# SDMB liberals...who do you want in the next Presidential election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 25, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302 "2011-07-25T19:56:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/61 "2011-07-26T23:56:52Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Well, he did state an intention, but the Congressional Republicans immediately set their hair on fire and started screaming “TERRORISTS IN OUR BACKYARD!!!111!!” and that was that. > > \*ETA: Considering the kind of crappy Blue Dogs in both the Senate and the House the Democrats had at the time, there were probably a few of those also screaming stupid shit. And that’s the point many of us are making. We wish Obama would stand up to the opposition rather than give in to it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/62 "2011-07-26T23:59:22Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Actually, I’d be more inclined to the converse, since a lot of posters in this thread have prefaced their comments with something to the effect that they aren’t really liberals, but… > > My guess is that the more moderate SDMB ‘liberals’ are the ones mainly posting in this thread, and perhaps the more radical ‘liberals’ aren’t, so perhaps the answers are skewing more towards a reality based answer as opposed to one based on passion and partisanship. Or, I might have just been mis-reading comments in other threads that seemed to indicate that ‘liberal’ dissatisfaction was a lot higher (to the point of not wanting to vote for the Democratic incumbent) than it might actually be. Maybe we’re following the conservative definition of the term: anyone who isn’t a conservative is a liberal. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/63 "2011-07-27T02:51:32Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > I’m curious…who do you WANT to represent the Democrats in the next Presidential election? If he/she is liberal, then they aren’t very electable and aren’t likely to be a Democrat, either. As for an individual I have no idea. I gave up ever electing anyone who supported anything I believe in or anyone I consider a decent human being long, long ago. I just vote against the Republicans at this point, never for anyone. So Obama, simply because he’s the most likely to keep the Republican out of office. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/64 "2011-07-27T09:48:35Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Alas, Obama’s greatest competition for the nomination was from a white _woman_. (Who is currently doing well as Secretary of State.) > > It’s about time somebody turned over some rocks so the pale, white grubs festering there could be exposed to the clear light of day. > > Has Obama been perfect? No. Will I vote for him again? Yes. I like both Obama and Mrs. Clinton, and they may have been the two most qualified among Democrat contenders, but I’m afraid the vile hypocrites would have just taken advantage of the gender card instead of the race card. I am in agreement with your “turning over some rocks.” But it is so sad that it has provided a wedge for evil people to bring this once-great country’s politics to a slapstick farce, that will soon be recognized as a tragedy of epic proportion. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/65 "2011-07-27T10:36:10Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I like both Obama and Mrs. Clinton, and they may have been the two most qualified among Democrat contenders, but I’m afraid the vile hypocrites would have just taken advantage of the gender card instead of the race card. It was, and still is for that matter, disturbing and saddening how often we’d be treated to the words “bitch” and “shrill” in this very forum. But I don’t think there’d be as much of the bigotry you describe - women are actually a majority in the US, many of them Republicans, and besides every voter actually personally knows some, so employing sexism is likely to backfire badly while employing bigotry at a minority candidate may pay off; and there are no ancestral fears of women that can be easily stirred up either. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/66 "2011-07-27T18:31:56Z")
Obama. I’m a little disappointed in some decisions, but then, my expectations were sky-high. My real beef is with D leadership in general. We are just too damned pansy and soft. We don’t even bring a knife to a gun fight. We bring puppies. ---
**Author:** ![galveston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/41988e/32.png) [@galveston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galveston)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/67 "2011-07-28T00:49:33Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Qin, the poor will always be with us, but the Judeo-Christian tradition still supports redistribution. > > [Tzedakah - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzedakah) > > Oh, the OP. I don’t know. Jerry Brown has his hands full in California, and he’s old. Feingold might be OK. I’m sure not a liberal, but reading this, I just have to clear up this misconception. Jesus did NOT support redistribution, at least not FORCED redistribution, as with the government doing it. Christian ethics calls for VOLUNTARY giving to help those less fortunate. Luke 12:13-14: 13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? In this passage we see that Jesus had a golden opportunity to preach redistribution had He wanted to do so. The fact is that He did NOT want to preach that because it is contrary to Biblical principles, and those call for individuals to give. When government takes money by force (tax/robbery) and gives it to someone else who has done nothing to merit it, that someone else then becomes recipient of stolen goods, made accessory to a (moral) crime. Just so you have one Christian’s perspective on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/68 "2011-07-28T01:02:01Z")
> [@galveston](#): > > Jesus did NOT support redistribution, at least not FORCED redistribution, as with the government doing it. Christian ethics calls for VOLUNTARY giving to help those less fortunate. Yes. That’s why Ananias and Sapphira lived long, happy lives. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/69 "2011-07-28T01:57:19Z")
> [@galveston](#): > > When government takes money by force (tax/robbery) and gives it to someone else who has done nothing to merit it, that someone else then becomes recipient of stolen goods, made accessory to a (moral) crime. And where in the bible does it say this? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/70 "2011-07-28T02:05:04Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Yes. That’s why Ananias and Sapphira lived long, happy lives. That was in that specific case largely because the couple lied to God. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/71 "2011-07-28T03:05:10Z")
