The funniest thing is…you actually believe this.
-XT
Sometimes when desire and passion are strong enough, reason is overwhelmed, and you can actually remember things that never ever happened.
I believe it too. How funny is that?
Fair enough. I chose my words poorly. But the point remains – Clinton’s party has been voted out of office. Why hasn’t his party stopped criticizing their opposition?
Maybe because the criticism from either party does not depend on merely holding the Executive office. Maybe because the criticism is supposed to continue despite losing the Executive. Maybe suggesting otherwise is a bit confused.
Who is currently President is completely irrelevant. Every administration can count on a small but vocal percentage of hard-core enemies. Even Presidents now considered great had in their time people who would accuse them of the greatest of evils.
Assassination cures it, though, and much of the vitriol that had been directed against the now-martyred President quickly evaporates. Lincoln and Kennedy were absolutely hated by some, but after their deaths, the enemies were hard to find.
I remember when some people blamed everything bad that happens on Reagan. I remember when some people blamed everything bad that happens on Clinton. Now some people blame everything bad that happens on Bush.
I don’t remember when people blamed anything on Carter. Then again, I was only three when he was elected.
Not surprising…but its pretty funny, yes.
-XT
I would surrender my daily ration of Cup Cakes if only one of the tin foil brigade would explain how W will become dictator. Seeing as that there is no legal basis for stopping the elections, or declaring oneself King of America, or anything along those lines, what is the actual mechanism that will be used to make W El Presidente for Life?
I dunno Duke, it’s only been a year and a half since I had to correct someone who blamed Jimmy Carter for the 55-MPH speed limit.
I was a young teen but I do remember the ABC-“Anybody But Carter” buttons. People were generally depressed about him as I recall. He was rather uninspiring and had a tin ear for how his ideas (which even I thought were pretty good) sounded to the public. And the Iranian hostage crisis–I don’t think people who weren’t older than 8 or so can imagine what a horrible effect it had on our psyche. Under Carter we learned for the first time how much some of the world hated us. Although they all made it out alive.
But he has made a great EX-President.
[putting on tinfoil hat]
REX 84, man! Don’t you remember, when Ollie North was drawing up those plans for Reagan…?
[taking off tinfoil hat]
First, I disagree that this Administration is not more secretive. For example, Ashcroft issued an order regarding the freedom of information act that roughly said “when in doubt, don’t release (and the Justice Dept will defend you)”, replacing Janet Reno’s order that said “When in doubt, release.” In regards to missile defense, the Administration decided to classify tests that were not being classified under the Clinton Administration. Thus, organizations like Union of Concerned Scientists are no longer able to conduct as extensive analyses of the tests and point out the flaws. Rumsfeld also tried to get the program exempted from a lot of Congressional oversight although I think Congress balked at much of that.
As for why should we care how the decisions are arrived at as long as they are correct. Well, I don’t think the energy policy is the correct decision at all. And, I think we have the right to know how such silly decisions were arrived at. Actually, we really already pretty much know that too, but we have the right for the public at large to know. For example, they have the right to know how special interests who have contributed a lot to the campaign are getting access to the President and his advisors.
And, I agreed with those who felt that similar info should have been released by Clinton in regards to the health care plan.
I can remember at least a couple of posts from Dopers claiming that Bush was going to cancel the elections. And Stoid can be counted on for a couple of hysterical “The world is coming to an end” threads every time the Republicans win a national election.
But this isn’t particularly new. Reagan was going to be the cowboy who started Armaggedon, Nixon was evil incarnate, and now Bush is The Worst President in History[sup]TM[/sup]. Not as much with Ford, Bush 41, or Carter, who were seen as simply inept. And Clinton was characterized as personally slimy, but not necessarily out to end the world as we know it. Some of that got flung at Hilary the Co-President, mostly in connection with her desire to federalize the American health care industry.
I hated Clinton, but not to the degree that Dopers hate Bush. Clinton was a disgrace to the Presidency, but fortunately his scandals took up his time, and all he really wanted to achieve was to be re-elected. And he did deliver a Republican Congress.
Regards,
Shodan
It’s kinda sad that there are a few here who can’t even agree that the Clinton bashing and the Bush bashing are just about as bad, though if I had to pick a worse one, it would be clinton because his went on for 8 years and bush hasn’t quite had four yet. 
I will say that Bush’s mistakes do seem to be a bit more global than clintons. Getting his “winkie whacked” (ty Lewis Black), the $200 dollar haircut, and Jocelyn Elders “education” ideas seem kind of small compared to tossing away global goodwill to invade Iraq with such a half baked reconstruction plan. I won’t back the dictator idea though, which I have heard talk of since I live in a fairly liberal area.
If the elections are getting more and more venomous, think of how fun 2008 is going to be :eek:
One tinfoil hat idea that I want to add. With the somewhat easily hackable e-voting machines out and about, it would be terribly easy to toss the election results for either side. Add in a divided populace, sprinkle with a few looneys and instant mess.
It’s important to note that most of the alarmist cant about Clinton from the right was about things Clinton was GONNA do but never did or showed much sign of doing. Clinton was GONNA take away all our guns. Clinton was GONNA make the UN the World Gummint. Clinton was GONNA force Eagle Scouts to become gay.
The alarmist cant about Bush is mostly about things Bush HAS ACTUALLY DONE. Bush HAS embroiled us in a Mideastern quagmire. Bush DID lie about the pretext for going to war. Bush HAS let government spending go hog-wide.
See the difference?
Oooooooh, I was wondering who did that. Glad to finally have that mystery solved.
Er, right, something on topic… I’ll restate. Bush doesn’t want to be a dictator, but PNAC wants to establish a new dynasty, by their own admittance. Scary enough for me.
There is an obvious response to this, but mentioning it might provoke the Secret Service to investigate this board.
Cite?
The machines are not hackable, are they, unless they are connected to the Internet or an intranet? Which, as I understand, they won’t be – no cite, but I’ve heard this discussed on All Things Considered.
I would add that it is going to be very, very hard to pull off any kind of fraud in this election, because it is going to be the most closely watched election in American history. Some have even called for official international observers.
Nonsense. The ‘goodwill’ after 9/11 lasted exactly three weeks, when the first bombs started dropping on Afghanistan. Then there were worldwide protests (HUGE ones - as big or bigger than the protests against the Iraq war). There was condemnation from Arab countries.
The ‘goodwill’ towards the U.S. ended the day the U.S. buried its dead and began fighting back.