If a person has served in the U.S. Congress for more than a term, especially the Senate, I doubt they could be a very good president. Senators are constantly cutting deals and compromising their personal convictions in order to get legislation passed. They rarely have to make quick, independent, on the spot decisions. Such decisions show what a person really believes and is convicted about. Years of political compromise and deal-making severely numbs a Senator's ability to think independently and remain principled.
John McCain has been in the Senate way too long to be a very effective executive, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I would rather have John McCain in the White House than Barack Obama, but it's not with excitement. If I vote for McCain, it's only because I'm hoping he appoints the right kind of judges and he is not Obama. My expectations are extremely low when I think of "President McCain".
The above clip shows why I think a long time senator like McCain is weak executive material. The guy has drunk the kool-aid on the global warming farce. Climate change is part of the Earth's cycle. Maybe we're in a warming trend, maybe not. If we are, man's contribution to this trend is vastly overstated. For all the propaganda and "green" talk, the facts remain clear- We are not running out of energy or natural resources. The wrong people have control over current accessible supplies, but we're not running out. We need to drill more in this country and forget the Middle East. Beyond this, ever-fewer people in the world are starving. Food is increasing per head of the world's population. In fact, the biggest threat to third world countries would be enforcing the ridiculous KYOTO regulations on them. The world's species are not disappearing at an alarming rate, in fact new discoveries are happening regularly. Acid rain does not kill forests. Air and water supplies are becoming less and less polluted (thanks to our hard working Black and Veatch engineers!). Forest cover across the world has increased. Oil spills and toxic chemicals in the sea have declined. An honest assessment shows our situation on earth has vastly improved. Much more could be said here, but hopefully by now thinking people have checked both sides of the global warming debate and can make an intelligent judgment on reality. (See This, This, This, and This).
As I watch the clip I see a guy who is doing his best to say the right things to win the right (or should I say left) people. McCain has been around plenty long enough to craft a campaign platform that will appeal the widest group of people. We'll never likely know what he really thinks until he's in the White House, which I think is a dangerous thing. The only thing worse would be Obama in the same situation.
Generally governor's make better presidents. A president is an executive. He or she personally picks a cabinet of advisors to assist in decision making, but the president is the final decision maker for the executive branch of our government. How does a guy or gal who has been making decisions by committee for 21 years and with all sorts of "necessary" compromises fill such a role? Not well, I would suggest.
10 comments:
Tony,
I thought that you would find this article interesting, it is about the next financial bubble (i.e. dot com, housing...) "alternative energy".
I think that the reason we hear so much about climate change is because there is a lot of money to be made by those who proclaim the loudest.
http://harpers.org/archive/2008/02/0081908
Very interesting article Kevin. It makes alot of sense.
Wait a minute....you just provided me with useful information...Come on man, you're slipping. You have to follow up with something trivial, yet entertaining. I'm counting on you!
Sorry Tony,
I forgot my place... Here is the next great invention...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkcn8ZkvKKc
Where do I get one?
I agree on the executive experience being preferred and I think governor's make better presidents.
And I really like governors who were actors.
Off the top of my head, I can't recall the last senator who served as president.
Anyone more recent than Nixon?
Ford was a congressman, however, for quite a while, but not a senator.
Kennedy was a senator for a brief spell also, but going through the senate does seem to be the road less traveled, until 2008, of course.
Gunny,
George Bush Sr. served in the House for a couple terms I believe. Otherwise Nixon is the latest.
Kevin,
Thanks dude...you had me worried.
Only two U.S. Senators went directly from the Senate to become the President of the United States. They were Warren G. Harding and John F. Kennedy.
John F. Kennedy was the last president to have moved directly from Congress to the White House.
On Dec. 22, 1960, Kennedy resigned as senator of Massachusetts to take his place as the 35th U.S. president. No other senator or congressman has made that same transition since. In fact, only three men have accomplished this rare feat.
The first, James A .Garfield was serving as a representative of Ohio when he won the 1880 presidential election. Garfield had been elected to the senate in 1880 as well, but declined the position to assume the role of president
After winning the 1920 election, Warren G. Harding resigned from his post as senator of Ohio to become the 29th U.S. president.
In all, 15 senators and 17 members of the House have gone on to become president, but only Garfield, Harding and Kennedy were sitting members of Congress when they were elected to the White House.
