<p>
</p>
<p>It was after he threated to bomb Pakistan, but before he took nuclear deterrence off the table with regard to Iran.</p>
<p>Now, there is speculation that he is considering John Kerry or Tom Daschle for Secretary of State. Good grief. Might as well throw Louis Farrakhan’s name in the ring, too. He’s been on diplomatic missions.</p>
<p>We’ll probably see Michael Dukakis floated as Sec. of Defense. He’s got experience as a tank commander, right?</p>
<p>Only threatening to bomb Iran? Didn’t GWB drop bombs in places suspected of harboring Al Qaeda? That was something GWB did that I liked. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>As for Iran, it looks like present US policy not having had much effect, the problem is being shoved into the lap of the UN.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I am supporting Hillary not the DNC, so I think I can vote for MacCain. My only problem with MacCain is his health care proposal. It does not cover many people, but it is no all that different from Obama’s, so it is a lose lose situation on this point.</p>
<p>Obama’s economic policies are very bad for the economy, and MacCains economic policies are far better. </p>
<p>We are going to have a the Democratic Party controlling congress (they as ineffective, if not more, as a Republican congress), so any supreme court appointment who is a right-winger wont stand a chance of being confirmed. I trust MacCain to appoint people who are moderate like himself</p>
<p>It has finally dawned on me that, other than some social issues, I don’t have anything in common with the Democratic Party. I feel so embarrassed about defending this party among my conservative friends. The leadership of the party is very terrible, and very ineffective. I remember very well when Nancy Pelosi and her group talked about all the ideas they had in 2006, and also, about how they are going to get the country on track. Congress has done very little since 2006, they have spent a lot of time investigating Baseball, than coming out with solutions to get the troops out of Iraq. Congress is the only entity in the country with an approval rating lower done Bush.</p>
<p>I am very sad that the Republican party is not progressive enough on a lot of social issues that i care about deeply.</p>
<p>^ I am not sure I understand the difference between Hillary’s economic policies and those of Obama. Can you please explain the benefit of Hillary’s economic plan over her democratic rival? </p>
<p>Specific examples would help illustrate your point where you state, “Obama’s economic policies are very bad for the economy…”</p>
<p>Isokkermon, I think you can search WSJ about their their proposals on capital gains for a start. I will ask you to read the opinion section of the WSJ for the last couple of months, they have been running a good series explaining the economic proposals of the candidates.</p>
<p>I would not have thought that economics was McCain’s strong suit.</p>
<p>My advice to the Republican party: </p>
<p>(1) Be a little progressive on social issues, for a party that pride itself on limited government interference, it is surprising to see them get into the marriage debate. Get out of the marriage business, government should only enforce marriage contracts, it should not define it. </p>
<p>(2) Court more Hispanics, and tone down your anti immigration rhetoric. The Democratic party is forming a new party excluding Hispanics, and this will be a perfect time to court this voting block. They are now the largest minority group in the country.</p>
<p>(3) Go back to being fiscal conservatives, and leave the wasteful spending to the Democratic party. A lot of people are economic conservatives, and they will be willing to overlook the social issues if you will move back to being fiscally conservatives.</p>
<p>(4) The best thing to happen to the party this year is John MacCain, get behind him 100%. He is a better fiscal conservative than a lot of you. He voted against Dick Cheney’s energy bill full of goodies for the Oil industry that are bringing in record amount of profits, and also, against the Nancy Pelosi’s farm bill full of goodies for rich farmers. This farm bill supports price ceilings that are hurting consumers; it is only making the rich farmers richer at the expense of tax paying consumers. </p>
<p>He might not be a true social conservative, but if the party wants to attract more people, it has to ease some of its stance on social issues. </p>
<p>(5) At the convention introduce some of the rising stars in the party, like Jindal, a very smart individual with a very progressive economic ideas. Also, recruit early from colleges. </p>
<p>(6) Get out of the war business. Iraq was not necessary, but the harm has been done, find a better way to get us out.</p>
<p>(7) Consumers are turning to green and renewable energy, embrace it, don’t shun it. This green energy will be better for the environment in the long run even if it has nothing to do with global warming.</p>
<p>I have some more ideas that I will be sending to John MacCain. He is the head of the party now, and I am very glad that he has started addressing some of these issues.</p>
<p>Marite, MacCain is not strong on economics, but his policies were crafted by people who are strong on economics.</p>
<p>It is the same thing with Obama, no national security experience, but I keep hearing about his advisers.</p>
<p>McCain and Feingold both had the highest ratings by the Concord Coalition the fiscal watchdog group started by Paul Tsongas. Despite his rhetoric, McCain’s record reflects fiscal responsibility. </p>
<p>I’m going to start a new thread. How about a McCain-Weld ticket. I think that wins both NY and MASS.</p>
<p>tega,</p>
<p>You are a Hillary supporter. Since it looks like Obama wil be the nominee, don’t you think that his “economic” policies are still much more closely aligned to Hillary’s? Both candidates have said that they would consider raising the Capital Gains tax (to use your example), while McCain has said he won’t.</p>
<p>I agree that a candidate is only as good as the advisors he / she surrounds themselves with.</p>
<p>"Be a little progressive on social issues, for a party that pride itself on limited government interference, it is surprising to see them get into the marriage debate. Get out of the marriage business, government should only enforce marriage contracts, it should not define it. "</p>
