Comments on: An Open Letter to Barack Obama http://blog.4d2.org/2008/07/14/an-open-letter-to-barack-obama/ Because everyone else already has one Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:35:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Dankoozy http://blog.4d2.org/2008/07/14/an-open-letter-to-barack-obama/#comment-774 Dankoozy Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:55:31 +0000 http://blog.4d2.org/?p=435#comment-774 My letter to Obama would only be two words long. That guy is just a waste of time - anyone hawho has done what is required to become a US presidential candidate really isn't worth voting for My letter to Obama would only be two words long. That guy is just a waste of time - anyone hawho has done what is required to become a US presidential candidate really isn’t worth voting for

]]> By: jess http://blog.4d2.org/2008/07/14/an-open-letter-to-barack-obama/#comment-704 jess Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:58:37 +0000 http://blog.4d2.org/?p=435#comment-704 <i>Our winner-takes-all system makes people afraid to vote for third parties, which is extremely dangerous when the major parties start to become indistinguishable.</i> yes, this. and yet people at work look at me funny when I say I don't see too many differences between the two major parties anymore. Our winner-takes-all system makes people afraid to vote for third parties, which is extremely dangerous when the major parties start to become indistinguishable.

yes, this. and yet people at work look at me funny when I say I don’t see too many differences between the two major parties anymore.

]]> By: Michael http://blog.4d2.org/2008/07/14/an-open-letter-to-barack-obama/#comment-698 Michael Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:48:56 +0000 http://blog.4d2.org/?p=435#comment-698 The voting system is really at fault here. Our winner-takes-all system makes people afraid to vote for third parties, which is extremely dangerous when the major parties start to become indistinguishable. Some very intelligent people have invented a multitude of superior systems (IRV, Borda count, range voting, etc.), any of which would be an improvement. But that would entail real change to the way we do business, which is unthinkable for some reason. For all the Democrats' talk about change and progress, our country today behaves like a corporation so terrified of losing profits that it is paralyzed (and destroyed) by change. Are our people really so stupid that they believe change always means misery in the short term? Come on, USA, let's do something wacky. At the very least we can all feel like we're in this together again. I think Obama's religious pandering falls under "feeble pandering to idiots across the political spectrum." It just happened to annoy you and me more than most of his other pandering. Also, you're not the first person to advocate <a href="http://www.votekodos.com" rel="nofollow">writing in Kodos</a>. The voting system is really at fault here. Our winner-takes-all system makes people afraid to vote for third parties, which is extremely dangerous when the major parties start to become indistinguishable. Some very intelligent people have invented a multitude of superior systems (IRV, Borda count, range voting, etc.), any of which would be an improvement. But that would entail real change to the way we do business, which is unthinkable for some reason.

For all the Democrats’ talk about change and progress, our country today behaves like a corporation so terrified of losing profits that it is paralyzed (and destroyed) by change. Are our people really so stupid that they believe change always means misery in the short term? Come on, USA, let’s do something wacky. At the very least we can all feel like we’re in this together again.

I think Obama’s religious pandering falls under “feeble pandering to idiots across the political spectrum.” It just happened to annoy you and me more than most of his other pandering.

Also, you’re not the first person to advocate writing in Kodos.

]]> By: Kara http://blog.4d2.org/2008/07/14/an-open-letter-to-barack-obama/#comment-697 Kara Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:14:28 +0000 http://blog.4d2.org/?p=435#comment-697 That was my response to the situation too. I was like, look, the New Yorker did something satirical and timely, how whimsical of them. Gee, maybe they're not as outdated as they seem. I was expecting some mention from you of crappy religious pandering on behalf of Obama. Little disappointed, but I guess that's not the topic this post aims to address. On the note of questioning character - John Cusack said over and over on a Washpost chat a couple weeks ago that we should all vote for Obama, much to my distaste. Cusack absolutely has the right to discuss his political views in a public forum, but blindly supporting one person regardless of issues that pop up is idiotic and falls into the unquestioning nature of the general public that got us into this mess in the first place. All this arguing for a candidate on the platform that he will change politics is bull. No one can. For all our talking about politics, I don't see a whole lot of discourse happening. A reminder to all candidates: You're not running against someone for president. You are running for president. Prove you're the best person for the job, not just throughout the country, but through the world. Don't just try to prove you're better than your opponent. I want the smartest, most confident person in the world to be my country's president. I want my president to be guided by the seemingly contradictory taoist principles of being flexible and strong, of being wise and knowing he/she knows nothing. I want someone who will keep striving to his or her best, which means accepting criticism and satire as part of the job. I think we all should stop talking about what we don't want, and start taking the affirmative. What do I want in government? In a president? In my representatives and congress-people? write-in vote for Kodos? That was my response to the situation too. I was like, look, the New Yorker did something satirical and timely, how whimsical of them. Gee, maybe they’re not as outdated as they seem.

I was expecting some mention from you of crappy religious pandering on behalf of Obama. Little disappointed, but I guess that’s not the topic this post aims to address.

On the note of questioning character - John Cusack said over and over on a Washpost chat a couple weeks ago that we should all vote for Obama, much to my distaste. Cusack absolutely has the right to discuss his political views in a public forum, but blindly supporting one person regardless of issues that pop up is idiotic and falls into the unquestioning nature of the general public that got us into this mess in the first place. All this arguing for a candidate on the platform that he will change politics is bull. No one can.

For all our talking about politics, I don’t see a whole lot of discourse happening. A reminder to all candidates: You’re not running against someone for president. You are running for president. Prove you’re the best person for the job, not just throughout the country, but through the world. Don’t just try to prove you’re better than your opponent. I want the smartest, most confident person in the world to be my country’s president. I want my president to be guided by the seemingly contradictory taoist principles of being flexible and strong, of being wise and knowing he/she knows nothing. I want someone who will keep striving to his or her best, which means accepting criticism and satire as part of the job.

I think we all should stop talking about what we don’t want, and start taking the affirmative. What do I want in government? In a president? In my representatives and congress-people?

write-in vote for Kodos?

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