Sorry to continue this hijack, but I have to call out some Christian hypocracy. > [@galveston](#): > > I’m sure not a liberal, but reading this, I just have to clear up this misconception. > Jesus did NOT support redistribution, at least not FORCED redistribution, as with the government doing it. Christian ethics calls for VOLUNTARY giving to help those less fortunate. > > Luke 12:13-14: > 13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. > 14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? > > In this passage we see that Jesus had a golden opportunity to preach redistribution had He wanted to do so. The fact is that He did NOT want to preach that because it is contrary to Biblical principles, and those call for individuals to give. > > When government takes money by force (tax/robbery) and gives it to someone else who has done nothing to merit it, that someone else then becomes recipient of stolen goods, made accessory to a (moral) crime. > > Just so you have one Christian’s perspective on the subject. As a Christian myself, and a Democrat, I want to call out this hypocracy. The Bible \*does \*promote redistribution, notably in Acts 4: > [@](#): > > 1. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. > > 2. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. > > … > > 1. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, > > 2. And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. This is a clear description of how the Spirit wants people to live. The Christian Right has no problem attempting to impart Biblical values in other realms of society through government laws and policy: Gay marriage, abortion, creationism taught in schools, abstinence education instead of sex education, sodomy laws, just to name a few. So why is it, on the one issue that acutally, ya know, could help the “least among us,” they get all “Oh redistribution has to be VOLUNTARY! The government can’t \*force \*people to do it!” But forcing those other Christian morals upon people is okay? /end hijack ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/72 "2011-07-28T03:09:16Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Sorry to continue this hijack, but I have to call out some Christian hypocracy. > > As a Christian myself, and a Democrat, I want to call out this hypocracy. The Bible \*does \*promote redistribution, notably in Acts 4: > > This is a clear description of how the Spirit wants people to live. The Christian Right has no problem attempting to impart Biblical values in other realms of society through government laws and policy: Gay marriage, abortion, creationism taught in schools, abstinence education instead of sex education, sodomy laws, just to name a few. > > So why is it, on the one issue that acutally, ya know, could help the “least among us,” they get all “Oh redistribution has to be VOLUNTARY! The government can’t \*force \*people to do it!” > > But forcing those other Christian morals upon people is okay? > > /end hijack I don’t support for instance banning homosexuality but I’m opposed for instance to the idea that taxpayers should pay for gay marriages. As for abortion its murder so it has a particular urgency that most other social issues do not. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/73 "2011-07-28T03:13:32Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I don’t support for instance banning homosexuality but I’m opposed for instance to the idea that taxpayers should pay for gay marriages. Why? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/74 "2011-07-28T03:16:11Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Why? Because it means people who find homosexual marriage immoral have to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/75 "2011-07-28T03:23:01Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because it means people who find homosexual marriage immoral have to pay for it. And people who oppose _straight_ marriage have to pay for it. And people who oppose interracial marriages have to pay for them. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/76 "2011-07-28T03:26:37Z")
Really? If there are people who find \*something \*immoral, then no taxes should go toward it? What should taxes pay for? Rainbows? Butterscotch? Jump ropes? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/77 "2011-07-28T03:28:23Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because it means people who find homosexual marriage immoral have to pay for it. And what about the people who think it’s immoral for a nation that allows the wealthy to keep so much of their money through tax cuts and loopholes at the expense of the poor? You don’t see the hypocracy? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/78 "2011-07-28T03:34:03Z")
And if I were going to pick a Christian value to force upon the American public, I’d pick one that Christ actually preached on. I don’t remember him ever telling any parables or preaching any sermons on homosexuality. But making sure we take care of the poor, sick and the “least among us?” Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/79 "2011-07-28T03:53:48Z")
The perfect candidate is probably someone I barely know anything about. However traits I’d really like to see in a liberal president are The ability to communicate his message to the public An ability to work behind the scenes to get congress to pass his legislation (like LBJ did) using whatever methods were needed An ability to profess progressive values in a way the public can relate to them A willingness to use the power of the executive branch (like Bush did) to get his way Who has all that and electibility? I don’t know. Bernie Sanders seems principled. But I don’t know if he is electable, or how effective he’d be as president. So no idea. FDR and LBJ both seem like presidents with courage of their convictions who knew how to get things done. None of that applies to Obama from what I’ve seen. The last congress was productive. The health reform law was a good start. The stimulus probably kept the U3 below 13%. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302/80 "2011-07-28T03:58:47Z")
Jesus was also in favor of paying taxes, for the government to do whatever with. Pay unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, after all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-liberals-who-do-you-want-in-the-next-presidential-election/590302.md?page=5)