"Do not be so narrow minded to think that he is nothing but an ex-con, closing your eyes to the problems of this country is what makes Youngstown look bad, not James Traficant alone."
Actually, in my experience, the people of the Mahoning Valley KNOW the problems of this country better than ANYONE- they LIVE them every day. What it boils down to is this: it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know- and how much money you've got. You can't be HONEST and expect to thrive. People KNOW Jim Trafficant wasn't the ONLY one taking bribes, but they also know he was ONE of them- and they're NOT stupid enough to think putting someone CONVICTED of corruption back in office is going to change anything.
Ask a Clinton supporter to name a piece of legislation sponsored by Senator Clinton, and you receive a harangue about how you must be a sexist if you question anything about Empress Hillary.
As an Obama supporter, all I have to do is point you toward the Daily Kos website, where a user going by the name Grassroots Mom has posted a diary entry entitled "I Refuse to Buy into the Obama Hype." In it, she examines the legislative records of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as they are presented by the Library of Congress. That article can be found at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/200...
Comparing Barack Obama to Jim Trafficant is just ridiculous. Trafficant took office in an era when Youngstown politics was nothing but corruption. Are you really naive enough to believe he was EVER not corrupt, when the Youngstown status quo always supported him so eagerly? By comparison, Jay Williams seems to be the only prominent individual in politics in Youngstown who is expressing support for Obama over Clinton- which suggests that it is CLINTON who has promised to preserve the old corruption that Mayor Williams has been fighting to overcome in his mission to get Youngstown back on its feet.
Another difference between the two is that Trafficant DID rant and rave- just like Hillary's been doing. Obama DOESN'T throw temper tantrums, he DOESN'T spend his time pointing out what is WRONG with everything. Rather, he points out what is RIGHT- and how we can USE what is right to fix things we find wrong.
FURTHERMORE, Obama is NOT an extremist nor an authoritarian. The policies he's authored and supported in Illinois- especially his welfare reforms- show that Obama wants to put MORE power in the hands of the PEOPLE, and in the hands of community organizers and volunteers. His answer in the debate tonight to the question on what vote he would take back shows that Obama's biggest regret was in not stopping the government from taking power he didn't believe it was entitled to. That's a GIANT leap from the attitude represented by a health care plan that imposes socialist mandates on American adults, and well in line with the traditional Democratic belief that Americans ARE entitled to the freedom of CHOICE when it comes to their health care.
The ESSENTIAL difference between these candidates is ALL in the approach. Hillary expects us to trust that everything she'll do is "for our own good." Barack Obama encourages us to do what's good for ourselves by offering us support- not orders.
I'll take the candidate who has proven throughout his campaign not only that he'll be RIGHT on Day One, but that he will LEAD on Day One, not DICTATE.
Why should Barack debate Hillary here? So she can get free publicity and steal more lines from John Edwards like she did last night? (Yes, in the same debate where she accused Obama of plagiarism and uttered the "change we can xerox" line, Hillary Clinton closed with remarks lifted directly from John Edwards' stump speech. Youtube video proving her plagiarism can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAYItn... and the story can also be found at politico.com and msnbc.com)
Vindy, quit being Hillary's lapdogs and try REAL journalism for a change.
#3 is the only reason I can see to hold a debate in Y-town. Hillary Clinton's campaign is NOT bringing in the volume of donations that Barack Obama's is, so she wants a debate, because it won't COST her anything. She's flat-out USING the local media to garner free advertising, and it turns my stomach that you're all dancing to her tune! I hope you'll give Senator Obama's campaign as much coverage, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
The local media seems to have decided that 200 diverse supporters driving through the snow to meet on a weeknight and volunteer for Obama is not as much of a story as 6 old white women phonebanking for Hillary on the same night. You seem to be stuck in the mentality that it's not WHAT you know but WHO you know that will count. It's as if you're committed to the idea that the kind of corruption we've grown used to is at best unavoidable and at worse desirable, the notion that we have to kowtow to powerful politicians to get them to solve our problems for us, and the belief that this will never (or should never) change.
Barack Obama represents another way of doing the business of government. He proposes that the government's job is not to fix our problems for us, but to provide us with the tools to fix them ourselves. In an Obama administration, it won't be about whose behind you've kissed- it will be about how hard you're willing to work.
But enough blogging for today; I need to hit the phones. We've still got two states to go before Ohio votes, and I want Hawaii and Wisconsin to keep the Obama streak alive!
Traficant will be a guest of CNN’s Blitzer
"Do not be so narrow minded to think that he is nothing but an ex-con, closing your eyes to the problems of this country is what makes Youngstown look bad, not James Traficant alone."
