A shame for history...

[longeyes]

I thought we all knew that Bill Clinton was the first Teen-Age President.  Let's get that straight yo.

[Intune]

I think it's a terrible shame that it had to be HIM. If the first black American to win a nomination had been a highly qualified, wise statesman or woman of either party, it would have been a lot better for history.

C'mon Wolf, cut a brother some slack.  I cannot believe you would question his qualifications.  Was the man not a community activist?  Was he not the co-sponsor on at least two Senate bills?  Didn't he, um, er, no, that wasn't him.  How about when he, ah, gulp, fidget, squirm...  Okay! Okay!  I got it!  He stayed at a Holiday Inn Express for a whole week once!  Yeah, that's right.  Top that Obamism, disbeliever!  You can't!   

After all, he wants to be the agent of "change" and offer everyone a chance at the American Dream that has hitherto been denied.  How much did he make last year? 3, 4 mil?  And he's gonna change what?   

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

From our point of view, Wilson, LBJ, and FDR were also horrid Presidents, but who listens to guys like you and me?

Fistful.

[MicroBalrog]

There are, recall, no Constitutional qualifications to occupy the presidency other than being 35 years of age and a native-born American. John Podhoretz

[grampster]

There are, recall, no Constitutional qualifications to occupy the presidency other than being 35 years of age and a native-born American. John Podhoretz

Exactly.  And if we'd had a few more candidates with just those two subjects in their resume', we'd be a better nation for it.

[Balog]

There are, recall, no Constitutional qualifications to occupy the presidency other than being 35 years of age and a native-born American. John Podhoretz

A 98 year old Alzheimers patient, a 40 y/o retard with an IQ of 50, the president of NAMBLA...... all are technically able to be elected President. But the fact that there is no Constitutional bar to such people hardly means they are qualified.

It's a little trick of the English language; the same word can have multiple meanings. "Mine" springs to mind.

[GingerGuy]

This comment was a good one...while very disturbing indeed.  Obamo matches with this thinking all too well.

Consider this from Norman Thomas, the 1994 Socialist candidate for POTUS:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism.  But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.
...I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform."

[tokugawa]

Tallpine, If Obama is elected, with a DEM majority , I figure it will be less than three months before a new gun control ban is established, it will be a national registration scheme, it will ban many types of guns currently legal, it will ban gun sales between individuals, and it will authorize warrantless searches of homes under "suspicion" of gun owning.  They will be on the gravy train. They may or may not know it, but they will be driving the country off a cliff.  People will be forced to choose. I know a hell of a lot of Democrats who will vote for Obama, who own guns he wants to ban.  It will be interesting if they will bury their heads even deeper in the sand when this happens. I have no doubt whatsoever that the "no Knock" swat raids currently being directed at drugs will be turned to the "war on guns". Wonder how they will feel when the "gunfighters"  bust in their doors?

[longeyes]

Tokugawa,

Unfortunately, I concur with your scenario.  I think lowering our profile with those we know is prudent.  I'm afraid I have liberal friends who cannot deal with gun ownership rationally.  I've taken note of this and dropped a curtain on the subject. 

The ugly reality is that we are approaching a point of inflection in this country where good will and good faith will be in short supply.  A lot of our basic assumptions about how we do things in America are going to be sorely tested, perhaps destroyed.  We need to be very realistic about what might be going to happen and how it will affect us.

***

Never think you will not be "turned in" by your "friends."  If that sounds like paranoia, so be it.  What I see is irrationalism sweeping over my nation.

[Manedwolf]

Tokugawa,

Unfortunately, I concur with your scenario.  I think lowering our profile with those we know is prudent.  I'm afraid I have liberal friends who cannot deal with gun ownership rationally.  I've taken note of this and dropped a curtain on the subject. 

Amazing, though, how in a Katrina-like scenario, those will be the first to stand behind you for protection.

Then, after normalcy is returned, they want your guns to be taken away again.

[MicroBalrog]

A 98 year old Alzheimers patient, a 40 y/o retard with an IQ of 50, the president of NAMBLA...... all are technically able to be elected President. But the fact that there is no Constitutional bar to such people hardly means they are qualified.

There's the bit of needing to get 51% of the vote.

[Scout26]

A 98 year old Alzheimers patient, a 40 y/o retard with an IQ of 50, the president of NAMBLA...... all are technically able to be elected President. But the fact that there is no Constitutional bar to such people hardly means they are qualified.

There's the bit of needing to get 51% of the vote.

Um, nope.  It's needing to get 270 electoral votes.  (and even if it was popular vote it would be 50% +1 vote.)  JFTR, Bill Clinton never got 50% of the vote.

