Who will run in 2008

[sgtmac_46]

He calls himself Jesse "The Mind" Ventura now, btw.

I wouldn't knock Jesse's politics either. He is a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. He is a man of his word and has a no BS attitude that I respect. He says what he means and sometimes its not what you want to hear.

I didn't agree with everything that he did in MN as governor, but I respected the fact that I KNEW he wasn't owned by any god damned lobbiest. I voted for Jesse in 98 in order to "stick it to the man" and if he ran in 2008, I would be sorely tempted to do it again.

I wouldn't classify Ventura as a social liberal, he's more of a libertarian....HUGE difference.

 

[Xequat]

How about a real debate series between the candidates? Not something pre-planed like the last ones? Bring a few of the 3rd party folks in too to really force these puppets to address the issues, not just do long infomercials.

I'm with you there. They weren't really even debates, they were just prepared speeches (well, at least the second and third were...I think only one person prepared for the first debate). I kind of wish that the parties would go away altogether, since I don't really know many people who claim to be strictly Republican or strictly Democrat, but agree with most issues or certain candidates each time. I mean, I am more of a cafeteria-style Republican, where I'll take a conservative helping of gun control, a moderate helping of abortion, and a liberal helping of gay marriage, for eaxample...depends on the issues and the candidate and which one is closer to my beliefs, not which one follows my beliefs exactly, because that will probably always be neither.

By the way, it's Barack Obama from Illinois.

 

[sgtmac_46]

I'm with you there. They weren't really even debates, they were just prepared speeches (well, at least the second and third were...I think only one person prepared for the first debate). I kind of wish that the parties would go away altogether, since I don't really know many people who claim to be strictly Republican or strictly Democrat, but agree with most issues or certain candidates each time. I mean, I am more of a cafeteria-style Republican, where I'll take a conservative helping of gun control, a moderate helping of abortion, and a liberal helping of gay marriage, for eaxample...depends on the issues and the candidate and which one is closer to my beliefs, not which one follows my beliefs exactly, because that will probably always be neither.

By the way, it's Barack Obama from Illinois.

I think many Americans today are taking that perspective, meaning they engage in cafeteria style politics.

 

[michaeledward]

The Junior Senator from Illinois gave the most impressive convention speech of the 2004 election season.

Watching his speech, I drew the conclusion Barack Obama will be the first non-caucasion of either gender elected to the President of the United States.

I do not think he will run in '08.

The audio and/or video of that speech ... "The Audacity of Hope" ... is available here.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2004/barackobama2004dnc.htm

....there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America.
There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America.
The pundits, the pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue States: red states for Republicans, blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states.
We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states.
There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.
We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

 

[Makalakumu]

I wouldn't classify Ventura as a social liberal, he's more of a libertarian....HUGE difference.

Jesse is very pro ourtdoors (hunting and fishing etc) and pro environment. That was one of the things that drew me to his candidacy. Combining this with someone who protects gun rights is kind of a rare thing.

 

[andy]

2008? if we could get a dem or republican, that would close the borders strengthen the military, cut taxes, and ease back on big governmant-well thats who i would vote for. Otherwise, i don't see anything new from either party.

 

[mantis]

the question is
doest it matter
is there a diff

 

[elder999]

It’s now a matter of record that Republicans in power for the past decade-plus, even while they were in control of both the White House and Congress, have outspent the Democrats who preceded them, and they passed more laws restricting individual rights. They forsook almost every conservative promise they made.

The future of American politics had come to look pretty grim to me. However, just when I’ve all but given up, there’s a possibility—not a promise, but a chance—that come 2008, we’ll have a real choice when we go to the polls. This won’t be a fringe party candidate. This will be a player from one of the two major parties. It will once again be a Republican.

On January 11, 2007, Ron Paul filed papers to create an exploratory committee that will allow him to raise money to make a run for the Republican presidential nomination. Who is Ron Paul? He’s a nine-time Republican congressman from the 14th congressional district in Texas. He’s an M.D. (a refreshing change from the stream of lawyers who fill the halls of Congress and our state legislatures). In 1988 he was the Libertarian Party’s candidate for President and garnered some 400,000 votes nationwide. It was enough to place him third in the presidential race. He may have changed parties from Libertarian to Republican, but he’s philosophically still a Libertarian.

