GunRunner

"this is a yes/no question"

"blah blah blah blah blah...."

Who is that?

Its from Pride FC. Its an old Japan-based MMA org.

Not shots....truth

I like your AV. I have that poster on my wall

I can’t agree with McCain’s interpretation of the events in Somalia. He really lost me there…

I also don’t agree with his assertion that being a retired officer automatically qualifies you for office.

Has there been an energy question or have I just missed it?

haha, you missed it bud.

That is the most ridiculous thing I have read on BGP in a while.

get 'em

These threads make me cry.

Under 25, Libertarian.

I don’t categorically reject voting records, but they are misleading for a litany of reasons. TB&G touched on one reason in another thread: due to the vast amount of amendments and riders attached to bills, a member of Congress’ final vote does not always reflect their actual stance on the issue. Similarly, complicated bills are often summarized into short, simplistic descriptions and a member of Congress’ vote is thusly construed as definitive support or rejection of a hot issue, when the Congress member’s stance and vote run deeper than a quick, catch-all description. Although it is difficult and time consuming, a more accurate reflection of a vote would take into account a legislator’s reasoning for their vote, their vote on each amendment to the bill, and how they voted against the rest of the legislature. This, however, does not take into account the quid-pro-quo of bargaining among legislators.

 

On a related note, candidates’ past votes are always wildly distorted to intentionally misrepresent their character or beliefs. Pay attention to any attack ad and you will see that the most fanatical accusations are justified by a particular vote. It’s always a good exercise (as well as good for a laugh) to compare the accusations to the actual vote. A humorous example from the ’06 election cycle accused a Cincinnati council or mayoral candidate, I believe, of being crazy because he voted in favor of kids being electrocuted. The commercial featured the classic image of innocent children playing, lightning bolts flashing across the screen, completed with the requisite angry narrator explaining that the candidate was a lunatic. Of course, the vote was actually to allow police to use their tasers instead of their firearms.

Thanks for the backup. As always, you have expressed my views in a much more comprehensive manner.

Who cares what they think? See that's where you and I differ, I couldn't care less what ANYONE's opinion of a cadidate is, they're not me, I'm quite capable of drawing my own conclusions, I don't need them.

 

The moment Obama said "with no preconditions" showed how little he really understands period. Add to that all of the many other stupid things the man has said on top of all of the flip flops for such a short-termer and you have a recipe for disaster.

I'm not much of a McCain fan, but he towers over Obama as a leader for this country IMO.

I’m obviously just a misguided kid for forming opinions off of my previous close personal interaction.

On a side note, if you don’t care what anybody thinks than you should probably be less demanding of others. I don’t care what you think, and that’s why I’ve never asked for your opinion.

All enmity aside, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Let’s agree to disagree, as I don’t really want to continue this argument.

As for the “towering” comment, Obama is about 5 inches taller than McCain. Food for thought…

So, you really know nothing about him as being the leader of the most powerful country in the world, just that two people you like have trust and loyalty for him and your opinion that he has a better grip of the geopolitical climate. That's it? What makes you think he has a better grip than McCain?

You’re right, I’m an idiot for thinking these two men know what they are talking about. Its not like they have a combined 60 years of service in our nations capital, practical experience working for both the Clinton administration and prominent Republican Senators, a slew of “ins and outs” among the top politicians on the Hill, and glowing reviews from people on both sides of the isle…right? Wait, they do.

And yes, I do feel Obama has a better understanding of the world in its entirety. McCain has yet to demonstrate that he comprehends the level of interconnectedness/globalization that exists today. When you say something stupid like “I don’t understand the economy (paraphrased)” you might as well say: “I don’t understand the 24 hour news cycle.”

The moment those words left McCain’s lips they were being reported by every major news agency in every developed country.

So what? That doesn’t mean anything!

I think it does. When I see someone who doesn’t understand how far globalization has progressed, I can’t help but wonder how they feel we should interact with less developed countries. I can assure you one thing: the days of us snubbing other nations are over with. We can no longer afford to screw lesser countries for our own benefit; it destroys our legitimacy and credibility on the international level. I don’t think McCain believes this.

“The World is Flat” by Friedman provides some insight.

