The Life of Obama #1
The second in my series, this time, it’s an objective look on the life of Obama, from birth to his community organizer time after he graduated from Columbia University.
As in The Life of McCain, I found a lot of the details from the Obama wiki article, and my own personal knowledge on stuff that I’ve heard candidates talk about. I also used some knowledge from TV specials and the Obama biography, From Promise to Power. In encourage you to look further into the internet and your library shelves to find more specific details about the amazing lives these candidates have led.
The Life of Obama #1 by Auilix.
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When you do “The Life of Obama #2″, could you please illustrate what makes him a better candidate for presidency than Sarah Palin? How much more experienced is Obama than her exactly? When it comes to foreign policy and international diplomacy, what has Obama done to make himself seem like a better leader than Palin would be (whom we all already know has no foreign policy experience either).
To reply - I did a little bit of a sarcastic bit on that here:
http://superbarracuda.com/2008/09/super-barracuda-4/
I think that even going to foreign nations (let alone living in foreign nations) inherently makes you a little more aware of the world - I myself learned a LOT through my study abroad program. But I also hope to touch on the lives of Palin and Biden in separate mini-biographies as well! They all have lead interesting lives!
Understood, and I shall read the citations noted underneath the comic you mentioned. But, in terms of Democrats saying that Palin isn’t fit to run this country if something happened to McCain, what would you say that Obama has that Palin doesn’t in terms of what he would bring to this country? I mentioned foreign policy and experience because those seem to be the two things that are most brought up when discussed, but it seems that neither Palin nor Obama have the experience to run the country currently (though I’m interested in seeing what you have to say about this).
Well, I personally believe that Obama, who has said in the past that he’s willing to speak to all nations that the US engages with (hostile or friendly), and I think even that notion is leaps and bounds ahead of the Republican camp (and even many Democrats). The fact that he can also speak intelligently and eloquently about and to foreigners and foreign leaders would help, I think, immensely when it comes to foreign relations. For too long, the US has had their ears plugged when it comes to decisions of other countries, even when a lot of countries agree on it, leaving the US out. As I had noted earlier, the French Prime Minister had said of his encounter with Obama “Forgive us, but we had sort of forgotten that American politicians could be so perceptive and so well-spoken.” And I kind of respect that.
On the other hand, both Palin and McCain have spoken quite negatively to the thought of negotiating with foriegn countries. Palin’s remark about Putin rearing his head was only one instance of such ignorance… And the fact that it took her until 2006 to get a passport helps underline the fact that she has next to nothing of real foreign policy experience. McCain himself has even said he didn’t want to deal with Spain, a definite US ally and certainly a non-threat.
After my experience abroad, I really realized and saw the US as a team player, a part of the whole, and I really think our nation should start acting like it. McCain and Palin keep stating how great America is and how it’s the best nation on earth (implying also that Obama doesn’t respect/love America, which is just a ridiculous notion)… It’s great if you think that way, but in my personal opinion, the US is part of one big, beautiful, diverse, and wonderful world, and it should be proud of itself but able and willing to interact with all its inhabitants.
Anywho, it’s just my two cents.
Just to put it out there, I am a Democrat who thoroughly backs up Obama and Biden in the upcoming election. Being surrounded by family members and coworkers who are Republicans, however, makes it hard to react quickly each day to the barrage of questions and comments I receive. If I’m not entirely up to date with the latest political scheme that Fox news or such-and-such radio station (whether it’s NPR or some Republican channel) is stuffing down the American’s throats, then I’m usually berated quickly for not having a response to their claims.
Things such as Obama’s ties with ACORN, this whole Joe the plumber nonsense that has recently stirred up, and the constant scare tactics that are being thrusted upon the media and subsequentially the ever waiting and watching public. It gets to the point where I tend to pull away from political discussions, realizing that there is a point when my ideals and opinions will not get across to the other side (just as I’m sure they may feel at times).
