Comments on Pondering, Always Pondering: Welcome from Host

yes, he is pretty charismatic, which left me a lit...

2008-07-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

yes, he is pretty charismatic, which left me a little hesitant to vote for him in the primaries, as I said in this blog:

http://brandyrosesanders.blogspot.com/2008/02/george-w-bush.html

:)

I agree with you that it is important to get infor...

2008-07-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

I agree with you that it is important to get information "straight from the horse's mouth", which is why I appreciate the opportunity you gave us to get to know more about Obama's latest policies and goals. This is where I start when I want to predict how someone will govern.

But, because of the "dumbing down of presidential politics" in general, what politicians say in their campaign materials usually doesn't do much for me in terms of understanding how their policies would work.

There are analysts I have come to trust to accurately quote politicians and to give their views on how the policies of those politicians would work. There are also wonks out there who will go over the math, the voting records, etc. so I don't have to, and people who will provide historical perspectives. I try to get some different viewpoints, though I have a hard time reading a lot of the far left commentators because of foul language.

And with Obama, it's hard not to get carried away just by the appeal of his speeches. As Tim Blair said,

"Obama’s one great advantage over McCain is his stunning speaking style, which is so powerful Obama sometimes gets away with statements of almost pure absurdity."

He referred in particular to the closing paragraph of Obama's June 3 victory speech, which if you read it rather than listen to it, is pretty high on the inspirational scale and pretty low on the reality scale. I want some assurance that dangerously populist or utopian thinking won't get translated into policies with too many unintended negative consequences. Obama is now starting to soften some of the profound hostility toward recent American history which is evident in this speech:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkyWk2MK7xeDw2b1jPhFS6KsvPegD912VD200

Obama would have my vote right now for national inspirational speaker. But I'm more into the nuts and bolts when it comes to how government works.

hmm...that's interesting, 'cause i tend to like my...

2008-06-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

hmm...that's interesting, 'cause i tend to like my information from the horses' mouth, so to speak. i just think about how upset we get when folks talk about mormons instead of talking to one. i like to hear from obama (or whomever) about what he (or whomever) thinks.

Clicking on the links did get me to some text. Th...

2008-06-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Clicking on the links did get me to some text. Thanks. I still prefer reading independent analysts to reading campaign websites and other official statements, partly because of the dumbing down of presidential politics.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062702770.html

"As presidents have taken the rhetorical path of least resistance by serving up simplistic sentences to citizens, they have correspondingly offered an easily digestible substantive menu devoid of argument and infused with inspirational platitudes, partisan punch lines and emotional and human-interest appeals."

And the link on the Iraq war still contains serious inaccuracies concerning the current state of affairs in Iraq, and does not adequately describe Obama's support for reconstruction from April of 2004 through November of 2006.

For me, reading a candidate's official campaign information is just the beginning of trying to understand his or her positions. But you did provide me with that base for starting to get a handle on understanding Obama.

Thanks for checking the information out Carolyn, a...

2008-06-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks for checking the information out Carolyn, and I'm sorry you had technical problems. Did you click on the links above each video? They take you to the "cold, hard print" versions :)

Well, I'm not sure if my virtual meeting will change Hillary supporters minds, but I sure hope something does. The expression "cutting off your nose to spite your face" comes to mind :)

Have a good night Carolyn!

Well, BrandyI still can't access the videos, but i...

2008-06-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

Well, Brandy

I still can't access the videos, but it's O.K., because I'd rather see his policies in cold, hard print. I understand that Obama moved more toward Hillary's position on withdrawal from Iraq during their joint appearance, and away from the "immediate withdrawal" position on his website.

Looks like not all former Hillary boosters are yet as enthusiastic as you are about Obama, so maybe your virtual tour will bring a few around.
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/6/28/164328/121

And for Ms. Pop Culture, an interesting perspective from Virginia Postrel, author of "The Substance of Style", on Obama and glamour vs. charisma. Follow the links for further details about the historic meanings of these two words, and some advantages for and potential pitfalls facing the Obama campaign. http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/002806.html