Gaia: Presidential Candidates - Conversations - Introduce Yourself Here

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://mimbck.gaia.com — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:54:09 GMT

Hi. Ron Paul has good points about getting us out of Iraq and it's good to see his energy around that. I don't agree with him, however, about domestic issues. He's against things that i think are really important like universal health care, education funding, social services, etc. because he believes all that should be handled by private enterprise. We've seen what private enterprise has done to our country and how allowing them the rights to support our citizens offers a few huge pocketfulls of gold, and hurts the people who really need the services. I'd be happy with non for profits that are mandated by the government, but in some way controlled by the people... maybe in some kind of collaborative/cooperative model to do those jobs, but not profit making private enterprise. Kucinich is the only one that I have read about that cares passionately and has acted passionately for all the things i care about...labor, civil rights, education, universal health care, standing by and protecting the bill of rights, stopping corporate abuses and takeover of our government and world, etc. He's a little guy with a lot of conviction, strength, and action that has historically and consistently proven himself.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://uhhh.gaia.com — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:28:05 GMT

Hi my name is Ekaterina Ivanova,

I am surprised this pod is not more active considering the presidential debates have began.

If I could vote (I am not a legal US Citizen) I would vote for Ron Paul. His ideas are fresh and a good way to get this country THINKING again.

I am here to learn more about the upcoming elections and hopefully get some good debates started of our own.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://LoveEternal.gaia.com — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:44:37 GMT

I am Jahred Namaste, part of the Love Eternal Collective

I Will Be Voting For Dennis Kucinich!!!

And With as Much Love and Faith as I have be Helping people to see through the Illusion

Clinton=Bush=Obama=Cheney=Edwards=Giullianni=romney

Get The Facts, Spread The Word. Love and Light

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://mimbck.gaia.com — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:55:24 GMT

I agree. Kucinich has proven himself over and over again. He votes against the policies that big business has hijacked our country for. He totally understands and votes accordingly to stop Western corporate powers from controlling the world and the people in it. He votes for the earth, for the people and living beings in it, for labor, for health, for true democracy, for creative solutions to world problems, etc. I hope you're right and that he does win.... I do worry about that self fulfilling prophecy... almost everyone I know says he's the best candidate, but none of them think he can win. I hope you're right and they're wrong.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://AnthonyODonnell.gaia.com — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:30:56 GMT

I lost a lot of respect for Kucinich when he proved to be an aggressive advocate of the so-called "fairness doctrine." The instinct to shut up one's opposition is a bad sign.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://mimbck.gaia.com — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:06:10 GMT

I agree! Kucinich is the only one that has been strong on all the issues that matter, and hasn't played along in the politics... me before what's best for the world.... game.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://cornflower.gaia.com — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 05:18:12 GMT

Cornflower here.
I am a Dennis Kucinich supporter.
He is not only electable, but he will be the next President.
The way this will happen is when people realize that the "lesser of 2 evils" candidate won't work anymore.

Kucinich has the MOST distinct differences from the Republicans than any other Democrat running. He has no strings attached, meaning not bought out by any big corporations.

Obama is another wolf in sheeps clothing. He has other people in his pockets. He had a lot of potential in the beginning, but somewhere he got bought, and you can feel it in his presence since his announcement for his candidacy for President.
Please don't be fooled by the "phenomenon". Wall Street has become very good friends with him. Clinton is in the Military-Industrial Complex's pocket as well, ever since she became a part of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Edwards had completely different policy positions in his last run for Presidency.
His words have no heart, just money and power.

Kucinich has the actions and record to support his policies and positions.

When we rise together and stop eating the tainted propaganda of electability from the Corporate owned Mainstream Media.

Alright, before I rant to much longer.

Listen to your Heart!
Cornflower
www.cornflowermusic.com

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://shwartzrock.gaia.com — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:26:44 GMT

This is great i Love it!Absolutely this is a great way to put it.Bill i Love Bill,don't approve what he did..............hey do you know what's Bill Clinton's favorite beach when he visits the West Coast?Have a guess.....Santa Monica Lewinsky...huh?!
Too bad its a mad habit,nothing compare to Bush of course,however i agree with your point about being a real man. to be a president.I see Madonna as a better president than Obama (and he's the peak of the litter).
Talking about politics is trying to tell the future,lets ask the prophet.Whats a better way than to ask Our Heavenly Creator,its the opinion that counts!
Hope you have a great weekend.Namaste.