Paul regularly votes against anything that would lead to even bigger government including government spending, initiatives, or taxes. In fact, he votes against anything that’s unconstitutional, even if he’s running contrary to the Republican Party line or his constituents’ wishes.

He’s seen right through the so-called “War on Terror” and realizes it’s a war on individual freedoms. He is one of the few Congressmen to tell the people no one in Congress was allowed to read the PATRIOT Act before it was voted on, and that’s why he refused to vote for it. Now there are plenty of Congressmen who wish they hadn’t voted for it. Too late.

He voted against the Iraq War Resolution. How many in Congress on that day wish they could go back in time and change their votes so they could say they voted against this ridiculous “war”?

He didn’t have to wait for the 1994 Contract with America to espouse term limits. He’s advocated them for years.

He has opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement because it will increase the size of government.

He’s opposed to illegal immigration.


According to the National Taxpayers Union, he has no peer in Congress working on behalf of taxpayers.

When he talks about limited government and more individual freedoms, he actually means it. And for you skeptics out there, unlike virtually any other candidate, he has a voting record that proves it.

What’ll we get if Paul is in the White House? He advocates a real currency, based on a commodity, gold, not one furnished to the United States by that private corporation called the Federal Reserve, which is based on another commodity, paper.

Can he win? When he decided to return to Congress in 1996, the people elected him, even when the Republican Party powers-that-be didn’t want him to run again and backed the incumbent, Greg Laughlin, who portrayed Paul’s policies as extreme and eccentric. Extreme and eccentric? Read the Constitution; those are Paul’s principles. We haven’t seen an elected official on Capitol Hill who believed in those principles in my lifetime, other than Ron Paul. And we haven’t seen a President in the White House who paid more than lip service to the Constitution since long before FDR. He went on to beat his Democrat that November. The Republicans are now stuck with him.

He’s not only a favorite of Libertarians and old-time conservative Republicans, but he’s also garnered support from many Democrats who like his positions on individual liberties and opposition to our intervention in Iraq.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I want a Pat Buchanon\Al Sharpton ticket. They are the only two that seem to make any damn sense. I got threatened to be thrown in the river with a bag of puppies for that comment. I thought I would share.:flame:
Sean

 

[Andy Moynihan]

TEN little candidates
All upright folks, you'd think;
One bounced a hundred checks or so
which caused an awful stink;
Said he, "Somebody set me up,
the charges I deny"
That brings our number down to nine
Oh sure, and horses fly.

TEN little candidates
Still in the race somehow;
There's one, we hear, who dodged the draft,
Said he, "Don't have a cow!
I sweated bullets building my political career"
You'd think by now there would be eight;
Get real--they're all still here.

TEN little candidates
Will stay the whole race through;
One took some "contributions"
from an S&L or two;
Said he, "I've been the victim of an underhanded plot!"
In case you wonder where we stand,
We're down to seven-NOT!

TEN little candidates
Still running , if you please;
One has an anti-rights record
that reaches past her knees
Says she, " the Constitution's law,
I'll guard it to my death",
You say we should be down to six?
Oh yeah? Don't hold your breath.

TEN little candidates,
Exploiting any niche,
Says one, " We shouldn't fight a war
to benefit the rich!"
"The soldiers we've sent over there",
he said, "Must soon be gone".
Then votes for a deployment surge.
We're down to five? Dream on..

TEN little candidates,
The cream of politics,
One smeared her foe with campaign ads
'midst other dirty tricks.
Says she, "My staffers are to blame,
they planned it all themselves"
Which brings our number down to four
if you believe in elves.

TEN little candidates,
rehearse their stupid grins,
One does the holy-roller act,
attacking people's sins,
Says he, " Accept me as God's voice,
Go where I point my staff"
You say we should be down to three?
Ha-ha! It is to laugh.

TEN little candidates,
are on the screen today,
Says one, "Two parties aren't enough,
I'll start a new Third Way!
I'll do what's best if you'll just hitch
your wagon to my star"
You say we should be down to two?
Nice try, but no cigar.

TEN little candidates,
to shake the hand of Fate,
One claimed he was "pro-family"
while cheating on his mate,
Says he, "Don't take some bimbo's word,
she's only spouting lies!"
Guess what? The number hasn't changed--
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE.

TEN little candidates
who will not disappear,
And please don't ask me to explain
how come they're all still here,
We'll find out on Election Day
Which one the voters choose,
Although by now, it should be clear--

Whoever wins, we lose.