How is Obama going to bring change?

He won’t bring major reform in my opinion. No President can without support from the House and Senate and I don’t see him getting the support he would need.

As with all other candidates, we do not really have any proof that he will bring change. He might be Warren Harding and just try to return America to “normalcy” or he might end up like FDR.

As gooch said, no president can bring any major reforms without the support from the house and senate. Luckily the democrats have the majority on Congress so that might give him some help. I personally see him to be a lot like Bill Clinton. Even though Clinton did not make massive changes, he did help restore the economy during his terms

A president cannot magically get the economy out of recesion . Its actually the Federal Reserve’s job to make sure we can avoid a recession. What he can do is decrease spending on pointless things like foreign warfare. The biggest problem in our political system that the people who make decisions on the economy (national budget, etc.) are not necessarily aware of cost-benefit analysis of their decisions. (e.g. some senators vote to decrease taxes just because they think it would help the people without thinking about the over-all consequence of a tax-cut)

Would he make a good president? I think so.

Do I think Obama will win the Presidency? No – he’s too young, black and his parents were muslims ( i think). I think he’s just getting his name out for future elections.

@mirza
Is there any oversight whatsoever of the Federal Reserve? If they mess up, what happens? Is anyone held accountable? Why is a few men in control of our money supply?

Here are some quotes about the fed:
“The few who understand the system, will either be so interested from it’s profits or so dependant on it’s favors, that there will be no opposition from that class.”
– Rothschild Brothers of London, 1863
“Most Americans have no real understanding of the operation of the international money lenders. The accounts of the Federal Reserve System have never been audited. It operates outside the control of Congress and manipulates the credit of the United States”—Sen. Barry Goldwater (Rep. AR)
“The financial system has been turned over to the Federal Reserve Board. That Board administers the finance system by authority of a purely profiteering group. The system is Private, conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining the greatest possible profits from the use of other people’s money”— Charles A. Lindbergh Sr., 1923
“Some people think the Federal Reserve Banks are the United States government’s institutions.
They are not government institutions. They are private credit monopolies which prey upon the people
of the United States for the benefit of themselves and their foreign swindlers”—Congressional
Record 12595–12603—Louis T. McFadden, Chairman of the Committee on Banking and
Currency (12 years) June 10, 1932
“We are completely dependant on the commercial banks. Someone has to borrow every dollar
we have in circulation, cash or credit. If the banks create ample synthetic money we are prosperous;
if not, we starve. We are absolutely without a permanent money system…. It is the most important
subject intelligent persons can investigate and reflect upon. It is so important that our present
civilization may collapse unless it becomes widely understood and the defects remedied very soon.”
—Robert H. Hamphill, Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank
“A great industrial nation is controlled by it’s system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the world—no longer a government of free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of small groups of dominant men.”—President Woodrow Wilson
“It is well that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for
if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”—Henry Ford
“Should government refrain from regulation (taxation), the worthlessness of the money becomes
apparent and the fraud can no longer be concealed.”—John Maynard Keynes, “Consequences of
Peace.”

For the past year and a half, I have been talking about the dollar collapsing, forming of the North American Union with a new currency called the Amero, and the end of America as we know it. This was all before I heard of Ron Paul. As you might have heard, we are now officially in a recession. The Federal Reserve has been around for less than 100 years and I strongly believe it is now catching up to us.

@mirza – fact check before making statements like that (the last one about Obama) – and it’d be good if you clarified if something is your own opinion or your impression of a societal one (in terms of the racist element, etc).

from Wikipedia:
In Chapter 6 of the book, titled “Faith,” Obama writes that he “was not raised in a religious household.” He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion, yet “in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known.” He describes his Kenyan father as “raised a Muslim,” but a “confirmed atheist” by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian stepfather as “a man who saw religion as not particularly useful.” The chapter details how Obama, in his twenties, while working with local churches as a community organizer, came to understand “the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change.” Obama writes: “It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized.”[138]

Read his books: Dreams from my Father and The Audacity of Hope

http://www.tucc.org/about.htm

Obamas church’s website.
3. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.

Im sorry, he wants to run America right??

Funny you guys call Ron Paul racist, yet Obamas church is “Unashamedly Black”. Is that not racist?? I was unaware that religions were based on color.

I love that Obama quote: “It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized.

Religious commitment does not require the suspense of critical thinking, in fact, some of the greatest critical thinkers have been religious leaders. That was something the Enlightenment understood, but our fashionably secular academia today has forgotten. The ability to critically think does not require the suspension of religious commitment, regardless of the bigotry of so many allegedly “advanced” thinkers who unthinkingly reject the thought of anything remotely related to the religious. I’m glad Mr. Obama might be out there advancing the very real contribution of the religious.

And chris, I’m not sure what you’re trying to make a big deal about. What’s wrong with a church or anything else being “unashamedly black?” I’m unashamedly mostly Caucasian. I’m also unapologetically Christian. The endorsement of one end of the spectrum does not necessarily include the rejection of the opposite. Maybe we get so bogged down in partisan politics (and I don’t see a problem with adversarial politics itself, you shouldn’t always compromise your ideals) we forget you can be unapologetically Republican without rejecting Democrats and vice versa.

@Hossman

I understand what you mean. You as an individual are unahamedly Caucasian. Its when a religious group is unashamedly black that bothers me. Isnt religion and race two seperate things? I just wonder how I would be perceived, if I went to that church, to practice religion. Does anyone here belong to that church? Maybe they can clear this up??