Peace&Light,
R.S.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://onemind.gaia.com — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 21:13:30 GMT

I can understand your despair, but I'd encourage you strongly not to drop out of the process. That is one of the things the Right really wants those of us who oppose them to do. They are not a majority in this country and they only win elections by fraud or by persuading us that there is no hope, that our votes don't count.

Even a fraud can only be so large. If we overwhelm them at the polls, they won't have the ability to overturn all of our good actions.

FWIW.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://jamilahkolocotronis.gaia.com — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:42:58 GMT

When I turned 18, I couldn't wait to vote. At one time, I was an election worker--one of those people who hands you the ballot and makes sure you understand the process. I've taken my kids and even my students to the polling place, all in the belief that voting is important.

But, for the first time in my life, I'm not sure if I'll bother voting. I lean Democrat, but I don't see anyone in the field I can really trust. Bill Richardson probably impresses me the most, but I don't expect him to get the nomination.

I first voted in 1976 for Eugene McCarthy. Few of my votes have gone to the winning candidate. But in the past I always had hope. After 2000, and 2004, that's gone.

Will we even have fair elections in 2008?

Jamilah

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://zmantulsaok.gaia.com — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:43:18 GMT

Hello everyone,

My name is John Zimmerman and I live in Tulsa, OK. If you read NEWSWEEK magazine, my letter to the editor was printed (edited of course) in the June 11, 2007 issue re: "The Bill Factor" of Hillary's campaign/presidency. Yes, I'm a Hillary fan, even though I live in the "buckle" of the Bible Belt...(or should I say BECAUSE I live in the buckle...?)

America, nor the world, has time for on the job training. Hillary has the experience, knowledge and leadership abilities to hit the ground running. She and Bill are highly respected around the globe and have a handle on what is needed internationally as well as domestically. Hillary knows and is known, with respect, by foreign leaders; she knows events, history, situations, security, military, etc and will not have to take a crash course to learn all this it required by the Commander-in-Chief. She knows it and Bill is an incredible resource for her and our country.

I would love to see Barack as her running mate and Vice President, which would give him the experience, with his incredible philosophies, to win the presidency after Hillary's second term.

I welcome intelligent, respectful dialogue and discussions about our leaders and the direction of our country and the world. I appreciate this site for that purpose.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://omni-flux.gaia.com — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 03:27:13 GMT

Hello, my name is Josef. I am only 21 and been into politics since i was 18 and could vote. I am not sure who i will vote for. But I do not think i know enough about politics at this stage of the game anyway. I do know what i would want in a leader however. So i hope there is plenty of discussion here.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://jangchup-palmo.gaia.com — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:27:22 GMT

I'm probably jumping protocol, replying before introducing myself, so I'll just have to do both at once.

I'm Sally, and (being a philosopher) always think for a long time before committing myself to any one position. I wanted to respond to this particular thread, because it seems you are one of the few who keeps mentioning Edwards, who is really my favorite.

Don't get me wrong, I think Obama is wonderful, and I am delighted by most of the values promoted by Kucinich, but I worry about electability--I just feel we cannot afford another term of this type of leader, and I'm not sure either of those first two could last in a presidential race.

I like Edwards because he comes across with all of the savvy intelligence and wit that (Bill) Clinton does, but he doesn't seem burdened by the same character weakness that so overshadowed Bill's years in office. I think he is idealistic and shares many of my values (and, given his personal history, I know that he knows what it is to feel terrible personal pain), but I also see him as being very practical and on-his-feet articulate, and I soooooo miss that.

I am so tired of being embarrassed for our country when hearing the messages that come from our current leader.

I'd be interested to hear other thoughts...

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://lucente.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:49:29 GMT

Well, (despite secretly hoping otherwise) reading through these introductions, it appears I am one of the very few political conservatives. (Please note: Despite the popular notion that conservatism is about "red and blue states" it is actually about less government and more action on the part of people like ourselves who devote our lives to service, caring about our neighbors, our environment and extending a hand up to those in need.)

Thus, my vote will go to Fred Thompson, should he decide to run for the office of President of these United States (which have become more and more divided during the last two presidential elections).

I had the privilege of serving on staff for the U.S. Senate during the Reagan administration as well as being a citizen-lobbyist for many of the last 23 years. Said experience fueled a variety of personal conclusions regarding our ability as a country to protect the principle of "liberty and justice for all."

However, I remain convinced that the strengths of our form of government (a Republic) outweigh the weaknesses — especially when we participate in respectful dialogues such as this!

