The 44th President of the United States

[Strontium]

Why wish for a female or a black? Why not a chinese or an Arabic or a Hispanic? Or a female black? Surely what you should be wishing for is the best person for the job not the most black or female? It sounds patronising to me. If Denzel Washington or Meryl Streep were the best people for the job then fine.

 

You misunderstand me. I wish the next President was a Democrat, and given that those two are the front runners for the Dem nomination, then the mere fact of having a black or female President would mean that the President was a Democrat.

 

I'm a bit confused as to why you thought I was indulging in tokenism in the first place. I'm a liberal for crying out loud, that ought to mark me out as a meritocrat, and the very opposite of someone who would support a person simply because they were part of a racial minority or a particular gender group.

[Captain]

I just don't understand why Americans are so big on democracy when they keep chooseing the same old leaders themselfs.

 

What's the contradiction? (I assume you think there is one)

[Chris]

Well, choice is the key word.

[Captain]

Exactly, hence the question.

[thechap]

You misunderstand me. I wish the next President was a Democrat, and given that those two are the front runners for the Dem nomination, then the mere fact of having a black or female President would mean that the President was a Democrat.

 

It looked like tokenism but I take you at your word that that was not what you meant.

[Stu Monty]

People who hate tokens really piss me off. Tokenism is the worst of the isms.

[Chris]

People who hate tokens really piss me off. Tokenism is the worst of the isms.

 

I hate you Monty.

[Stu Monty]

I hate you Monty.

 

Apart from Montyism, that's worse, way worse.

 

Racist.

[Newport]

It'll be Hillary Clinton. Secret handshakes and that.

 

Bush

Clinton

Bush

Clinton

 

Its all bollox

 

People won't understand until the day when Roger Clinton takes over :whistle:

[Captain]

Roger? Surely, if Hillary succeeds it'll be her bastard, lesbian daughter?!

[bobhorse]

No blacks No women take your pick of the rest but as sure as eggs is eggs niether of the two listed will sit in the Whitehouse as President.

 

Its an office that will see a rich white man sit his arse in it next time round by hook or by crook and there might be a few so called Accidents if they cant change the voters minds

 

Thats all

[philyhamann]

Obama would be fantastic from what I've read.

[kelster]

Obama would be fantastic from what I've read.

 

He looks French to me :thumbdown

[philyhamann]

He looks like David Palmer to me, and if he is as good a President as he was in 24, it would rule hard.

[Section_31]

He looks like David Palmer to me, and if he is as good a President as he was in 24, it would rule hard.

 

I still can't believe Martin Sheen hasn't run, I genuinely think he'd have a shot, in fact I can see the adverts now.

 

"In the West Wing Martin Sheen proved he had the right stuff to do what's right for the USA on the world stage and heal the wounds that divide our country, think Bartlett, vote Sheen."

 

Then I'd hand out shit loads of leaflets with a complimentary West Wing DVD with the mantra 'Think Bartlett - Vote Sheen' on it. Anyone who thinks that wouldn't work is deluded.

[Spy Bee]

Obama is one charming mofo!

[Dropkick]

I think that they should stick with Bush. Who ever new they get probably wont be much better and then they will have to get rid of all Bush's appointments and put in their own ones and then they will all have to learn the job and then in another four years just when they are getting the hang of it it will be time to start all over again. No wonder that a country run like that is in a mess.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

I think that they should stick with Bush. Who ever new they get probably wont be much better and then they will have to get rid of all Bush's appointments and put in their own ones and then they will all have to learn the job and then in another four years just when they are getting the hang of it it will be time to start all over again. No wonder that a country run like that is in a mess.

 

:no Get yer coat!

[johnb]

Giuliani and Clinton in a face-off.

 

Giuliani to win.

[G Richards]

I think Barack Obama will win. He's the one I'm hoping will win, and I get the sense that America wants change.

 

McCain? Too old.