<p>If McCain were to come out in favor of gay marriage, that would make him more progressive than either Hillary or Obama, both of whom have stated that marriage should be between a man and a woman. As it stands now, all 3 candidates are essentially the same in that respect.</p>
<p>“I would not have thought that economics was McCain’s strong suit.”</p>
<p>Can you cite anything from Obama’s background or training that would make him stronger than McCain on the economy?</p>
<p>Isokkermon, Yes some of his economic policies are similar to Hillary, but his tax increases are much higher. I am not happy with Hillary increasing the capital gains tax, but her increase is much lower than obama’s. </p>
<p>Hillary will be setting up a committee to come up with ways to reduce government waste. The GAO reported some of the wastes at the Defense department a couple of weeks ago, and I was appalled. Workers using government issued credit cards to order things that have absolutely nothing to with defense. </p>
<p>We have to make sure that the system is efficient before increasing taxes. A lot of people work very hard for their money, and I strongly believe that their money should be put to a better use.</p>
<p>^ I agree completely with your last paragraph.</p>
<p>The cornerstone of Clinton’s economic policy is “pay as you go”. Every dime of new spending must be paid for. That’s how her husband balanced the federal budget and it’s been Clinton’s record as a Senator and a presidential candidate.</p>
<p>The nominee of the New Democratic Party has specifically rejected any plans to move towards a balanced federal budget, stating that it is more important to increase taxes and spending.</p>
<p>The major difference is that Clinton is unwaveringly committed to universal heath care in the United States, primarily through a system that offers private insurance to all citizens. The leadership of the New Democratic Party (John Kerry) has already said that health care reform is off the table and their nominee has rejected setting universal health care as a goal.</p>
<p>I am in favor of universal health care, but I have insurance. My family has insurance. I’ll let the constituent groups of the New Democratic Party worry about their own heath care.</p>
<p>Referring back to the Vanity Fair article on Bill. I can see how it would have enraged him (as everything seems to do, these days), but from my perspective it underscored how I already felt about him. I found the author’s suggestion that he might have become clinically depressed following his heart surgery something worth considering, though one would think an ex-president should be surrounded by a qualified medical team capable of figuring that out and adequately treating such a condition. </p>
<p>While he was a brilliant rascal and apparently an insatiable womanizer before and during his presidency, his erratic behavior on the campaign trail for Hillary in recent months has been something else again. I agree with those who say he has done little but hurt his wife’s chances during this process. As someone who always kind of liked Bill despite his flaws and indiscretions, I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with his red-faced, sometimes irrational rants. … </p>
<p>Ironically, I believe Hillary might have made a fine president, quite possibly better than Bill. And as a woman, I would love to see a female hold that office before I’m done and gone. But not her. I just don’t want Bill anywhere near the White House. He had his eight years there. Enough. … And I’m sick and tired of this dynastic baloney. Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. There are only about a billion other family names out there, and I’m willing to pull the lever for one of them and try something new.</p>
<p>"Ironically, I believe Hillary might have made a fine president, quite possibly better than Bill. And as a woman, I would love to see a female hold that office before I’m done and gone. But not her. I just don’t want Bill anywhere near the White House. He had his eight years there. Enough. … "</p>
<p>I feel exactly the same way. When Bill ran the first time, I was excited by the prospect of a strong First Lady who would accomplish things in her own right. But, boy, did things go wrong. I would love, love a woman president but, again, not her.</p>
<p>"Ironically, I believe Hillary might have made a fine president, quite possibly better than Bill. And as a woman, I would love to see a female hold that office before I’m done and gone. But not her. I just don’t want Bill anywhere near the White House. He had his eight years there. Enough. … "</p>
<p>“I feel exactly the same way. When Bill ran the first time, I was excited by the prospect of a strong First Lady who would accomplish things in her own right. But, boy, did things go wrong. I would love, love a woman president but, again, not her.”</p>
<p>I agree, too!</p>
<p>"I found the author’s suggestion that he might have become clinically depressed following his heart surgery something worth considering, though one would think an ex-president should be surrounded by a qualified medical team capable of figuring that out and adequately treating such a condition. "</p>
<p>I would be surprised if psychiatrists or other mental health professionals are routinely on the team for heart surgery. Unfortunately, surgeons are some of the most repressed doctors when it comes to mental health issues.</p>
<p>Also, I would bet that politicians by nature deny and cover up problems like depression.</p>
<p>Given the Clintons’ power, it would also take a brave soul to confront them about possible mental health problems. Neither Clinton seems the type to be open to talking about such issues.</p>
<p>Anyone else noticed how much Bill Clinton has aged? He looks bad for 62.</p>
<p>“Given the Clintons’ power, it would also take a brave soul to confront them about possible mental health problems. Neither Clinton seems the type to be open to talking about such issues.”</p>
<p>Very true, and I’d respectfully suggest that the former President, by virtue of his family history, background, and spectacular achievements may have a very complicated psyche under the best of circumstances. I don’t want him in the White House, but he is a fascinating human being and a heckuvan American story.</p>