Obama before an interview on CNBC. It sort of reminds me of my father referring to one of my friends. His cool demeanor and slim physique almost make you forget he's nearly 50.
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Moderators: Alyrium Denryle, Edi, K. A. Pital
LOLFireNexus wrote:That's because unlike Bush, he is a regular guy. Obama was middle class, just really, really smart, and he moved on to great things. Bush was just a spoiled rich kid who acted like a redneck.
Yes, a lot of people do that.Bilbo wrote:LOLFireNexus wrote:That's because unlike Bush, he is a regular guy. Obama was middle class, just really, really smart, and he moved on to great things. Bush was just a spoiled rich kid who acted like a redneck.
"Average" guys grow up in foreign countries?
"Average" guys travel to the Middle East on vacation?
"Average" guys get into Harvard Law after ditching school and doing cocaine in Highschool?
Which one sounds like an American life experience:Bilbo wrote:LOLFireNexus wrote:That's because unlike Bush, he is a regular guy. Obama was middle class, just really, really smart, and he moved on to great things. Bush was just a spoiled rich kid who acted like a redneck.
"Average" guys grow up in foreign countries?
"Average" guys travel to the Middle East on vacation?
"Average" guys get into Harvard Law after ditching school and doing cocaine in Highschool?
Yes. Some of them go into politics, too, like governor Schwarzenegger of California and governor Granholm of Michigan. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. John McCain (born in Panama, don'tchya know, but to parents who were US citizens and thus he is eligible to run for President).Bilbo wrote:"Average" guys grow up in foreign countries?
Hell, doesn't half of Brooklyn travel to the Middle East at some point? (Lots of Jews going to Israel). Not to mention Dearborn, Michigan (highest population of Arabs in the nation)."Average" guys travel to the Middle East on vacation?
Yes, remarkably, not everyone at Harvard is the offspring of a millionaire alumni. Although didn't Obama's father go to Harvard, too, at one point? Or just the U of Hawaii?"Average" guys get into Harvard Law after ditching school and doing cocaine in Highschool?
One of my co-workers just got back from a week long vacation in Europe, and we don't exactly make what you'd call "big bucks".Broomstick wrote: Remarkably enough, quite a few Americans spend some of their formative years in foreign countries (hell, I made it Europe by age 17), travel to foreign lands on vacation, have relatives aboard, and yes, go to prestigious colleges.
I'm conffused, do we hate him because he's black, because his middle name is Hussein so he's a terrorist, or is it because he's a Nazi.Duckie wrote:I was going to make a joke about how Obama could never be considered average or "one of the guys" because of barely-hidden anti-black xenophobia, but then Bilbo went and spoiled the joke in advance.
Minor nitpick, but George H. W. Bush wasn't a governor.Kodiak wrote: {Snip}
Being the son of a governor, then governor yourself
Being a millionaire at birth
My mistake, GHW Bush was a senator.SCRawl wrote:Minor nitpick, but George H. W. Bush wasn't a governor.Kodiak wrote: {Snip}
Being the son of a governor, then governor yourself
Being a millionaire at birth
Anyways, I wouldn't say that the current president is a "regular" guy; I'm too familiar with how regular the regular guy is to go along with that. He's somewhat more down to earth than most of his predecessors, but his intellect disqualifies him from any serious accusations of regularity. (Is that the right word in this case?)
Also, I want to point out that ditching school and doing cocaine in High School is not exactly remarkable, especially considering that it was the late 1970s and he lived in Honolulu, a city which hosted both a naval base and a booming resort industry. I don't know where Bilbo grew up, but... wake the fuck up. High school kids do drugs, drink, have promiscuous sex, and generally screw around. The distinction between BHO and GWB is that Obama grew up and out of it early on, while Bush was still acting like a fool into his 30s.Broomstick wrote:Yes, remarkably, not everyone at Harvard is the offspring of a millionaire alumni. Although didn't Obama's father go to Harvard, too, at one point? Or just the U of Hawaii? Remarkably enough, quite a few Americans spend some of their formative years in foreign countries (hell, I made it Europe by age 17), travel to foreign lands on vacation, have relatives aboard, and yes, go to prestigious colleges.Bilbo wrote:"Average" guys get into Harvard Law after ditching school and doing cocaine in Highschool?
Close, he was a congressman. He ran for senator, but not successfully. His father was a senator, though...Kodiak wrote: My mistake, GHW Bush was a senator.
Yes but Bush was "born again" which means that everything he did before doesn't count anymore. Obama's some kind of not born again Christian which means that it all counts.Pablo Sanchez wrote:Also, I want to point out that ditching school and doing cocaine in High School is not exactly remarkable, especially considering that it was the late 1970s and he lived in Honolulu, a city which hosted both a naval base and a booming resort industry. I don't know where Bilbo grew up, but... wake the fuck up. High school kids do drugs, drink, have promiscuous sex, and generally screw around. The distinction between BHO and GWB is that Obama grew up and out of it early on, while Bush was still acting like a fool into his 30s.Broomstick wrote:Yes, remarkably, not everyone at Harvard is the offspring of a millionaire alumni. Although didn't Obama's father go to Harvard, too, at one point? Or just the U of Hawaii? Remarkably enough, quite a few Americans spend some of their formative years in foreign countries (hell, I made it Europe by age 17), travel to foreign lands on vacation, have relatives aboard, and yes, go to prestigious colleges.Bilbo wrote:"Average" guys get into Harvard Law after ditching school and doing cocaine in Highschool?
LIES!!! GW was reading a book about goats.Yona wrote:The difference is that Obama can actually read and understand the book "Presidential Politics for Dummies" himself.
GW had to have it read to him by a bunch of 1st graders, and he still doesn't understand it.
5% of my dorm freshman year was doing coke. At least one of those guys is a doctor now, and I know a couple work in DC.Anguirus wrote:Wasn't GWB doing coke while he attended college?
Themightytom wrote:LIES!!! GW was reading a book about goats.Yona wrote:The difference is that Obama can actually read and understand the book "Presidential Politics for Dummies" himself.
GW had to have it read to him by a bunch of 1st graders, and he still doesn't understand it.
I want my leaders to be exceptionally smart and talented, but I also want them to come from common roots. Someone who understands how people without resources must live and the choices they must make is far more likely to be better at governing in a modern, industrialized society than someone who doesn't. So not only would I ideally like to make wealth not a requirement in ability to gain political power, but I would make it a detriment. Maybe force them to live for two years below the poverty line with no access to credit for two years in order to gain eligibility to run for political office.Serafina wrote:In either way - who want a regular guy as president anyway?
Seriously, i want my leaders to be exceptional.
If that means that only a lucky few can get president (or whatever) - so what?
Being born rich should not be a major part of the equotation, but being smart? Having lived an overly succesfull life?
Having extraordinary skills?
Hell YES.