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://onemind.gaia.com — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 18:44:01 GMT

Anthony, I suspect we ought to take this discussion to a new thread. This place is for introducing ourselves to one another; prolonged dialogs like this might have a damping effect on the willingness of newcomers to take the time to say a simple "hello." My fault for initiating a response to your initial post here. So I created a new discussion topic and continued the discussion there. I hope that's OK with everyone. Dan

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://AnthonyODonnell.gaia.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:37:57 GMT

Hi, onemind. I'll throw some things out there. No doubt, I'll get into trouble for generalizing too broadly. I invite readers to distance themselves from any vice mentioned below, and to correct my overgeneralizations. However, I would ask them to bear in mind that the question was general in nature and I’m seeking to talk about tendencies, which are essentially broad. Minimum wage is not an issue I've ever felt very strongly about, though I have been in the position of earning it. You seem to think that the right has an inhumane view dedicated solely to increasing the wealth of the already wealthy. No doubt there are people on the right who are simply protecting their economic interests without regard to others, but there is a humane argument against a minimum wage: it reduces job creation. It's hard to doubt the justice of that objection, since the minimum wage makes jobs artificially more expensive to employers. I think the left has aggressively attacked the family as an institution in any number of ways. If there is an opportunity to undermine the strength of families (defined as being principally parents taking care of their own children), the left can be counted on to support it. This is true all over the Western world. Most people on the left will affirm "alternative lifestyles" as a demonstration of their open-mindedness. I believe that such people are open-minded and generous, but they are mistaken in viewing the traditional family as an expendable institution. The consequences of that view have been enormous. I would just add, however, that it is not just the left that takes this position, but the left has been and remains in the vanguard. The generosity of people on the left has also led them into supporting rent control, which, as a Swedish government practitioner of rent control later commented after he had learned the folly of the practice the hard way, is the most efficient way to destroy a city short of bombing. The left also tends to take what has been called a "multiculturalist" view, which has also been damaging in many ways, for example as it influences immigration and educational policy. One might say the error is to emphasize the E pluribus at the expense of the unum. Knowledge of other cultures is great, neutralizing hostility to other cultures is great, learning foreign languages is great; but citizens need to share a common culture, however enriched with the seasoning, so to speak, of other perspectives. Cultures are not all equal. Some have more to offer than others. In fact, cultural relativism tends to dull the intellect because if all cultures are equal, one need not strain to observe and carefully compare cultures' respective attributes and make informed judgments about their relative merits. Multiculturalism has been a disaster for education for the above reason, as well as how it has served to undermine affirmation of the good qualities of Western and American culture. Multiculturalism has made a joke of humanities faculties all over the West, and certainly in the United States. The harder-left elements in education have over-politicized education largely through Marxist rejection of all that isn't Marxist, as well as identity politics. The left is generally reflexively and irrationally anti-American, which it owes to vestigial Marxist ideas and lingering notions from warmed-over Soviet propaganda and European prejudices. In a similar vein, the left tends to over-estimate the intelligence, rationality and decency of Europe and tends to underestimate its intellectuals' raw resentment of upstart America. The left has harmed education at lower levels by emphasizing "self-esteem" over accomplishment. The left has also undermined educational performance by attacking standardized testing and pushing bilingual education (note: I am not opposed to bilingual education; I think it works up to a point. However, children need to be encouraged to learn the new language and not given opportunities to delay that learning). The (moderate) left led the way one of the great social issues of our time, the Civil Rights struggle. But unfortunately that movement has to a great extent curdled into something very different. People are encouraged not to play their role as equal citizens, but rather to seek benefits based on victim status, and not as individuals but as members of some identify group. Affirmative action is the conferring of benefits based not on "the content of one's character," but the color of one's skin. The left is generally weak on crime owing to behaviorist and Marxist deterministic explanations of social phenomenon. The criminal is the victim of the system, rather than a free actor choosing to victimize others. Perversely, criminals rights end up taking precedence over the rights of and protections for actual victims, who tend to be poorer members of society. One day on The McNeil-Lehrer Report (as I believe it was still called at the time), commentator Mark Shields (himself a Democrat) acknowledged this tendency by telling a classic joke, a kind of Good Samaritan Story, liberal style: Two liberals are walking down the street and come across a man who has been beaten very severely. One looks at the other and says, “We need to find who did this!” His companion nods and replys, "Yes, he needs help!" I don't consider this an exhaustive list, but it ought to be extensive enough to start a conversation.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://onemind.gaia.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:45:42 GMT

I agree with you about Obama, at least basically. His lack of experience for me is a plus this year. We need fresh thinking and the longer one is inside the Beltway, the less fresh one's thinking tends to become.

