I was wondering whether you were left or right leaning, because sometimes I get Ron Paul supporters messaging me with the same question and we just end up in an argument because they didn't really want to know my opinion on why Hillary should be our President, they usually try to disguise their agenda with this question.
But since you insist, I will assume you are no RP troll...
I think Hillary should be the nominee and of course our next president because I believe she is best capable. I won't sit here and argue that Edwards and Obama are not competent enough to be president because I think they are and they are definitely far better than any of the Republican candidates (Hillary said it best in the NV debate: that when you look at what the Dems are saying versus what the REps are saying, you can see the stark differences and with that, you can see how terrible wrong the Republicans are), but I believe Hillary is far more equipped with the tools needed to handle the specific jobs the next President will inherit.
When it comes to who of the Dems do I prefer to be our next president, I can only come up with that answer by answering these questions.
Do I want my president to be able to not only set the goals and vision for our country but also know how to manage and master the entire operation?
Do I want my president to demand what we should change and therefore go on the offensive until we win aggressively or would I rather have a president who is knowledged and experience enough to know the how to's to get the job done, to get real results, proven by experience.
I want a president not only is smart (something Obama, Edwards and Clinton have in common) but also be engaged in all the details, have a full awareness of the problems we face as well as the specifics addressed to each of them. This is the feel that I get from Hillary. Hillary not only knows that we need to fix Healthcare, Education, SS, Iraq but she seems to be very personally involved with all the minor details, unlike the other two, she is very teach-oriented, knowing all the bolts and quirks and I think we need a President who is THAT MUCH invested in the problems we face. Not one who is only philosophically invested or one who is choosing to bring about change in a manner I don't agree with, but one who is prudent about the steps that need to be taken to ensure real results.
I hope this helped.
KEVIN
3:57pm Jan 17th
Thank you. And I am no troll. I respect what you say. I just wanted to know what other people are thinking because I think very differently. And I hope you are okay. Those RP trolls can be vicious.
So, let me get this straight:
Your vote goes to Hillary because she will not be as aggressive as Barack or John, she not only is smart but knows the details having a full awareness of the specifics addressed to the problems we faced while Barack or John does not, and she has the tools and experience to manage our country better than Barack or John?
KEVIN
4:23pm Jan 17th
When I say aggressive I am talking about her approach compared to specifically John Edwards. As I'm sure you know John Edwards has pledge to take on the lobbyist and entrenched interest, he's said he wants to do away with the power of lobbyist and these interest, while I believe his intentions are honorable, I do not believe they are realistic.
Kevin Gosztola goes to Columbia College in Chicago where he is studying film. He hopes to become a documentary filmmaker. He is currently working as a production assistant on a documentary called "Seriously Green" which traces the development of the Green Party throughout the 2008 election. He has a passion for journalism and writes articles or press releases in his spare time. Kevin Gosztola is also a student activist who believes in questioning the way America's systems work(its electoral system, its military-industrial complex, its foreign policy of American exceptionalism, its media which has become the Fourth Branch of government,etc.)
His ambitions have him currently organizing and raising money for a Chicago Conference for Media Reform in April or May of 2009. It will be organized by college students to promote youth involvement in media reform and justice. Those interested in attending or helping with the organization of the program should contact him.
No sadness or empathy about Waco, Serbian war, war in Iraq and Afghanistan. No rage towards murder of innocents. No passion really.
Kevin, I do not want to sound patronising though but many young adults here seem to be 'undeveloped' in the area of good, solid human emotions. They are indeed 'poor spirits'. I am not insisting all of them are but there is surely a tendency. Otherwise they would understand how clisheed they sounded.
This is from a grumpy man:)
by
Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3453 comments)
on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 8:57:52 AM
Part of that is a mission to try to uncover the why for voting for either of the candidates who are called "leading candidates" or "frontrunners" now. Why are young people drawn to any of these candidates?
What worries me is these are people who will be the future leaders of America. This is the next generation of politicians and policymakers in America. These people who are volunteers and campaign organizers working on chapters of the campaigns will decide what America does twenty or thirty years from now.
I cannot allow them to be so impassionate, discompassionate, uneducated, and misled. I also cannot allow them to have zero imagination for what could be changed here in America. All of their visions for change are so stunted by reality, a reality that each of their candidates (in this case Hillary) could change or shape because as president they could be that powerful or inspirational.
by
Kevin Gosztola (210 articles, 113 quicklinks, 68 diaries, 809 comments)
on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 9:15:10 AM
No arts- no development. The role of arts in the humans development is enormous- arts develop personality. How many of them had seen the Goya's ' Horrors of war'? How many had seen ballet? How many had discused great artists like Renoir or Monet? How many read ' The confessions of Nat Turner' Ok, how many of them read ' Common Sense' on their own?
Without this, without the cultural foundation you get a Zombie.
You have your hands full, Kevin, I have to say. I have a son and he is in Peace Corps and I see how very good basically young people suffer because they just... have not ever been introduced to humanity through arts.
by
Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3453 comments)
on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 9:25:29 AM
Great reading and comments. I'd like to add that I have always equated the Arts with not just personality, but with human dignity. Expression allows people to build and voice their self-worth.
The young are like young of past genreations. They too are duped like adults. 59 million got Bush elected, only a fraction were the young. The building of social capital in our young is lacking. I believe this stems from technology(which decreases social interaction), lack of parental guidance, and education vs. indoctrination.
If schools don't have your children reading great literature like "common sense", "the rights of man," the age of reason," "peoples history of the united states" then it's the job of parents to see they do. however, it pleases me to read more and more highschools are using Howard zinn's "peoples history of the united states" as their history texts.
by
william eldridge (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 10 comments)
on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 12:38:48 PM
In this Red State I went to school in (Indiana), we used good ol' McGraw-Hill textbooks.
Corporatized learning to make your mind go numb.
And if that wasn't enough to make you dumb in the brain, teacher wouldn't talk about history but instead ask us to fill in worksheets by copying and pasting the words or phrases that needed to be filled in onto a piece of paper.
We called it "busy work." And it does nothing for the mind. You don't learn---you memorize. And you don't critically think---you end up hating thinking.
"Busy work" didn't beat me. But it sure has beaten others.
by
Kevin Gosztola (210 articles, 113 quicklinks, 68 diaries, 809 comments)
on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 1:50:56 PM
I was amazed by the low level of the ' cutural awareness' of the teachers here in the area of liberal arts. English teachers did not know other books by Jack London but Call of the Wild. Paintings, the whole are of those were never discussed. Ballet- oh, boy. Opera- not a chance. The so- called diversity classes teaching about other people were a joke. I always laugh when they mention Dostoevsky as a most popular Russian writer here: he is one of the most tough writers to read even in Russian, not to mention English. Hey, how about ' Moby Dick', had anyone ever read this one in original. I recently discovered a magnificent work by Charles Upham about Salem Witches trials and I ran like crazy to the High School and hollered that that book was to be studied by everyone. Not a chance.
Of course, arts develop a sense of dignity, sure. Where the Hell is this sense when our current Pres does not know even English language?Maybe we all wait for Harry Potter to solve our problems?
by
Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3453 comments)
on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 2:05:28 PM
Actually, Kevin, her supporters sound pretty savvy to me. Your comments did nothing to diminish their points. And as for being antagonistic, you were. That's the whole point of your exercise as you stated in the beginning. Though not in so many words.
You do seem to be one of those haters. It's a pity.
by
fou (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 90 comments)
on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 10:16:08 AM
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