faith and politics

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

??

okay. I'll ignore the loaded question and answer this one:

What did you think about Obama's answer to the question about the toughest decision he ever made?

I think he's convinced himself that was the toughest decision he's ever made. He's been talking about it nonstop for two years now. I don't think he realizes that the rhetoric that he developed that was so effective for the Iraq dynamic in mid-2006 is no longer relevant, and it's frankly stale.

Further, I think he's probably made harder decisions, though I don't know what those would be. I don't know if you read the thread from earlier, but I made it pretty clear I thought he did poorly on Saturday. I know the material and the venue were uncomfortable for him, but even when he spoke at the last faith forum, he did much much better. His answers then seemed honest, whereas Saturday everything seemed awkward and contrived. It's like when you're giving the answers the Sunday School teacher wants to hear. He kept quoting Bible verses but it seemed forced. At one point he took his answer from the lines of a protestant hymn.

I don't know if you read through the thread from earlier, but as I said, I pretty much think he blew the entire thing. I respect him for being honest about confiding in his wife, but his wife is a known political liability. But for the most part his answers were really weak. But if you watched, the two men handled the questions very differently. Obama tried to tackle them as is, with fake Sunday School answers that he didn't mean, whereas McCain simply used the questions to segue into stories that would connect with the audience. I think Obama used his approach because he couldn't afford to be accused of dodging these questions, but McCain's approach was more effective and smarter.

You have to admit, the questions were very difficult, and most of us would not want to be up there, answering such personal probing questions on a national stage.

I appreciate your post, though it's fair to say that we'll never agree about Obama. But that's ok, as you are a fan of sports.

Yes, the questions were tough, but the difference between McCain, Obama and I would be that I have no desire to be POTUS. Scrutiny comes - and should come - with that job.

[YOhio]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

You have to admit, the questions were very difficult, and most of us would not want to be up there, answering such personal probing questions on a national stage.

Rick Warren did an exceptional job. Seriously. I liked him better than most of the mainstream people. No gotcha questions. Fair with both candidates and he allowed them to speak. Definitely a purpose-driven forum.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Rick Warren did an exceptional job. Seriously. I liked him better than most of the mainstream people. No gotcha questions. Fair with both candidates and he allowed them to speak. Definitely a purpose-driven forum.

In that respect, it was more enjoyable to watch because we got a better look into the candidates.

The dumbed down debates are worthless IMHO. If we had more discussions such as the Warren discussion, we'd be better served.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Definitely a purpose-driven forum.

you are too funny, Y.


Little known fact: While Obama supporters like to talk like the forum was "fixed" in McCain's favor, Warren has been working with Obama for two years now, to broaden the political/social focus of believers, and it's rumored that he actually supports Barack for the presidency. He won't make an official endorsement, though. (Which is a good thing, btw.)

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Definitely a purpose-driven forum.

Does anyone but me truly appreciate you?

I have to ask that question after last week's thread of people actually trying to name the cutest animals.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by Archaea

In that respect, it was more enjoyable to watch because we got a better look into the candidates.

The dumbed down debates are worthless IMHO. If we had more discussions such as the Warren discussion, we'd be better served.

I think Y was just trying to set up his joke, but perhaps he sincerely meant what he said about Warren's moderation, too. Now that you mention it, though, in spite of the weird subject matter, the forum seemed somewhat more professional and less circussy than the ones we saw during the primary.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

I think Y was just trying to set up his joke, but perhaps he sincerely meant what he said about Warren's moderation, too. Now that you mention it, though, in spite of the weird subject matter, the forum seemed somewhat more professional and less circussy than the ones we saw during the primary.

That was my point even if it diverted from Y's joke. In many ways, the approach was less of a circus than we've come to witness.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

Does anyone but me truly appreciate you?

I have to ask that question after last week's thread of people actually trying to name the cutest animals.

No one else does, triplet. You're the best, Triplet, THE BEST!

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by creekster

No one else does, triplet. You're the best, Triplet, THE BEST!

Monkey man, was there a chihuahua yapping?