Yes, we can.

[sleepyjeff]

I'd like to know just where Obama plans to be "bi-partisan" with the GOP if he becomes President......where will he part ways with most Democrats to reach accross the aisle so to speak?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

I'd like to know just where Obama plans to be "bi-partisan" with the GOP if he becomes President......where will he part ways with most Democrats to reach accross the aisle so to speak?

I'm with Alex, I think the term "bipartisan" is misleading. What interests me about Obama is that he's remained non-partisan. He doesn't have an "us vs. them" attitude. Certainly most of what he wants to accomplish falls more in line with those on the left of the aisle, but he does not discount people simply because they are of a different party. Have you seen the flack he's (especially from Hillary and Bill) taken simply for saying a good word about Reagan? Heaven forbid. And all he praised Reagan on was for changing the course of a government that had been existing with little accountability. How DARE he!

But apparently some people are happier playing "us vs. them" and no one of "us" is ever allowed to say anything good about one of "them". I'm bloody sick of it, even if I'm on the same side of the aisle as "us".

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

The other point that I made earlier is that I feel attitude is everything, and that his attitude is the type that engenders positivity and good works from those around him. I've had bosses that inspire people and bosses that make everyone walk on eggshells. Obama seems like the former, and Hillary seems like the latter.

I have to say that there is a lot of truth in this. Attitude alone will not create the change, but it certainly helps grease the skids quite a bit.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

But apparently some people are happier playing "us vs. them" and no one of "us" is ever allowed to say anything good about one of "them". I'm bloody sick of it, even if I'm on the same side of the aisle as "us".

So, the Obama = good vs Clinton = bitch is different how?

[Alex]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

I'd like to know just where Obama plans to be "bi-partisan" with the GOP if he becomes President......where will he part ways with most Democrats to reach accross the aisle so to speak?

Using the "give the other side what they want" definition of bipartisan, two examples would be his support of charter schools/school choice and earmarking reforms (of course, the earmarking reforms is only a Republican-sided issue right now because they're not the ones holding the purse strings).

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by Alex

Using the "give the other side what they want" definition of bipartisan, two examples would be his support of charter schools/school choice and earmarking reforms (of course, the earmarking reforms is only a Republican-sided issue right now because they're not the ones holding the purse strings).

I was not aware of his support for school choice......interesting.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I'm in agreeance with GD, of course.

The other point that I made earlier is that I feel attitude is everything, and that his attitude is the type that engenders positivity and good works from those around him. I've had bosses that inspire people and bosses that make everyone walk on eggshells. Obama seems like the former, and Hillary seems like the latter.

I do think the closemindedness and angry defensivenessof Dubya have infected our social consciousness. The great thing about "Yes We Can" is that it is openended and means many different things.

When I hear "Yes We Can", it doesn't tell me that we can have free health care for everyone without tightening our belts, better education without pushing some buttons, or leave Iraq without massive work. What "Yes We Can" means to me is - we can be nice people. We can work on restoring our good name in the world. We can once again wield diplomacy and charity in meaningful ways. It will take a while, maybe decades. So perhaps it means Yes, We Can get our momentum in the right directions.

Yes, we can be a better nation, one step at a time. And electing a divisive bitch isn't going to help Ok, yeah, just kidding.

Did Bill's use of "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" give anyone wild expectations?

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Did Bill's use of "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" give anyone wild expectations?

Yup - and he sorely disappointed.

[scaeagles]

Interesting....I don't know how many are as old as I (I think I'm significantly older than GD and CP, but NA has me by quite a bit ), but it seems then that a lot of the excitement over Obama is pretty much the same as the excitement over Reagan in 1980.

[Morrigoon]

A president is only as good as the team they assemble. Despite what Gore may think, you can't micromanage an entire country. You HAVE to have a team, and you have to be able to lead that team. In the end, the TEAM is going to make or break the administration.

Hillary, well, we have a pretty good idea of the team she's likely to assemble because she's (kinda) been there before. And that's fine if we want same old, same old. But that's the "same old same old" that led to the tech bubble, which caused the current leader**** to try and recover the economy through housing, thus in a roundabout way leading to the current economic crisis.

OR,

We can go for someone who has proven himself to be a very charismatic leader - enough that several ex-republicans on this board are jumping on his bandwagon - and hope (yeah, hope) that he can assemble a different team, who will take the country in a different direction than before.

(And yes, I know the danger of charisma, let's not invoke Godwin's Law just to beat a dead horse)