But I can't back Sen. Clinton because she's so over-packaged and guarded in her policy statements that she remains too much an enigma. That's complicated by her wrong-headed (IMNSHO) position on the Iraq War.

How about Edwards? He seems to me to have a lot of Obama's charisma and style, more substance, and he's a clearer thinker and more articulate speaker than Clinton.

Today, I'd rank my choices:

Kucinich
Obama
Edwards

Kucinich is an issues candidate whose role is going to be confined to shaping the debate and forcing key issues into the open. He has practically no shot at the nomination (a real shame, in my view) but if he got it, I'd quit my job, sell all my earthly possessions and go to work full time to see that he got elected. Obama will get my vote and some money and maybe some support time, as will Edwards.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://onemind.gaia.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:41:05 GMT

Thanks for your post. I deeply appreciate the viewpoint of someone who hasn't lived their entire life within the context of the American philosophy and its socio-political accompaniment.

I must say, however, that I am at a loss to understand what you mean when you say the Left (a word I substitute for Democratic for reasons best left for another discussion) have misfired on social issues. Take, as one example, the minimum wage. The Right, with its strong pro-business bent, nearly always opposes any raise in the standard of living of the less privileged while facilitating the increase in wealth (sometimes to today's fabulous standards) for those in power and control. I have a difficult time squaring that with principles of spirituality and Oneness.

Perhaps you might clarify by example some of the social issues you find yourself disagreeing with the Left about.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://AnthonyODonnell.gaia.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 13:32:27 GMT

I'm not an American citizen, but if I were I would vote for a Republican president. I inevitably find myself among people who lean Democrat because of certain personality traits and interests, but I have come to be an anti-rationalist (in the strict philosophical sense) and anti-utopian (which is nearly the same thing) and feel that in the last few decades we have basically thrown the baby out with the bathwater on cultural issues. I think the Democrats have been wrong on many social issues, on education, immigration and foreign policy. I also think that the free countries of the world should take more of a stand against the tyrants, something that the cynical politicians of Europe (especially France) will not do because of financial interests. There's always a great focus on the current American administration, but I defy anyone to demonstrate to me that today's French government is any less cynical than Nixon with Kissinger as Secretary of State. Look who they do business with, look who they sell arms to. Ditto the Russians. As an immigrant to the United States I have especial gratitude to the country. There is plutocracy everywhere in the developed world, but America remains more democratic than the crushing bureaucracy of the European Union. And for all the talk of the erosion of rights by George Bush, Americans are freer than Europeans. In Europe you can be punished and imprisoned for what you write. In America you can arm yourself for defense. In Europe one's rights are far more limited, and anybody legitimately defending himself is likely to be punished. I'm sickened by the magnification of everything Americans do wrong. Perhaps the best example of this is the hysteria over Abu Ghraib, although there is an endless stream of examples. If the reader doesn't understand what I mean by the hysteria over Abu Ghraib I submit that the reader isn't thinking with reasonable perspective and probably has a very poor grasp of history. For example, the United States military has conducted itself better in Iraq than during any other conflict, with regard to the overall behavior of the troops and with regard to care in harming non-combatants. With regard to George W. Bush and Iraq, my view is that something had to be done, and if the French and Russians didn't have heavy financial interests, they would have agreed. The course chosen was a risky one, and one I wouldn't have chosen. But it has an element of nobility that is seldom recognized. It would have been far easier for the Americans to simply go in, destroy Saddam Hussein's regime and leave the Iraqis with the mess. Right now Americans are trying to help Iraq to democracy. I respect people who nevertheless think the policy unwise. I don't respect people who dwell on every American mistake, make some offenses out of whole cloth and meanwhile don't trouble themselves about the constant atrocities committed by the other side. In recent times people have been very sloppy and inconsistent in their application of the principles of the Geneva Conventions. One last comment on the president: know George W. Bush by his enemies.

Re: Introduce Yourself Here

http://kcidybom.gaia.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 07:18:49 GMT

Hello people,

I'm Albert, I live in the US, but I'm a citizen of the World.

At this point my vote would go Barack Obama. If he stumbles badly my next choice would be Hillary Clinton. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but given the rather dim view I have of the other candidates they look downright wonderful in comparison.

Actually, that does them a disservice, particularly Obama. He's the first candidate I'm actually excited about in years. Maybe I can finally go to the polls and not cast my vote for the "lesser of two evils."