This seems, from their materials, to be a church that focuses on the unique Christian experience of black American Christians. That is different than white Christians, or black African Christians, or black Muslims. They seem to focus on an awareness of the history and traditions that have arisen from the influences of African ancestry, slavery, black gospel music, and other traditions unique to the black Christian churches of America. Just because they focus on that doesn’t mean they have any problems with white people, any more than a charismatic Hispanic church may focus on the unique fusion of Hispanic elements (including nonChristian influences like Santaria) in their Christian experience. Native American Christianity often reflects influences from traditional shamanistic, pagan or animalist Native American religion. I don’t get the feeling they’re being separatist, just distinct and focused on their distinct qualities.

Are there church’s that focus on white Christians?

There are some that purport to, but those I am aware of, called the Identity movement, as far as I can tell ARE thinly veiled racism. Some would argue that a lot of churches, without intentionally doing so, are focusing on white Christians because most minorities might not be comfortable worshiping there. Unfortunately, Christian worship is so different between various minority and majority traditions that many congregations end up, unintentionally, being places where other ethnic Christians are not likely to attend. It’s not a matter of trying to exclude anyone, its just that different traditions result in worship environments popular with one group of Christians not being popular with other groups of Christians. Even within, say, the Catholic Church, which has a very diverse population, you will find separate churches within the same town with one congregation being primarily of one ethnic group and another with a different ethnic population, because there are small differences between, for example, the religious practice of Irish Catholics and Hispanic Catholics, even though they share the same theology.

isn’t the whole point of “civil rights” that we are all individuals, all with the same rights. I think racism is still around bc we fail to realize this.

Ron Paul gas been talking about this country going bankrupt for a long time. If you have been watching Glenn beck and jim kramer the last couple of days, you’ll see this is happening. How do you not see what is going on with our money supply. This is not a good thing.

I’ve been looking over the voting records of Clinton and Obama, and I don’t see much of a difference. So I’m proposing Obama switch from a “change” message to: “Just as socialist, and I’ve got sexier calves!”

Hmmm. chris uses the term “neo-con.” What would be the opposite? Is Clinton a “paleo-lib?”

@hossman, Nope, she’s a neo-con in Dems clothing.

What, exactly, is the difference between a Neo-Con and a Regular-Con?

Obama knows that words have meaning. What he says can inspire people to work towards positive change in their own way. He creates a foundation based in ideas…like ending the division that red state/blue state concepts have brought upon us ( BTW…this was a media invention. And so positive change can be a media invention too) He’ll bring about change by communication and smart ideas on how to use what’s there. If the media can create chaos and hatred between us…then it’s just as likely that it can be used to promote positive outcomes as well. Once the seed is planted then it’s up to us to run with it.

I do like the general concept of shaking things up by telling the parties that some new guy can waltz in and take all the marbles because enough Americans are fed up with the “same old, same old.”

Yes, hossman, it’s a classic American story. Obama found out how hard it is to just “ride the wave” in New Hampshire against a determined, experienced opponent. Here’s hoping he starts playing for keeps and runs away with the nomination. There have been times when he’s seemed a little distant from the excitement felt by his followers. Maybe that’s a good thing, being a reluctant leader?

I’m not sure it’s reluctance. I get the feeling he is a very cerebral (not necessarily smart, but a thinker rather than an emoter) kind of guy, and emotion (or at least the overblown pathos we Americans seem to want from our leaders lately) doesn’t come naturally for him, he has to cultivate it. Which I don’t think is a bad thing, but makes him appear standoffish in the public eye.

I’ve been looking at Obama’s record of co sponsorship, support and introduction of legislation in the state Senate and the US Senate. I noticed a lot of Republican’s he’s worked with on legislation, including John McCain.

When he got to the US Senate he went above and beyond the expected Freshman approach to get going day one. He has developed a very strong group of advisers and collaborators.

His views seem well defined and appear to be well thought out. See Wikipedia for details.

As far as his Church after reading through the various pages it appears that the focus is on improving the self esteem and personal commitment of their members to reach their fullest potential. With that it appears that they encourage their members to ignore stereo types placed on them that limit their growth, as well as not buying into the we versus them mentality.

The “Unashamedly Black” part is more related to telling their members they should not be ashamed to be black as if it’s something less than the best. As far as I can see they go a long way in not only telling their members to grow their potential but also are actively providing tools and support for their members to become productive members of the society around them in a very quality oriented way.

People in the last several years seem to be complaining that the government is not doing enough for them. JFK said “ask not what your country can do for you, but rather ask what you can do for your country”.

As far as Obama, he will bring change should he become President, or continue as a Senator. He has sparked an interest in the process that is bringing record numbers to the voting booths. This in itself is a positive event, in that youth are being drawn into having a say in their future. And not just in speaking out in support but actually showing up to vote.

Whether the rest of the changes will be positive is yet to be seen. However I believe that if he succeeds and becomes the first black president, again. It will go a long way in tearing down an ingrained belief among many black people that they will never go anywhere. And this new found belief in them selves will bring a great many to awareness that they can achieve success and make significant contributions to the whole society around them.

I think the change he wants to bring is more your FDR style. Moreover, a president has about as much control over an economy as he does the rain (of which we need here Mr. President). We’re still not in a recession, yet. It seems as though the economy has improved a bit with a 1.9% growth for the quarter. To be honest, I don’t want to pay any more in SSI tax than I already do.

He already has. Look at his skin color. (Note: non-racial slur/joke)

With me kicking and screaming.

@chris6137, Agreed

The Double Standard.

The most used tool in the Black Racism Toolbox.