3 Responses for "Barack"

1. MikeInAZ January 29th, 2008 at 10:39 am 1

   I’m an Obama guy, but I like what a lot of what Ron Paul says (I don’t agree on everything). Too bad he’s not the best communicator and the media gives him no attention.

   Also I don’t like how a lot of people are putting down the Ron Paul supporters and trying to marginalize them, calling them crazy, bots, etc… What Ron Paul has brought to politics is a group of passionate supporters of all walks of life (a lot of my friends who were never political active have surprised me as RP supporters). They are fighting an uphill battle and I can see it as an objective guy…so I respect that.

   Although they vary differently on a lot of issues, both are willing to speak their minds even when it is not political prudent. Obama is a bit more diplomatic

   Everyone asks, how can you like Ron Paul as Obama guy? My answer is this: There isn’t just one solution to any one problem.

2. Duane Johnson January 29th, 2008 at 11:07 am 2

   I agree, Mike. It seems to me that Obama and Paul represent a shift to the “classical liberal” stance of many years ago. They are spiritual, but not religious. They have standards, but they are willing to see from others’ perspectives.

   I respect Obama for reducing the power of lobbyists and for his sunlight laws that are making government more accountable. I’m not convinced he understands economics well enough to turn the country around, but I expect he will try to find wise counsel where he himself lacks wisdom.

   I like Ron Paul for his cohesive philosophy. He grants freedom and requires responsibility. He wants to reduce the size of government and our tax burden, and at the same time he knows this means change for those of us who have become dependent on the government. And lastly, he has faith in the constitution and supports the rule of law, even if that means disloyalty to his party.

   Keep the good changes coming. We need more like these.

3. MikeInAZ January 29th, 2008 at 12:14 pm 3

   Thanks Duane.

   Regarding economics, I think Obama is pretty well informed. A little background, I’ve also been following the US housing bubble for quite some time (probably since 2003), I was in the camp that thought that the bubble was unsustainable. He was on This Week (TV) recently and what he said impressed me.

   Here are the transcripts, video is available too:
   http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=4197507

   They are discussing Hillary’s plan to magically freeze interest rates and put a moratorium on foreclosures (impossible). Obama’s solution is not 100% hands off, which I would prefer (let the people who made mistakes pay for them, so they can learn from them), but out of all the solutions I’ve heard, his isn’t so bad. It demonstrates that he understands the nuanced problems with any sort of bailout.

   —
   STEPHANOPOULOS: But just to be clear on these specific ideas, you think that, by freezing home foreclosures for 90 days and freezing adjustable-rate mortgages for five years, that could create moral hazards; that’s why you’re not for it?

   OBAMA: Well, I think it is important for us not to bail out lenders who made, in some cases, poorly considered or speculative loans. I think what is important is to make sure that people are staying in their homes, particularly first-time home buyers, families who are actually living in the house, as opposed to just flipping a condominium.

   And I think that we have to sort through how we can help those individuals aggressively, at the same time that we’re not bailing out banks who made loans that they shouldn’t have made.
   —

   Also from the blog of a Harvard professor (former Bush advisor I think):
   http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2008/01/pigou-club-watches-debates.html

   Just a small quote from it (full context at the blog), it was about an earlier debate regarding Global Warming/carbon tax that was asked of Richardson and Obama:

   —
   As a former energy secretary during the Clinton administration, Richardson has presumably studied these issues. But here he demonstrates extraordinary ignorance (or perhaps extraordinary disingenuousness) about the economic impact of cap-and-trade systems. By contrast, Obama shows extraordinary clarity and honesty about the effects of the policy he is proposing.
   —

   Also both understand and respect the Constitution. Ron Paul has been very consistent in his support of the Constitution and Obama as well (he taught Constitutional Law at University of Chicago).

   Good luck to Ron Paul today in Florida. Hope he finishes up high like in Neveda, but hope they don’t lock him out in the media again.