What else do we have to go on with this guy?

Shoe size?

What do you know about him? I'll wait for you to share.

 

You too, Original Rookie and TB&G.

Well, I know he likes long walks on the beach, a good cigar, and upholding the tenets of National Socialism (or so a few of you have claimed). I know that he has a much firmer grasp of the geopolitical climate than McCain does. I know that his two closest confidants are David Axelrod and Pete Rouse, two extremely experienced men who I have an enormous amount of respect for. I know that, despite his age, he has won the trust and loyalty of Pete and Dave, providing him tremendous inroads into the Republican Party. I know that its foolish to look at someone’s voting records and attempt to draw any sort of conclusions.

It is what it is. You say tomato, I say potato.

I hate spiders. Hate

You're totally missing the point, GunRunner. Look at his very small voting record. see how often he voted "present". As for vowing to open dialogue with countries we have chosen to ignore don't forget he also said without preconditions. With brilliant ideas like that, he might as well be a 12 year old kid off the street.

So a voting record is the only measure of a man? Well heck, lets get Robert Byrd to run. That guy has been a senator for 50 years. Think of all the votes! Think of all the experience!

All jokes aside, I’m not trying to change your mind. I’m simply trying to say that I’m leaning towards Obama because I think he understands the interconnectedness of today’s political climate. I think he understands the 24 hour news cycle, and I think he realizes that the era of great power politics is over. We, as a nation, can no longer afford to snub other nations (no matter how small they may be). Thus, I see nothing wrong with opening up dialogue with countries like Iran. Doing so does not make us weaker; it simply shows that we are willing to at least give governments a chance.

Oh come on…its not like Obama is a 12 year old kid off the street. The term “rookie” is being applied rather loosely. An American President has a litany of staffers to aid in decision-making. I like the fact that he has vowed to open dialogue with countries we have chosen to ignore.

Does McCain’s military experience guarantee him success? As an officer in the US Army, I can unequivocally say “no”. Being an O-6 does not unlock a special knack for being President. McCain is a great American, no doubt, but I have yet to make up my mind about him. I never said I was voting for Obama.

And UKMustangFan-

Yes, I believe him, just as I believe all things I find on the Internet and Wikipedia. They would never lie to me.

Agree to disagree, I guess.

Run to state-

Is being a rookie such a bad thing? I look at McCain and I see experience (good)…..and the "Great Power Politics" that are the hallmark of his generation (very bad). While I don’t refute the fact that McCain is a leader, I just don’t think it makes him the obvious choice. Agree to disagree, I guess.

Obama=Fresh

McCain=Experience

I ran D1 track in college, and let me tell you, there is no feeling in the world like winning a race. (I ran the 400). When you turn about and smile at those poor guys that you just tooled…..well, there are no words to describe it.

I still run a lot now, mostly because I’m in the military, but I still carry a little bit of that with me. When I run, I feel like I’m kicking the worlds butt. Its fun, you should try it…

Dedicated....most def.

To fly helicopters. In about 3 months that dream is going to come true, so I’m pretty pumped.

I will never like Eli, simply because of that crap from the draft.

I really like the feeling you get after a really hard workout. The kind where all you want to do is lay down and go to sleep.

GunRunner,

 

 

 

Oh and by the way, I have taken physics, chem, bio, biochem, organic chem, quantam, and a whole assortment of sci classes.

Haha, I bet you're also 6-5 / 250lbs, right? The internet is a great place...

:dancingpa:dancingpa

You come across as someone who consults Wikipedia for internet arguments.

 

 

Think really hard about what you are saying. Science, something has been proven to be reliable and is actually proveable and testable, says that we were created simply by the scientific formation of cells and through evolution.

 

Hollllllllllllllllllddddddddddddd up, chief. Science has never been reliable or provable (this coming from someone with a pretty strong background in biochem). Heck, go take physics class. Then go take a modern physics class. Tell me how concrete science your science is then.

If LBBC wants to believe in a god, let him.

People who chew with their mouth open

I'm just about to start finals week. Dang.....

This is my last week of class, so finals week starts next week for me. I have two on monday, one on tuesday, two on wednesday, and two on thursday. I love my life.