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RE: Smug
by LB06 on Sat 13th Mar 2010 20:02 UTC in reply to "Smug"
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Well I'm not from the US, so I don't really have an informed opinion about this, just a theoretical one.

My hypothesis is that it's not so much the president who's to blame, but the environment in which a president has to operate. One could say that the political system is being held hostage by lobbyists, making it very hard to keep one's integrity or to 'change' anything at all. The system's become way too rigid I believe.

But on the the other hand, if there's someone who might be able to 'change' the system it would be the president. So I really don't know what to think of Obama. Either he's a man who is really striving for change but is unable to achieve this under the current circumstances, or he is just another politician who just used the word 'change' to spin his campaign.

edit: I believe I'm trying to say what Lennie's saying.

Edited 2010-03-13 20:10 UTC

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RE[2]: Smug - two possible causes
by jabbotts on Sun 14th Mar 2010 15:00 in reply to "RE: Smug"
jabbotts Member since:

I don't know how much either one of them is actually to blame but I've heard two possible causes.

The older theory; before they get into office, they promise to balance the budget. After they get into office, they get to actually see the budget and realize they are screwed.

The newer theory; people want change provided they don't have to be involved. Everyone tells there friend that the health care system is a mess but no one tells the local representative. Because no one is taking there active part in the government; the politicians only hear the opinions of the lobbyists who do take an active part in it. The Off The Wall radio show has had a couple of good rants about this particular issue.

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RE[2]: Smug
by orfanum on Mon 15th Mar 2010 10:35 in reply to "RE: Smug"
orfanum Member since:

Obama's ire regarding "rights" and "justice" often knows no bounds but is very selective. Take the way in which he and his diplomatic team are laying into the Israelis at the moment:

I am not sure that for example there's a domestic lobbying group expecting a payback in this policy domain, as there is concretely in the case of the large media corporations here, so Obama seems to be ready to play for high stakes on the basis of principles.

Why can't he do this in regard to copyright? To look closely at the current aspects of the ecosystem regarding rights and come up with something creative?

He's intellectually weak (yes, we can all see that he is clever, but that's different from mental depth, stamina and vision) and driven by emotion.

No good will come of him.

Note: I have no interest here per se in the Middle-East conflict - it's just by way of contrasting example. Please do not jump up and down on me for being 'pro-Israeli' or 'anti-Palestinian'. Thanks.

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