Anyone else out there just not getting the "Obama factor"?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I only just saw this and haven’t read all the posts, but of the ones I have read, I agree-- “this is fun.” I’m so disappointed I have nothing to watch tonight.</p>

<p>About 9/11-- From what I’ve read, we had plenty of warnings before that attack. They just chose to ignore them. I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I’ve always felt Bush and his people knew about the imminent danger of something happening on 9/11, and they/he allowed it to happen. I can believe he didn’t know it would be as devastating as it was-- maybe more like the 1993 attack, but whatever-- 9/11 sure gave him a much-needed boost. He was nothing before that, and what a turnaround (and another term). </p>

<p>I also agree Obama has nothing to say and no plans, but he does say it really well… I also think, as someone else on another thread already mentioned, he’s sure done a great job pulling people off their couches and getting them energized and excited about an election again. Think how boring this might be without him. I did hear him on NPR today, though-- just a sound bite, no interview-- saying something like, “We have to rid ourselves of these special interest groups . . .” blah blah blah. Right. Where does he think he’s getting all his money? This guy will owe everybody so much if he gets elected, most especially the health care industry.</p>

<p>I agree, too, that the media has been disgusting throughout all of this. I hate that they try to control how we’ll vote. At least the people of NH weren’t listening, though I would have preferred for a win (or, at least 2nd place) for John Edwards. I’m still behind Edwards, but if it gets down to Hillary or Obama, I’ll be voting for her. Regardless, I’m voting for a Democrat, no matter who the nominee is. This country can’t take Republicans for another 4 (or more) years.</p>

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<p>I have a question… my mom just told me the Obama voted against keeping english the national language. She said that she got it in an e-mail and that it was posted on the internet. Some how I just don’t believe that. I mean, you can’t believe everything you hear and just because it’s on the internet does not make it true. Does anyone know anything about this?</p>

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<p>Here’s your answer…Wolf Blitzer asked it at the debate:</p>

<p>This is the kind of question that is designed precisely to divide us. You know, you’re right, everybody is going to learn to speak English if they live in this country. The issue is not whether or not future generations of immigrants are going to learn English. The question is, how can we come up with both a legal, sensible immigration policy. And when we get distracted by those kinds of questions, I think we do a disservice to the American people."</p>

<p>So he didn’t vote against it, but in essence he’s not sayingnglishyis our national language…CAN WE SAY HEDGE YOUR BETS</p>

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<p>She says that the e-mail said that there were 33 total that voted against it as well…</p>

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<p>Found it. WashingtonPost.com shows that he did, in fact, vote no on this.</p>

<p>Vote 198: S 1348: Inhofe Amdt. No. 1151; To amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the national language of the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.</p>

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<p>why would anyone running for pres. vote against that. Im not sure I understand. This IS America right? If not english then what language should it be?</p>

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<p>Oh My Gosh</p>

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<p>People would vote against such an amendment because it is grounded in racism and bigotry.</p>

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<p>“Neither of them understand the impact of what will happen if a dem gets in and how much they will surrender of their earnings to support all of the social programs that Hil and Barack will implement.”</p>

<p>Hey lje62.</p>

<p>Do they understand how much debt they will be assuming due to Bush’s war in Iraq, which is supported by most of the Republican candidates? And what that debt means for their quality of life down the road?</p>

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<p>Agree with cartera45.</p>

<p>And after 220+ years and a bazillion languages spoken in America, why would we need to ammend our Constitution to make English official? Seems like things are working out just fine as it is. The Framers weren’t concerned about language, neither should we be.</p>

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<p>How is English as our national language grounded in bigotry and rascism? As I see it, to conduct any business in America, you need to know at least the basics of English. So why not make it the National language, and instead of being divided by it, be united by it</p>

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<p>whats so racist about that?</p>

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<p>im not sure why race would have anything to do with it?</p>

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<p>The Constitution does not establish any religion or language. That’s part of the philosophy of how the US is set up.</p>

<p>Some European countries have national religion, national language, and even registry of names that are acceptable. (Yuck!)</p>

<p>Much of the US was not originally English speaking, but expediency mandated that Spanish, French, Dutch, and even Swedish speakers (small colony of Delaware) eventually become English speakers. But this is just a historical accident, unless we consider military victories (The French-Indian War, The Mexican War, the English victory in New Amsterdam) or land grabs (The Louisiana Purchase) sufficient grounds for establishing a national language. I don’t.</p>

<p>With the Patriot Act eroding some of our civil rights I want to protect the ones we have.</p>

<p>If eventually enough Spanish speakers overwhelm the English speakers and the US becomes a Spanish speaking language I’ll be sad because I am an English prof, and I might be out of a job. I’ll also be sad that Shakespeare will be lost to so many American (well actually, it is tough going for many as it is), but Americans would be able to read Pablo Neruda in the original.</p>

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<p>An article on the Inhofe bill:
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/washington/19immig.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/washington/19immig.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I wasn’t trying to say that we should make English the national language. I personally believe that the government is too involved with our personal lives and stating what language we have to speak might be a little too much. However, I just wanted to know how trying to make English the national language is rascist and bigoted?</p>

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<p>Actually, I’ve been wanting to learn a different language and become officially bilingual for years. Maybe this is the impetus I’ve been needing . . .</p>

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<p>cadbury, this subject is a very slippery slope.</p>

<p>Yes, the national debt is and will have a huge impact on our children and their children, right on down the line.</p>

<p>it will also increase even more if the dem / socialists in disguise get into power when they implement their programs.</p>

<p>I do not and will not support the idea of socialized, government controlled health care. And in stating that, please let me say that I do not work for a company that supplies me our my family with health benefits.</p>

<p>We pay our own health insurance, as we own our company. We offer employees ( full time ) health insurance which is extremely costly. It is huge for our family to have basic coverage. Still being married to a European whose family is still living there and has their health care covered by the government ( with a tax rate that Americans of any party affiliation would be appalled by ), I would still choose to pay on our own and have the care we recieve under privatized health care. I have seen things unimaginable by the cushy standards of anyone in this country, whether insured or not.</p>

<p>And that is just part of my concerns of the dems.
I realize that we all want " change "</p>

<p>I don’t know anyone who is happy with the direction our country is going in, but it is not simply at the hands of the current presidential administration. Everyone wanted " change " last November, and it reflected in how the votes were cast. Still not much has been accomplished in the legistlature , has it ?</p>

<p>There are the conspiracy theorists that mention that Bush, et al knew about the threats that lead to the 9/11 tragedy, but then so did Clinton…hell, there were warning signs all the way back to the days of Jimmeh Carter, with warning signs all along the way…if you really want to pick bones, you can trace it back to post WWII</p>

<p>We are ALL way too dependant on the use of foreign oil, which puts on at the mercy of some regimes that control that resource. None of us are ready to surrunder our conveniences that we take for granted. </p>

<p>The outsourcing of jobs to third world nations happened while we were all happy as pigs in s**t. The trade agreements with China and India have had a major impact on the global demand for oil. While we have boosted their economies, well you know</p>

<p>Illegal immigration is becoming a major issue, and Obama was one of 30 something dems that voted against English being the national language of the USA. Hillary voted against it too, as did other candidates from both sides.</p>

<p>It will be a hard decision as to who to support. No one does it for me. It will be a question of the lesser of evils for me this election</p>

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<p>marite: Thanks for the link. Sigh. Sigh.</p>

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<p>This describes most of the candidates. I liked Obama at first, because he seemed to have a lot of passion. That he’s black was merely a bonus. But once he started his campaign, he seems to have been homogenized and now sounds vague like the rest of 'em. I wonder why.</p>