get ugly. Being threatened with urban riots if BHO loses is one sure way to turn people to JSM.
Georgia is so red that it glows. The electoral votes here are almost certain to go to JSM. This being America, you can always make your voice heard by donating money.
Our local monopoly ad-rag has printed a selection of positions taken by BHO. A word of thanks to Neo Prodigy for steering me to these. I seldom buy or read the fishwrapper these days, and would have missed this otherwise. Likewise, if a similar position rundown is printed on JSM, I would like to see and comment.

IRAQ.. has said the goal of increasing troop strength so Iraq’s leaders can establish a stable government has failed. Would remove all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months of taking office, except some to protect our embassy and diplomats. ON THE COST OF WAR..”I will spare no expense to ensure our troops have the equipment and support they need … But we also have to understand that the more than $10 billion we’re spending each month in Iraq is money we could be investing here at home.”
This is the most important issue of this election. The war in Babylon is empowering Iran, bleeding our economy white, and putting the future of our country in doubt. JSM wants to keep us in Babylon for another 100 years, while BHO wants us out ASAP. Both are clueless.
There are agreements in place that will require American presence in Babylon for the foreseeable future. We are riding a tiger there, with no good solutions in sight. If we withdraw, the countries (USA and Iraq) go to hell. If we continue like we are going, we will be broke and in no position to help ourselves or anyone else. I don’t know what to do here, and I hope that whoever is elected has a clue. I doubt it. CUBA…calls for the U.S. to loosen some restrictions on Cuba to encourage it to move toward democracy. The present policy in Cuba has resulted in fifty years of Communist rule. Maybe it is time to try something else
TAXES… would create a tax credit of $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family, for up to 150 million workers; and simplify IRS tax filings for millions of Americans. ECONOMIC STIMULUS.. would index minimum wage to inflation; invest in job creation, training and manufacturing HEALTH INSURANCE.. would make a national health insurance plan available to all Americans and a National Health Insurance Exchange as a watchdog group for all private insurance plans, ensuring fairness and afford ability. SOCIAL SECURITY… is opposed to privatization and would work with Congress on a payroll tax reform package to keep Social Security solvent. ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY..”If we unite this country around a common purpose, if we act on the responsibilities that we have to each other and to our country, then we can launch a new era of opportunity and prosperity.” Anything BHO proposes will have to be approved by Congress. While some of these ideas sound good, they may not work in real life. There is a difference in being a charismatic stump speaker and getting your ideas enacted.

STEM CELL RESEARCH… favors relaxing restrictions on federal financing MARRIAGE… opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, supports civil unions. ABORTION… has consistently defended a woman’s right to choose. DEATH PENALTY… supports the death penalty in cases “so heinous the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage.”GUN CONTROL… favors measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners while keeping guns away from children and criminals. CAMPAIGN FINANCE… supports public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time to reduce the influence of special interests.
EDUCATION… would reform No Child Left Behind, expand Head Start programs and make math and science education a national priority. Ah, the social issues. BHO says what he thinks his base wants to hear. A lot of these are up to the states,or the congress, and the POTUS has little say. The radio whiners should have a good time lambasting him here, but their fifteen minutes may be over. HOMELAND SECURITY… would improve security for chemical plants, keep better track of spent nuclear fuel and upgrade security for public drinking water systems.
GLOBAL WARMING… would reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, invest in clean energy technologies, reduce America’s foreign oil consumption and address climate and environmental issues with the United Nations The homeland security position is common sense. Mr. Bush created a bureaucracy after 911 that has done little except eat up money. My only concern would be that our rights need to be protected while this security orgy is going on. As for GW, an 80 percent reduction by 2050 may be too little too late. As long as the oil companies,banks, and China run the show, there is little hope for genuine progress on this front. IMMIGRATION… would improve security at borders; supports legalization for undocumented workers after they pay a fine and learn English; and favors a guest worker program. Supports giving legal status to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, who finish two years of college or military service. TRADE… would fight for a policy that opens up foreign markets to support American jobs, amend the North American Free Trade Agreement to favor American workers. This is another issue where you have to say something. Whatever you say will be savaged by the right wing media. Whatever you propose must be enacted by congress. Just tell people what they want to hear, and do whatever the money tells you to do later.
I don’t know who put this compilation together. I suspect it is a functionary at the fishwrapper. There are some important issues that are not mentioned here. Some of these are the war on drugs, Race relations, repairing Bush damage to the Bill of rights,infrastructure repair, water supplies, balancing the budget, Internet neutrality, the electoral college, outsourcing, Supreme Court appointments, and war profiteering. BHO probably has positions on these matters.