Romney? Too Mormon (NB - that will lose him a lot of votes, it is not a personal criticism).

Huckabee? Dark horse, but probably a bit too homespun/parochial.

Giuliani? Dark Horse, but probably will split the Republican vote too much (messy personal life, doesn't play the religious card).

 

As for the Democrats, it's a straight fight between Hillary and Barack. Obama was nowhere until a few weeks ago, when Oprah Winfrey got behind him. Laugh all you like, but that tipped it his way for me. Vast swathes of America are not overly informed about the political scene, but if Oprah is for Barack Obama, then that will get him untold votes.

 

The downside is his relative inexperience, but I just get the feeling that the country wants to change. He is the man who offers that.

[Rashid]

If Obama wins how long will he last? e.g. if he tries to sort out the Middle East his Muslim heritage will be bought up by Christians/Jews, if he tries the other way his Christian faith till be used against him by Muslims.. if he doesn't help blacks in the ghetto's he will be called a traiter... difficult for him but I love him. I am currently reading his book, inspirational stuff.

[G Richards]

I think Obama offers a unique vantage point at this time in history. He is a Christian, and that certainly appeals to a lot of voters in America. But he is not OTT with it, and so his appeal is much wider. He also has some Muslim heritage, and so he can offer a good perspective to America (and the wider Muslim world) which at least should begin with some mutual understanding and dialogue. I think the whole process will be helped if Muslims aren't 'demonized' by middle America, and Barack Obama will be the man to build bridges.

 

He is black, and so hopefully the millions of blacks will feel like they are having a say in the political process. He is young, and early indications show that the younger element of the electorate are waking up to the political process, which can only be a good thing.

 

He is a Democrat, but he is not so wildly outspoken as earlier versions (such as Jesse Jackson) that he will immediately be on to a loser, having disenfranchised many moderates.

 

He is principled too, having consistently been against the Iraq war. He also seems to be 'statesmanlike' because he doesn't go in for mud-slinging.

 

I really hope he becomes the next President. While I'm English and I live here, the importance of the next American President should not be overlooked on a global level. If we get another of Bush's ilk (war-mongerer, quick to fight fire with fire and promote an agenda of fear) then things will get a lot worse before they get better.

[Neil G]

If Obama wins how long will he last? e.g. if he tries to sort out the Middle East his Muslim heritage will be bought up by Christians/Jews, if he tries the other way his Christian faith till be used against him by Muslims.. if he doesn't help blacks in the ghetto's he will be called a traiter... difficult for him but I love him. I am currently reading his book, inspirational stuff.

 

That's a strength, not a weakness. His entire campaign has focused on how he can bring people from different backgrounds together, because he understands and has been shaped by many different backgrounds himself.

[Moo]

That's a strength, not a weakness. His entire campaign has focused on how he can bring people from different backgrounds together, because he understands and has been shaped by many different backgrounds himself.

 

That remains to be seen. Is America ready for that type of President?

 

I don't think he'd last 5 minutes with the 'Red-neck' or ignorant sections of the population of the US if he aligned himself too closely with the Mid-East peace process, and Heaven forbid he actually did anything that would be to the betterment of the Arabs/Muslims.

 

Maybe I am doing some Americans a disservice but it's not hard to imagine the possible reaction. It would be because of his "roots", he'd be going against the US of A because of his personal history.

 

Therefore I'd imagine he'd be positioned away from that aspect of American and World politics, so actually in that instance, why would he be better than another candidate?

 

Has he spoken much on the Middle East issue?

[AngryOfTuebrook]

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/?storyID=6436

There's clearly a groundswell of opinion in the USA that thinks the words "Muslim" and "terrorist" are interchangeable. I fully expect the Republicans to exploit this ill-informed bigotry and to fight dirty with it. (Remember, these are the people who took a contest between a decorated war-hero and a draft-dodging shithouse who hid behind Daddy's money.... and used the medal-winners war record against him!)