[grampster]

A 98 year old Alzheimers patient, a 40 y/o retard with an IQ of 50, the president of NAMBLA...... all are technically able to be elected President. But the fact that there is no Constitutional bar to such people hardly means they are qualified.

There's the bit of needing to get 51% of the vote.

Um, nope.  It's needing to get 270 electoral votes.  (and even if it was popular vote it would be 50% +1 vote.)  JFTR, Bill Clinton never got 50% of the vote.

[/i][/b]

...And he met the above qualifications to a tee.   

[Tallpine]

If Obama is elected, with a DEM majority , I figure it will be less than three months before a new gun control ban is established, it will be a national registration scheme, it will ban many types of guns currently legal, it will ban gun sales between individuals, and it will authorize warrantless searches of homes under "suspicion" of gun owning.

I don't doubt it

But then I guess that puts to rest the question "how do you know if someone breaking into your home is a criminal or the cops?"   

The answer will be: "It doesn't matter."

[MicroBalrog]

A 98 year old Alzheimers patient, a 40 y/o retard with an IQ of 50, the president of NAMBLA...... all are technically able to be elected President. But the fact that there is no Constitutional bar to such people hardly means they are qualified.

There's the bit of needing to get 51% of the vote.

Um, nope.  It's needing to get 270 electoral votes.  (and even if it was popular vote it would be 50% +1 vote.)  JFTR, Bill Clinton never got 50% of the vote.

Well YES, but the point is, you need to be elected.

The American people will never elect a complete retard.

[Balog]

A 98 year old Alzheimers patient, a 40 y/o retard with an IQ of 50, the president of NAMBLA...... all are technically able to be elected President. But the fact that there is no Constitutional bar to such people hardly means they are qualified.

There's the bit of needing to get 51% of the vote.

Um, nope.  It's needing to get 270 electoral votes.  (and even if it was popular vote it would be 50% +1 vote.)  JFTR, Bill Clinton never got 50% of the vote.

Well YES, but the point is, you need to be elected.

The American people will never elect a complete retard.

That's not the point. Every time anyone says anything about Obama being unqualified, you post something about the only requirement to be PotUS is over 35 etc. This is a deliberate misconstruing of the argument; taking the word "qualified" in a certain narrow context it is not being used in. Yet when I point this out, you basically disagree with your own point.+

[MicroBalrog]

I don't think that you can be 'unqualified' to be President. Because there's no way you can be 'qualified' to be President.

There's no other job quite like it - outside of being a leader of a different country, but then obviously you're not going to be able to run for President of the US.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I don't think that you can be 'unqualified' to be President. Because there's no way you can be 'qualified' to be President.

There's no other job quite like it - outside of being a leader of a different country, but then obviously you're not going to be able to run for President of the US.

The job of State Governor is very similar to the job of President.  The scale differs, states being smaller than the entire US, but the day to day work is fairly similar. 

The job of mayor has much in common with being President, albeit at an even smaller scale.

Even administering a large company is fairly similar.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

The American people will never elect a complete retard.

You must not read Democratic Underground. 

[Tallpine]

I don't think that you can be 'unqualified' to be President. Because there's no way you can be 'qualified' to be President.

There's no other job quite like it - outside of being a leader of a different country, but then obviously you're not going to be able to run for President of the US.

The job of State Governor is very similar to the job of President.  The scale differs, states being smaller than the entire US, but the day to day work is fairly similar. 

The job of mayor has much in common with being President, albeit at an even smaller scale.

Even administering a large company is fairly similar.

Or managing a household with five kids 

[MicroBalrog]

The American people will never elect a complete retard.

You must not read Democratic Underground. 

Read? I used to be a poster on DU, back in my sort-of-leftie days.

[GigaBuist]

This comment was a good one...while very disturbing indeed.  Obamo matches with this thinking all too well.

Consider this from Norman Thomas, the 1994 Socialist candidate for POTUS:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism.  But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.
...I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform."

You might want to look into the accuracy of that.  We didn't even have a presidential election in 1994.

[MicroBalrog]

This comment was a good one...while very disturbing indeed.  Obamo matches with this thinking all too well.

Consider this from Norman Thomas, the 1994 Socialist candidate for POTUS:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism.  But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.
...I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform."

You might want to look into the accuracy of that.  We didn't even have a presidential election in 1994.

He's right on everything but the year. Norman Thomas was the candidate in 1932.

[GigaBuist]

He's right on everything but the year. Norman Thomas was the candidate in 1932.

Yep, it all checks out.  Sounds a whole lot less threatening when you put the right year on it.

[MicroBalrog]

He's right on everything but the year. Norman Thomas was the candidate in 1932.

Yep, it all checks out.  Sounds a whole lot less threatening when you put the right year on it.

The fact most of the 1932 Socialist Party platform has been enacted in some form or another is somehow less threatening?