Otto's Outstanding Podcast

Thu, 31 January 2008

Finally watched my first debate tonight, was pretty enlightening...here's a few quick thoughts.

I've always seen Hillary as pretty devious and conniving (I think it's the perma-smile/smirk), and tonight only lessened this a little. I think she's going to try to run a nicer campaign than she has up to this point to match Obama's "no mud" policy, so she's gonna let Bill sling the insults and just shake her head in that "oh, there goes Bill again" way she did tonight. Both were very civil tonight other than the Iraq vote thing. Point to Obama on that for being right from the start.

I'd certainly vote for either of these candidates over Bush buddy McCain or the dog torturer Romney...Huckabee's a dead man walking in the other side's primaries, won't even throw him in the mix. And Ron Paul has hippies, at least in this area (Virginia), so he'll never win over the republicans.

On healthcare, points again for Obama for basically saying, I'll make it affordable, so the american people will be free to make a decision on if they want it or not. Clinton's mandate just seems too dictator like to me. Can't force it on people if it's not free. I must buy car insurance to drive, that's fine...if I don't want insurance, I don't get a car. Same with home owners insurance. Ok, so....if I don't want health insurance, I have to choose to give up my health? It's impossible to enforce as well. Healthcare is such a mess that I don't think it's going to be fixed anytime soon, but Obama seems to have the more realistic approach to it.

Both had decent ideas on immigration, and the driver's licence thing is a non issue. If you're an illegal immigrant, you're gonna drive, licence or no.

The TV thing was a waste of time as well, in my opinion. Anyone who's heard my podcasts or knows me knows my views on "bad words", and I'm a firm believer in parents getting up off their asses and doing some parenting. There's enough technology out there to keep kids from seeing shit or reading shit you don't want 'em to see or read. If you're too lazy to do so, too bad. Government intervention begins to border on 1st amendment issues, and is a political quagmire (giggity). It's not words that are bad, it's the intent behind them. And I suppose if a kid is determined enough to go to a news stand and look at naked ladies or maybe to the library and read a book that has "fuck" in it, more power to the intrepid little fuckers....at least they're reading.

So, Obama wins tonight's debate by a length or so. I'll go ahead and throw him my official "I'm a nonentity but I got an opinion goddamn it" endorsement. I hope the 20 or so people who come here agree with me, and if you don't, please feel free to engage in a friendly debate here on the blog. I love to debate. I'm a master debater...Oh wait....that's something else....never mind.

Category: general -- posted at: 10:08 PM

Comments[3]

You have been just like the mainstream media and written off Mike Huckabee. Obviously the Republican mainstream does not like him. He scares them because he may do the right thing and shake up the corrupt Washington political machine. The media consistently says there is no conservative candidate, without looking at Huckabee. THey have written him off. If you want government run healthcare, just look to Canada or to the US postal service or Amtrak and see how well they are run. I don't trust ANY politician (Liberal or Conservative) to tell me how I should acquire healthcare.

posted by: kuta on Fri, 2/1 01:23 PM EST

I'm glad to see you agree that Washington has become corrupted and needs to be overhauled from the top down. For Huckabee though, two words: Fried Squirrel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj3QAzSWVA4

He certainly does scare them. Me too. Also, I think you misunderstand where I stand on government run healthcare...I'm very against it. Obama says he doesn't want the gov't to run healthcare, just to make it affordable to those who are currently without it. Clinton is the one who wants to make it mandatory, and I still say that's plain impossible. I've not done much research on where the GOP canditates are at with healthcare, but if you can point me to one who has better ideas than Obama's please do. I'm a big fan of fiction.

posted by: iottoknow on Fri, 2/1 10:27 PM EST

None of the candidates bring to the table an adequate solution to the healthcare crisis. I had high hopes for Clinton (apparently too high) that since she devoted most of her energy as first lady to healthcare reform that she would come up with a better plan. But Chris you are right, her approach is similar to the mandate that you own car insurance; the philosophy that should you ever get in an accident your own neglect of your well being is burdening society financially and by stressing the system. The people without health insurance who have to go to the ER for an ear infection who make my kidney stone visit take 8 hours for them to pump me full of morphine (to which I am allergic) and shove me out the door. I'm pissing rocks and the kid on the other side of the curtain can't even go to a family doc and get a script for antibiotics because he's uninsured. Quality of care goes down, costs go up. The current system sucks and it sucks for all parties involved. But forcing everyone to be a player is not the solution. That only makes the insurance companies wealthier. If anyone should be forced to contribute it should be the government, not the employers, not the employees, not the unemployed. Everyone needs to be an equal player on a level playing field to make the system work. I am a firm believer in Single Payer Healthcare.
Check this out: http://www.grahamazon.com/sp/whatissinglepayer.php

posted by: Em on Mon, 2/4 10:47 PM EST

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