Actually, in my experience, the people of the Mahoning Valley KNOW the problems of this country better than ANYONE- they LIVE them every day. What it boils down to is this: it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know- and how much money you've got. You can't be HONEST and expect to thrive. People KNOW Jim Trafficant wasn't the ONLY one taking bribes, but they also know he was ONE of them- and they're NOT stupid enough to think putting someone CONVICTED of corruption back in office is going to change anything.
October 3, 2009 at 12:02 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Why Clinton over Obama
Ask a Clinton supporter to name a piece of legislation sponsored by Senator Clinton, and you receive a harangue about how you must be a sexist if you question anything about Empress Hillary.
As an Obama supporter, all I have to do is point you toward the Daily Kos website, where a user going by the name Grassroots Mom has posted a diary entry entitled "I Refuse to Buy into the Obama Hype." In it, she examines the legislative records of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as they are presented by the Library of Congress. That article can be found at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/200...
Comparing Barack Obama to Jim Trafficant is just ridiculous. Trafficant took office in an era when Youngstown politics was nothing but corruption. Are you really naive enough to believe he was EVER not corrupt, when the Youngstown status quo always supported him so eagerly? By comparison, Jay Williams seems to be the only prominent individual in politics in Youngstown who is expressing support for Obama over Clinton- which suggests that it is CLINTON who has promised to preserve the old corruption that Mayor Williams has been fighting to overcome in his mission to get Youngstown back on its feet.
Another difference between the two is that Trafficant DID rant and rave- just like Hillary's been doing. Obama DOESN'T throw temper tantrums, he DOESN'T spend his time pointing out what is WRONG with everything. Rather, he points out what is RIGHT- and how we can USE what is right to fix things we find wrong.
FURTHERMORE, Obama is NOT an extremist nor an authoritarian. The policies he's authored and supported in Illinois- especially his welfare reforms- show that Obama wants to put MORE power in the hands of the PEOPLE, and in the hands of community organizers and volunteers. His answer in the debate tonight to the question on what vote he would take back shows that Obama's biggest regret was in not stopping the government from taking power he didn't believe it was entitled to. That's a GIANT leap from the attitude represented by a health care plan that imposes socialist mandates on American adults, and well in line with the traditional Democratic belief that Americans ARE entitled to the freedom of CHOICE when it comes to their health care.
The ESSENTIAL difference between these candidates is ALL in the approach. Hillary expects us to trust that everything she'll do is "for our own good." Barack Obama encourages us to do what's good for ourselves by offering us support- not orders.
I'll take the candidate who has proven throughout his campaign not only that he'll be RIGHT on Day One, but that he will LEAD on Day One, not DICTATE.
February 27, 2008 at 12:06 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Will Obama debate in Y’town?
Why should Barack debate Hillary here? So she can get free publicity and steal more lines from John Edwards like she did last night? (Yes, in the same debate where she accused Obama of plagiarism and uttered the "change we can xerox" line, Hillary Clinton closed with remarks lifted directly from John Edwards' stump speech. Youtube video proving her plagiarism can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAYItn... and the story can also be found at politico.com and msnbc.com)
Vindy, quit being Hillary's lapdogs and try REAL journalism for a change.
February 22, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Y’town deserves to host a debate
#3 is the only reason I can see to hold a debate in Y-town. Hillary Clinton's campaign is NOT bringing in the volume of donations that Barack Obama's is, so she wants a debate, because it won't COST her anything. She's flat-out USING the local media to garner free advertising, and it turns my stomach that you're all dancing to her tune! I hope you'll give Senator Obama's campaign as much coverage, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
The local media seems to have decided that 200 diverse supporters driving through the snow to meet on a weeknight and volunteer for Obama is not as much of a story as 6 old white women phonebanking for Hillary on the same night. You seem to be stuck in the mentality that it's not WHAT you know but WHO you know that will count. It's as if you're committed to the idea that the kind of corruption we've grown used to is at best unavoidable and at worse desirable, the notion that we have to kowtow to powerful politicians to get them to solve our problems for us, and the belief that this will never (or should never) change.
Barack Obama represents another way of doing the business of government. He proposes that the government's job is not to fix our problems for us, but to provide us with the tools to fix them ourselves. In an Obama administration, it won't be about whose behind you've kissed- it will be about how hard you're willing to work.
But enough blogging for today; I need to hit the phones. We've still got two states to go before Ohio votes, and I want Hawaii and Wisconsin to keep the Obama streak alive!
February 14, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. permalink suggest removal