It gets very frustrating to hear every day things such as “When Obama is in office, I’m sad to say that this country will be in for some massive changes. We are facing massive socialization and heading straight into a communist lifestyle”. Every topic has it’s opposing response, such as you mentioned McCain and his dealings (or lack thereof) with Spain. A Republican can come out and cite a quote from McCain such as, “I would be willing to meet with those leaders who are our friends and want to work with us in a cooperative fashion”, and then immediately turn the topic to something along the lines as “So what are your thoughts about Obama and ACORN, a corporation that couldn’t stop it’s own employees from forging fake registration cards in hope that they could score extra votes for the Democratic party” or “What is your view on Obama’s health care plan in terms of covering your own kids, when you may not have the money at the moment to do so. Is it fair to then be forced to pay a fine because of this?”.
It’s a bother and can get a bit out of hand when you’re not one to usually indulge yourself in politics. To know that you’ll be constantly questioned about your own opinions and beliefs, only to be immediately bashed if there is a shred of doubt by those asking the questions themselves. I may have to write down some of the questions and comments I receive and post them as comments or somewhere on this site so you can see how it is to be a fish in a barrel when it comes to the upcoming election. It isn’t my wish to debate day after day about every single political issue, though I will stand by what I believe is true and right for this country (though I think running for president requires one to be a bit out of his/her mind…talk about pressure).
Well, Republicans do seem to know a lot of facts, and they’re able to talk about them quickly and concisely. I know it can be very frustrating… Sometimes, with things like family, I tend to just politley ignore what they’re saying whether they are wrong or right. It’s hard to get into arguments with, say, your aunt all the time. Believe me, I understand (my aunt and my dad, for example, are staunch O’Reilly-loving Republicans, and my mom and my sister (and I) are liberal)…
But one good thing you CAN do is use fact check (http://www.factcheck.org/). They really sift through the shit, and they’re bipartison so you can read about the crap from both sides. You can read the truth about what’s said at the debates or in TV ads and dispute them.
BUT - Even if you do use the facts and tell the truth, they can STILL not listen, I know. In that case, I would recommend ignoring them, or chipping away at them gradually. People who are “staunch” conservatives certainly won’t change their minds overnight.
Good luck whatever you do, and I hope our comics can help in any way. Sorry for the lack of comics this week… Familial issues have gotten in the way, but I expect to be back next week with more of the issues!
It’s hard to ignore, even be it politely, certain family members or coworkers when it comes to talks about politics. I’m usually not one to ignore anyone, especially when it is about something that I feel strongly about. It’s painful, but I do sometimes tend to just nod and pretend to agree when I do not feel like arguing (which, sadly, is what debates end up turning into) with these people.
Just today I had a family member send me an email along the lines of: “So what do you think about this whole thing with Obama telling the media only what they want to hear and keeping the truth hidden from the public?”. I was confused and tried to find what he was talking about. I thought maybe he meant Obama not telling exactly how much families would be charged if they didn’t insure their children under his health care plan, but that didn’t seem right. I responded by saying that “most politicians hide the truth to make themselves look better, and most of them are usually trying to do what they can to get into office, but please give me an example of exactly what you meant by your email. I could not find where it was stated that he was keeping information from the media and only telling them what he knew they wanted to hear. And if it is just a blanket statement from the Republican party to try and continue to bash the man for being much more well spoken than McCain, then the same statement could be made to your party leader”.
Factcheck.org is one of my favorite sites to read when I want to see the truth behind both sides. I completely understand that both Obama and McCain have said things that were false, they both have done so in every debate. It’s frustrating trying to discuss politics with the other side when there’s always a rebuttal waiting to be shoved into your face no matter what…especially when you know you can do the same thing in return, but you hesitate because it can get a bit tiresome after a while.
I appreciate what you and your group of fellow artists have been doing to put a humourous light on the whole dibocle. It’s an even greater help, and a push in the right direction for those thirsty for information, when you include the citations along with the comics. I hope that more people are shown this site and can be enlightened and entertained as I have been.
I can relate with family issues, I hope everything turns out for the best on your end. Keep up the good work!