President Obama!

[MuppetQuilter]

Biden has been in the senate since 1972. He is generally well liked by Democrats and Republicans. About 15 years ago I was working for a PAC in DC and attended Biden's hearings on the Violence Against Women Act and he managed those smoothly.

He's known for his foreign policy expertise and the Republic of Georgia specifically asked for his help with Russia. He currently chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He worked for US military intervention in Bosnia. He used to chair the Judiciary Committee.

His wife and daughter were killed in a car accident in the early 70s. His sons were both severely injured (his daughter was one, the boys were, I believe, 2 and 3). He was talked out of resigning his newly-won senate seat and was sworn into office at his son's bedside. Five years later Biden married again and he and his wife have a daughter. Biden commutes daily from Delaware to DC because he wanted to be home with his kids.

His son, Beau, is Delaware's attorney general and is currently in Iraq with his National Guard unit. There has been speculation that Beau may get Joe's senate seat.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Ah, thanks! That was much more than I would have ever had the attention span to look up on my own, lol!
Yeah, I know my aunt did something related to ending domestic violence, and it may have been related to his work. I'll have to ask her.
He certainly has had a long and full career, and a tumultuous personal life! From what you've said, I think I like him!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I just don't see how you can have the rich pay everything and the little guy not get screwed in the end.

Daniel

I totally agree with you there! Especially with the whole minimum wage hike thing! It's just going to make things worse!

 

[dwayne1115]

ok all my jokeing aside I have one thing to say.

I really don't think that Obama or anyone esle can fix a lot of the things in America. Because when it comes right down to it, it is people hearts and minds that need changing, and there is only one person that can do that. America has become a very self oriented Nation, and it's time we got back to the things that use to be inportaint. Like helping others and what not.

 

[Yva Minstrel]

I haven't been back in the forum in a rather long time, but I thought I would offer up some of my summations about the last few days. I did vote for Obama and some inquired as to why it was more women did not vote for McCain / Palin.

Speaking as a woman, I do not think that Sarah Palin represents the views and ideals of all women. I am a feminist, and I am pro Choice, that means if faced with issues of abortion, I'd never do it. However, I don't want the choices of others to be controlled by the ideals of the religious right. Also, Palin supports the idea that no one should be allowed to abort a child even if the circumstances were dire and a woman's health was endangered. She also opposed women getting abortions after they had been accosted and were pregnant as a result. Governer Palin's intentions do not take these kinds of situations under consideration. For that reason, I do not believe that she really knows how the other half lives, or at the least, the nightmarish conditions some of her contemporaries have actually lived with. That tends to make people think that she's out of touch with them.

The other factor that made my decision against the Republican ticket was Governer Palin's overwhelming inexperience. I'm not saying that she could not be a formidable politicial figure, because I really do not know. However, I am saying that as a Vice Presidential canidate, she should know where France is on a map. Furthermore, she should not be making comments about seeing Russia from her backyard. Many people in Europe cannot take her seriously because of these verbal slip-ups. How is it possible for a nation to have any sort of international credibility if it's Vice President is only winking and smiling? This is not a beauty pagent, this is the second most powerful job in the world and should be treated as such.

John McCain, although a good man with good intentions, is 72 years old. My grandfather was a year older than that when he died. If Senator McCain were to have won the election, his health would come under very close scrutiny, perhaps closer than it already has been. If he had selected another Vice Presidential candidate with more experience in politics as well as foreign policy than Governer Palin, then I am almost certain that the vote would have been a great deal closer than it was.

Finally, someone mentioned Governer Palin's pro-drilling agenda. I am in concurrence with their remarks in this matter. I am an environmentalist as well, have been since my teenage years. I do support animal rights. Not to the extent that I am crazy or someone could do a parody about me, but I do love animals, and these objectives seems to counter that.

There were other reasons behind my not voting for the Republican ticket, but I suppose instead of going into further detail, I will simply say that I am an absolute admierer of President-Elect Barack Obama, and I don't think he could have done better having Joe Biden as his VP. I wish only that I had gone to hear him speak in Berlin earlier this year. I will also say that I am not as big a fan or supporter of Senator Clinton, I'm sorry to say that but I do have issues about the Presidency literally bebopping back and forth between two well-known families for more than two decades. It may seen crass of me to say so, but that's pretty much how I feel about it.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

That's a good point about the presidency being run by these two families. I hadn't thought of that.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Speaking as a woman, I do not think that Sarah Palin represents the views and ideals of all women. I am a feminist, and I am pro Choice, that means if faced with issues of abortion, I'd never do it. However, I don't want the choices of others to be controlled by the ideals of the religious right. .

I respect your opinion, I don't think Palin represented all women either (I'm not for drilling for instance). But I don't think being against abortion is just a religious issue. It's about justice and compassion for both the mother and the baby. Choice is a neutral concept and can justify anything, including negative things. There has to be more than just choice, there has to be compassion.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

I'd like to thank Yva Minstrel and Heralde for sharing their views on an extremely controversial issue in a respectful way. They both used I statements and made it clear they were addressing their own views and sharing their own opinions. They shared some of the reasoning behind their views but no one resorted to name calling or saying everyone should agree with them. Well done! I hope the rest of us can manage as well.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I'd like to thank Yva Minstrel and Heralde for sharing their views on an extremely controversial issue in a respectful way. They both used I statements and made it clear they were addressing their own views and sharing their own opinions. They shared some of the reasoning behind their views but no one resorted to name calling or saying everyone should agree with them. Well done! I hope the rest of us can manage as well.

Well thank you, I do honestly appreciate that. I'm honestly glad the election is finally over either way, there's just too much stress involved.

II'm sorry to say that but I do have issues about the Presidency literally bebopping back and forth between two well-known families for more than two decades. It may seen crass of me to say so, but that's pretty much how I feel about it.

Absolutely! This is a country, not a dynasty. We may not have royalty in this country but we do have an aristocracy that keeps getting special treatment.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

I agree entirely about being glad the election is over! For the past few weeks, whenever a campaign commercial would come on TV, my mom and I would always say as much to each other. But if we thought it was tiring, can you imagine how Obama and McCain, not to mention their staff and families, must have felt? lol


To lighten the a bit, I wasn't sure about posting this, but I figured what the hey?
Did you know Obama is of Irish descent? Yep, it's true. At one point we thought that he might be distantly related to our family, because he's from the same county, but now I don't think so. A couple of my relatives still think so though! Anyway, my aunt sent me this last night. It's clean, don't worry. It is a bit long though, so get comfortable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EADUQWKoVek

You know, while watching this I couldn't help but light-heartedly wonder if Obama himself had ever seen or heard this. Probably not, but hey, you never know!