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leah wrote:http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/column-7-so-you-wanted-to-be-president-of-the-united-states%E2%80%A6

Throughout high school and college you solidified your ideology. You decided you would be the no-nonsense, common sense kind of guy that could really get things done in the tangled web of the United States’ government. You were a fiscal conservative with a laissez-faire attitude toward social issues holing the belief that morality beyond basic human rights isn’t a matter for legislation. You thought that gay couples should be able to get married, get rich, and not get taxed twice on the estates they left to their adopted babies. You thought that social welfare was best handled by encouraging business and the creation of jobs. You thought a government should take care of its own, but not with a coddling hand. You saw your peers become increasingly jaded with the governance of the country and you wanted to reverse that trend and bring new blood to the leadership of this great nation. You wanted to be the change that the country needed.

As you became further entrenched in the life of an incumbent senator those strongly held opinions of what is right and wrong in government were replaced by the opinions of those that funded your many campaigns for reelection. The only issues that mattered to you were the term limit bills that came up every so often. As a show of good faith, the senators made sure that enough voted yes to make it look good for the next election, and everyone with more than two years left in the current term made sure it never passed. You gave up on your dreams of the presidency because you realized that it was a sucker’s bet. Just looking at the before and after photos of American presidents was enough to tell you that you didn’t need the stress in your life. The job didn’t have any perks that you didn’t already get, came with stricter regulations on your finances, a hard limit on term, and a target on your back.

Lyion wrote:Thanks Brin. The post is pretty much how I feel.

leah wrote:http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/column-7-so-you-wanted-to-be-president-of-the-united-states%E2%80%A6

That was an excellent read and probably very close to how most pols are. The whole thing is worth a read, but to compact it into two paragraphs:

Throughout high school and college you solidified your ideology. You decided you would be the no-nonsense, common sense kind of guy that could really get things done in the tangled web of the United States’ government. You were a fiscal conservative with a laissez-faire attitude toward social issues holing the belief that morality beyond basic human rights isn’t a matter for legislation. You thought that gay couples should be able to get married, get rich, and not get taxed twice on the estates they left to their adopted babies. You thought that social welfare was best handled by encouraging business and the creation of jobs. You thought a government should take care of its own, but not with a coddling hand. You saw your peers become increasingly jaded with the governance of the country and you wanted to reverse that trend and bring new blood to the leadership of this great nation. You wanted to be the change that the country needed.

As you became further entrenched in the life of an incumbent senator those strongly held opinions of what is right and wrong in government were replaced by the opinions of those that funded your many campaigns for reelection. The only issues that mattered to you were the term limit bills that came up every so often. As a show of good faith, the senators made sure that enough voted yes to make it look good for the next election, and everyone with more than two years left in the current term made sure it never passed. You gave up on your dreams of the presidency because you realized that it was a sucker’s bet. Just looking at the before and after photos of American presidents was enough to tell you that you didn’t need the stress in your life. The job didn’t have any perks that you didn’t already get, came with stricter regulations on your finances, a hard limit on term, and a target on your back.

i also think the night belonged to romney; BO is out of practice, while romney had the whole primary process to sharpen his skills. i wish BO had been able to spend a little more time preparing. he's rusty and it showed. i hope the next debates turn this one on its head.

Gaazy wrote:ill get called stupid and get told to wake up and god knows what else for saying this...but i really think Obama got rocked tonight

Lyion wrote:

Gaazy wrote:ill get called stupid and get told to wake up and god knows what else for saying this...but i really think Obama got rocked tonight

Nah, people freak out about politics but it's rarely ever personal here, except Mindia. I think even our far left friends here admit that Obama lost the debate. I think he looked tired, and I'd guess the combination of campaigning and the stress of being Prez with all the craziness in the Middle East is taking it's toll on the guy.

Obama's debate prep team didn't do him any favors.

Spaz, we are talking about the debate and how it effected undecided voters. It is akin to a football game, as they are trying to score <voters>.

I'm curious about the Biden debate. Ryan is a really smart guy, and Biden is, well Biden.

Spazz wrote:Mitt romney has this magical power where everytime I see him I start talking like stinkmeaner and wishing I could fight the guy. I hate his flip flopping. I hate his hair, I hate his views on poor people and his voodoo math .. the guy just really pisses me off everytime i hear him talk.

Tossica wrote:More vague "I can do it better than him" bullshit without a single detail regarding ANYthing Romney actually plans on doing. "I'm going to cut tax rates but take out all the tax loopholes so the revenue stays the same" What? So a company who THINKS they are paying less taxes but are actually paying the same amount is going to go on a hiring spree. Got it. Nothing he said made any sense to be honest. He did a decent job of not shitting his pants but other than that, it was pretty much all hot air. Obama did a poor job. I think he was coached to not attack Romney and lay low. He had a few opportunities to lay in to Romney or set the record straight and did not take them. He never mentioned anything about the "47%" fiasco or Romney's seemingly endless stream of "say whatever it takes to get elected".

Pretty weak debate, IMO. They both bullied Jim Lehrer and the format was lame.

Spazz wrote:I hate undecided voters. [...] if you dont know whats what by october your kind a dipshit

leah wrote:point is, there's definitely something very offputting about him--a kind of smarminess that gives me the wiggles. yuck.