tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post1881820364123424448..comments2024-03-18T14:34:31.684-05:00Comments on Horizons: Why I became an "Obamabot"Nancy LeTourneauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-72989391109330833012014-03-24T13:05:00.948-05:002014-03-24T13:05:00.948-05:00I knew Barack Obama really "got it" was ...I knew Barack Obama really "got it" was when he said in his 2008 acceptance speech, "[The Republicans] make a big election about small things." He, unlike other Democrats, wasn't going to let the GOP distract his campaign -- or his governance -- with small things.RTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-89692359818681542702014-03-24T11:54:17.728-05:002014-03-24T11:54:17.728-05:00P.S. Sociopaths are almost always extremely "...P.S. Sociopaths are almost always extremely "competent."Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-13881759624967147142014-03-24T11:46:32.689-05:002014-03-24T11:46:32.689-05:00If you think I was talking about supporting PBO be...If you think I was talking about supporting PBO because he's "a nice person" or because he "has a functional personal life," then I'm afraid you missed the whole point of this post.Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-5652100556387215362014-03-24T10:14:42.257-05:002014-03-24T10:14:42.257-05:00I think GWB fell off the wagon during his second t...I think GWB fell off the wagon during his second term (see Seoul Olympics), but that's neither here nor there... Anyway, I agree that the "one of us" appeal as only criterion for the selection of a candidate is rather scary. I remember my ditziest student in 2008 writing that she supported Sarah Palin because she "identified with her." That's *exactly* why I didn't want SP anywhere near the White House...<br /><br />I like having a president who comes across as a nice person and has a functional personal life. However, competence is more important.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16023893330839431778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-76053807210823307582014-03-24T09:47:09.437-05:002014-03-24T09:47:09.437-05:00Thanks very much! I love your blog, and there are ...Thanks very much! I love your blog, and there are several of us who share your posts with each other. We SO appreciate what you do!<br /><br />@ReasonVsFearAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-83176993794684539752014-03-23T14:33:27.330-05:002014-03-23T14:33:27.330-05:00Sooooo beautifully stated. Thank you!!!!Sooooo beautifully stated. Thank you!!!!Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-29977781519636425502014-03-23T14:13:50.157-05:002014-03-23T14:13:50.157-05:00@ReasonVsFear from Twitter here... I really apprec...@ReasonVsFear from Twitter here... I really appreciate this article. I still remember very clearly the day I finally realized that I wanted to vote for Barack Obama. It was when the Clinton campaign went negative. Up to that point, things had been pretty mellow. I turned on the TV to see Obama's response. Tired, weary of negativity, and sickened by the thought that two people I admired were turning on each other.... that was the day he brushed off his shoulder. No negative words, no vitriol... just brush it off, put your head down and keep moving forward. I nearly fell out of my chair.<br /><br />THAT. Just that moment of refusing to go negative... I'd never seen a politician do that before, but then I don't think Barack Obama is the typical politician. He actually cares about making a difference.<br /><br />It revitalized me, as did the story of him helping the woman at the airport some years ago.... especially after I realized his campaign could have hyped it to the skies, but chose not to. No bragging, just policy discussions and positive momentum. <br /><br />One note: No matter which Democrat won the primaries, they would have had my full support in the general election, and that is how it will always be for me. I keep hearing "more and better" but the time to search for "better" is in the primaries. During general elections, "MORE!!" has to be the key, in my opinion.<br /><br />Love this blog.... :) I don't comment often, but I appreciate your work a great deal. Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-59938451488515901962014-03-22T21:18:13.384-05:002014-03-22T21:18:13.384-05:00This has been the way I have looked at politicians...This has been the way I have looked at politicians too. I hate the quote "A guy you want to have a beer with". It was so annoying with GWB because he was a teetotaler. There is no way you can predict what might happen that the president has control over. Carol Roehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11564026284310012354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-56549187425292975272014-03-22T20:03:27.277-05:002014-03-22T20:03:27.277-05:00Integrity, shared values and intelligence would be...Integrity, shared values and intelligence would be my three top qualities and maybe in that order. Obama's ability to play the long game from a political standpoint has befuddled his enemies time and time again. He is not perfect and I have certainly not agreed with all his policy decisions. However, I have trusted him to act in the country's best interests and given him the benefit of the doubt when necessary since he obviously knows more than I do about the issues facing this country. I don't know how many times I have said that I would put my money on the skinny black kid from Chicago. So yeah, I guess I am proud to call myself an Obamabot. I am a pragmatic progressive and I believe he is too. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-9809900857464752362014-03-22T19:11:56.190-05:002014-03-22T19:11:56.190-05:00I think personality (or even better, values) is wh...I think personality (or even better, values) is where the policies initiate. That's why its a priority for me. Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-28730131816719373992014-03-22T18:59:47.940-05:002014-03-22T18:59:47.940-05:00I think those who are most likely to scream "...I think those who are most likely to scream "Obamabot" are those who look on what you say here and all they see is an argument to follow a leader based on their personality, not on what they actually do while in office.<br /><br />I would argue, in contrast, that what I look for is a whole package of not just policy positions but also the reasoned (and yes, moral) path by which they come to those conclusions. It's not simply personality OR policy, it's both.Chris Andersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-52831252391104145952014-03-22T12:55:09.589-05:002014-03-22T12:55:09.589-05:00I fully supported the president after reading Drea...I fully supported the president after reading Dreams of My Father, this was about the time of the South Carolina Primary in 2008, and realized that he wanted to change the way politics was working in Washington. He wanted to bring it back to the government working for"we The People" not the other way around. Our economy was only working for the top percent of the country for a long time. People who worked for a living in the public sector were getting screwed, since Reagan changed the tax laws favorable to the corporations.sjterridnoreply@blogger.com