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Yes, it's the most important in my lifetime (I'm 67). Carter/Reagan held that honor until now.
It's true that Obama has swung toward the middle, and Romney is as middle as they come, but based only on business experience, Romney is the only viable choice. Obama is like a ghetto escapee with a stolen blank check.
I disagree with this. Obama is running strongly to the left. Case in point, "Life of Julia." And Romney continues to run strongly to the right, even after having wrapped up the nomination. This is a sharp contrast and clear choice, and I hope that it continues that way thru Nov. Then we'll find out whether this is still a center-right country, or a 'United states of France.'
I have to differ, Case. The most radical liberals were a couple of Roosevelts, one a Republican and the other a Democrat. The first steered America away from it's nativist ways and turned the nation into a global power and imperialism while revamping the economic system and putting an end to a 10 year recession as deep as the one we are just now emerging from. That was Teddy, the Republican.
Franklin Delano was just as radical as his cousin. He stopped the Great Depression with agencies that he knew were unconstitutional and counted on the slowness of the Supreme Court to allow them to work at turning things around for as long as they weren't struck down. Those agencies worked- for the first time in years, several million men were able to send regular money to their families weekly.
Radical for their day and just as radical now. Both were highly controversial, and both turned out to be re-elected. Teddy did almost 2 full terms, was a strong contender as an independent after a 4 year gap, and was seen as the best candidate the Republicans could field in 1929, after another gap. If his health had not suddenly failed, he would have gone on to become President a 3rd term instead of Hoover.
Obama is neither as radical as both Roosevelts, and his policies have not been as radical either.
Nixon was more radical in his policies than Obama has been. He was the President who released the dollar from the gold standard and let it float, was the President who went to China, the largest and most radical Communist country on Earth and made friends with them, widened the Vietnam War into Cambodia, and did more to increase the national debt than anyone but Bush II.
Compared to these 3, Obama is an overly cautious moderate centrist. The folks who think there are only a few shades of difference between him and Romney are correct. The only real difference will be decided by those who don't want another stone beginner at the wheel of state and those who are willing to start over again with a different beginner.
They actually don't. Taxes are lower than they've been in decades.
I agree. The US has probably the lowest effective personal tax rates among the advanced economies. US tax revenues are around 18% of GDP, about equal to most people's effective tax rate. By way of comparison, in some European countries it is around 43%.
The problem with the US tax system is not the effective tax rate, it is compliance costs and legal risk because of the system's complexity: often it costs more to figure out the actual amount to pay than the actual amount, and then you are never sure if you actually did it right, absolutely absurd.
Basically Obama proposes reverting back to Clinton-era tax rates, with little relative significance for overall tax revenue, while Romney proposes going back to Reagan-era tax rates, probably requiring a relatively marginal broadening of the tax base and some spending containment to maintain tax revenues and current budget, both tweaking plans at basically the same level of complexity.
Overall, a lot of populist rhetoric but little of substance that actually helps.
The most important election of my lifetime is still a ways off.
The only importance I see in this election is that the Republicans will lose and they'll hopefully recognize that the far right stance isn't working, and shift the whole party back towards the center. Democracy doesn't work with one side this far off in its corner.
Of course they hopefully pick better candidates next time. Romney, Gingrich, and Santorum was... well... interesting.
No matter WHO the Republicans pick, you'll pull the lever for the (D). Please stop pretending otherwise.
No...you collectively just refuse to vote for white people. You guys are just as racist as anyone else....the only difference being that you're able to get away with it.
In 2008, black voters went to the polling booths in record numbers, substantially higher numbers than at any time in history. Coincidence? I think not.
Some day I would love to see a white Democrat running against a black Republican, such as a Colin Powell or Herman Cain. The entire African-american communities heads would literally explode over that decision.
Certainly not the most critical in my lifetime, but definitely the LONGEST....this election BS has been going on for two years. I'm sick and tired of it...promises, lies and mud-slinging. Obama should be spending his time on the economy, bringing in better qualified advisors, and bringing jobs back to the USA.
Nope not even close to the most important. What will be fun to see will be all the right-wingers heads exploding when Obama wins another four years easily. My guess is the GOP will implode in the next couple of years and either reform or slip into several different Parties, far too many nutcases in the GOP for them to continue as is.
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