With that being said the next President of the United States will be a sitting Senator, and to me just like the last the last two sitting governors who became President, Bush & Clinton will be another inept person to occupy the White House. Yes, I would rather have McCain then Barry or Hillary, however, whatever prior office these people have had is of no consequence, it all comes down to seven things, Abortion (i.e. Judges to the Supreme Court), War on Terror, Borders, Language, Culture, Taxes & Government Spending. I know that McCain is pro-life not as much as me but more than B&H, wants to win and end this war even if it takes 100 years, if push comes to shove he would not raise taxes as much as the other guys and may actually veto a few spending bills along the way. All three candidates get an F and are no different on borders, language, or culture. Therefore, it is McCain by default. Just like it was W by default, just as it was Dole by default. Just like, it was that Billionaire, who warned us of this Giant Sucking Sound by default.
Meanwhile all the core conservative candidates fell to the wayside this go round; I only hope McCain will pick Huckabee to be his Vice President for no other reason than comic relief.
Oh, by the way I forgot to add that all three men, Garfield, Harding, & Kennedy died in office. Two Garfield & Kennedy by Assassination, and some suspect Harding was poisoned.
"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job."
- Douglas Adams
Here is what a Michael Savage administration would do. Domestically G and I need revising, Internationally D needs revising.
Domestic G should make abortion illegal period, but at least his plan is a step in the right direction. I am not in favor of birth control unless its abstinence which at last check works every time it is used.
Domestic I decriminalizing most drugs would make increasing the DEA moot
Internationally D, we should always support Israel period.
Now if Senator John McCain would talk more like this perhaps Conservatives would not be so leery of him.
The Savage Manifesto
Domestic
A. Cut Federal Income Taxes by 2 percent per year over four years, for a minimum total of 8 percent over four years.
B. Reduce Federal Government Departments in size by 4 percent each year, for a total reduction of size by 16 percent over four years.
C. Eliminate all public assistance for able-bodied recipients. Cut off all public assistance for immigrants for five years. Repatriate those who are not working, after two years.
D. Immediately impose tariffs on cars and trucks owned by foreign entities, even if they’re manufactured in America.
E. Cause illegal aliens to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, and then, repatriate them. Pay them a one-time worker fee.
F. Increase pay for active duty combat troops by 10 percent. Number Two. Fire any unmarried military person becoming pregnant while on active duty.”
G. Make abortions illegal, except when the physical survival of the mother is threatened, to be determined by three medical doctors. Require Norplant for all women on welfare of childbearing age.
H. Close all houses of sex and massage.
I. Expand the DEA, while decriminalizing most drugs.
J. Regarding the media; one, eliminate all foreign ownership of any American media entity. Two, break up overly large conglomerates, like News Corporation.
K. Encourage child bearing among tax paying citizens. Create a marriage incentive, through lower taxes for married heterosexual couples. And a government subsidy for each child conceived and carried to birth. Increase the subsidies for each year the couple remains married.
L. Repatriate all illegal immigrants now incarcerated. Encourage all other illegals to self-repatriate through double taxation on wages and fines on employers.”
International
A. Iraq. Send in Iraqi troops to mop up pockets of resistance. Make Iraq pay with their oil for the cost of the war. Cordon off Sadr City, force all residents to leave, then go in and mop up all resistance fighters. Divide Iraq into three to four sectors; Sunni, Shiite, Kurd, and International. Next, remove all U.S. troops after above achieved.
B. Iran. One, sanctions embargoes and mine their harbors. Nothing goes in, nothing comes out.
C. North Korea. Destroy their launching platforms, impose a Naval blockade on all goods coming in or out, except food.
D. Israel Arab Entities. Give Israel four years to become self-sufficient. Cut off all foreign aid to all nations.
E. China. 20 percent tariffs on all China made goods immediately; rising by 5 percent each year for each year China refuses to revalue their currency.
F. United Nations. Withdraw immediately. Remove all Diplomats and staff. Convert the United Nations building into housing for the working poor.
G. Mexico. Force Mexico to pay one barrel of oil for every illegal alien in the United States of America per month.
http://michaelsavage.wnd.com/?pageId=404
I have been traveling this week for my company but heard Hanity on his radio broadcast blasting McCain for this wishy-washy, liberal non-sense speech, propagated to please the undecided Dem’s. If McCain thinks this kind of garbage talk is going to please and win over mainstream conservatives, he is nuts! To police this newly proposed government agency for monitoring “Global Swarming” McCain is promoting a new bureaucratic nightmare of endless paper work and costs to us tax payers of immeasurable portions! Is it too late to bring back Ron Paul?
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